2000’s Dark Angel was a promising sci fi entry, even if it was uneven at times, but FOX ended up losing faith in the show and cancelled it after its second season on a cliffhanger.
What Is It?
This series takes place in a post-apocalyptic future America that was crippled by an electromagnetic pulse, and it follows Max Guevara, a genetically enhanced super-soldier who escapes from a secret government facility as a child and tries to live under the radar in Seattle. By day, she works as a bike messenger; by night, she searches for her missing “siblings” from the same experiment while battling corrupt government forces and dangerous enemies.
Aired: FOX, 2000-02, 2 Seasons Totaling 44 Episodes
Starring: Jessica Alba, Michael Weatherly, Alimi Ballard, Jennifer Blanc, Richard Gunn, J. C. MacKenzie
Created By: James Cameron, Charles H. Eglee
Why Was It Cancelled?
James Cameron’s sole sci-fi TV entry arrived on the FOX Fall 2000 schedule with plenty of anticipation, and it proved to be a hit out of the gate. However, the numbers started to drop throughout its first season run, in part because of frequent preemptions and also because it faced heavy competition up against the Top 20 series Frasier on NBC. To make matters worse, it aired in the same time slot as The WB’s Angel, which might have caused some confusion for viewers due to the similar titles. In addition, the show regularly went over budget in its first year, and it only just barely got the greenlight for a second season.
When it returned in the Fall of 2001, the budget for the show had been cut, and it introduced some new plot elements that veered from the direction it followed in its first year. Additionally, it was moved to Friday nights at 8 PM EST and later 9 PM EST—time slots that the network had struggled with for years. The ratings continued to drop, and the fate of the show appeared to be in doubt. Cameron stepped in to direct the Season 2 finale, hoping to generate some interest from the network in renewing the series. Originally, FOX indicated that it would be picked up. However, that decision was reversed, and the show was cut short after two seasons, ending on a major cliffhanger.
Had Dark Angel been renewed, the third season would have merged together storylines from the first two years. The plan was to dive deeper into the escalating conflict between Max and the newly revealed transgenic leader, Alec, who was poised to challenge her authority within Terminal City—a sanctuary for genetically enhanced fugitives. The season would have explored Max’s struggle to unite the fractured transgenic population while facing growing hostility from an increasingly fearful and militarized human society. Max and Logan’s complex relationship was also slated to evolve, with hope for resolving Logan’s virus-induced separation from Max. Much of that storyline was eventually covered in the book Dark Angel 3: After the Dark, so fans did receive some semblance of resolution for the show.
Should It Be Rebooted?
Twenty-five years have passed since Dark Angel premiered, so it would be difficult to bring the show back as a revival with the original actors. However, they could do a time jump and check in on the characters after more than two decades have passed, possibly picking up some of the storylines from the original series. The more likely approach, though, would be a ground-up reboot, and that is certainly a possibility. It would be a shame to discard the two seasons that were made, but there was some disappointment with the second year, so perhaps a reboot could focus on the best elements of the show and carry forward from there. This is a property that might do well in the streaming environment, where it could run three to four seasons and wrap up with a satisfying conclusion. James Cameron is pretty busy these days, but perhaps Charles H. Eglee would be interested in helming a reboot with Cameron’s blessing. If fans were to start making some noise for a revival or reboot on social media, maybe that would build some momentum and lead to the return of Dark Angel.
Where Can You Watch It?
The entire series was released on DVD, but that has since gone out of print and is fetching pretty high prices from third-party sellers. And sadly is not currently available for streaming, though you can find episodes on YouTube.
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