There are so many sci fi and fantasy shows on the linear networks and streaming services these days that it is hard to remember that only twenty years ago genre entries were rather sparse on television. Streaming originals did not become a big thing until the 2010s, and the broadcast networks and cable channels tended to shy away from genre shows because they were typically more expensive to produce. The success of Lost mid-decade proved that sci fi could find an audience on television (more on that at this link), but throughout the ’00s there were quite a number of promising shows that disappeared quickly after one season because they did not have the support of their networks. Here is a look at eight notable shows that came and went pretty quickly during that time period:
Odyssey 5 (Showtime, 2002, 19 Episodes)
Of the shows on this list, this is probably the best known and the cancellation most mourned. This series followed the last survivors of a destroyed Earth sent five years to the past to avert the disaster, and it landed on Showtime in the early ’00s. It received some good buzz, but a change in direction in the management of the premium cable company led to a move away from science fiction and it was truncated after one season (J. Michael Straczynski’s Jeremiah was also cut short by the network). Series creator Many Cotto would still like to revisit Odyssey 5 at some point, and a reboot might be welcome. But could that recreate the same magic we saw from the original cast of the show? (Read more about this one at this link.)
Veritas: The Quest (ABC, 2003, 13 Episodes)
This modern adventure series which offered a mash-up of sorts of Johnny Quest and The X-Files was a victim of bad timing. It had potential with an interesting action-adventure premise plus some sci fi elements (plus it had a young Cobie Smulders and Eric Balfour in the cast). And it did receive a fair amount of early promotion, but the network seemed to give up on it shortly after it premiered. It was then preempted by the start of the Iraq War and never returned to the schedule. If it had arrived one year later after Lost proved that there was an audience for sci fi TV on the broadcast networks, ABC might have given it more leeway. But sadly it disappeared quickly from the schedule at a time when network execs had little patience for genre entries and it has been mostly forgotten now. (Read more about the show at this link.)
Invasion (ABC, 2005, 22 Episodes)
On the other hand, this show may disprove my theory above that Lost convinced network execs to be more patient with sci fi shows. Invasion debuted the season after the J.J. Abrams show became a breakout hit and aired in the lead-out timeslot on Wednesdays. It chronicled a silent invasion by aliens of a small Florida town after they arrive under the cover of a hurricane. The show had plenty of potential, but it was very slow to develop its story and ABC grew impatient when the ratings did not match up to lofty expectations. It did not count as a flop, but the network execs apparently wanted more from the post-Lost timeslot. Invasion was cancelled after one season and never had the chance to wrap up its storylines.
Threshold (CBS, 2005-06, 13 Episodes)
This is another show that arrived in the wake of Lost‘s success and it had some notable talent attached. Brannan Braga (Star Trek: Voyager) was writer and executive producer and David S. Goyer (The Dark Knight) was onboard as executive producer. Star Trek alum Brent Spiner was in the cast as was future Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage. The show–which followed a team dealing with aliens that have secretly come to Earth and are rewriting human DNA–had an ambitious three-year arc which would have seen it change its title each season (something the network execs would have hated). But it landed on genre-averse CBS and it was given very little leeway when it failed to perform in the ratings. It was cancelled at mid-season and never had the chance to resolve its storylines.
Defying Gravity (ABC, 2009, 13 Episodes)
Another show cut short by the broadcast networks, this one followed the crew of a ship that was exploring the solar system and that encounters a strange presence that seems to be influencing their actions. It delivered a heavy dose of soap opera storylines early on (it was pitched to ABC as “Grey’s Anatomy in space”), but it shifted more heavily towards science fiction elements during the second half of its short run. It never developed much of an audience, in part because viewers couldn’t quite figure out where it was going and also because it was dumped on the schedule in August when few people were watching. ABC yanked it after eight episodes aired, but fortunately, the full season was eventually released on DVD. Sadly, that still leaves much of its story untold. (Read more about the show at this link.)
Tremors (The Sci Fi Channel, 2003, 13 Episodes)
It might seem like a bad idea to stretch this film franchise into a weekly television series, but the show actually received some thumbs-ups from critics when it first aired as it carried on directly from the movies while adding an X-Files vibe. Instead of focusing on the giant worms (aka Graboids) from the movies each week, the show laid the groundwork that prior government experiments had led to all sorts of strange things happening in Perfection Valley. It even brought over Michael Gross from the films, and fans of that franchise generally liked the show. But there was a backlash from the larger audience at The Sci Fi Channel because the network wanted to use this show as an inexpensive replacement for Farscape which it cancelled the prior year on a major cliffhanger. Not enough people tuned in for the Tremors series and it disappeared after only thirteen episodes.
Buy Tremors: The Series on DVD
John Doe (FOX, 2002-03, 21 Episodes)
Before Dominic Purcell made a name for himself on Prison Break and Legends of Tomorrow, he starred in this genre gem which has since been mostly forgotten. He played a man who takes the identity of John Doe after waking up on an island with no memory of who he was or why he was there but who discovers that he has instant recall of nearly all human knowledge. He teams up with the Seattle police to solve cases while also investigating the mystery of who he is. The show was paired with Firefly on Friday nights and did manage to stick around for a full season (whereas the Joss Whedon entry was cut short after fourteen episodes). But the network was not happy with the declining ratings and cancelled John Doe at season end leaving it on a major cliffhanger. (Read more about the show at this link.)
Journeyman (NBC, 2007, 13 Episodes)
This show was NBC’s attempt to capitalize on the success of Heroes the prior season as they put it into the lead-out slot on Monday nights. It had a Quantum Leap-like premise following one man who jumps back in time each week to change the direction of one person’s life. Unfortunately, it was very slow in developing its story and Heroes also stumbled some in the ratings in its second season so it did not provide as strong of a lead-in. Journeyman never found much of an audience, and the network gave up on the show just as it was starting to hit its stride.
Watch Journeyman on Amazon’s Prime Video
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Couldn’t agree more about Invasion & its slow start, especially considering the last 2-3 episodes were sooooo good. I still wonder what the plan was for season 2.