Our ongoing look back at sci fi / fantasy TV shows that were cancelled way too soon or pilots that never made it to series.
The Upfronts wrapped up last week when the networks presented their schedules to the advertisers and now we know which shows will be returning for the upcoming season and which new shows the networks have picked up (you can see the preliminary Fall 2018 schedule at this link and the rundown of the new shows at this link). But with that also came quite a number of cancellations (more on those at this link) as well as several potential shows that will not be moving forward. Every Spring, the broadcast networks commission several pilots that they review and decide on whether to greenlight to series for the coming season. Some of these get picked up, some are passed over, getting cast to TV oblivion.
The broadcast networks did not order too many sci fi / fantasy pilots this year as they continue to shy away from genre shows. The exception was The CW which had several genre shows under consideration, three of which were passed over. Also included in this list are a couple of non-broadcast net pilots that were passed over just recently. Following is the full rundown on those along with my comments on whether I thought the concept showed potential to carry a series.
Dead Inside (CW)
Description: After surviving an explosion that killed her hotshot detective big brother, an underachieving beat cop starts seeing his ghost, flipping their sibling dynamic on its head and allowing her to truly live her life for the first time, as they work together to help crime victims both living and dead, and figure out the unfinished business keeping his spirit on Earth. THR
Starring: Freddie Stroma, Lyndon Smith, Hayley Marie Norman
Comments: Another procedural with a twist. Another show about a person who talks to / communicates with the dead and uses that knowledge to solve crimes. I won’t be missing this one, but if this is your thing then just wait for NBC’s The InBetween to hit the schedule later next season.
The End of the World as We Know It (CW)
Description: When a prison spaceship carrying the universe’s most deadly aliens crashes in Southern California, two young women with bigger dreams than working at a kids’ pizza place in the Valley are recruited by a space cop to hunt down the escaped criminals, who have camouflaged themselves as eccentric Angelenos. Based on the book The End of the World as We Know It by Iva-Marie Palmer. THR
Starring: Josh Helman, Gage Golightly, Quinta Brunson, Liam Garrigan
Comments: This sounded like one of those younger-skewing CW shows that doesn’t quite register with old fogies like myself. And with the Roswell reboot on the way next season, the network apparently decided that was enough in the way of aliens-hiding-on-Earth shows.
The Greatest American Hero (ABC)
Description: Inspired by the 1980s TV show the comedy centers around Meera, a 30-year-old woman who loves tequila and karaoke and has spent her life searching and failing to find meaning, much to the chagrin of her traditional Indian-American family. An inexplicable event occurs that will change the course of Meera’s life forever: She is entrusted with a super suit to protect the planet. Meera may have finally found purpose, but the world has never been in more unreliable hands. THR
Starring: Hannah Simone, George Wendt, Gia Sandhu, Zenobia Shroff
Comments: This one could have been a ton of fun like the original series was when at its best especially if they had done it as sequel series where the new heroine picks up the baton from Ralph Hinkley, the lead from the original show (I don’t know that they did take that approach). As tired as we are of reboots, this might have been a good one to bring back, but apparently ABC wasn’t feeling it and decided to ground this superhero comedy.
Locke & Key (Hulu)
Description: Based on the Joe Hill comic book of the same name, this series revolves around three siblings who, after the gruesome murder of their father, move to their ancestral home in Maine with their mother Nina (Francis O’Connor) only to find the house has magical keys that give them a vast array of powers and abilities. Little do they know, a devious demon also wants the keys, and will stop at nothing to attain them. Deadline Hollywood
Starring: Francis O’Connor, Nate Corddry, Jackson Robert Scott, Megan Charpentier, Danny Glover
Comments: This one seems to be cursed as it is the second time that a Locke & Key pilot has been passed over. FOX produced a pilot back in 2011 that screened at Comic-Con to much acclaim, but the network did not pick the show up. Hulu decided to give it a shot, but changes in management apparently killed it as the new set of executives were not interested in continuing the project started by their predecessors. Fans will have to be content with the comics for now, but maybe this one will surface again the third time will prove the charm. UPDATE: Netflix has picked this show up to series.
Tremors (Syfy)
Description: The pilot for this series picks up almost thirty years after the events from the first movie. The subterranean worms (aka “Graboids”) have not been seen in a long time, but suddenly make a reappearance in Perfection, Nevada. An aging Val McKee returns to his former town to help out, but can he overcome alcoholism and a hero complex to defeat the creatures a second time?
Starring: Kevin Bacon, Hunter Parrish, Toks Olagundoye, P.J. Byrne
Comments: This pilot seemed to have a lot going for it with Kevin Bacon returning to the franchise and Vincenzo Natali (Cube, Splice) onboard as director. But it also looked like it would ignore the other sequels and the 2003 short-lived TV series that have developed a notable cult following. Plus, Michael Gross was nowhere to be found in the production and he has since become the face of the franchise. Still, the trailer looked promising and it would have been nice to see Kevin Bacon on the Graboid hunt once again. I’m not certain it would have worked as an ongoing series, but I sure would like to see the pilot (I discuss this one in more detail at this link).
Wayward Sisters (CW)
Description: Wayward Sisters tells the story of Supernatural fan-favorite recurring player Sheriff Jody Mills and a group of troubled young women, all of them orphaned by supernatural monster attacks and tragedies. Under Mills’ protection, they emerge as a supreme monster-fighting force. THR
Cast: Kim Rhodes, Briana Buckmaster, Kathryn Newton, Katherine Ramdeen, Clark Backo, Yadira Guevara-Prip
Comments: The CW has been toying with a Supernatural spin-off for a while and it seemed like they hit on something with this one (the pilot aired as an episode of the series this season on January 18th). But the network decided to pass on it with president Mark Pedowitz claiming “we did not feel creatively that the show is where we wanted it to be”. Fans started a petition to save the failed show, though, which is nearing 80K signatures as of this writing. So maybe the network will consider keeping this as an option for mid-season.
