The sci-fi genre has delivered countless exceptional TV shows over the years. Science fiction itself has been enthralling audiences for generations, with movie and TV projects in particular helping the genre to thrive. The best sci-fi TV shows often go on to secure iconic status, helping to shape the genre’s future and being cited as landmark titles in their own right. However, in a genre so broad in nature that it’s able to appeal to so many different demographics, there are many sci-fi TV shows that slip through the cracks. This especially seems to happen to shows that are cancelled before their time, with all but the most dedicated fans neglecting even to mention them.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Often, when a TV show is cancelled, it’s routinely dismissed. When a show is doomed never to reach a satisfying conclusion and has been labelled as surplus to requirements by a network, many simply forget all about it. However, some of these seemingly forgotten sci-fi TV shows deserve way more attention, whether for their quality, the way they helped innovate the genre, or the incredible talent involved in the project. The reasons may vary, but these cancelled sci-fi shows all deserve to be talked about way more.
5) Almost Human
After premiering in 2013, Almost Human aired for just a single 13-episode season before it was cancelled by Fox. Produced by J. J. Abrams, Almost Human starred Karl Urban as a technophobic police detective in 2048 who is partnered with an android officer, played by Michael Ealy, against his will. Almost Human also starred Minka Kelly and Mackenzie Crook in supporting roles, and even in its short run, managed to secure a considerable fan base.
The show’s incredibly short-lived nature is perhaps one of the main reasons it isn’t talked about today, but it still deserves better. After all, with a star in Karl Urban who has since only become even more successful and a premise that feels as relevant as ever with the increasingly controversial application of AI technology in various sectors of public life, Almost Human was clearly ahead of its time. Sadly, this criminally cancelled sci-fi show has been all but forgotten, and is now hardly talked about at all by wider sci-fi audiences.
4) Heroes
During the course of its first season, Heroes was hailed as one of the most promising TV shows of its time. Its large ensemble cast brought to life its sci-fi premise of many unconnected individuals brought together by the sudden emergence of superpowers, making it feel at times like a comic book come to life. By making use of non-linear storytelling and complex sci-fi plot points, Heroes was a massive success in its earlier days.
Unfortunately, that popularity didn’t last, and subsequent seasons’ inability to live up to the high bar set by its start ultimately led to it being cancelled after season 4. Among all the excellent sci-fi TV of the 2000s, Heroes simply faded into obscurity, as it struggled desperately to keep up with the exceptional quality of its first season. Even so, it was a great and groundbreaking sci-fi show in its own right, and deserves to be talked about more widely than it is today.
3) Dark Angel
A sci-fi action drama created and produced by James Cameron, Dark Angel is largely remembered today only as the show that launched Jessica Alba’s career. Set in what was at the time the far future of 2019, it follows Max Guevara, a genetically enhanced supersoldier who lives on the run after escaping a covert military facility. It ran for 43 episodes over the course of two seasons, but was ultimately canceled by Fox after a drop in ratings.
Despite being a sci-fi TV show that aged incredibly well, Dark Angel isn’t talked about much today. It’s incredibly odd, though, as it was truly a landmark show, not just catapulting Jessica Alba to superstardom but helping to pioneer the rise of strong female protagonists in an otherwise male-dominated genre. Though it is still loved by its dedicated fan base, Dark Angel is a show that simply deserves to be more widely remembered by sci-fi fans around the world.
2) Terra Nova
Terra Nova is another sci-fi show that aired only for a single 13-episode season before being cancelled by Fox. Though it may have gotten off to a relatively slow start, it was a TV show that had massive potential, but was instead cut tragically short. Steven Spielberg served as one of the show’s executive producers, and its show followed the members of a colony attempting to flee Earth’s overpopulated dystopian future by establishing their home 85 million years in the past during an alternate version of the Cretaceous Period.
In truth, Terra Nova‘s first season could have been better, but the potential afforded by its premise meant that it clearly qualifies as a sci-fi TV show cancelled too soon. With Spielberg’s input and a premise that blended pure sci-fi with the ever-popular appeal of dinosaurs, Terra Nova could easily have blossomed into an all-time great sci-fi show. Instead, its unceremonious cancellation means that it’s hardly talked about today, even though fans of the genre should feel incredibly aggrieved that it ended too soon.
1) Dollhouse
Created by Joss Whedon in an era where everything he touched seemed to turn to gold, Dollhouse never quite found the success it deserved. Its story concerned a corporation running facilities known as Dollhouses that were able to program individuals with temporary personalities or skills, often resulting in these individuals, known as Dolls, being hired by wealthy clients for various purposes. However, Dollhouse was cancelled shortly before its second season had finished airing, resulting in a run of just 26 episodes.
Thankfully for dedicated fans of the show, Dollhouse turned out to be a rare sci-fi show that continued after it was cancelled, with its story being continued in a limited comic book series. Considering its story grappled with some heavy sci-fi ideas and boasted considerable acting and creative talent, the fact that Dollhouse isn’t more widely talked about seems unfair. Sadly, it’s just another great sci-fi show that has fallen by the wayside since being unceremoniously axed.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
