Top 10 Canceled Too Soon Shows of the Aughts

Okay, so I want to be upfront and admit I lied. I cunningly crammed 12 shows in the “top 10” and included a bunch of other shows as well. I just couldn’t help myself! And to clarify the criteria I used, there are a ton of canceled shows that I love but I believe had ample opportunity to tell their story. (For instance, shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Wire, Battlestar Galactica, The West Wing, Six Feet Under, The Shield.) Of course, there are many people who feel these shows were canceled too soon, and even I would have watched most of them for years longer. However for this list’s purpose, I wanted to place most of the focus on shows that had very few seasons and/or ended abruptly. Each of their passing left itty-bitty holes in my heart.

10. STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP
1 season, 22 episodes
2006 – 2007 (NBC)
Must See Episode: “The Friday Night Slaughter”
Breakout Stars: Matthew Perry, Sarah Paulson, D.L. Hughley
“Look, I hate Los Angeles just like everybody else, but I have to work here because in any other part of the country I’m unemployable.”
Aaron Sorkin’s smart writing surely helped The West Wing nab a ton of awards during its run, but it put a lot of viewers off in Studio 60. The drama was about an SNL-like sketch comedy show and the behind-the-scenes inner workings. Critics claimed it would be a hit, but a strong following never developed, and it quickly turned into a punch line. Many comedy writers believed it to be unrealistic and “obnoxiously smart.” However, I loved the relationships between the characters and the “show within a show” format. It just so happens that 30 Rock was the better “show within a show” show that year and stole a lot of its thunder.

9. AMERICAN DREAMS
3 seasons, 61 episodes
2002 – 2005 (NBC)
Must See Episode: “City of Fire”
Breakout Star: Brittany Snow, Milo Ventimiglia
“Haven’t you ever wanted something so badly it hurt?”
American Dreams was the perfect family drama. Focusing on the Pryor family in Philadelphia, the series took a snapshot of the pivotal history of the ‘60s and brought it to life. With much of the series taking place on the fictionalized studio set of American Bandstand, it brought something new by allowing modern day artists to play musicians who would have appeared on Bandstand during the show’s time. And supported by fantastic writing, Dreams represented well the turbulent era of racial inequalities and the Vietnam War.

8. POPULAR
2 seasons, 32 episodes
1999 – 2001 (WB)
Must See Episode: “Caged!”
Breakout Stars: Ryan Murphy, Sara Rue, Leslie Bibb, Carly Pope
“You want to be unique, sure. Just like everyone else.”
Ryan Murphy went on to produce other over-the-top shows like Nip/Tuck and Glee after Popular, and those were much better received. However Popular was like Dawson’s Creek mixed with a little bit of Donnie Darko strangeness and some Heathers-style campiness. It addressed important social issues like transsexualism and cancer while also tackling teen issues like divorce and peer pressure. Though not always perfect, Murphy took risks that I vividly remember to this day.

7. JERICHO
2 season, 29 episodes
2006 – 2008 (CBS)
Must See Episode: “Walls of Jericho”
Breakout Stars: Skeet Ulrich, Alicia Coppola, Lennie James, Shoshannah Stern
“This isn’t a fight about land or about this town. It’s a fight for our very existence.”
Jericho is one of those rare shows that got canceled and then resurrected with fan support and swiftly canceled again. Set in fictional Jericho, Kansas, the town must quickly learn how to survive a nuclear attack on 23 major US cities. How can you reconcile your past life with such a different and unexpected future?  It was a bleak look on how quickly neighboring towns can turn on each other and so can next door neighbors. It then morphed into a story about uncovering a government conspiracy and discovering the true villains behind the attacks.

6. DARK ANGEL
2 seasons, 43 episodes
2000 – 2002 (FOX)
Must See Episode: “411 on the DL”
Breakout Stars: Jessica Alba, Jensen Ackles, Michael Weatherly
“Two million years of human evolution and this is what we get. You morons.”
James Cameron is known for a lot of big things (like this month’s Avatar) but creating Dark Angel isn’t usually one of them. This sci-fi tale, set in the future, starred a young Alba as a genetically-modified soldier hell-bent on protecting the ones she loves, saving others like her and unearthing a large government conspiracy.  Cameron is no stranger to strong female characters who channel their anger and resentment about their life’s losses and the state of the world into strength and riveting drama.

5. CHAPPELLE’S SHOW
3 season, 33 episodes
2003 – 2006 (Comedy Central)
Must See Sketch: Charlie Murphy’s True Hollywood Stories: Prince
Breakout Stars: Dave Chappelle, Charlie Murphy
“Cocaine’s a hell of a drug!”
Dave Chappelle was unafraid to tackle race with his comedy, and it was this fearlessness that turned Chappelle’s Show from a Comedy Central novelty to a pop culture phenom. No longer did people think SNL when they thought of brilliant sketch comedy routines. His most notable sketches included Charlie Murphy and his Rick James stories, Lil’ Jon’s highly selective vocabulary of “WHAT?” and “O-Kay!” and a psychotic Wayne Brady. Sadly, Chappelle left the show, citing burnout and issues with production, and we didn’t even get a proper goodbye.

4. DEAD LIKE ME / PUSHING DAISIES
2 seasons, 29 episodes / 2 seasons, 22 episodes
2003 – 2004 (SHO) / 2007 – 2009 (ABC)
Must See Episode: “Pilot” / “Bzzzzzzzzz!”
Breakout Stars: Mandy Patinkin, Callum Blue / Lee Pace, Kristin Chenoweth, Chi McBride, Anna Friel
“Experience has taught me that interest begets expectation, and expectation begets disappointment, so the key to avoiding disappointment is to avoid interest.”  / “I just thought my world would be a better place if you were in it.”
Bryan Fuller shows are quirky, sarcastic and unafraid to treat dark things with a light touch. Dead Like Me, about a rag-tag group of grim reapers who look just like me and you, was so deadpan about death it was hysterical. Pushing Daisies, about a pie maker who used his abilities to temporarily reanimate the dead to solve crimes, was artistically gorgeous and heart-warming. Fuller should be proud of two shows that took a chance and stepped WAY outside of the box. Look at Glee. Sometimes it can work out. And at least we have two seasons of each to re-watch.

3. VERONICA MARS
3 seasons, 64 episodes
2004 – 2007 (UPN/CW)
Must See Episode: “A Trip to the Dentist”
Breakout Stars: Kristen Bell, Jason Dohring, Amanda Seyfried
“I hope we’re still friends after I taser you.”
Despite all the critical praise in the world, Veronica Mars could never garner the audience it deserved. I think it was in large part due to the network it was on. Rob Thomas developed a noir-style detective show with the premise of Nancy Drew meets The O.C.; it was hardly attractive to the average viewer. But it was smart, and Kristen Bell’s portrayal of the tough as nails and emotionally vulnerable Veronica was spot on and charismatic.

2. FIREFLY
1 season, 14 episodes
2002 – 2002 (FOX)
Must See Episode: “Out of Gas”
Breakout Stars: Nathan Fillion, Summer Glau, Alan Tudyk
“We have done the impossible, and that makes us mighty.”
It’s not that big of a surprise that a western set in space didn’t get the big reception FOX had been hoping for. Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dollhouse) knows how to make unique, sci-fi stories that can be dark, funny and emotional. It never really had a chance to lift off, but it was temporarily resurrected in 2005 with the movie Serenity and continues to be a cult success in DVD sales.

1. FREAKS AND GEEKS / UNDECLARED
1 season, 18 episodes / 1 season, 17 episodes
1999 – 2000 (NBC) / 2001 – 2002 (FOX)
Must See Episode: “Test and Breasts” / “Parents Weekend”
Breakout Stars: Judd Apatow, James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, Busy Phillips
“The dance is tomorrow. She’s a cheerleader; you’ve seen Star Wars 47 times. You do the math.” / “Sleep don’t drink no beer.”
Apatow has had all kinds of luck in the latter half of the decade with hits like The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Superbad and Pineapple Express, but he didn’t get much love early on. Three of his critically-acclaimed, though not mainstream-accepted, television series were canceled before 2005. Both Freaks, created by Paul Feig and produced by Apatow, and Undeclared managed to capture the reality of life as a young adult with all its angst, awkwardness and self-discovery. He relied heavily on stereotypical adolescent behaviors and situations, but his main characters always had depth and color. He understood perfectly how tough growing up could be but also how funny as well.

Top 10 Honorable (Canceled Too Soon) Mentions of the Decade: Eli Stone, Life, The Middle Man, Privileged, Reaper, The 4400, Roswell, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Gilmore Girls, Journeyman

Top 10 (Cancelled Too Soon) Shows That Probably Would Have Made the List If I’d Gotten to Them In My Netflix Cue: Deadwood, Arrested Development, Wonderfalls, Sports Night, thirtysomething, The Comeback, Greg the Bunny, My Name Is Earl, Rome, Jack & Bobby

Top 10 Guilty (Cancelled Too Soon) Pleasures of the Decade: Temptation Island, Reunion, Harper’s Island, October Road, Women’s Murder Club, Dirty Sexy Money, The Black Donnellys, Traveler, Prison Break, The O.C.

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Photographs courtesy of ABC, CBS, The CW, NBC, and IMDbPro.