With all the TV revivals going on these past few years, it's easy to dismiss the practice as being so prolific, anything can be revived. But there are thousands of shows that are either so far off the radar that even TV execs recognize the fruitlessness or they're too entangled in studio red tape to ever find a continuation.
We could fill this thread with stuff that lasted three episodes before it was pulled off the airwaves, but I'd rather center on those shows that at least a fair number of us have encountered that likely still do not stand a shot. I'll start with these three.
"Yes, Dear"
CBS Sitcom (2000-2006)
This unfunny mess had everything going against it, including critical panning and a 2004 cancellation that was reversed when the producers lowered all the licensing fees to CBS' satisfaction. Everyone I knew found it so bland they couldn't fathom its six-season longevity. It was the bad gift that kept on giving. Yet clearly, someone was watching. Enough people tuned in every week to make it a sleeper hit, which is sometimes enough to warrant studio interest in a revival. But I will literally eat a raspberry if this thing ever comes back. I hate raspberries. And no, this thread is not about "wait, OP hates raspberries?" now, damn it.
"Kung Fu: The Legend Continues"
PTEN Action/Crime Drama (1993-1997)
By contrast, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues was... well, it was better than Yes, Dear. Not the highest of compliments. Kid me liked it, though! My grandmother was definitely checking it out every week for David Carradine, and you know, in hindsight, who wouldn't? Chris Potter's "1990s JRPG protagonist living the life of a procedural TV cop" was nowhere near as interesting. The show is dated in ways that the original Kung Fu somehow isn't, and while Kung Fu isn't some perennial zeitgeist or anything, I definitely see it talked about way more than its sequel series. This one was canned after four seasons at the start of 1997 when PTEN -- more cult-classically notable for being the home of Babylon 5 for 80% of its run -- came to a crash and ceased all broadcasts. Really don't see anyone lobbying for more, especially with Carradine long gone.
"seaQuest DSV"
NBC (1993-1996)
"Wait, damn you! I actually watched this show! Why don't I recognize half the people in your photo? Where the hell is Roy Scheider?" If you're in the market for a relatively short-lived show with not only a revolving door of actors and actresses but the most lunatic tonal shifts I've ever seen, seaQuest DSV may be right up your canal. Originally launched as a proudly educational science fiction series about a near-future centered on ocean exploration, seaQuest felt like the underseas answer to Star Trek that no ever really asked in the first place. But that was OK, because it had the big bucks and interests of Steven Spielberg, and it started off with decent enough ratings to keep afloat. In the first season, the crew kept running into lost treasure troves, ancient mysteries unraveled, evil submarine pirates, you know, the works. But as Wikipedia states, it all had a believable air about it: "The first season's storylines primarily dealt with plausible oceanographic research, environmental issues, political machinations of the world and the interpersonal relationships of the crew."
After cast spats led to numerous departures and the show was relocated from Los Angeles to Orlando, the network pushed for a less realistic tone for the second season, with episodes centered on killer plants, time travel, a giant fire-breathing worm, an ancient demon... yeah, this was no longer sophisticated. It concluded with the crew being teleported across the cosmos and forced into a civil war. Mark Hamill was there, I kid you not. The third season, which never even finished being made before NBC finally said no, was a hot mess with even further cast departures, a literal show renaming (seaQuest 2032), a military dystopia, and Michael Ironside. Well, at least that happened.
I'll just leave this here:
Apparently, I had a lot to say about seaQuest. But the point is the same across the board; this show ain't coming back, either.
What are some of your picks, Era?
We could fill this thread with stuff that lasted three episodes before it was pulled off the airwaves, but I'd rather center on those shows that at least a fair number of us have encountered that likely still do not stand a shot. I'll start with these three.
"Yes, Dear"
CBS Sitcom (2000-2006)
This unfunny mess had everything going against it, including critical panning and a 2004 cancellation that was reversed when the producers lowered all the licensing fees to CBS' satisfaction. Everyone I knew found it so bland they couldn't fathom its six-season longevity. It was the bad gift that kept on giving. Yet clearly, someone was watching. Enough people tuned in every week to make it a sleeper hit, which is sometimes enough to warrant studio interest in a revival. But I will literally eat a raspberry if this thing ever comes back. I hate raspberries. And no, this thread is not about "wait, OP hates raspberries?" now, damn it.
"Kung Fu: The Legend Continues"
PTEN Action/Crime Drama (1993-1997)
By contrast, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues was... well, it was better than Yes, Dear. Not the highest of compliments. Kid me liked it, though! My grandmother was definitely checking it out every week for David Carradine, and you know, in hindsight, who wouldn't? Chris Potter's "1990s JRPG protagonist living the life of a procedural TV cop" was nowhere near as interesting. The show is dated in ways that the original Kung Fu somehow isn't, and while Kung Fu isn't some perennial zeitgeist or anything, I definitely see it talked about way more than its sequel series. This one was canned after four seasons at the start of 1997 when PTEN -- more cult-classically notable for being the home of Babylon 5 for 80% of its run -- came to a crash and ceased all broadcasts. Really don't see anyone lobbying for more, especially with Carradine long gone.
"seaQuest DSV"
NBC (1993-1996)
"Wait, damn you! I actually watched this show! Why don't I recognize half the people in your photo? Where the hell is Roy Scheider?" If you're in the market for a relatively short-lived show with not only a revolving door of actors and actresses but the most lunatic tonal shifts I've ever seen, seaQuest DSV may be right up your canal. Originally launched as a proudly educational science fiction series about a near-future centered on ocean exploration, seaQuest felt like the underseas answer to Star Trek that no ever really asked in the first place. But that was OK, because it had the big bucks and interests of Steven Spielberg, and it started off with decent enough ratings to keep afloat. In the first season, the crew kept running into lost treasure troves, ancient mysteries unraveled, evil submarine pirates, you know, the works. But as Wikipedia states, it all had a believable air about it: "The first season's storylines primarily dealt with plausible oceanographic research, environmental issues, political machinations of the world and the interpersonal relationships of the crew."
After cast spats led to numerous departures and the show was relocated from Los Angeles to Orlando, the network pushed for a less realistic tone for the second season, with episodes centered on killer plants, time travel, a giant fire-breathing worm, an ancient demon... yeah, this was no longer sophisticated. It concluded with the crew being teleported across the cosmos and forced into a civil war. Mark Hamill was there, I kid you not. The third season, which never even finished being made before NBC finally said no, was a hot mess with even further cast departures, a literal show renaming (seaQuest 2032), a military dystopia, and Michael Ironside. Well, at least that happened.
I'll just leave this here:
Apparently, I had a lot to say about seaQuest. But the point is the same across the board; this show ain't coming back, either.
What are some of your picks, Era?
