MovieChat Forums > Journeyman (2007) Discussion > Other great shows that never stood a cha...

Other great shows that never stood a chance...

posted 16 years ago by araby1021
67 replies | jump to latest

Felt like having a pity party with myself tonight after watching a past Journeyman episode I had DVR'd a few months ago.

I'll miss it...I really will. Remember the first or second episode when Dan buries something in what would later become his backyard patio? He then goes back to his present and proves to his wife that he's time traveling. She asks, "Will you come back to me?" and he replies, "Every time..." I almost started bawling when I saw that scene.

My wife couldn't get into the show and it made me think of all the other shows I've watched and made a sincere commitment to, only to see them cancelled after one or two seasons. Remember "The Others"---a show about people with esp and other psychic gifts? It starred the girl with short red hair and freckles who's on Law and Order. Cancelled! Early Edition (mentioned here on another thread.) was another nice family-oriented show that I found to have clever storylines. Millennium---though darker in nature---lasted three seasons, but I always felt that the actors---especially Lance Henriksen, were underrated. Chris Carter (creator of the X-Files) was the show's creator and admitted to not having the time to oversee both Millennium and X-Files as the seasons progressed.

There was a show about a wizard that was on last year for one season. I forgot the name of it, but it was pretty good. British actor played the character of "Harry something or other". As a native Chicagoan, I was disappointed that the show didn't get better quality shots of the city even though they filmed in Canada, but that was probably its worst offense.

Even "The Cosby Mysteries" was pretty good and didn't last long.

I find that with a wife and child, I rely more on television and the Internet for my entertainment since I'm limited in my ability to go out like I did in my pre-parent days. I just can't believe all of the reality-t.v. crap that gets top billing...and like rap music, it never ends! You think all of this stuff has a certain shelf life, but they keep thinking of new reality shows to usurp the intelligent programming like Journeyman.

I wonder if we would have been more diappointed and heartbroken had Journeyman been cancelled after a second season...? Had the relationship progressed to our developing more intimacy with it and its characters, perhaps the loss would have been that much more difficult to accept...

[–] Fefi 15 years ago

Some shows I remember now, some of them already named:

* Surface (Lake Bell)
* Players (Ice T, Frank John Hughes, Costas Mandylor)
* John Doe (Dominic Purcell)
* Brimstone (Peter Horton, John Glover)

All of them, great for me, but with only one season, or less... and without a decent ending, of course. Just... CUT!

[–] amsdragons-2 15 years ago

FREAKS AND GEEKS! Great show!
and a great sitcom...Happy Hour!

Gone before their time!

"Life's true gift is the capacity to enjoy enjoyment."
--Majel Barrett Roddenberry as Luxanna Troi

[–] jfgarcia42 15 years ago

Just to name a couple,

Life on Mars (Just heard this one tonight and I now am pretty ticked off)
Sports Night
Dead Zone
The Single Guy
Aliens in America
Boston Commons
The Bakery
Shark
Pushing Daisies
Canterbury's Law
Women's Murder Club
Big Shots
My Own Worst Enemy
Life is Wild
The Nine
The Ex-List (kept coming back to watch)

The rule of thumb is that if I like it and want to watch it on an every week basis, then it will be canceled.

[–] ScottyJBD 15 years ago

Was starting to think no one remembered Earth 2, but thanks to the person two posts up!

I still dont understand why this show failed, especially being right after heroes. I saw this as a hit but, man, the average Heroes watcher sucks for not sticking around an extra hour to see this through at least a full season.

Memento

[–] preachboy777 15 years ago

Some good shows posted on here, but I'll put a few up again, just to reiterate how great they were.

Firefly (The top of anyone's list for sure... why they ever canceled this wonderful cult hit is beyond me.)

Invasion (Kept me intrigued every night, and it was on after Lost, how did this show do so poorly? Bummer we never got to find out what happened.)

Arrested Development (At least we got 3 seasons out of it, and now a movie, but it was still killed before it's time... comedies can go on a lot longer than action series and still be fresh.)

Rome (Again, 2 amazing seasons and a movie coming up, so not complaining too much, but there were many more stories that could have been told. Titus and Vorenus rock!)

Dark Angel (Should of either ended with the first season, or completely redone the second season. I can see why they canceled it, the second season was crap, but if it hadn't of been, this show could have gone on for several seasons)

Freaks and Geeks (Judd Apatow at his best. All the awkward wonderfullness of high school from an unusual perspective. The starting points for the careers of James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, and a very little John Francis Daily (who now plays Dr. Sweets on 'Bones')

Hack (David Morse is a great actor, and this show about a taxi driver who tries to play hero in New York City was a great premise, and was fun to watch. To bad no one ever heard of it.)

Joan of Arcadia (Religious shows just don't do well, I guess. You run the risk of offending both the religious, and non religious at the same time. But this show was great, and combined high school drama with family issues and spiritual explorations all at the same time.)

Pushing Daisies (A wonderful show, quirky, original, and funny. It had so much potential, and I have no idea why it was canceled. More people that I knew watched it then some of the ridiculous shows that stick around)

American Dreams (I put this on here because my parents watched it and loved it. Wasn't exactly catered to my age range, but when I caught it, it was good, and shouldn't have been cancelled.)

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (Aaron Sorkin writing for Matthew Perry and Bradly Whitford... it was a killer combination that never picked up steam in the ratings. It was one of those "too intelligent for TV" shows.)

Sports Night (Another Aaron Sorkin project that went belly-up, again with the same problem of being too intelligent, too ahead of it's time. This came out when Dramedies weren't really anything of interest. If it came out today, it would thrive.)

The Black Donnelly's (wonderful show from Paul Haggis, but got buried under a mess of other shows that all got canceled around the same time.)

Jack and Bobby (Interesting premise, and well constructed show. Tied in flash forwards too when Bobby is president to his years as a young teen.)

Earth 2 (This show has a lot of similarities to Lost... maybe it should have been on ABC instead. That being said, I never saw this until it was a DVD set, and well past canceled. My guess is, since I had never heard of it, that it's advertising failed it. It's a damn shame, because this was a good show.)

[–] mike_theman 15 years ago

I agree with most of that list.

Freaks and Geeks
Undeclared - College themes never work, since college age people are the most ignored age group in all aspects of life
Pushing Daisies - I only saw a couple episodes, but I liked it
Arrested Development
Journeyman
Life - Yes, it's a cop show, but it just seemed different somehow
Life on Mars
Firefly
Kings - the feeling of cancelation is in the air. No one knows if it will make the full season
Friday Night Lights - People fought to bring this back, but I doubt it will be around much longer

There are countless sitcoms that I thought were awesome until the networks moved them to a new night and time every week and had to play watch and seek

I don't understand how intelligent shows like these are cancelled after a season or less, and there's 3 CSIs, 8 Law and Orders, 300 cop shows, and 9,000 reality shows. It's a little disgusting.

[–] xbedhead 15 years ago

Oh, Life...I'm still in mourning over you.

BUT - there's hope. USA has shown great interest in the show, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. It should've been on that station to begin with - it's too brightly colored and the characters are too interesting for regular, old NBC.

[–] discordia_7 15 years ago

I miss Deadwood (cancelled after 3 seasons) and Picket Fences (cancelled after 4 seasons)

[–] nicver 15 years ago

At least Deadwood had 3 seasons. Carnivale only had 2 and it was such a great show.

[–] Moizamdani 15 years ago

Well you should all check out Kyle XY on ABC Family, that is another great show that was canceled after a few seasons, but shows like My Secret Life as an American Teenager are still on the air or GREEK, yeah, thats a really family oriented show...(hope u caught the sarcasm). It irritates me too how great shows are canceled but we still have bachelorette and other crap taking up network time :-(

[–] inoshi 15 years ago

My list is:

ANGEL (should have had a proper ending, although the one they had was understandable) but it could have carried on.
BUFFY - no reason to end it unless they'd run out of ideas
MIRACLES - definitely no reason to end it just when we were getting to the nitty gritty.
CARNIVALE - such a loss. Not just the story but the beauty of the cinematography.
THE 4400
TAKEN
SURFACE.... what was down that tunnel?
SUPERNATURAL- yes, I know it hasn't ended but they've promised us a proper ending with season five. Let's hope.
JERICHO
BLOOD TIES
TRUE BLOOD - I know this hasn't ended but I fear for it because it's so popular.
FIREFLY - of course. Thank goodness for Serenity.

In England: ULTRAVIOLET saw only one series ages ago (Bill from True Blood is an English actor who appeared in this. We now have a new Survivors (still waiting for the second series)but the first didn't have the punch of the original.

I thnk they just don't ask for opinions.

[–] JinxsterJones 15 years ago

Firefly appears on most of the responses on this thread and I have to agree, it was a great series! Actually watched Serenity first, then hunted the Show down on DVD. Thoroughly enjoyed it all!!!

Another one I'm dissapointed about, that sort of fits this category, is The Pretender! It had 4 series and a couple of TV movies. But because more were intended there are lots of plot threads left hanging, very frustrating!! I thoroughly enjoyed it! Okay, sometimes the acting was a bit wooden and the stories were a bit far fetched! But it entertained me, and that's all I want from my TV!!!

Looking forward to seeing series 2 of Burn Notice! Am very happy to see it's back for a 3rd Series too! After thoroughly enjoying Series 1 when it came to UK screens this year, I was scared this would follow the same fate as other shows I enjoyed too much!!!

Not sure if I'll get panned for this, but I also enjoyed the new version of Bionic Woman. Was dissapointed that got dumped early too!!

You forget all the things, you just do it!

[–] ludacha 14 years ago

Moonlight, The Dresden Files, Sarah Connor Chronicles..

*Signature*
Sorry for my english.
I LOVE Supernatural, NCIS, House, TSSC and Chuck! <3

[–] jcross_82 14 years ago

I'm glad someone finally mentioned Terminator. Poor old Summer Glau seems to be the kiss of death,Firefly, Terminator and she just joins Dollhouse (superb show!) and that gets cancelled.

Another fave of mine that hasn't been mentioned - The Unusuals

[–] tbirdman-1 14 years ago

My list in no particular order:

1. Journeyman (2007)NBC Stupid NBC execs. had a sure fire hit show on
their hands and even with the writer's strike
that fall they could've brought back the show
after the strike was resolved. It lasted only
13 episodes. No dvd yet which is ridiculous
since other canceled shows are out on dvd now.

2. E-Ring (2005-2006)NBC Another great television series canceled
prematurely by NBC, it was killed by a
combination of factors: 1. The network
just couldn't keep it on the same night
and shuffled it around the prime time schedule,
2. They failed to promote the action drama and
they overhyped and overpromoted Deal Or No Deal
to death 3. They took it off of the air to make
room for the winter olympics in 2006, granted
NBC preempted all of their nightly programs for
that two weeks period though once the games
ended they could've brought back the E-Ring to
prime time.
3. The network refused to burn off the remaining
episodes over the summer for fear of looking
foolish for canceling this terrific show and
they won't release a dvd set for the same reason.
Creator, former writer and executive producer
Ken Robinson who'd stood by the show gave these
very reasons on his imdb message board. He'd been
a huge supporter of E-Ring and he lobbied NBC to
give the show plenty of promotion and yet the
powers that be wouldn't do so and these are the
reasons why the ratings suffered.
The dvd set needs to be released.

3. Killer Instinct (2005)FOX A very dark and mysterious crime drama that
I enjoyed watching and I did manage to catch
all 13 episodes before it got canceled by Fox.
No dvd as of this writing.

4. Kitchen Confidential (2005)FOX Another excellent new show that same fall
on Fox and it was quirky and very funny. Based
loosely on the life and career of real life
executive chef Anthony Bourdain who is hosting
his own food and travel show on the Travel Channel.
Out of 14 episodes that were produced only 9
were aired in prime time before the cancellation.
Dvd set contains all 14 episodes.

5. Invasion (2005-2006)ABC A very cool show which blended drama and sci-fi with
a very talented cast. It ran for the full season though
the ending left many unanswered questions in the cliffhanger.
Dvd is available.

6. Surface (2005-2006)NBC Another intelligent drama with sci-fi overtones which
had a loyal audience though the ratings weren't good
enough to warrant a second season. Like E-Ring that
same season it was under promoted and low rated. Fans
could get the full season on dvd.

7. Threshold (2005-2006) CBS Again we had very well written episodes with
an appealing cast. Well acted drama and sci-fi blended
well with each episode continuing into the next one.
I'm a big fan of Carla Gugino so I am biased in favor
of this intelligent show. Like Surface & Invasion
this show ended with an unresolved cliffhanger. Dvd
is available.

8. Tru Calling (2003-2005)FOX At least Fox gave this Eliza Dushku drama a
full season plus six more episodes before
its abrupt cancellation. It didn't even have
a proper ending and no cliffhanger final episode.
In fact the network didn't even air the last
two hour episode and preempted it for an
episode of The Simple Life. That was done so
they would sell plenty of dvds of the show's
last season. Viewers would've bought the set
in order to watch that last episode. I have
both season's dvd sets.

9. Dollhouse (2009-2010) FOX This Joss Whedon creation also starred
Eliza Dushku and she was co-creator of
this series which blended, sci-fi, drama
and humor. It was a mid-season series last
spring and despite the very low ratings on
Friday night Fox did give it a second half
season before cancellation. The last episode
aired on Jan. 29, 2010. Perhaps if it had
aired on a different night the ratings would've
been much higher. I have the first season
dvd set which contains both the aired and
unaired pilots, the unaired one is better
than the pilot which was shown. No word
yet if and when the second season will be
released.

10. Fastlane (2002-2003) FOX And here we have another great action drama
which aired on Friday night and this one
did last an entire season. Canceled due to
very expensive production costs for each
episode along with a very high budget. Though
Fastlane did garner decent ratings despite
airing on Fridays. Dvd is available though
the original music was replaced due to licensing
rights.

11. Point Pleasant (2005-2006) FOX This series aired in the spring of 2005
and ironically it replaced Tru Calling due
to the Fox executives thinking it was a
better fit for the audience on Thursday
nights. And yet it got canceled after just
13 episodes had aired. And there was no
proper ending to the series at all. At least
the dvd set is available to buy.

12. The Adventures Of Brisco County Jr. (1993-1994) FOX This was quite a
unique series which combined a western
theme along with action, drama & humor.
Star Bruce Campbell was so terrific as
the title character and I looked forward
to every episode. It had a strong, loyal
following and a cult audience though as
usual the powers that be over at the Fox
network claimed that it had less than
strong enough ratings which led to its
cancellation. There was no reason as to
why another network didn't pick it up to
produce new episodes. I think it would
have fit in well for the then WB or UPN
networks. And the bright side of the
show's ending is that Bruce Campbell
became somewhat of a cult movie star.
Dvd is available.

A word to the networks, if you want a sure fire hit on your hands then you
need to be patient and keep your high quality shows on the air long enough
to garner high enough ratings! E-Ring didn't catch on with the younger
viewers which is another reason for the low ratings. Advertisers aim for
the younger audience in their twenties and thirties and E-Ring was
watched by the audience in their fourties and older. And yet the main
viewing audience that the networks always target is 18-49 in age and
I fit right into this group. Let's hope the networks have some patience
and listen!

Lorenzo In Sunny & Chilly New Mexico

I'm James "Sonny" Crockett!

[–] tomasthedreamer 14 years ago

Carnivale was yet another amazing show that got canceled. I highly recommend checking out that show.

[–] tbirdman-1 14 years ago

Thanks for the recommendation, I shall try to watch Carnivale.

Lorenzo In Sunny New Mexico

I'm James "Sonny" Crockett!

[–] utahsfinest1 14 years ago

my Favorites are
Surface:
It had enough Viewers 9.5-10.5 million depending on the source which is better than 90% of nbc primetime shows now and had to end in a cliffhanger
Journeyman:
Great series but suffered in ratings
Kyle XY:
ABC Family Killed the series by messing with the timeslot and making it 10-11pm mountain time after The secret life of an american teenager and only one of its seasons was over 13 episodes it also had to end in a cliffhanger
Jericho: It was canceled after one season on a cliffhanger than brought back for only seven episodes after fans rallied. Of course than they made some sort of comic book "Third Season" where even if it magically got a third season the creators said they would continue it like a 4th season after the comic books that noone read so that sadly put the Nail in the Coffin. Supposedly there was going to be a Movie about the people in New York but that hasn't happened.
Reaper: A CW show of which by the way I miss the Wb because the shows aired on the WB had a higher budget and higher ratings see smallville on the WB compared to Smallville on the CW. But anyways this show had an interesting premise and the second season made it better where it turns out the guy was the son of the devil.

[–] rp69 14 years ago

there are two shows that were brilliant, but never had a chance. Now and Again from 1999 and journeyman. a lot of decent shows get the ax within 21 episodes like daybreak and flash forward. most of the time they tend to be forgettable. some just plain suck like the eight episodes of shaft with ving raims. but these two shows were very good even 10 years later.

one show i never understood the popularity of was firefly. people still say that was THE most painful cancellation of all time. I tried watching a few episodes on netflix. it felt like a b-movie from the 80's. or a low budget tv show like Andromeda. it actually felt a little like brisco county jr, only not as good.

I really liked the amercan version of life on mars too, but I know I'm all alone on that one

[–] mesesanmihai 12 years ago

"The Lost Room" comes to mind for a good potential, but dismissed too easily.

[–] ScottyJBD 12 years ago

There was a "horror" show on during the summer a few years back, not dead island or silent island....something Island. It started off pretty good and took a turn i didnt quite agree with about half way in but i enjoyed the ending and wouldve liked to have seen another scenario with new characters if it had been renewed.

Jericho and Life are some of the others i saw mentioned, Life had Damian Lewis from Homeland and Jericho was just way too touchy for network television.

Now i remember why i stopped watching network pilots, its hard letting these shows go.

Memento

[–] Pi_1 12 years ago

Harper's Island.

You guys don't want to get me started on shows canceled too soon - I have quite the list......

[–] dieselvodo 12 years ago

1. Nowhere man - just re watched it,and it's still as good as I remember
2. Invasion - I was so disappointed when I realized that it had been shut down.
3. Models Inc - better than both MP an Beverly Hills
4. Daybreak
5. Alcatraz? Doesn't look promising, probably shut down.
6. McKenna
7. The Sarah Connor Chronicles
8. Fastlane

[–] mvitale24 8 years ago

Miracles -- starring Skeet Ulrich and Angus McFadden. Skeet starred as an ex-priest who used to investigate and try to validate miracles for the Church, who joins an organization, Sodalitas Quaerito, headed by McFadden, to search for the Truth.

Series consisted of thirteen episodes, six of which actually aired on ABC. Killed thanks to Monday Night Football and ABC's inability to admit that constant preemptions for games without little to no advance notice or rescheduling of episodes at the last minute might just devastate ratings and viewership. No, it must be that the show sucked and no one wanted to watch it and not their ineptitude at programming and scheduling.

Damn fine series I still love to this day.