10 Cancelled Sci-Fi Shows That Deserve a Reboot

Science fiction has been one of the most popular and fruitful genres of television since the start, taking advantage of futuristic settings, superpowered characters, and outlandish concepts. This exploration has contributed to the creation of some of the most entertaining and beloved TV shows in history, including franchises such as Doctor Who, Star Trek, Stranger Things, and more. However, not every sci-fi TV series has been lucky enough to stick around, but it would be great to see some cancelled shows brought back for modern-day reboots.

Some sci-fi shows have become the longest-running and most successful franchises in television history, and the success of the genre has spurred movie franchises to branch out into TV, too. This has birthed the TV behemoths of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars franchise, and more, while many other sci-fi shows get left in the dirt. This creates limitless potential for the science fiction genre, however, as it’s very possible any number of these iconic series could be rebooted for contemporary audiences, bringing their clever and thought-provoking sci-fi stories back to life.

10) Firefly (2002)

Joss Whedon’s Firefly series has often been featured among shows that were cancelled before their time. The show ran for just one season in 2002 before being axed by Fox, despite its storyline packed full of imaginative potential. Firefly focused on a group of people living on the fringes of a space-faring society following a civil war in the distant future, led by Nathan Fillion’s Malcolm Reynolds. With memorable world-building and complex characters, Firefly is begging for a reboot.

Cancelled after only 11 of its 14 episodes aired, Firefly never got the chance to fully explore its complex narrative, including its detailed political structure and vast expanse of planets and their inhabitants. Dedicated fans have been calling for a revival or reboot of the series ever since its cancellation, giving the show a huge cult following. Even so, there’s no sign of a reimagining on the horizon, despite the chance to explore a whole new universe in a possibly-long-running new Firefly reboot.

9) FlashForward (2009-2010)

FlashForward set itself apart from other sci-fi shows by taking on a high-concept, very-grounded storyline that impacted the entire planet. After a mysterious event causes almost everyone on Earth to experience a two-minute long blackout, which thrust their consciousnesses six months into the future, a team of FBI agents work to determine why it happened, what the flash-forwards mean, and if it will happen again. This is an incredibly intriguing concept that deserves far more exploration than just one season.

At the end of FlashForward’s first and only season, another blackout occurs, with the Earth’s residents experiencing visions of varying dates in the future. This created wild new avenues for a possible Season 2 and future instalments, but these plot threads are yet to be resolved a decade-and-a-half later. It would be great to see FlashForward get revitalized with a modern-day reboot or revival. The concept is ripe for expansion, so it would be a shame just to have it be forgotten.

8) Altered Carbon (2018-2020)

Although it had its problems, Altered Carbon was one of the most exciting and original new shows introduced to Netflix in recent years. Originally led by Joel Kinnaman, and later by Anthony Mackie in season 2, Altered Carbon brought Richard K. Morgan’s 2002 novel, in which the human consciousness can be moved from body to body, to life in vibrant color and with a fantastic cyberpunk tone. Unfortunately, Altered Carbon Season 2 failed to live up to the original, culminating in the series’ cancellation.

Rebooting Altered Carbon would create the perfect chance to address the issues that led to its recent cancellation. Season 2 compressed two of Morgan’s novels into one, so a reboot could extend the narrative and not rush into unnecessary storylines too soon. A reboot could also explore the world beyond the main character of Takeshi Kovacs, which Season 2 had the perfect opportunity to do following the end of Kovacs’ mission in Season 1. Altered Carbon’s universe is massive, but we’ve only seen a fraction of it, so it would be thrilling to see the series revitalized.

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Altered Carbon did continue with an anime film released on Netflix in 2020, Altered Carbon: Resleeved, which acted as a prequel to the live-action series. However, there has been no sign of the cyberpunk franchise continuing beyond this anime instalment. It would be great to see Altered Carbon return to live-action to explore new stories, perhaps leaving the crutch of Takeshi Kovacs behind.

7) Alphas (2011-2012)

Alphas was a sleeper hit for Syfy, so it would be fantastic to have it rebooted and modernized. Despite airing two seasons between 2011 and 2012, Alphas still somehow feels dated, so a reboot could bring fresh characters, new storylines, and interesting new powers into the light, perhaps with a recast and reenergized Lee Rosen (David Strathairn) at the center. Alphas focused on a team of superpowered individuals, known as Alphas, solving crimes committed by other Alphas. Somewhat predictable, we know, but it’s the humanity of Alphas that made it so brilliant.

The characters were realistic, grounded, and relatable, making Alphas a show that focused on more than just an individual’s power. Despite its predictability, Alphas received widespread praise, and has a dedicated fanbase, which means a reboot would be welcome. Alphas Season 2 also ended on a wild cliffhanger, with the battle between Rosen and Stanton Parish (John Pyper-Ferguson) and the detonation of photic stimulators, which could create brand-new Alphas. A reboot could reinvent and continue these stories, and still deliver stories the likes of Marvel Studios haven’t explored.

6) Space: Above and Beyond (1995-1996)

Few successful sci-fi shows have taken the military route, which is what made Space: Above and Beyond such a popular series back in the 1990s. Focused on the Wildcards, members of the United States Marine Corps 58th Squadron of the Space Aviator Cavalry, Space: Above and Beyond primarily featured humanity’s war against the extraterrestrial Chigs. The detailed lore of this show deserves to be explored better, which means a reboot could be the best choice for the forgotten series.

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In a diversion from other sci-fi shows of its time, Space: Above and Beyond used its genre to enhance its compelling characters, core concepts, and investigation of relevant and poignant issues. A reboot could make Space: Above and Beyond one of the most important sci-fi shows of all time, focusing on themes of PTSD, mental health, the dangers of war, and artificial intelligence. While it previously had low ratings, a reboot could modernize the storyline and make it far more popular.

5) Sliders (1995-2000)

The concept of a group of travelers using wormholes to “slide” into parallel universes is one that deserves a lot more attention than this series gave it. Sliders ran for five seasons, but has still fallen under the radar, especially since it moved to the little-known Sci-Fi Channel for its final two chapters. In its later seasons, Sliders lost a lot of charm and charisma, so a reboot could recapture what made the show’s original instalments so entertaining and successful.

One of the biggest pitfalls of Sliders was the show’s visual effects, which broke the suspension of disbelief and perhaps eventually led to the show’s downfall. In the modern age, this wouldn’t be so much of a problem. The visual aspect of the travelers sliding into alternate worlds would be far-improved and much more realistic. Beyond that, a reboot offers the chance the multiverse to be expanded in an interesting way (outside of Marvel and DC’s monopoly), while also exploring underdeveloped characters in more detail.

4) Misfits (2009-2013)

Arguably, the first few seasons of British superhero comedy-drama Misfits are timeless, as the likes of Robert Sheehan, Iwan Rheon, Lauren Socha, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, and Antonia Thomas deliver fantastic and believable performances as young offenders who gain superpowers from a mysterious electrical storm. Unfortunately, Misfits experienced a noticeable lull in its later years, which ultimately led to its cancellation. A possible reboot could repeat what made the original Misfits so great, while bringing modern audiences into the loop.

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A modern reboot of Misfits could take advantage of more political storylines, or those centered more directly on technology, while using updated and higher-budget visual effects to bring its superpowers to life. An American version of Misfits had been planned at Freeform, but, as of 2018, there have been no new updates on the series. It’s better a series such as this remains in British hands, given its core characters being deeply rooted in British culture, so a reboot could explore even more avenues and gloss over past mistakes for the ragtag group of superpowered delinquents.

3) Forever (2014-2015)

Several of these shows received a huge amount of fan support after their cancellations, with audiences hoping their outcries would convince studios to bring them back. Forever is one such show. The one-season long show fell completely under the radar during its release in 2014, but fans really lobbied for it to continue after ABC cancelled it, to no avail. Led by Ioan Gruffudd, Forever is the perfect candidate for a modern-day reboot, given its focus on immortal medical examiner Henry Morgan.

Henry Morgan’s life was explored in Forever via a narrative in the present day and flashbacks to his many deaths. This was a seriously interesting concept that has seldom been brought into live-action on the small-screen, so it would be a shame to see it go completely to waste. Forever ended with Morgan revealing his secret to Detective Jo Martinez (Alana de la Garza), which opened up avenues for a Season 2 that never came. A Forever reboot could make the series far more popular than it ever was.

2) Inhumans (2017)

Marvel Television’s Inhumans series from 2017 hoped to expand on the inhuman lore first seen in Agents of SHIELD. Unfortunately, the series’ lackluster performances and boring narrative made it a complete flop. The failure of Inhumans has hurt the entire concept of these characters in live-action, prompting Marvel Studios to actively avoid including them in the MCU, all except for Anson Mount’s Black Bolt in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but a reboot could change things.

The Inhumans would be a fantastic addition to the MCU, especially with mutants and other new characters about to join the franchise. Marvel Television’s Inhumans started its life as a planned feature film that became a TV series, but characters of this magnitude perhaps demand a higher budget and more widespread place in the franchise. A rebooted Inhumans project could focus on new, more powerful Inhumans, and shine a light on their place in the greater franchise, which could make them far more important and enjoyable to watch.

1) Babylon 5 (1993-1998)

Created by J. Michael Straczynski, Babylon 5 focused on a group of human military staff and extraterrestrial diplomats stationed on the titular space station, Babylon 5. Major plots included interspecies upheaval, race wars, and a resistance against totalitarianism, which would all be seriously relevant and striking themes to explore in a sci-fi TV show nowadays. Babylon 5 was ahead of its time, and would benefit from more modern visual effects and stronger performances from a more recognizable cast, and the series recently came very close to a reboot.

Straczynski announced plans for a from-the-ground-up reboot of Babylon 5 back in 2021, with The CW seemingly providing the home for the sci-fi show’s reimagining. Since then, however, Warner Bros. has bought back the rights to the series, and was said to be shopping a reboot round to other networks. Still up in the air, but running the risk of being ultimately shelved, the future for Babylon 5 could be in jeopardy. It would be brilliant to see this revolutionary and imaginative sci-fi TV show brought back to life for a contemporary audience.

Which cancelled sci-fi TV shows do you want to see rebooted? Let us know in the comments!