Earlier this month I blogged about some of my favorite TV shows that were cancelled way to soon. I tried for the most part to include only Sci fi (with exception to Twin Peaks).
Top 10 Sci Fi TV Series: Gone Before Their Time After posting that blog I received several comments bringing up some other really good show. These aren't really Sci Fi and are more Fantasy but I truly miss these as well so I'm going blog about those right now.
These are not in any particular order.
1. Pushing DaisiesOctober 3, 2007 to June 13, 2009
Ned possesses the unique talent of being able to bring the life to dead merely by touching them. However, the person may remain alive only for one minute, or else someone else dies for them. A second touch will render the person dead again, unable to be revived. Through his connections with PI Emerson Cod, Ned revives his childhood sweetheart, Chuck. The trio, aided occasionally by Olive Snook, helps solve the mysteries of various murders, whose murderer is often surprising.
This series made it for 2 seasons, but unfortunately the writers strike happened and only 9 of those episodes were finished. Luckily those 9 did decent numbers and it was brought back from another season, but it took almost a year for it to come back and ABC never repeated the first season so when it came back the ratings were horrible and it was cancelled after a 13 episode run. So even though we got 2 seasons we truly only got 22 episodes which is really just a full 1 season.
I wanted to see this series just from the commercials, It was visually stunning and the cinematography was BEAUTIFUL!!!! After the first episode I was in LOVE. This was and will always be one of my all time favorite TV series.. it's just sad that we got so few episodes.. but man the episode we did get... AWESOME!!!!! Luckily they were told early enough that they were not getting picked up that the creators when back and re-wrote the finale and kind of wrapped up some of the stories in the last few minutes. So we got a semi-closure to the story.
2. Legend of the Seeker
November 1, 2008 - May 22, 2010
Millions of readers the world over have been held spellbound by this valiant tale vividly told. Now, enter Terry Goodkind's world, the world of The Sword of Truth. In the aftermath of the brutal murder of his father, a mysterious woman, Kahlan Amnell, appears in Richard Cypher's forest sanctuary seeking help...and more. His world, his very beliefs, are shattered when ancient debts come due with thundering violence. In their darkest hour, hunted relentlessly, tormented by treachery and loss, Kahlan calls upon Richard to reach beyond his sword-to invoke within himself something more noble. Neither knows that the rules of battle have just changed...or that their time has run out. This is the beginning. One story. One Rule. Witness the birth of a legend.
I hadn't read the books but knew of them so I was really looking forward to this series. There are so few "fantasy" TV series out there. This show did not disappoint, it was beautifully shot, acted and the stories were fun. The SFX were good even thought it was a lower budgeted show. The chemistry between the two main characters was great. They diverted from the books quite a bit but these stories were just as entertaining. The series ran two seasons and it really looked like it was going to be picked up for a third when out of no where it was cancelled.
3. John DoeSeptember 2002 - May 2003
John Doe is an intelligent adventure series, named after the main character, albeit not by name: 'John Doe' is called thus because nobody knows the name of the man who literally fell from the sky, naked, in the sea near an obscure island. When Far Eastern fishermen save him, it soon becomes clear his memory is in a paradoxical state: he has total amnesia concerning his own past, even his real name, but has more factual knowledge stored in his brain then even the Google computer banks on every possible other subject, as if he had memorized the Library of Congress, so one rarely needs to read anything when he's around. He also is intelligent and inquisitive enough to understand and use much of that knowledge, and keeps rolling into all kinds of weird mysteries, teaming up with various characters, each of which must first be convinced he's legit, such as police detectives Frank Hayes and Jamie Avery, but gets frustrated by finding his own story the most elusive, probably linked to some secret experiment.
This was a fun mystery series. This was the Lost before there were tons of series like Lost. It was a slow builder but entertaining. Every week you got a little bit more into the story until it got to the finale where they killed off one of the main characters (very shocking) and revealed other huge clues that really pushed the story forward... then.. yep it was cancelled on the cliffhanger never to know what was going to happen.
4. Kyle XY
June 26, 2006 - March 16, 2009
A Seattle family takes in an amnesiac teen (Dallas), whom they eventually learn has mysterious powers and psychic abilities, the result of a secret human cloning experiment conducted years earlier. The family helps teach Kyle human behaviors such as anger, joy and love, and guards him against forces who seek to use Kyle for their own nefarious purposes.
I saw previews of this series and really liked what I saw..but when it first aired I missed a few episode and had to go online to get them. Once caught up I started watching this on a regular bases. This series ran for 3 seasons (S1 - 10 episodes, S2 - 23 episodes, S3 - 10 episodes). The main character, not only was super cute but very charismatic and you couldn't help but love him. The family that take him in were your typical family which was nice to see. As the series continued the stories got more and more complex as we find out more and more about Kyle XY.
That is one think I really liked about this series is they gave you answers at the end of each season, and of course would ask more questions. They assumed they were going to get picked up for a fourth season so they left us with many big cliffhangers to never be resolved. But even knowing that I would watch the series all over again and it's a fun family, kind of magical series. And it's one that I will always miss.
5. RoarSummer of 1997
Roar chronicles the extraordinary life of Conor, a reluctant 20-year-old orphaned prince who must rise above tragedy to lead his people to freedom. Conor takes on a band of ragtag allies that include Tully, a teenage apprentice magician; Catlin, a beautiful former slave; and Fergus, Conor's big-hearted, ebullient protector.
Their primary struggle is against Longinus, a supernatural creature whose true essence is that of a 400-year-old Roman centurion ready to do the bidding of evil Queen Diana, an emissary of the Romans. In this fight for freedom, what is most important for Conor and his people is the Roar—the roar of the land, the roar of the people—a voice that echoes through every living creature and is the power of life.
I love stories set in this time, and really enjoyed this series from the beginning. This was Heath Ledger first US TV shows. There was a nice mixer of action, story and magic. It only lasted 8 episodes before it was cancelled leaving 5 unaired episodes. Luckily the entire series was put on DVD a few years ago so I could enjoy a few more episodes that never aired.
After years of wanting to see this series ( I don't have HBO) I finally rented Disc 1 of the first season. Everyone I talked too and who knows me said I would enjoy it. So last night Harry and I sat down to watch episode 1. Harry wasn't sold on it yet but said he would watch the first episode and then let me know if he wanted to continue or not.
