Ten Sci Fi TV Shows (Before neXt) Cancelled Too Soon by FOX Over the Past 20 Years

FOX has announced the cancellation of its AI-drama neXt after the show had only aired two episodes. It debuted in early October to mediocre-at-best ratings, but it was given little in the way of promotion and I’m not sure what else the network expected in this pandemic-impacted Fall season (more on that show’s cancellation at this link). By all appearances, the network had given up on the show early on and had no intention of supporting it.  But then FOX is no stranger to cancelling sci fi TV shows over the past twenty years (and more). Most infamous was the axing of Firefly, but there have been plenty more cut short by the network during the past two decades. Here is a look at ten notable sci fi entries cancelled too soon since the beginning of the century by FOX.

10. Second Chance (2016, 1 Season Totaling 13 Episodes)

This modern reworking of the Frankenstein story is another show that the network appeared to be against from the start and is mostly forgotten now. It went through multiple behind-the-scenes shakeups before it hit the air which included a name change from The Frankenstein Code to Lookinglass (?) to Second Chance as well as a cut to its episode order from thirteen to eleven. It did not receive strong reviews, but it was actually better than expected and could have developed into a decent series if given the chance. It was actually scheduled in the post-American Idol timeslot originally, but it lost a large portion of the audience from its lead-in and was quickly shuffled off to Fridays. The show burned off the rest of its episodes on that night and was cancelled by season end. Second Chance was hardly ground-breaking, but it had potential and might have done better on another network or one of the cable channels.

9. Minority Report (2015, 1 Season Totaling 10 Episodes)

This is really more of an example of a series that was flubbed by FOX. The premise, based on the Philip K. Dick story, about a future world where precogs can predict crimes in advance had a ton of potential. But the actual series basically just delivered another cop show with a twist. If it had been given more time to develop, perhaps it could have explored its sci fi elements as well as the moral quandaries they presented. But network execs apparently lost faith in this one early, cutting the episode order from thirteen to ten. The show barely found much of an audience and was cancelled by the end of the season.

8. The Passage (2019, 1 Season Totaling 10 Episodes)

This vampire-pocalypse series was long in development, first headed to the big screen then spending a couple of years in the TV pilot queue before hitting the schedule.  Its ratings were not great, though not disastrous, but it ultimately appeared to get squashed in the midst of the Disney buyout of FOX Entertainment, leaving the story with little to no resolution. There were talks that it could shift to another network (it would make a great fit on Hulu), but nothing has come of that yet and it appears that the one season is all we will ever get from this show.

7. Dark Angel (2000-02, 2 Seasons Totaling 43 Episodes)

Of all the shows on this list, this one had the longest run with two seasons and over forty episodes. But it was still cut short by FOX in the end. Focusing on a genetically enhanced super-soldier in a post-apocalytic world (played by a young Jessica Alba), this one was created by James Cameron and he directed the pilot. But the name recognition he brought to the show was not enough to keep it running. The first season peformed well in the ratings, but the numbers dropped in its second year when FOX moved it to low-viewership Fridays (what did they expect?). It was cancelled at the end of its second season leaving the show on a pretty large cliffhanger. The story was carried on in a series of novels, but fans certainly would have liked at least one more season from this one.

6. John Doe (2002-03, 1 Season Totaling 21 Episodes)

This show was cancelled the same season as Firefly and is another example of FOX failing to support a genre entry that had plenty of potential. It seems quite apparent that they looked at this as potentially the next X-Files–the intro sequence even has many similarities to that show as well as Millennium–and while it had less in the way of the paranormal, it could have still picked up the torch (the Chris Carter show had wrapped up the prior season). It delivered mostly episodic stories, but had an ongoing arc relating to the true origin of John Doe. And perhaps if this one had arrived after Lost became a big hit for ABC, it would have found more success because audiences had developed more of an appetite for shows with an extensive mythology. But FOX was not willing to give it a chance like it did with The X-Files after its low-rated first season, and cancelled the show with no resolution to its overarching story.

5. The Lone Gunmen (2001, 1 Season Totaling 13 Episodes)

This is another show that FOX execs likely hoped would pick up the X-Files torch and carry it for a few more seasons. It might have been a dubious choice to assume that the Lone Gunmen could carry a series on their own, and this show was certainly uneven at times. But then, so was The X-Files in its first season. TLG at least deserved one more season to see if it could hit its stride and prove that it could stand on its own merits. But the network brass did not have the patience for that and cut this one short after only thirteen episodes had aired.

4. Almost Human (2013-14, 1 Season Totaling 13 Episodes)

This series starred Karl Urban as a future cop paired with an android (played by Michael Ealy) and got off to a weak start storywise, but started to hit its stride midway through its thirteen-episode run. It arrived on the schedule late in Fall of 2013, which hurt its ratings, but it actually managed to grow its audience when it returned from the Winter hiatus in January. But then FOX inexplicably started preempting it and scheduled it to run against the Olympics when most of the other networks opted for repeats. Despite all that, the numbers were not bad for the show and if it had experienced less in the way of network scheduling hijinks, it likely would have done much better. But FOX is FOX and they cancelled the show which is what it appears they wanted to do all along. This one has since become a cult favorite with multiple attempts to save it, but it seems unlikely that we will get any more episodes from the show. (Read more about the cancellation at this link.)

3. Dollhouse (2009-10, 2 Seasons Totaling 26 Episodes)

Joss Whedon’s second show at FOX did not do much better than his first (see Firefly below), though it at least got two seasons. The series about human operatives–known as “dolls”–who can be programmed with different personalities suffered from the usual network tinkering early on. The pilot was completely reworked because network execs were not happy with it, and when the show did hit the schedule, the episodes were aired out of order (shades of Firefly). Not helping matters was the fact that Dollhouse was slotted on low-viewership Fridays resulting in low ratings for its first season. To FOX’s credit, they did give the show a second season despite the poor viewership numbers, but they did not give it a better timeslot. With no improvement in the ratings during its second year, the show was cancelled by mid-season. This one was not a good fit for the broadcast networks to start with and would have likely done much better on one of the premium cable channels where it would have more leeway to explore its adult themes. It did at least have a conclusion of sorts, but there was plenty more story that the show never explored because of the cancellation.

2. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008-09, 2 Seasons Totaling 31 Episodes)

This fan-favorite continuation of the film series (with a pre-Game of Thrones Lena Headey in the title role and Summer Glau playing a terminator) delivered yet another cancellation that turned the sci fi community away from FOX. It did well in the ratings in its shortened first year in a season where scripted shows were impacted by the writer’s strike. But when the show returned for its second season, viewership attrition quickly set in. By mid-season, it was shifted to low-viewership Fridays (paired with the first season of Dollhouse) which resulted in the ratings slipping further. FOX cancelled the show at the end of the year leaving it on a major cliffhanger. Fans immediately started a raucous campaign to save the show, spending large sums on advertising to convince other venues to pick it up. Nothing was worked out to keep the show on the air, and Warner Bros. has since gone in a different direction with the franchise. There have been rumors of another Terminator television series, but it will not be a continuation of the Sarah Connor Chronicles which means that show’s story will likely never be resolved.

1. Firefly (2002-03, 1 Season Totaling 14 Episodes)

What’s there to say about this show that has not already been said? (I look at the cancellation, as well as the potential for a revival, in more detail at this link.) FOX execs made a major miscalculation with this one, sticking to old-school thinking and basing its success solely on the ratings. There were other indicators (massive fan mail for one) that suggested the long-term potential for the show, and if they had been patient with it–like they were with The X-Files–it could have turned into a success for FOX. But instead, the network truncated what could have been the next major sci fi franchise. It has continued to live on (and generate revenue) in comics and in books, and fans still hope for a revival at some point. This show is a classic example of a great series killed by broadcast network execs that just do not understand sci fi. And sadly, the network still has not learned as evidenced by the quick cancellation of neXt without even giving the show a chance.

A Few Other Shows of Note

The Gifted was cancelled after two seasons, though that had more to do with corporate politics from the Disney buyout of FOX Entertainment and the Mouse House wanting to go a different direction with the X-Men franchise. The post-apocalyptic comedy The Last Man on Earth went for four seasons but was inexplicably cancelled without the opportunity to wrap up its storylines. The ratings for that one were low, but they had been through most of its run. One more season would have given it enough episodes to make it more attractive to the syndication market, but FOX decided to just cut bait and move on. Wayward Pines was cancelled after two seasons, but not many lamented the loss of that show. And while 2016’s The Exorcist is more of a supernatural entry, it was an excellent series that deserved another season or two. And of course, Lucifer was cut short by the network after three seasons, but Netflix swooped in and saved that one and it has proven quite a hit for the streamer.

Not Cancelled Too Soon: Fringe (2008-13, 5 Seasons Totaling 100 Episodes)

Since I am trashing FOX for its cancellations over the past twenty years, I should at least acknowledge the one time the network stuck behind a show for its full run despite low ratings. Fringe hit Prime Time in the Fall of 2008 looking like it would ride the wave of Lost popularity while also delivering another X-Files-type show to the schedule. It performed well in its first season, though it did not count as a huge hit. Then in its second year, FOX moved it to highly competitive Thursday nights causing the ratings to take a notable drop. At the time, this certainly looked like typical FOX scheduling hijinks, and yet another attempt to kill off a sci fi show. But despite the numbers, the network renewed the show for a third season. Then midway through the next year, the network shifted the show to Fridays, again in what appeared to be an attempt to kill it off. The ratings dropped as expected, but FOX gave the show a fourth season and then a final fifth season allowing it to wrap up its storylines. It was a rare occurrence for FOX to support one of its sci fi entries, and it ultimately delivered a satisfying run for this now-classic series. Two other shows of note that FOX allowed to have extended runs were Gotham (five seasons) and Sleepy Hollow (four seasons), though with both of those, many fans would have preferred that the network put them out of their misery at least a season earlier.

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