In case you ever think Fox might actually give a good series a break, Topless Robot reminds us of the Top 20 shows cancelled by Fox before their time. It's a decent list. Granted, I haven't watched a chunk of them but I've watched four of the top five in their entirety and own two of them on DVD.There is only one show the author didn't mention that I wish made the list. The Doctor Who 1996 Television Movie starring Paul McGann initially aired on Fox, but never made it to series due to poor ratings. I can only hope that some day Fox and Universal will come to an agreement with the BBC and allow for a North American DVD release.
So what do you think of the list? Did the author get it right? Is there a Fox series that was not mentioned which should have been? Let us know in the comments.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
8-15-2009 @ 12:17PM
Midnight13 said...
The author pretty much got it right. Many of these shows were sci-fi series with some sort of twist to it, and came just before or shortly after "The X-Files" became such a hit, which makes you wonder how that show, as great as it was, lasted so long on Fox, while other shows like "Wonderfalls", "Firefly" and even the X-Files" spin-off "The Lone Gunmen" crashed and burned so quickly. Oh wait they did forget one "FreakyLinks" sort of like "The X-Files" for the young adult crowd.
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8-15-2009 @ 12:33PM
Darren said...
Traveler which isn't on the list, should have been number 1. They should have a list crap on FOX that should be canceled!
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8-15-2009 @ 12:36PM
fred said...
Yes, missing on that list are Action, Andy Richter Controls The Universe, and Kitchen Confidential.
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8-15-2009 @ 12:39PM
KMF said...
I with you about Doctor Who the movie w/ McGann. It did well in the UK just not in the US and so Fox sank it and kept the companions so they couldn't be used again for Big Finish.
I've met McGann. He likens himself to the Lazenby of Doctor Who. :P
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8-15-2009 @ 1:25PM
Arclight said...
@KMF
"I with you about Doctor Who"
Which one are you?
Tarzan?
Tonto?
Or Frankenstein?
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8-15-2009 @ 1:44PM
backbackheyhey said...
Good to see some love for Brisco County, Jr. They actually did a full season's worth of episodes, so it would be nice if some cable network picked up the reruns. (I'm talking to YOU Encore Westerns.) Fortunately, it's available on DVD.
The Tick is sometimes unfairly compared to the cartoon version, which, at its best, was mind-blowingly awesome. But if you take it on its own terms, it was an excellent show in its own right.
Firefly at number 1 is, of course, a no-brainer.
The only disappointment was that they ignored Andy Richter controls the universe. I think that's a metaphor for Andy Richter's acting career in general.
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8-15-2009 @ 1:50PM
大宝宝 said...
Bakersfield P.D. was hilarious and, of course, dropped by Fox way too early.
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8-15-2009 @ 2:47PM
Shadow26 said...
I'm a bit shocked to see Dark Angel not listed. I know the writers had more planned for it, yet it was one of those that fell victim to FOX's chopping block.
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8-15-2009 @ 8:02PM
Eddie said...
I'd have added The Inside, and Space: Above and Beyond.
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8-15-2009 @ 8:34PM
Heather said...
How about shows that never aired? I saw the pilot for Still Life online and that was pretty good (and it featured Jensen Ackles in the main role). FOX dropped that show before that even aired. I agree, I haven't really seen any of them but whole heartedly agree Firefly comes number one. The author is right. The cast was pretty perfect.
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8-16-2009 @ 12:12AM
BHcolin said...
what no love for Fastlane. I loved that show. Great cast that clicked together, it was funny and full of action. I really enjoyed it paired with John Doe - it was a fun night of TV.
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8-16-2009 @ 12:30AM
bruce said...
He pretty much summed it all up in his comments to Terminator TSCC. If I had a tv show, I'd rather it never go on air than be put on fox. Fox sabotages every show it has, especially sci-fi shows. I don't watch ANY new shows on Fox until after their 2nd season. We all know dollhouse won't get more than 13 2nd season episode, though if it does get to go into a 3rd season, I'll start to watch it, with the pilot. Nothing's worse than finding a show I like only to have it cancelled soon thereafter, before having a chance to develop into something. Screw Fox.
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8-16-2009 @ 12:38PM
moreartplease said...
Am I the only one getting tired of people bashing FOX? Most networks never even TRY a show like any of the ones on this list. No one bashes CBS for Not Even Trying. I blame the audience, which doesn't watch these shows in enough numbers to make them profitable.
Frankly the tone of the article was a little wacky, to me--almost narcissistic. The idea that FOX just loves spending money developing shows only to ax them as a way of breaking the hearts of fanboys everywhere strikes me as naive and tired.
I LOVE most of the shows mentioned on the list. Firefly I consider one of the greatest shows ever to air. I regularly rail against an audience that didn't have the taste to support it. But do I blame the network that picked up a second season of Dollhouse (the lowest rated show ever to get a season 2) or gave AD three seasons? Nope.
When I read these sort of articles I always remember the sign in an old bosses office--"It's not called Show Art." No one wants to make bad shows or cancel shows people love. But this is not the BBC--these shows are not supported by tax dollars or good wishes. Someone needs to pay for the writers and cameramen and effects and actors.
For me, I say good for FOX for constantly developing these shows and trying to find an audience for them. Fall would be much more boring if all we got was CSI: Dubuque.
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8-16-2009 @ 3:06AM
Jamie in Las Vegas said...
Is Dollhouse really the lowest rated show to get a second season pickup? Even counting early FOX shows, or UPN/WB/CW? I kinda doubt it.
8-16-2009 @ 12:45PM
moreartplease said...
"In fact, "Dollhouse" might very well be the lowest-rated in-season scripted drama to ever get a renewal on a major broadcast network. Almost certainly if based on where the show concluded -- about 2.8 million viewers and a 1.0 among adults 18-49."
That's from The Hollywood Reporter, and it was widely quoted or cited after publication. Obviously there are several caveats, but the specifics are not the basis of the argument. Maybe UPN or the WB or the CW (often not counted with the Big 4) or Telemundo, Univision or Ion might have had lower ratings for a renewed show at some point. I don't think that changes the fact that FOX renewed a show all had given up for lost, and is giving it a chance, just as they did for Arrested Development.
I, for one, will continue to do for Dollhouse what I did for Buffy and AD and BSG and a thousand other shows--I will tell people to watch them, and I will watch them myself. To stop watching because "they'll just cancel it anyway" is a self-fullfilling prophecy.
8-16-2009 @ 12:56PM
bruce said...
Sorry, but it's more complicated than that. Fox SABOTAGES it's sci-fi shows. First, they nearly always give them the friday night death slot. If not at first, then after a few episodes. And that's another problem - who moves shows around from day to day, time to time, more than fox? Especially niche shows. And is there anyone who preempts shows with sports more than Fox? They schedule 2 hours for a baseball game that they know will go 3 hours plus, and the sci-fi show airs right after the baseball game. Guess what happens - it gets cut off. preempted. Gone. Maybe it will be on next week, maybe it will be given a new time. Who knows? Definitely not the viewers who want to watch it. If they have a Tivo with a season pass they might be lucky enough to record the next new episode, whenever it may air. But guess what? That doesn't count for the ratings. So the few people who actually do end up watching it don't even count.
And people will also note that shows like Dollhouse only got advertising before the premiere of the pilot episode. Once the show started, you never heard a word about it on Fox. But there are ads for American Idol (which doesn't need any ads since every idiotfuck in the country is drawn to it, like flies to a light bulb) all the time.
The only conclusion is that Fox is out there to kill TV shows, and they take the shows in bad faith. They just don't want the other networks to get these shows. So they take as many shows as they can, greenlight them, produce a few episodes, kill it off, and keep the rights so that it can't go anywhere else. This is their secret business model.
8-16-2009 @ 3:43AM
Gypsy3x4 said...
I don't think family guy should have been on the list, it came back and is now a highly rated show.
He totally left off Kitchen Confidential with Bradley Cooper and Dark Angel with Jessica Alba.
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8-16-2009 @ 3:48AM
Danny Smith said...
Three words. GET A LIFE
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8-16-2009 @ 3:49AM
Danny Smith said...
The Show
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8-16-2009 @ 4:11AM
Chris said...
Firefly is right on the money. It's too bad about some of these for sure.
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