TV Shows That Switched Networks (Part 2 of 2)

Last week, I focused on the TV shows that switched networks during their time on the air from the 1950’s through the 1980’s; and below you will find the shows that changed networks throughout the 1990’s and the present:

During the 1990’s there were even more dramas that moved between networks during their time on the air, including:

Baywatch [loosely considered an “action drama] debuted on NBC during the 1989-1990 TV season. The series did not perform the way NBC wanted so it was cancelled. But star David Hasselhoff did not give up, getting the show into syndication in 1991 where it ran for 10 seasons, becoming one of the most watched TV shows in the world. The last two seasons the show underwent a large cast overhaul as well as a location change, moving to Hawaii. The series also led to a spin-off called Baywatch Nights and three direct to video films.

Babylon 5 started out in syndication through the Warner Brothers commissioned Prime Time Entertainment Network, running from 1994 through 1997 before moving to TNT for its final season in 1998.

Due South aired on CBS for its first two seasons from 1994 to 1996 before it was cancelled. After a one year hiatus the show returned in syndication with its final two seasons packaged together as one long season in 1997.

Sliders debuted on FOX in 1995, airing for three seasons before moving over to the Sci-Fi Channel [now known as Syfy] from 1998 to 2000.

JAG also debuted in 1995 but over on NBC; and much like Baywatch, the show did not perform the way the network had hoped so it was cancelled. The show was shopped around getting picked up by CBS where it ran for 9 seasons from 1997 through 2005. JAG also spawned the long-running CBS drama NCIS, which of course, has spun-off into NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS: New Orleans.

Poltergeist: The Legacy got its start on Showtime, airing from 1996 through 1998 before switching over to the Sci-Fi Channel for its final season in 1999.

Stargate SG-1, one of the longest-running TV shows in North America, also debuted on Showtime (while airing in syndication in certain TV markets) from 1997 through 2002. It then moved to the Sci-Fi Channel, airing from 2002 through 2007. Like JAG and Baywatch, Stargate SG-1 spawned not only an animated series Stargate Infinity, but also the spin-off series Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe as well as two direct-to-DVD films.

Buffy, the Vampire Slayer aired on The WB (now The CW) from 1997 through 2001 before it switched to UPN from 2001 through 2003.

Roswell debuted on The WB in 1999, running for two seasons before moving over to UPN [along with Buffy, the Vampire Slayer]; but the sci-fi series only lasted one season at that network.

As we moved into a new century, there have been nearly a dozen TV dramas that have moved from one network to another. Those shows include:

• Law & Order: Criminal Intent aired on NBC from 2001 through 2007 and then moved to the USA Network from 2007 through 2011;
• Veronica Mars aired on UPN from 2004 through 2006 before switching over to The CW for its final season in 2006-2007;
• Medium ran from 2005 to 2009 on NBC before moving to CBS from 2009 through 2011;
• Friday Night Lights aired on NBC from 2006 through 2008 before switching to DirecTV from 2008 to 2011;
• Damages debuted on FX in 2007, running for three seasons before moving to DirecTV for one final season in 2011-2012;
• Southland aired for one season on NBC in 2009-2010 and then it switched to TNT for four more seasons from 2010 to 2013;
• The Killing aired on AMC from 2011 to 2013 with its final season airing on the streaming service Netflix in 2014;
• Unforgettable debuted on CBS in 2011, airing for 3 seasons before moving to A&E for one season during the 2015-2016 TV season;
• Longmire aired for its first three season on A&E from 2012 through 2014 before it switched over to Netflix for separate seasons in 2015 and 2016. It’s final season will air there this year;
• Nashville debuted on ABC in 2012, running for 4 season before it moved to CMT for its current, 5th season; and,
• Supergirl had one season on The CW in 2015-2016 before switching over to The CW for this current TV season.

Are there any shows from the past two or three decades that you would have liked to see get a second chance on a different network? Please share them below.