(ThyBlackMan.com) Don’t you hate when a show is canceled early? I mean a really good show that you’re enjoying. You dig the concept, the story is good, the characters are enjoyable, you’re involved in this show—then the network kills it after the first season or three seasons in. It’s happened to us all and some of those shows left such an impression that any show that is fairly similar makes you go “X show should’ve gotten more seasons!” or “That show needs to be rebooted!” Here are five shows I loved that should’ve been rebooted or picked up.
Jericho (2006-2008, CBS)
I really enjoyed Jericho. I didn’t catch it during its initial run but after watching another show on this list, I gave it a try on Netflix. I have to say, it was a really good show. Disaster and post-apocalyptic shows are just right up my alley and Jericho hit all the right buttons. It wasn’t the fastest paced show but the development of the main characters, an unlikely setting in the Midwest, and a story that just kept unraveling.
Jericho started off with the citizens of Jericho, Kansas dealing with was basically an inconvenience, finding out it was worse than it was, dealing with a military occupation, deciding that defending themselves was key, and turning on each other at times. Then it escalates more!
The show was something you’d expect more on ABC or The CW than CBS. It just didn’t come off as a good fit for the network to me and I could see how it would end up doing bad ratings-wise and getting axed. Also, that 2007-2008 season was hard on a number of shows due to the Writer’s Strike. The story was continued in comic form but I would’ve been game for a third season.
Fate: Survived cancellation once, axed after two seasons
Reaper (2007-2009, The CW)
This was the perfect show for The CW. Young cast, centered around powers and demons, potential to get dark if needed. Reaper had a lot of potential to be hit a show but just couldn’t bulldoze through and do it. On The CW, there are two power franchises: the Arrowverse and the Vampire-verse. Shows associated with either DC Comics or The Vampire Diaries aren’t going anywhere for several seasons. Supernatural is the standalone powerhouse.
Reaper could’ve been spun-off as an extension of Supernatural easily. The story was pretty simple to get into: a young man at a dead end job is thrust into being a reaper for Satan following a deal made by his parents before he born. His close friends at the job join him in carrying out his demon hunting tasks. Later in the series, there are some revelations and the show started to open up more.
I really enjoyed the pace of the show. It was fast because it had a “monster of the week” format—think Power Rangers or X-Files’ early seasons. That approach worked well. As a matter of fact, it worked for Supernatural and Arrow early on. As a result of the Writer’s Strike, Reaper was one of the shows that got cancelled.
Fate: Axed after two seasons
Kingpin (2003, NBC)
When Kingpin was cancelled, it was stated that it was a miniseries and not a show that could end up with more seasons. Kingpin probably would’ve been a regular show for the network but it was cut for two reasons. The first was poor ratings. Law & Order’s trifecta of shows were dominating the network as well as a few comedies. NBC are always looking for something that can hit those ratings like Law & Order.
The other reason was that NBC just weren’t 100-percent behind Kingpin. A show about a drug kingpin just wasn’t up their alley. The show was like an American-made telenovela about a Mexican drug trafficker juggling alliances, businesses, outward appearances, and family. It was The Godfather based around a Mexican-American family. I’d say it was years ahead of curve with shows like Narcos and Breaking Bad becoming popular years later and The Sopranos and The Wire being popular at the time.
Fate: Axed after six episodes
Kindred: The Embraced (1996, Fox)
Mixing a little from Kingpin and a little from Reaper on this selection. Kindred: The Embraced was the only vampire TV show going at the time as Buffy the Vampire Slayer would debut a year later. This show was based on White Wolf Publishing’s Vampire: The Masquerade tabletop roleplaying game. At the time, Vampire was rapidly gaining a fanbase and even transitioned into a wrestler using a gimmick on WWF television during its hot period during the 90s: Gangrel.
The show was focused on politics among different clans in San Francisco with Julian Luna, leader of one of the clans, being the focus. Kindred’s pacing was weird, it was fast on some episodes and kind of sluggish on others when characters and situations were being explained. Since it ended a few episodes in due to the death of the lead actor, the show ended on a cliffhanger.
I’d say it could with a reboot with the advances in technology and episodic writing being much better now. Technically, it would be new since it’s been 23 years since it aired. However, with a show like The Originals and True Blood coming out years later, would there be a reason to reboot Kindred?
Fate: Axed after eight episodes
Revolution (2012-2014, NBC)
Sci-fi shows have it rough on NBC. Revolution was a show with a ton of potential, it had a great setting, history, and pace to it but it was a victim of bad ratings. It was a more action/adventure-oriented version of Jericho. Like this show moved fast, every episode featured something going on and it had one character who just…irked me and she survived. She was like Carl in the early seasons of The Walking Dead or just the children on The Walking Dead. Just terrible for a post-apocalyptic setting.
Revolution really had me pulling for a renewal after season two but it never came happened. There was even a campaign that got over 100,000 signatures—mine included. It could’ve probably survived on SyFy and there was hope that it could get moved there. I mean, Universal owns both NBC and SyFy and it wouldn’t have been the worst idea.
Actually, it would’ve been perfect for the network since a lot of work went into the setting of a fracture America after a technological failure. Side note, Revolution follows the trend of Atlanta falling in an apocalypse of any kind. It happened in this show, Jericho, and The Walking Dead. Odd.
Fate: Axed after two seasons
Staff Writer; M. Swift
This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.