Science fiction fans have been raising awareness for their favourite shows that were abruptly terminated ever before letter-writing campaigns helped the first “Star Trek” receive a third season. Sometimes it works: “Jericho” received a second season because fans sent studios sacks of nuts. Sometimes it does; for example, “Firefly” fans were able to see a movie but not the desired revival of the show. In all honesty, considering what we now know about Adam Baldwin and Joss Whedon, that’s probably for the best.
This article highlights sci-fi series over the last few decades that should have lasted longer, either because they ended horribly or uncomfortably or just because they were way too short. However, we don’t hold out much hope for the shows below to return. We try to provide suggestions for how a continuation of today might go because we’re nothing if not productive. Here are 12 sci-fi shows that were cancelled but ought to be revived.
Automan (1983-1984)
Audiences and screenwriters alike thought of computers as being all-powerful magical gadgets in the 1980s. Glen A. Larson, a prolific TV producer, is known for “We received a full season of “what if there was a cop buddy show, but one of the buddies is Tron? “, which involved “borrowing” and updating well-known ideas (“Battlestar Galactica” from “Star Wars,” to cite the most egregious lawsuit-provoking example). Additionally, he is the only person who speaks with that vaguely English-like North Atlantic dialect that was common among actors in the 1950s and 1960s.”
The outcome was “Automan,” starring Desi Arnaz Jr. as a computer programmer for the LAPD who develops a computer-generated man with superhuman abilities (obviously) and a sentient cursor that can 3D print functional vehicles. Because casual misogyny seemed amusing at the time, said “Cursor” (billed as acting himself) was also apparently horny for busty blondes. It may be argued that it foresaw the Internet’s enduring connection to porn. Automan used the brilliant alias of “Otto Mann” when he had to conceal his glittering blue physique and pass as a human. Years later, “Tron” had a sequel; why shouldn’t “Automan”? In a fan movie five years ago, actor Chuck Wagner reprised his role as Automan. Despite the fact that he has obviously aged and gained weight, there is no reason why Automan himself couldn’t have done the same or used an age filter to fit in. The original programme was abruptly discontinued in the United States but was sufficiently well-liked abroad to warrant action figures.
Batwoman (2019-2022)
Sadly, it makes sense that the one CW DC superhero programme that was abruptly cancelled included an LGBT POC. Sure, “Legends of Tomorrow” was cancelled one season too early, and yes, it had too many LGBT characters, but that was a programme that was about to finish, whereas “Batwoman” was obviously going much further. On a technicality, the first black Joker in live-action came from a plot in which awards from iconic Batman villains were misplaced and recreated.
After star Ruby Rose, who played Kate Kane/Batwoman from the DC Comics, left the show at the end of season 1, “Batwoman” had a difficult start. At first, it seemed like a decision that all parties would agree to, but later, Rose lashed out at the risky working environment. In their place, Ryan Wilder (Javicia Leslie), a brand-new Batwoman, was developed by the programme, allowing it to steer clear of past comics canon entirely. The stage appeared to be set to establish a brand-new Bat family that appeared to be significantly more diversified than normal with the inclusion of Camrus Johnson as Luke Fox/Batwing. Unfortunately, “Batwoman” got the axe because The CW seems to be in a cancelling mood. Ryan Wilder still has time to make an appearance in a crossover or another DC programme. The least WB could have done to appease the fans.
Blue Thunder (1984)
The 1983 film “Blue Thunder” by John Badham served as a warning against police militarization. Columbia Pictures completely misunderstood their own work when they converted it into an exciting action series where the good men employ a cutting-edge military aircraft to defeat the evil guys. Only the helicopter remained, being commanded by Chaney (James Farentino) and Clinton C. Wonderlove (a young Dana Carvey). Football stars Dick Butkus and Bubba Smith, portraying the names “Ski” and “Bubba,” assisted them on the ground in a vehicle named Rolling Thunder. The majority of the helicopter footage was brazenly recycled film footage.
“Blue Thunder,” which had TWO pairs of mismatched buddy cops on land and in the air, was significantly more unapologetically meatheaded and hence superior. “Airwolf” eventually became the helicopter show with the greatest popularity. However, the ratings were inconclusive, and the show was cancelled after just one season. It’s time to bring it back now that police militarization is a hot topic once more. While Dick Butkus is still alive and might play Ski as an elderly mayor so enamoured with the good old days that he doesn’t recognise the hazards of employing Blue Thunder on political protestors, Dana Carvey as a helicopter technician might not pass the credibility test this time around. Restore Badham’s original intent while including the programme as canon, and maintain the killer theme song for sure.
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979-1981)
Glen A. Larson attempted to recapture some of the delicious “Star Wars” popularity after “Battlestar Galactica” was cancelled in 1979 by updating “Buck Rogers,” one of the very first comic book characters ever made. The show modernised Buck for a new generation by having him become a NASA pilot in the distant year of 1987 after starting with a theatrical film. After an accident that left him frozen in space, he awoke over 500 years later to discover a post-nuclear Earth engaged in combat with the Draconians who had invaded. More crucially, he meets Col. Wilma Deering played by Erin Gray, a potential love interest, and Twiki, a diminutive robot voiced by Mel Blanc, the voice of Bugs Bunny.
The programme only ran for two seasons, the second of which saw a significant overhaul to transform it into a deep-space exploration programme more akin to “Star Trek.” Gil Gerard, the star, did not like the modifications and regularly complained, which prompted the network to respond with legal threats. Despite the show’s brief existence, it stayed in kids’ thoughts and inspired them to make references to it as adults in their own works of art. The character Bird-person on “Rick and Morty” is modelled on Buck’s season 2 buddy Hawk, and Cartman was sent into the future in “South Park’s” parody of “Buck Rogers.” Given that Gerard and Gray are still alive, perhaps the next “Buck Rogers” will be their great-grandson.
Hard Time on Planet Earth (1989)
“Hard Time on Planet Earth,” based on the John Carpenter film, featured an alien fugitive on Earth who went from town to town every week, trying out various jobs while purportedly learning about mankind, much like the earlier “Starman” series. While Martin Kove’s portrayal of the “Karate Kid” bad guy Starman was a sensitive soul with a brilliant kid, Robert Hays’ Starman was a meathead. The “Predator” screenwriters Jim and John Thomas, who created the show, were still very much thinking about Arnold Schwarzenegger. Jesse, an extraterrestrial war veteran wrongfully imprisoned for sedition, was transported to Earth to learn how to be a nice person. He was accompanied by a floating CGI seashell that kept babbling words like “Hatred! Blamp! This is bad!”
Martin Kove was unable to reprise his part as the major antagonist in “The Karate Kid Part III” due to his commitment to the show; however, he did appear in a supporting role. But in the end, it was for the best because we ended up with Terry Silver, played by Thomas Ian Griffith, and their interactions on “Cobra Kai” are some of the show’s greatest. That programme frequently illustrates Kove’s continued viability and mastery of reviving his most well-known 1980s persona. So how about starting over with his somewhat less well-liked one? Jesse can still kick ass if John Kreese can. He could also train a fresh alien that needed to be reformed. Perhaps David Harbour is available.
Manimal (1983)
It might have lasted past eight episodes if everyone who has ever made fun of or referenced “Manimal” had ever really seen the programme. Instead, we only have memories of the exploits of the affluent Dr. Jonathan Chase, who is skilled in a mystery “African technique” that enables him to transform into animals. He favoured hawks and panthers the most, but when money was tight, he could also take on other animal forms or adopt animal features in human form. He was lucky because every time he returned to human shape, his clothing always appeared, much to the amusement of his modesty and 1980s TV censors.
In one episode of the 1998 television series “Night Man,” produced by Glen A. Larson, Dr. Chase made a brief comeback. Simon MacCorkindale, the show’s hero, tragically passed away from cancer in his fifties, but because the way to become Manimal is through African technique, how about an update with an African lead? Melody Anderson, who starred in “Manimal” and “Flash Gordon,” is officially retired from acting, but she regularly makes appearances at comic cons and might be persuaded to come back for at least a new pilot. No one this time around needs to train or perform in front of a real panther thanks to computer graphics.
Millennium (1996-1999)
Look, it’s still really amazing that any network was prepared to air a Lance Henriksen-starring show for three seasons. He was the ideal choice to play a criminal profiler who could view crime scenes through the killer’s eyes because he was one of the greatest horror and character performers of all time. This was a slight “Manhunter”/”Red Dragon” imitation, but whatever. Although Henriksen still has the voice and look of a prophecy of doom, for once in his career, he got to play a gentle family guy. For viewers, the harder stretch was believing he is happily married with a kid. Terry O’Quinn, star of “The Stepfather,” hinted at the kind of dangerous charisma that would later make him a cult favourite on “Lost” as an even creepier employer.
All right, but despite how awesome the series was, it still ended with Henriksen’s Frank Black fleeing from his evil employers, the Millennium Group. A crossover episode of “The X-Files,” the other television programme created by Chris Carter, provided some closure by showing Frank in a mental hospital seeking to win custody of his daughter. But what a letdown! The worst they could do to him was that? Because of the politicisation of conspiracy theories by individuals like Alex Jones and George Noory, they are no longer as entertaining in real life as they once were. Henriksen should return for a few more, then.
Perversions of Science (1997)
It ought to have been a really good concept. Producer Gilbert Adler and executive producers Richard Donner, Walter Hill, Joel Silver, and Robert Zemeckis attempted to utilise the same concept on EC’s comparable science fiction comics after the success of “Tales From the Crypt,” based on the old EC horror comics of the same name (and others). What could possibly go wrong with a cast that includes Chris Sarandon, William Shatner, Vincent Schiavelli, Jeffrey Combs, and Vincent Schiavelli?
The presentation might have been the issue. Since there was already a movie and a TV show with the same name, using the original title of the comics, “Weird Science,” was out of the question. In particular, the fact that one of the first episodes had Kevin Pollak getting his privates caught in a sexbot suggested something else by the name “Perversions of Science.” Instead of the Crypt Keeper making gags about Halloween, Chrome, a robot dominatrix, made sexual allusions (and apparently lived on the submolecular level of a popcorn kernel). The EC comics were not horny science fiction; it’s not that there isn’t a place for it. If someone tried a more faithful rendition that isn’t claiming to be “Heavy Metal,” they may be fantastic source material for an anthology programme once more.
Sapphire and Steel (1979-1982)
“Sapphire and Steel” might have existed if David Lynch had directed “Doctor Who” in 1979. a similar principle, but with a lot more suspense and unease. Sapphire (Joanna Lumley) and Steel (David McCallum) are two mysterious alien agents with exceptional talents. They are frequently summoned by unidentified higher powers to restore the flow of time, which frequently breaks and releases ghostly creatures and paranormal activity. Do they have scientific or extraterrestrial answers, like every ‘ghost’ the Doctor has ever encountered? Yes, most likely, but the show might not always explain them. By keeping viewers in the dark both literally and figuratively, “Sapphire and Steel” evokes unease like so many other UK sci-fi shows on low budgets.
The final season concluded with Sapphire and Steel suspended in space like they were in the worst TARDIS in the universe, stuck in an interdimensional roadside cafe for all time. It’s not too late to release Lumley and McCallum’s alter personas because they are both still alive and employed. Maybe there could be a crossover with “Doctor Who”?
Star Trek: Enterprise (2001-2005)
The fourth season of “Enterprise” gave the show an opportunity to finish things up before it was abruptly cancelled, making it the only Star Trek series aside from the original to do so. They may have done so in a way that enraged fans more than they would have otherwise. Trip Tucker, a well-liked character, was tragically murdered off, putting an early end to any aspirations of his blossoming romance with the Vulcan T’Pol. After afterwards, Riker and Troi from “The Next Generation” discovered that the entire programme had been a hologram. It was a huge miss and felt like a middle finger to the fans, especially in light of how brilliantly “The Next Generation,” “Deep Space Nine,” and “Voyager” totally nailed their last episodes.
However, there are solutions to fix the problem within the show itself.
One of the largest unresolved plot points included a villain who went by the moniker “Future Guy” and appeared as a silhouette from the future engaged in a “Temporal Cold War.” The show hinted at times that it was going to reveal who he was, but it never did. Later, according to co-creator of the series Brannon Braga, it would have been Captain Archer in the future. If that were the case, who is to say that he couldn’t attempt time travel once more in order to alter the events in the last episode? The original “Enterprise” could have entered the Romulan War as planned if Trip hadn’t had to die in such a senseless manner. Could they succeed? We have faith that comes from the heart.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008-2009)
Because audiences had already seen a “Terminator” plot that ignored all save the first two films, it’s possible that “Terminator: Dark Fate” didn’t perform as well at the box office. Lena Headey, before becoming Cersei Lannister, played the butt-kicking mother of the future in Fox’s “The Sarah Connor Chronicles,” alongside teenage John played by Thomas Dekker and Cameron, an overly protective Terminator played by Summer Glau. Garret Dillahunt was a new, wicked Terminator, while Shirley Manson of Garbage was a liquid-metal T-1001 with murky allegiances. Brian Austin Green was Kyle Reese’s brother. It developed more complicated stories than any of the movies because it was a two-season show. The story finished with Sarah sending John into the future, where no one recognises him.
We might have learned more if “Terminator: Genisys” had more commercial success. The idea was to introduce the idea of a Terminator multiverse, which might have included the TV series, years before Spider-Man and Doctor Strange entered theirs, by having Matt Smith’s sentient Skynet computer be revealed as a dimension hopper. Nobody wants to wait a full movie for the plot they came to see, which is the issue with saving the good material for a sequel. However, “The Sarah Connor Chronicles” is the one we’d truly like to see through to the end. Up until this point, the franchise has merely left a lot of open ends and false starts laying around.
Voyagers! (1982-1983)
The terrible death of “Voyagers!” actor Jon-Erik Hexum at age 26 after he put a prop gun to his head and fired a blank, breaking his skull and resulting in brain death days later, is regrettably what most people know him for. He gained notoriety on “Voyagers!” as Phineas Bogg, a time traveller whose name obviously parodies Jules Verne’s Phileas Fogg, before that happened on the set of “Cover Up.” Every episode, he would drop out of the sky with a young kid named Jeffrey Jones (Meeno Peluce, Soleil Moon Frye’s half-brother), into a historical scenario where some of the elements weren’t accurate. Bogg’s responsibility was to make things right, but, like the Greatest American Hero before him, he was without the textbook that would have shown him how and had to rely on Jeffrey’s extensive knowledge of books. Children were, in fact, reminded at the conclusion of each programme that they might learn more about the relevant historical figures by reading books on their own.
There is lots of space to expand on that since Jeffrey appeared to be destined to become a Voyager and Bogg was far from the only Voyager on the show. Peluce is a photographer today, but if he didn’t want to go back, it wouldn’t be difficult to recast an 11-year-old as an adult.
