TV shows that were canceled after only a handful of episodes

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

I keep a record of SFF shows, so doing a bit of cutting and pasting here are the North American one-hour SFF shows (using a broad measure of SFF) that only ran for one season or for two seasons that fell short of 30 episodes combined:

The Time Tunnel
9th September 1966 to 7th April 1967
1 season
30 episodes

The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.
NBC
13th September 1966 to 11th April 1967
1 season
29 episodes

The Immortal
ABC
24th September 1970 to 14th January 1971
1 season
15 episodes (plus pilot movie in September 1969)

The Sixth Sense
ABC
15th January 1972 to 23rd December 1972
2 seasons
25 episodes (plus pilot movie in October 1971)

Search
NBC
13th September 1972 to 11th April 1973
1 season
23 episodes (plus pilot in February 1972)

Ghost Story/Circle of Fear
NBC
15th September 1972 to 30 March 1973
1 season
22 episodes (plus pilot movie in March 1972)

The Starlost
CTV/Syndicated
14th September 1973 to 8th February 1974
1 season
16 episodes

Kolchak: The Night Stalker
ABC
13th September 1974 to 28th March 1975
1 season
20 episodes (plus 2 television movies)

Planet of the Apes
CBS
13th September 1974 to 20th December 1974
1 season
14 episodes

The Invisible Man
8th September 1975 to 19th January 1976
1 season
12 episodes (1 unaired, plus pilot movie in May 1975)

The Gemini Man
23rd September 1976 to 28th October 1976
1 season
11 episodes (6 unaired, plus pilot movie in May 1976)

Fantastic Journey
NBC
3rd February 1977 to 16th June 1977
1 season
10 episodes

Future Cop
ABC
5th March 1977 to 30th April 1977
1 season
6 episodes (plus pilot movie in May 1976)

Lucan
ABC
12th September 1977 to 4th December 1978
2 seasons
11 episodes (plus pilot movie in May 1977)

Logan’s Run
CBS
16th September 1977 to 16th January 1978
1 season
15 episodes (3 unaired)

The Man from Atlantis
NBC
22nd September 1977 to 6th June 1978
1 season
13 episodes (plus 4 television movies in March-June 1977)

Project U.F.O.
NBC
19th February 1978 to 19th July 1979
2 seasons
26 episodes

The Amazing Spider-Man
CBS
5th April 1978 to 6th July 1979
2 seasons
14 episodes (plus pilot movie in April 1977)

Battlestar Galactica
ABC
17th September 1978 to 29th April 1979
1 season
24 episodes

Salvage 1
ABC
20th January 1979 to 11th November 1979
2 seasons
20 episodes (4 unaired)

Time Express
CBS
26th April 1979 to 17th May 1979
1 season
4 episodes

A Man Called Sloane
NBC
22nd September 1979 to 22nd December 1979
1 season
12 episodes

Galactica 1980
ABC
27th January 1980 to 4th May 1980
1 season
10 episodes

Beyond Westworld
CBS
5th March 1980 to 19th March 1980
5 episodes (2 unaired)

Herbie the Love Bug
CBS
17th March 1982 to 14th April 1982
1 season
5 episodes

Q.E.D.
CBS
23rd March 1982 to 27th April 1982
1 season
6 episodes

The Phoenix
26th March 1982 to 16th April 1982
1 season
4 episodes (plus pilot movie in April 1981)

The Powers of Matthew Star
NBC
17th September 1982 to 8th April 1983
1 season
22 episodes (plus pilot movie)

Voyagers!
NBC
3rd October 1982 to 10th July 1983
1 season
20 episodes

Tucker’s Witch
CBS
6th October 1982 to 9th July 1983
1 season
12 episodes

Wizards and Warriors
CBS
26th February 1983 to 14th May 1983
1 season
8 episodes

Manimal
NBC
30th September 1983 to 17th December 1983
1 season
9 episodes

Whiz Kids
CBS
5th October 1983 to 2nd June 1984
1 season
18 episodes

Automan
ABC
15 December 1983 to 2nd April 1984
1 season
13 episodes (1 unaired)

V: The Series
NBC
26th October 1984 to 22nd March 1985
1 season
19 episodes (preceded by two television mini-series)

Street Hawk
ABC
4th January 1985 to 16th May 1985
1 season
13 episodes

Otherworld
CBS
26th January 1985 to 16th March 1985
1 season
8 episodes

Misfits of Science
NBC
4th October 1985 to 21st February 1986
1 season
17 episodes (1 unaired)

Shadow Chasers
ABC
14th November 1985 to 16th January 1986
1 season
14 episodes (4 unaired)

The Wizard
CBS
9th September 1986 to 14th March 1987
1 season
19 episodes

Starman
ABC
19th September 1986 to 2nd May 1987
1 season
22 episodes

Outlaws
CBS
28th December 1986 to 2nd May 1987
1 season
13 episodes

Max Headroom
ABC
31st March 1987 to 5th May 1988
2 seasons
14 episodes (1 unaired)

Once a Hero
ABC
19th September 1987 to 3rd October 1987
1 season
7 episodes (4 unaired)

The Highwayman
NBC
4 March 1988 to 6th May 1988
1 season
9 episodes (plus September 1987 pilot movie)

Probe
ABC
7th March 1988 to 14th April 1988
1 season
8 episodes

Something Is Out There
NBC
21st October 1988 to 9th December 1988
1 season
8 episodes (2 unaired, plus television mini-series in May 1988)

Hard Time on Planet Earth
CBS
1st March 1989 to 21st June 1989
1 season
13 episodes

Alien Nation
Fox
18th September 1989 to 7th May 1990
1 season
22 episodes (plus 5 television movies)

The Flash
CBS
20th September 1990 to 18th May 1991
1 season
23 episodes

She Wolf of London/Love and Curses
Syndicated
9th October 1990 to 10th April 1991
1 season
20 episodes

They Came from Outer Space
Syndicated
9th October 1990 to 19th March 1991
1 season
20 episodes

Shades of L.A.
Syndicated
10th October 1990 to 6th April 1991
1 season
20 episodes

Dark Shadows
NBC
13th January 1991 to 22nd March 1991
1 season
12 episodes

The 100 Lives of Black Jack Savage
NBC
31st March 1991 to 26th May 1991
1 season
8 episodes

Eerie, Indiana
NBC
15th September 1991 to 9th December 1993
1 season
19 episodes

Nightmare Café
NBC
29th January 1992 to 3rd April 1992
1 season
6 episodes

Mann & Machine
NBC
5th April 1992 to 14th July 1992
1 season
9 episodes

Human Target
ABC
20th July 1992 to 29th August 1992
1 season
7 episodes

Space Rangers
CBS
6th January 1993 to 27th January 1993
1 season
6 episodes (2 unaired)

Matrix
USA
1st March 1993 to 22nd July 1993
1 season
13 episodes

The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr
Fox
27th August 1993 to 20th May 1994
1 season
28 episodes

RoboCop
Syndicated
18th March 1994 to 26th November 1994
1 season
23 episodes

Heaven Help Us
Syndicated
25th August 1994 to 3rd December 1994
1 season
13 episodes

M.A.N.T.I.S.
Fox
26th August 1994 to 3rd March 1995
1 season
22 episodes (2 unaired, plus television movie)

Space Precinct
Syndicated
3rd October 1994 to 24th July 1995
1 season
24 episodes

Earth 2
NBC
6th November 1994 to 4th June 1995
1 season
22 episodes

TekWar
CTV/Syndicated
22nd December 1994 to 9th February 1996
1 season
18 episodes (plus 4 television movies)

VR.5
Fox
10th March 1995 to 12th May 1995
1 season
13 episodes

Legend
UPN
18th April 1995 to 8th August 1995
1 season
13 episodes

Mysterious Island
Family Channel
15th June 1995 to 9th November 1995
1 season
22 episodes

Nowhere Man
UPN
28th August 1995 to 20th May 1996
1 season
26 episodes

Deadly Games
UPN
5th September 1995 to 9th January 1996
1 season
12 episodes

Strange Luck
Fox
15th September 1995 to 23rd February 1996
1 season
17 episodes

American Gothic
CBS
22nd September 1995 to 11th July 1996
1 season
22 episodes (4 unaired)

Space: Above and Beyond
Fox
24th September 1995 to 2nd June 1996
1 season
24 episodes

Kindred: The Embraced
Fox
2nd April 1996 to 8th May 1996
1 season
8 episodes (1 unaired)

Tarzan: The Epic Adventures
Syndicated
28th August 1996 to 25th May 1997
1 season
22 episodes

Dark Skies
NBC
21st September 1996 to 31st May 1997
1 season
20 episodes

Roar
Fox
14th July 1997 to 1st September 1997
13 episodes (5 unaired)

The Visitor
Fox
19th September 1997 to 16th January 1998
1 season
13 episodes

Timecop
ABC
22nd September 1997 to 18th July 1998
1 season
9 episodes

Conan
Syndicated
26th September 1997 to 24th May 1998
1 season
22 episodes

Team Knight Rider
ABC
9th October 1997 to 23rd May 1998
1 season
22 episodes

Sleepwalkers
NBC
1st November 1997 to 31st May 1998
1 season
9 episodes (2 unaired)

Prey
ABC
15th January 1998 to 9th July 1998
1 season
13 episodes

Welcome to Paradox
Sci-Fi Channel
17th August 1998 to 9th November 1998
1 season
13 episodes

The Crow: Stairway to Heaven
Syndicated
25th September 1998 to 22nd May 1999
1 season
22 episodes

Fantasy Island
ABC
26th September 1998 to 23rd January 1999
1 season
13 episodes

Highlander: The Raven
Syndicated
26th September 1998 to 22nd May 1999
1 season
22 episodes

Mortal Kombat: Conquest
Syndicated
3rd October 1998 to 22nd May 1999
1 season
22 episodes

Mercy Point
UPN
6th October 1998 to 15th July 1999
1 season
7 episodes

Brimstone
Fox
23rd October 1998 to 12th February 1999
1 season
13 episodes

Total Recall 2070
CHCH-TV/Showtime
5th January 1999 to 8th June 1999
1 season
22 episodes

Strange World
ABC/Sci-Fi Channel
8th March 1999 to 10th May 2002
2 seasons
13 episodes

Crusade
TNT
9th June 1999 to 1st September 1999
1 season
13 episodes

G vs. E/Good vs. Evil
Sci-Fi Channel/USA
18th July 1999 to 12th May 2000
2 seasons
22 episodes

Now and Again
CBS
24th September 1999 to 5th May 2000
1 season
22 episodes

Harsh Realm
Fox
8th October 1999 to 19th May 2000
1 season
9 episodes

Cleopatra 2525
Syndicated (started off in a half-hour format)
17th January 2000 to 5th March 2001
2 seasons
28 episodes

The Others
NBC
5th February 2000 to 10th June 2000
1 season
13 episodes

The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne
CBC
18th June 2000 to 16th December 2000
1 season
22 episodes

Freakylinks
Fox
6th October 2000 to 22nd June 2001
1 season
13 episodes

The Immortal
Syndicated
7th October 2000 to 2nd June 2001
1 season
22 episodes

Queen of Swords
Syndicated
7th October 2000 to 2nd June 2001
1 season
22 episodes

The Fearing Mind
Fox Family
21st October 2000 to 2nd December 2000
1 season
13 episodes (7 unaired)

Freedom
UPN
27th October 2000 to 22nd December 2000
1 season
12 episodes (5 unaired)

Level 9
UPN
27th October 2000 to 26th January 2001
1 season
13 episodes (4 unaired)

Black Scorpion
Sci-Fi Channel
5th January 2001 to 30th June 2001
1 season
22 episodes

The Lone Gunmen
Fox
4th March 2001 to 1st June 2001
1 season
13 episodes

Special Unit 2
UPN
11th April 2001 to 13th February 2002
2 seasons
19 episodes

All Souls
UPN
17th April 2001 to 31st August 2001
1 season
6 episodes

Witchblade
TNT
12th June 2001 to 26th August 2002
2 seasons
23 episodes (plus pilot movie in 2000)

The Chronicle
Sci-Fi Channel
14th July 2001 to 22nd March 2002
1 season
22 episodes

Dead Last
WB
14th August 2001 to 18th September 2001
1 season
13 episodes (8 unaired)

Tales from the Neverending Story
Hallmark
14th October 2001 to 6th January 2002
1 season
13 episodes

Odyssey 5
Showtime
21st June 2002 to 15th October 2004
1 season
20 episodes

Firefly
Fox
20th September 2002 to 20th December 2002
1 season
15 episodes (3 unaired)

John Doe
Fox
20th September 2002 to 25th April 2003
1 season
21 episodes

Haunted
UPN
24th September 2002 to 5th November 2002
1 season
11 episodes (4 unaired)

That Was Then
ABC
27th September 2002 to 4th October 2002
1 season
4 episodes (2 unaired)

Birds of Prey
WB
9th October 2002 to 19th February 2003
1 season
13 episodes

Dinotopia
ABC
28th November 2002 to 26th December 2002
13 episodes (7 unaired)

Miracles
ABC
27th January 2003 to 26th December 2003
1 season
13 episodes

Veritas: The Quest
ABC
27th January 2003 to 10th March 2003
1 season
13 episodes (9 unaired)

Tremors
Sci-Fi Channel
28th March 2003 to 2nd January 2004
1 season
13 episodes

Jake 2.0
UPN
10th September 2003 to 17th December 2003
1 season
16 episodes (4 unaired)

Carnivále
HBO
14th September 2003 to 27th March 2005
2 seasons
24 episodes

Tarzan
WB
5th October 2003 to 23rd November 2003
1 season
8 episodes

Tru Calling
Fox
30th October 2003 to 21st April 2005
2 seasons
26 episodes (1 unaired)

Still Life
Fox
January 2004
1 season
6 episodes (6 unaired)

Wonderfalls
Fox
12th March 2004 to 1st April 2004
1 season
13 episodes (9 unaired)

Century City
CBS
16th March 2004 to 30th March 2004
1 season
9 episodes (5 unaired)

Point Pleasant
Fox
19th January 2005 to 17th March 2005
1 season
13 episodes (5 unaired)

Charlie Jade
Space
16th April 2005 to 20th August 2005
1 season
20 episodes

Threshold
CBS
16th September 2005 to 22nd November 2005
1 season
13 episodes (4 unaired)

Surface
NBC
19th September 2005 to 6th February 2006
1 season
15 episodes

Invasion
ABC
21st September 2005 to 17th May 2006
1 season
22 episodes

Masters of Horror
Showtime
28th September 2005 to 2nd February 2007
2 seasons
26 episodes

Night Stalker
ABC
29th September 2005 to 10th November 2005
1 season
10 episodes (4 unaired)

Blade: The Series
Spike
28th June 2006 to 13th September 2006
1 season
13 episodes

Jericho
CBS
20th September 2006 to 25th March 2008
2 seasons
29 episodes

The Dresden Files
Sci-Fi Channel
21st January 2007 to 15th April 2007
1 season
12 episodes

Painkiller Jane
Sci-Fi Channel
13th April 2007 to 21st September 2007
1 season
22 episodes

John from Cincinnati
HBO
10th June 2007 to 12th August 2007
1 season
10 episodes

Masters of Science Fiction
ABC
7th August 2007 to 25th August 2007
6 episodes (2 unaired)

Flash Gordon
Sci-Fi Channel
10th August 2007 to 8th February 2008
1 season
21 episodes

Journeyman
NBC
24th September 2007 to 19th December 2007
1 season
13 episodes

Bionic Woman
NBC
26th September 2007 to 28th November 2007
1 season
8 episodes

Moonlight
CBS
28th September 2007 to 16th May 2008
1 season
16 episodes

Pushing Daisies
ABC
30th October 2007 to 13th June 2009
2 seasons
22 episodes

Eli Stone
ABC
31st January 2008 to 11th July 2009
2 seasons
26 episodes

The Middleman
ABC Family
16th June 2008 to 1st September 2008
1 season
12 episodes

Knight Rider
NBC
24th September 2008 to 4th March 2009
1 season
17 episodes (plus 1 pilot movie)

Life on Mars
ABC
9th October 2008 to 1st April 2009
1 season
17 episodes

Dollhouse
Fox
13th February 2009 to 29th January 2010
2 seasons
26 episodes (1 unaired)

Kings
NBC
13th March 2009 to 25th July 2009
1 season
13 episodes

Defying Gravity
ABC/CTV
2nd August 2009 to 11th September 2009
1 season
13 episodes (5 unaired)

Eastwick
ABC
23rd September 2009 to 30th December 2009
1 season
13 episodes (2 unaired)

Past Life
Fox
9th February 2010 to 18th February 2010
1 season
7 episodes (4 unaired)

 

[caisson2delta]

I saw it listed in the previous post, but was wondering if anyone here remembered watching Good vs. Evil? I thought it was really cool and outrageously funny.

 

[Marten]

The shows who are canceled that early on don't get here att all, so I never notice them.

 

[Agent Richard07]

Another good example is Melba!, a sitcom whose pilot aired on January 28th 1986. If that date sounds familiar it's because that's the day of the Challenger disaster. Unsurprisingly, nobody felt like laughing.

Interestingly, Doctor Who debuted on the day of the Kennedy assassination. Ultimately, the BBC figured everyone would be too traumatized to pay attention, so they reran the 1st episode the following week.

I doubt there are any 2 series cancellations that ever saddened me more than these 2.

Tru Calling comes to mind.

That saddened you or saddened me?

You. I remember you were one of the few people here who was really into the show. I liked it too though.

BTW, I'm not much of a numerologist, but I think it's really freaky that Eliza Dushku always appears on a TV series for exactly 26 episodes, and never in the same configuration.
Dollhouse had two 13 episode seasons. 13+13=26.
Tru Calling had a full 1st season but an unexpectedly truncated 2nd season. 20+6=26.
Furthermore, if you total, all of her appearances as Faith on every season of Buffy/Angel, it again adds up to 26. 13+2+2+1+3+5=26.

Fascinating.

The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne
CBC
18th June 2000 to 16th December 2000
1 season
22 episodes

That one has a nice opening credit sequence.

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNdAlrUbmpE[/yt]

 

[ToddPence]

A brilliant horror/suspense anthology series from 1981, "Darkroom", with James Coburn as host, lasted just six episodes. Despite its short life, it evoked memories of and was equal to the best of the classic Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and Thriller. In fact, one of "Darkroom"'s highlights was a remake of the "Thriller" episode "Guillotine".

 

[tharpdevenport]

Okay, I watched the two-hour pilot and second episode of "Profit" -- WOW -- what a excellent show! And yes, as I have been reading, the similarities to "Dexter" are eerie.

 

[ToddPence]

There is a current show called "Archer" which is an animated spy spoof. The original "Archer" from 1973 lasted only six episodes. It starred Brian Keith as the private detective Lew Archer, based on the character from Ross MacDonald's critically-acclaimed mystery novels.

 

[ebusinesstutor]

I remembered Tru Calling as being interesting but I only caught one or two episodes. So I just picked up both seasons on DVD and my wife and I are watching them. Excellent show.

I remember watching the Crow TV series and I liked it better than the movie.

So many shows canceled before their time. Almost makes me not want to invest my time in new shows.

 

[Andrew_Kearley]

Strange
Don't know why I didn't remember that before. God, that was brilliant! 7 episodes and that's your lot.

 

[byron lomax]

Not sure if cartoons are included here, but I really loved Downtown, an MTV cartoon set in New York City. It focused on Alex, a nerd who was desperate to "become his own man", his snarky friend Jen, his extrovert sister Chakka and Serena, a goth chick he's obsessed with. It was probably the last of MTV's "grungy" cartoons before they shut down their animation department in the late 90s (everything creative had to be destroyed, you see).

The show blended reality with surreal fantasy, as it often depicted what was going on in the characters' imaginations. The characters were really funny and felt more like real young people than in most live-action dramas. They deserved more than a measly 13 episodes.

The theme isn't much, so instead some clips:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTCYHw_KnQA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dG1UOCriNHY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUAqdPpWGZo

 

[DevilEyes]

Space: Above and Beyond
Fox
24th September 1995 to 2nd June 1996
1 season
24 episodes

(...)

Dark Skies
NBC
21st September 1996 to 31st May 1997
1 season
20 episodes

(...)

The Visitor
Fox
19th September 1997 to 16th January 1998
1 season
13 episodes

Ah yes, The Visitor, with John Corbett and Steve Railsback. I really liked that show.

I'm not sure if I have already mentioned it, but I loved Space: Above and Beyond. These two are my favorite from the list of shows cancelled after 1 season (in addition to 2-season Carnivale, Jericho...). Dark Skies seemed quite interesting.

I have a few vague recollections of Harsh Realm, it wasn't great, but as far as I remember, it wasn't that horrible as it said to have been, either.

 

[caisson2delta]

^The Visitor, I completely forgot about that show. I remember liking the show quite a bit. IIRC, wasn't he supposed to have been one of the pilots of Flight 19?

 

[BrotherBenny]

To be completely honest, I caught every episode of Painkiller Jane and it looked like it was getting somewhere...until the season/series finale when the bad guys were going to release a chocolate bar or something which would turn everyone who ate them into the freak-of-the-week.

I'm glad it was cancelled.

 

[CaptMurdock]

The call on Raines above was a good one. That was apparently canceled before it aired.

I really liked this show. The pilot had the character of Raines' old partner, who was walking with a cane, giving Raines advice and stuff. The last scene the old partner goes "How come I'm walking with this cane?" and Raines replied, "Because you got shot in the head and I'll be damned if I'm going to imagine that." Then you see a shot of Raines walking off alone. Freaky.

But a comedy video sketch show called, I think, Turn On! lasted all of one episode.

Judging from the Wikipedia link someone posted upthread, yeah, it may have been too radical for primetime 1969 but given what SNL started doing in late-night six years later some of it seems rather tame now.

My favorite bit: "Two men are standing at a globe. "Tell me," one says to the other, "where is the capital of South Vietnam?" The second man spins the globe and points, "Mostly over here, in Swiss bank accounts."" Burn!