TVSquad

Sure Lost is a bona fide hit, but who remembers Invasion? In fact, none of the sci fi series premiering that year (Surface and Threshold) made it beyond a single season. And yet, as Brad reported, ABC is developing The Return, a series focusing on how the world handles an "alien landing." You know, like the classic V mini-series of the '80s. In fact, the last episode of V: The Series was called "The Return." Maybe this is a secret code name for the long teased V return!

But that announcement got me thinking about all those sci fi and fantasy shows that never finish on television. It's a phenomenon us long-time science fiction/fantasy fans have learned to live with. We jump on any new genre show on television hoping against hope that the ratings will be strong enough that we'll get the whole story. Alas, we know that more often than not the plug will be pulled mid-stream and we'll be left wanting. And for every Joss Whedon who continues Buffy and Angel in comics, there are tons more who don't.

There were plenty of choices for The Arrested Development Award, a.k.a. The Show Least Deserving of Cancellation Award. Among them, Las Vegas, New Amsterdam, Miss Guided, Aliens in America, and Women's Murder Club.

The Readers Choice Award goes to Moonlight, the vampire-themed crime-drama-romance that amassed an insane amount of fans during its short run. And it still might come back on another network, so we'll keep our collective fingers crossed on that.

The TV Squadders' pick is Journeyman. Here's why:

1. Time-traveling is cool. The idea of time-travel is always intriguing, as evidenced by other shows like Quantum Leap and Sliders. What's cool about Journeyman is that Dan Vasser, played by Kevin McKidd, is just a normal guy who could be any one of us. At first, he hates the time-traveling. It interrupts his life and causes undue stress, both at home and work. But later, when given the opportunity to make it stop, he chooses to keep time-traveling. He knows he's been chosen for a reason, and feels it's his calling to help people right the wrongs of history. Never mind that every episode made me wonder how much of history he changed by leaping into the past. I can only imagine that even the smallest of events might drastically alter the space-time continuum.

Quick, what do the following TV shows have in common: The Dick Van Dyke Show, Twilight Zone, The Andy Griffith Show, M*A*S*H, Mystery Science Theater 3000, and The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson?

Answer: they're not on Empire Magazine's list of the 50 best greatest TV shows of all-time. Let the arguments begin!

It's that festive time of year when children put tinsel on the television antennas and hang mistletoe over their favorite DVDs. Where celebrities check into rehab to spend the holidays with all their celebrity friends. And where the rest of America is invited to corporate non-specific, non-religious, non-alcoholic generic winter holiday luncheons where they can mingle with their co-workers and say things like "Remember when this company used to have real Christmas parties?"

But while political correctness may have ruined most holiday functions, nothing can ruin Festivus! That magical season in which TV Squadders hope and pray for televisions dreams come true. And I know just what I want...

So is it yet another Star Trek alumnus coming on-screen, or a reunion of former Murphy Brown costars Candace Bergen and her on-screen amore Scott Bakula, as TV Guide says. Looks like it's both, as Bakula has signed on to join Bergen and William Shatner for an upcoming episode of Boston Legal. In it he will play one of Shirley Schmidt's (Bergen) exes who runs into her at a bar. No word on if his will be a multi-episode arc or a one-time appearance.

Bakula has shown himself to have a bit of comedic chops recently on The New Adventures of Old Christine, and with BL being a dramedy, he might do very well there. Either way, it is good to see Bakula back on the small screen. Quantum Leap remains one of my all-time favorite shows and I'm still mad they haven't found a way to bring it back (despite periodic rumors that they may), while Knight Rider gets a revival. It'd be great if they can get Bakula's character and Denny Crane (Shatner) together in a scene and have them salute one another or slip some other Trek teaser for the audience in the know.

From 1996-2000, NBC had a modest hit on their hand with The Pretender, a show in which main character Jarod used his abilities to assume other people's identities to help those in need. Kind of a Quantum Leap with identity theft instead of bodysnatching. Creators Steven Long Mitchell and Craig Van Sickle, also of Tin Man, reportedly told SCI FI Wire they'd like to bring back the show in the digital medium. The relaunch, or continuation, could even feature original star Michael T. Weiss in the title role again.

They've reportedly brunched Weiss and begun laying the groundwork for the project, so it seems it's a done deal, just what exactly it means and when and where we'll be able to see it remains unclear.

When one of our favorite TV shows goes off the air, it can be devastating. However, many times, the cancellation is the birth of a spinoff. Sometimes it can be a great thing (Rhoda) and sometimes not so much (Tabitha). Here are some this month's spinoff ideas that I would love to see.

The Young Jason Gideon Chronicles
What is it that made Jason Gideon the enigmatic person he became? Watch and find out. See the events that turned a carefree young teenager into the sullen, contemplative FBI agent we came to know on Criminal Minds. See the part his parents (Michael McKean & Annette O'Toole) played in his transformation.

We told you yesterday about the new shows that NBC unveiled at their upfront, and now video previews of the new shows have made their way onto the web.

After the jump are previews for the new shows The Bionic Woman, Journeyman, Life, and Chuck, along with my quick notes on what I think based on these little snippets. Those legs above aren't exactly sexy. Maybe that's just a temporary state.

As I write this, I can't help but think this story is a joke. How could it be real? Apparently NBC has ordered the pilot for a science fiction show about a man who travels through time to right wrongs. Does that sound like Quantum Leap to you, too? There must be more to it because, while it was on the air for five seasons, I just am not seeing a big calling for bringing back Leap. Seaquest DSV, yes. But Quantum Leap? Nah.

The series is the brainchild of Kevin Falls, who has a pretty impressive writing resume including West Wing, Sports Night, North Shore, Arli$$ and The Lyon's Den.

Along with other development news this week, Sci Fi Channel is also reportedly planning a television series of the Ashton Kutcher-with-facial-hair movie, The Butterfly Effect. The movie was about a man who had the ability to travel back and forth through time to change the future for himself and others, sometimes with disastrous results. The series will follow Evan (Kutcher's character) in his trips through time to try and right the wrongs, hoping the next jump will be his jump home. No, wait. That's Quantum Leap and, yes, I totally ripped that off from Family Guy. There's also a sequel to The Butterfly Effect that is planned for the big screen, starring Erica Durance (Smallville) and Eric Lively (The L Word). No word yet on who will star in the series. NBC Universal is going to produce.

According to a poll taken in England by the Home Media Networks, Star Trek tops a list of shows that are most missed by the viewers. There's been a couple of different iterations of Star Trek and it didn't really specify which one, so they've got a leg up. Head on across the pond to the BBC's site and check out the entire list. After reading this list however, it got me thinking about my most missed shows, and I'm not talking about the "painfully short" shows that we've talked about numerous times in the past here at TV Squad, just overall shows that I miss the most. So here we go, the shows that I miss the most.