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5. Firefly
(14 episodes; Sept. 20, 2002 – Dec. 20, 2002; Fox)
Leave it to Joss Whedon to dream up a space show without aliens. The smart writing he brought to Buffy turned the universe into one big frontier, where those who didn’t conform to authoritarian rule were forced to eke out their livings among outlying planets where the long arm of the law can’t follow. Watch the way-too-short lived series in full before finishing with Serenity.
4. Sports Night
(45 episodes; Sept. 22, 1998 – May 16, 2000; ABC)
More than the rapid-fire dialogue or deft blend of comedy and drama, it’s the utter competence of the sportscasters and producers that quickly separates Sports Night from the other 30-minute laugh-tracked TV shows of the ’90s. The bosses are smart and helpful, except when they’re meddlesome network executives. You’re held accountable for mistakes, but your co-workers always have your back. Instead of the classic reliance on miscommunication for situational comedy, the tension arises from a pressure to excel in the national spotlight, and the humor comes from genuinely funny characters.With film-worthy writing and one of the best casts ever assembled for a sitcom (Robert Guillaume shone both pre- and post-stroke and William H. Macy was a regular guest), Sports Night changed the trajectory of television. It was a half-hour comedy with better, more emotional storylines than most hour-long dramas. It was one of the first hybrids of a multi-camera and single-camera show, benefiting from the strengths of both approaches. And its echoes could be felt in some of the best shows that followed: the volleys of witty repartee between Lorelai and Rory Gilmore, The Sopranos’ psychiatrist scenes, and the meta-story lines about the show’s impending cancellation in Arrested Development.
3. Twin Peaks
(30 episodes; April 8, 1990 – June 10, 1991; ABC)
The surprising thing about David Lynch and Mark Frost’s weirdly wonderful series was not that it got canceled, but that it ever found a home on a broadcast network in 1990. Fortunately David Lynch went on to direct Mulholland Drive and blog about the weather, and Frost went on to, er, co-write The Fantastic Four.
2. Freaks and Geeks
(Sept. 25, 1999 – July 8, 2000, NBC)
Judd Apatow’s short-lived comedy made stars out of Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, James Franco and Linda Cardellini. But just about everyone from the show has stayed busy in film and TV. Says Paste TV reviewer Sean Gandert: “It featured the same jocks and pimples and every other cliché the genre can offer, not only because its audience expected it, but also because that’s what high school is all about. By embracing these tropes (rather than pretending they’re mere clichés), Freaks managed to transcend the genre, focusing on human interaction and, above all, character. Ultimately, it’s this focus on character that turned another typical high-school sitcom into an incredibly funny and moving show.”
1. Arrested Development
(53 episodes, Oct. 19, 2004 – December 6, 2006; Fox)
Fox had one of the best shows of the last decade on its hands, but decided to dump the show’s final four episodes unceremoniously in one block opposite the Opening Ceremonies for the 2006 Winter Olympic Games. We’re still not over it.
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No Deadwood?
Arrested Development and The Black Donnellys.
No one remembers Sledge Hammer? (1986 - 1988)
been watchinhg Freaks and Geeks at work the last couple weeks and the show is amazing. the characters get better from episode to episode. i am so sad to be getting near the end and knowing there won't be new episodes coming out.
Wonderfalls should be a LOT higher. Pound for pound Fuller's best show. I love seeing Twin Peaks, Arrested Development Dead Like Me, Firefly, Veronica Mars, Pushing Daisies. Jericho, Studio 60 and especially Love Monkey, on the other hand, I would have no problem seeing ejected in favor of Deadwood, Carnivale and The Middleman.
Nowhere Man, on UPN, starring the great Bruce Greenwood.
John in Cincinnatti
Freaks and Geeks...what a kind-hearted show. It didn't leave ANY character a cliché, but managed to flesh out the humanity in even the most apparently unsympathetic characters. *Sigh.* Beloved, and missed.
Studio 60 started well but faltered. It was not Sorkin's best work by far. Having said that perhaps the brilliance of 30 Rock made Studio 60 seem comparatively worse than it was.
Twin Peaks wasn't canceled soon enough. It was originally supposed to a be a six show finite series. It's success led to it getting an extension, then a renewal into a regulat series. That premise was stretched so thin it popped.
P.S.: that diner does serve damn fine cherry pie. And coffee. If you're ever in the neighbourhood, stop in for a meal. It'w worth it.
http://twedescafe.com/
One that we left off, that definitely should have been in there:
Picket Fences: With a wonderful cast (Tom Skeritt, Kathy Baker, Don Cheadle, Ray Walston, Fyvush Finkel and more) playing great characters caught in bizarre and often-hilarious circumstances (spontaneous combustion, cows giving birth to human babies, bodies in freezers, etc.), David E. Kelley's followup to L.A. Law was fearless. It was one of the few dramas with substantive consideration of religion, sexuality, medical ethics and any number of thorny subjects.
I second Freaks and Geeks. I miss that short lived show.
I also think Deadwood should be on here. Have you seen that show? Amazing.
Where's Kings and The Black Donnellys???
i dunno why twin peaks is on this list -- it was further out in the galaxy than hubble when it ended.
sports night, my so-called life and pushing daisies will forever be missed, but ... why isn't cupid on this list? jeremy piven gave a brilliant -- funny, heartbreaking, puzzling, thoughtful -- performance in that show.
I second Cory. Kings was (and still is on Hulu) fantastic. I'm told it was canceled because it was simply too expensive to produce.
The cost shows in the quality, though.
Generic list, consider Kyle XY which featured an awful season cliff hanger as the final episode.
I dare someone to suggest "E.R." or "Guiding Light" :)
Carnivale
I second the Cupid comment. That show had tons of potential that we never were able to see come into fruition.
I also think Everwood got shafted, but maybe I'm just biased because I adored Ephram too much.
I'm not understanding why the networks aren't giving quality shows enough time to build an audience anymore. Some of the top ten shows of all time took quite awhile to gain viewers - i.e. Friends, The Office. And Seinfeld didn't even gather a huge following until its fourth season!
I've only seen the first season, but Deadwood was indeed a great show.
Andy Barker, PI only had 6 episodes.
Loved the Black Donnellys. One of my favorite TV shows ever was Shannon's Deal - created by the great John Sayles. It had a terrific ensemble cast including Jamey Sheridan, Eizabeth Pena, Richard Edson. My favorite shows from the past few years - Pushing Daisies, Eli Stone and The Riches - all cancelled :(
Deadwood!
So, regarding prematurely canceled show no.11 ("Dead Like Me"): some of Youtube clips have no sound (such as episode no. 1-5) - are you gonna fix that?
Once & Again
Arrested development was one of the all time gr8 comedies,i can watch it on dvd over & over,lets hope word of a movie version of it is legit
Uh, i don't see "The Riches" on there
Two that are on my list are Clone High, Spaced, and Clerks.
Clone High only ran for 13 episodes The final episode is perhaps the biggest cliffhanger in TV history. After 12 episodes of Abe Lincoln fawning over Cleopatra, and being utterly clueless to advances of Joan of Arc, he finally is faced with the choice between Cleopatra and Joan... and we never find out who he picked because the show was canceled - this may be a good thing, but I still want more!
Spaced was written by and starred Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson. It was a hilarious show that only lasted 2 seasons, 7 episodes each.
Only 2 episodes of Clerks ever aired and they weren't even aired in their entirety (ABC is a bunch of chuckle-heads). You can find all 6 episodes that were made on the Clerks: Uncensored DVD.
Yes, two of these are cartoons.
Three that are on my list are Clone High, Spaced, and Clerks.
Clone High only ran for 13 episodes The final episode is perhaps the biggest cliffhanger in TV history. After 12 episodes of Abe Lincoln fawning over Cleopatra, and being utterly clueless to advances of Joan of Arc, he finally is faced with the choice between Cleopatra and Joan... and we never find out who he picked because the show was canceled - this may be a good thing, but I still want more!
Spaced was written by and starred Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson. It was a hilarious show that only lasted 2 seasons, 7 episodes each.
Only 2 episodes of Clerks ever aired and they weren't even aired in their entirety (ABC is a bunch of chuckle-heads). You can find all 6 episodes that were made on the Clerks: Uncensored DVD.
Yes, two of these are cartoons.
The Book of Daniel should be on the list. NBC gave in to pressure and canceled it but it was a unique show with great characters. Watch the DVD.
Oh come on now. I agree with (virtually) every show on the list (okay, with one or two exceptions -- but ONLY one or two). Yet what about NOW AND AGAIN?!?!?!
That show DEFINITELY belongs on this list (and it's not really debatable, IMO). NOW AND AGAIN just got better and better -- picking up steam the entire season, with a stellar blend of great characters, drama, humor, scripts, directing, etc.
SURELY I'm not alone in this opinion!
Carnivale:what a magnificent show; shame it lasted for only 2 seasons; head and shoulders above "smart" shows like "Lost".