Listen, you won’t hear us complaining about Hollywood’s obsession with reboots. We’re all for deserving series seeing their second coming. But we do have one bone to pick with TV execs: Why not choose from some of the fantastic series that got canned too soon?
There’s no denying that revisiting beloved characters from longstanding series like Roseanne feels like coming home. However, there’s also a lot to be said for finishing out stories that were ended before they could live up to their true potential. Classic series like Dynasty and ALF gave us at least some closure the first go-round. So, while we’re more than happy to relive our love for them through revivals, room in the reboots roster should also be made for the series with loose strings.
To that end, we present the following list of TV shows that only got one season but deserved more. Are you listening, TV land? If you’re looking for your next reboot, here are 20 top-notch places to start.
‘Good Girls Revolt’
We're going to keep being salty about the cancellation of Good Girls Revolt until someone brings it back from the dead. ICYMI, the 1969-set series followed three female researchers (Genevieve Angelson, Anna Camp and Erin Darke) at News of the Week as they fought to be treated fairly. The series is more salient than ever — especially in light of allegations against ousted Amazon exec Roy Price — and deserves a second chance.
‘Everything Sucks’
This nostalgic series about life in Boring, Oregon (yes, that's an actual real-life place), during the '90s had everything '90s kids could want: Tori Amos, slap bracelets, VCRs, chokers. The list goes on, and yet this surprisingly intuitive coming-of-age story was still underappreciated. Everything Sucks didn't suck — but its cancellation certainly did.
‘Life Sentence’
We don't care what anyone says — this sweet, funny, smart series didn't get a fair shake. Lucy Hale (of Pretty Little Liars fame) stars as Stella, a young woman who receives miraculous news after a nearly decade-long battle with terminal cancer. It's refreshingly honest and unapologetically sexy at times, so what are you waiting for? Stream it now and join us in begging for a reboot.
‘Ten Days in the Valley’
Since Ten Days in the Valley was billed as a limited series, it wasn't exactly a total surprise that it didn't get picked up for a second season. But with Kyra Sedgwick, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Erika Christensen and Malcolm-Jamal Warner, the show could easily have translated to a multi-season crime mystery. Plus, it brought The Walking Dead's Beth (Emily Kinney) back to life.
‘Enlisted’
Why don't more of Geoff Stults' TV endeavors get renewed? This guy is funny, good-looking and full of heart — which, coincidentally, is an apt description of the military dramedy Enlisted. In it, Stults plays staff sergeant Pete Hill, who gets stuck in charge of his brother's dysfunctional squad.
‘Blood & Oil’
Can we go ahead and blame the demise of this one on TV critics? Despite Blood and Oil's favorable fan reception, critics panned this series, in which Chace Crawford and Rebecca Rittenhouse star as a young couple drawn to the oil boom in North Dakota. And Don Johnson gave a stellar performance as slick businessman Hap Briggs — just one more reason this show should be revived.
‘The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.’
It's never surprising to see a show featuring Bruce Campbell gain a cult following, and that's precisely what happened with this early '90s gem. Like Campbell, the steampunk western dramedy was smart, funny and larger than life.
‘The Black Donnellys’
Here's another great example of a series that fans thought was fascinating but that most certainly did not impress critics. Starring Kirk Acevedo, Olivia Wilde and Jonathan Tucker, The Black Donnellys was about an Irish-American crime family in New York. It was dismissed by critics for not being compelling enough.
‘The Crossing’
Finally, a new show sci-fi fans could sink their teeth into! The premise proved intriguing enough — 47 refugees from a war 150 years in the future wash up in a small town on the Oregon coast. Steve Zahn shines in The Crossing, and the plot twists kept audiences guessing. So, what gives? Why only one season?
‘Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip’
Matthew Perry, Amanda Peet, Bradley Whitford, Steven Weber, D.L. Hughley, Sarah Paulson — how, we ask, could this not have been a smash success? Did we mention that Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip was created by Aaron Sorkin? Or that it went behind the scenes of a fictitious SNL-like sketch series? How about the fact that both fans and critics raved about it? To be honest, we're still scratching our heads over how this show only lasted one season.
‘The Brave’
Unfortunately, it would seem that The Brave simply debuted amid a full roster of military shows and got lost in the fray. It's too bad, though, because this special ops series starring Mike Vogel and Anne Heche was smart and suspenseful.
‘Ghosted’
This series had so much going for it! The paranormal buddy-cop premise felt fresh, and it co-starred the inimitably funny duo of Adam Scott and Craig Robinson. Somehow, it didn't quite take off in the first season and found itself on the chopping block. But in the right hands, Ghosted could truly be comedy gold.
‘Terra Nova’
Set in the year 2149, this futuristic series focused on humanity's attempts to travel into the past to escape the polluted Earth. As you can imagine, the special effects were out of this world. Alas, that proved to be Terra Nova's downfall. With one of the most expensive pilot seasons ever made, the Steven Spielberg series was too costly to keep going.
‘Freaks & Geeks’
Considering the cult status it now has, it's easy to forget this coming-of-age dramedy only lasted one season. But it did, and that's still a damn shame. We'd go so far as to say that Freaks and Geeks was one of the best TV series about the teenage experience ever created. Plus, it was a launching pad for some of our favorite actors today: Linda Cardellini, John Francis Daley, James Franco, Samm Levine, Seth Rogen and Jason Segel.
‘Terriers’
Was it the name that threw people off? We may never know. What we do know, though, is that Donal Logue and Michael-Raymond James were a truly dynamic duo. In this sorely underrated series, they starred as an ex-cop and his former-criminal best friend, who (often hilariously) run an unlicensed private eye business.
‘Off the Map’
It's rare for a Shondaland show not to gain traction, but Off the Map seemed to be the exception to the rule. Why? We couldn't tell you. Centered on doctors from the U.S. working in an isolated medical clinic in the tropics, it was a nice change of pace from the standard medi-drama fare. A strong cast anchored by Martin Henderson and Valerie Cruz made it a must-watch (even though plenty of people sadly must not have).
‘Kitchen Confidential’
Riddle us this: how on earth could a show starring Bradley Cooper and based on the late, great Anthony Bourdain's bestselling memoir not succeed? There is no good answer here. When you add in the fact that this sharp and tasty series also starred Nicholas Brendan, John Francis Daley and Jaime King and was set against the backdrop of a New York City restaurant, Kitchen Confidential's single season is truly an unsolved mystery.
‘My So-Called Life’
My So-Called Life has since gone on to become one of the most recognized TV series of the '90s, but during its heyday, it was actually dropped after only one season. But with characters as iconic as Angela Chase (Claire Danes) and the oh-so-swoonworthy Jordan Catalano (Jared Leto), we contend that it would be incredibly easy to reboot for modern audiences.
‘Trophy Wife’
This 2013 comedy starring Malin Akerman and Bradley Whitford made us quite literally LOL. And with Michaela Watkins, Natalie Morales and Marcia Gay Harden also in the cast, you couldn't ask for better acting — but alas, not enough people tuned in for it to merit a second season. This is why we can't have nice things, people.
‘Gypsy’
Admittedly, Gypsy was a slow-burn kind of series. However, when it heated up, it proved itself incendiary. We were nowhere near done peeling back the layers of Jean and Michael Holloway's (Naomi Watts and Billy Crudup) picture-perfect facade.
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