Shows That Deserved More TV Time

As any avid TV viewer can tell you, there is always that one show that got away too soon. Perhaps the show just lacked the right support from its network or there was behind-the-scenes drama that brought about its untimely demise. Or, in many instances, it was just a lack of ratings. While for other shows it was simply the curse of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, not getting enough of a fan following or being short shafted by the studio.

One of the more notable shows in this category is the much beloved, but short-lived series by Joss Whedon: Firefly. The series debuted on FOX in September of 2002, but by the end of that year, the show was being pulled from the schedule with a number of episodes left unaired. As most people know, the fans of this unique series – who are known all over the world as Browncoats – have, to this day, remained strong supporters of the series, its cast and crew and the follow-up box office movie – Serenity – that came from much diligence on the part of Joss, the fans and even some of the suits at Universal Pictures.

For me, Firefly was just one of many short-lived shows that ended much too early. The list that follows is not in any particular order, but it reflects just some of the shows that I feel were treated poorly by their home network and were simply wrongfully overlooked by the viewers:

1. Pushing Daisies – This innovative series created by Bryan Fuller was not only a visual delight but also a remarkable look into the unique world of Ned, a simple man and humble pie-maker with the rare ability to bring the dead back to life with one touch. That ability came with a few stipulations, though: the second touch meant permanent death or another living thing had to die in its place. The series ran on ABC from October 3, 2007 to June 13, 2009, airing over two seasons with 9 episodes in the first and 13 episodes in the second. It starred Lee Pace (Wonderfalls) as Ned, Anna Friel (Timeline) as Ned’s childhood sweetheart Chuck (who died and was brought back to live by Ned), Chi McBride (Boston Public) as Detective Emerson Cod who worked with Ned to solve murder cases, Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth as Olive Snook, the love-sick waitress at Ned’s restaurant, The Pie Hole and legendary actresses Ellen Greene and Swoosie Kurtz as Chuck’s agoraphobic aunts, who were also a renowned synchronized swimming pair.

2. Eli Stone – Created by Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim, Eli Stone was another ABC drama. This one chronicled the unusual life of attorney Eli Stone who discovered he had an inoperable brain aneurysm that caused him to have realistic hallucinations that seemingly made him out to be somewhat of a modern-day, though reluctant, prophet. Jonny Lee Miller (Dracula 2000) starred as the title character with Matt Letscher (Legend of Zorro) as Eli’s doctor brother Nathan, Natasha Henstridge (Species) as Taylor Wethersby, Eli’s ex-fiancée and fellow attorney and her father’s law firm. Taylor’s father, Jordan, was played by Victor Garber (Alias) while Eli’s secretary Patti was played by Loretta Devine and Eli’s acupuncturist Dr. Chen was played by James Saito (The Devil’s Advocate). The cast was rounded out with Sam Jaeger, Jason George and Julie Gonzalo as other attorneys in the firm. The show aired from January 31, 2008 to July 11, 2009, covering two seasons of 13 episodes each.

3. Prey – Prey was yet another victim of ABC, lasting only one season and consisting of only 13 episodes. The series created by William Schmidt ran from January to March of 1998 and concluded over that summer. The show followed Dr. Sloan Parker (Debra Messing of Will & Grace), a bio-anthropologist studying genetic variation in humans who moved forward with the research by her mentor, Dr. Ann Coulter, after her untimely death. Sloan quickly discovered there was an advanced species of human beings living alongside us who were determined to wipe us out. Vincent Ventresca (The Invisible Man) and Larry Drake (LA Law) worked as Dr. Ed Tate and Dr. Walter Attwood (respectively) at Whitney University with Sloan while Adam Storke starred as federal agent Tom Daniels, who turned out to be one of the new species. Frankie Faison rounded out the cast as LAPD Officer Ray Peterson, who assisted Sloan and her team in their investigations of the new species. The series consisted of on 13 episodes.

4. Moonlight – This CBS vampire-based series was created by Ron Koslow and Trevor Munson. It aired during the 2007-2008 TV season, consisting of 16 episodes. The series followed private investigator Mick St. John (Alex O’Loughlin from The Shield), who was turned into a vampire by his bride Coraline (Shannyn Sossamon from A Knights Tale) on their wedding night in 1952. Unlike most of his kind, Mick did not feed on humans; rather he protected the innocent, using his abilities to help humankind instead of inflict harm. In the present day, he struggled with his attraction to Beth Turner (Sophia Myles from Underworld), an internet reporter for Buzzwire, who Mick rescued from a kidnapper (who turned out to be his ex-wife Coraline) 22 years earlier. Beth was involved with assistant DA Josh Lindsey (Jordan Belfi from Entourage), further complicating the budding relationship between her and Mick. Mick also had a valuable friend and mentor in 400-year old vampire and successful businessman Josef Kostan (Jason Dohring from Veronica Mars).

5. Joan of Arcadia – The family drama created by Barbara Hall aired on CBS from September 26, 2003 through April 22, 2005 and told the story of teenager Joan Girardi (Amber Tamblyn from The Unusuals) who could see and speak with God (who appeared to her in many forms), performing tasks she is given by the Deity. These tasks were often seen by Joan as irrational and unnecessary; but as each story played out, each task became vitally important to those Joan was helping. Her parents were played by Joe Mantegna and Mary Steenburgen – the new chief of police and high school secretary turned art teacher, and her older brother Kevin, who was a paraplegic, was played by Jason Ritter (who will be seen this fall in The Event) and her younger brother Luke, who was a science nerd, was played by Michael Welch (from the Twilight Saga franchise). The series had 23 episodes in its first, critic- and fan-acclaimed season and had 22 episodes in its second season, which, unfortunately, was not as widely acclaimed.

While there are MANY other shows in the television landscape that ended before their time these – as well as Firefly – are the ones I miss most. What short-lived shows do you miss most? Please share as we here at NiceGirlsTV would love to hear what you have to say.