As fans of shows such as Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (which finaled in January and is awaiting word on a possible Season 2) hold out hope for renewal, we must remember that the genre of TV that most often seems to be given short shrift is sci-fi.
The Nathan Fillion-captained Firefly — arguably the “poster child” example — lasted but 14 episodes on Fox, yet it lands high on list after list of “Gone Too Soon” TV shows. What other short-lived sci-fi fare ranks up there alongside Captain Tightpants, in that they made a lasting impression with their fleeting runs?
Below, the TVLine staff has rounded up and ranked the 15 best sci-fi shows that only saw the light of day for a single season.
Guided by the tenet that the elements of science fiction include time travel, teleportation, mind control, aliens, mutants, space travel, parallel universes, fictional worlds, alt histories, speculative technology and/or superintelligent computers and robots, our list highlights a mind-bending NBC drama that too many slept on, a Battlestar Galactica offshoot, The X-Files‘ spooky sire and more.
Plus, wherever possible (and done legally), we have noted where you can stream/rent/purchase these well-remembered sci-fi series.
Review our list, then hit comments with the sci-fi shows whose snuffings-after-a-season still sting you — or add suggestions of your own!
Y: The Last Man had a ton going for it. For one, it was based on Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra’s best-selling, critically acclaimed comic book saga of the same name. For another, it boasted a big enough budget and a talented enough cast to keep the show healthy for at least a few seasons. Unfortunately, this short-lived adaptation series got the axe before it could grow into itself. (Not streaming anywhere at the moment, nor is it on physical media.)
Looking to ride the Lost wave, TV was on a major sci-fi/supernatural jag in September 2005, with the premieres of CBS’ Threshold, NBC’s Surface, ABC’s Invasion and The CW’s Supernatural. The Winchesters’ adventures, of course, ran pretty much forever, but the other three only served up singular seasons. And if we had to choose a favorite of that ill-fated trio, the utter eeriness of Threshold remains most vivid in our brains. With a cast featuring Carla Gugino, Brian Van Holt, Brent Spiner, Rob Benedict, Peter Dinklage and Charles S. Dutton, and shepherded by EPs Brannon Braga, David S. Goyer and David Heyman, this drama about aliens “rewriting” human DNA using an audio signal still gave us chills.
The bit of hard sci-fi from Fringe’s own J.H. Wyman took a minute to find its footing, keeping us guessing as it did how the titular pieces of extraterrestrial spaceship wreckage could cause often-eerie phenomena here on Earth. But starting with one of TV’s best time loop episodes and climaxing with Fringe fave John Noble’s unannounced debut as a Big Bad followed by the reveal of “another” Fiona (played by series co-lead Riann Steele), the final few installments hooked us, bad — even more so upon hearing Wyman tease Season 2. (Not currently streaming anywhere, nor on physical media.)
We’re still not OK with the fact that we’ll never know exactly how Dr. Henry Morgan (played by Ioan Gruffudd) answered the query posed to him by Det. Jo Martinez (Alana de la Garza) in what turned out to be the series’ finale: Why did he look exactly the same in the present as he had in a photo from many decades earlier? The audience, of course, knew that Henry was immortal… too bad we couldn’t say the same for the charming, quickly cancelled ABC series. (Stream episodes on CWTV.com.)
As an over-it detective partnered with an eager-to-please android, Karl Urban and Michael Ealy (respectively) lent the sci-fi drama a ton of heart. The pair’s warmly evolving relationship, set in a future that was juuuust this side of dystopian, had really started to gel — and the mystery of what was concealed in Kennex’s blackout was just getting good — when Fox powered down the series at the end of Season 1.
Much more opera than space, this prequel series was set 58 years before the Fall, in a time when when the Twelve Colonies were living large and in harmony. The Battlestar Galactica Easter eggs were abundant (Hey, isn’t he Adama’s dad? Whoa, that beta-version Cylon is looking rough!), but Caprica enjoyed its own rhythm and mined the debates over fast-advancing technology for solid, if short-lived, drama.
This 2012 drama from Kyle Killen starred Jason Isaacs as Michael Britten, an LAPD detective who — after getting into a car crash with his wife and son — inexplicably and involuntarily toggled, each time he fell asleep, between two “color-coded” existences in which either of his loved ones perished. As if that wasn’t compelling enough a concept, Britten learns to use clues from each world to solve cases in the other, while also undergoing therapy from two different shrinks (played by Cherry Jones and BD Wong). It was a dizzyingly dynamic premise that further upped the ante with what would be its final episode, presumably a casualty of a broadcast-TV audience that doesn’t like to think too hard.
There’s a reason why this short-lived series — about a struggling artist who is recruited by a secret agency to fight evil forces — frequently comes up in cult TV conversation: Its blend of quirky nostalgia (The Middleman’s refusal to cuss? Oddly endearing), offbeat humor and out-there sci-fi plots is a strange mix that shouldn’t work yet somehow comes off as effortlessly unique. Plus, the show introduced us to the comedic charms of Natalie Morales, and for that, we will be forever grateful.
Among the most sci-fi shows that ever sci-fi’d on the Tiffany Network, this 22-episode dramedy from Moonlighting‘s Glenn Gordon Caron revolved around an insurance company exec (played by Roseanne‘s John Goodman in flashbacks) who, after getting knocked into the path of an oncoming subway train, awakens to discover that his brain has been transplanted by Dennis Haysbert (he was in good hands!) into another body, now played by Eric Close. The good news: He’s still alive, despite having died. The bad: Now a top-secret asset, he cannot reach out to his wife or daughter. Or can he?
Long before the NBC medical drama, Fox had its own New Amsterdam series, starring future Game of Thrones leading man Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as a NYPD homicide detective who is actually 400 years old. Flashbacks explored John Amsterdam’s many past experiences throughout history, while in the present day, his connection with an ER doc (played by Alexie Gilmore) who may or may not be his one true love threatened to undo the spell that left him immortal. The mix of historical drama, romance and police procedural made for an entertaining series that was, unlike John Amsterdam, not long for this world.
The short-lived Fox drama got off to a memorable start: The pilot opened with a naked man (played by Dominic Purcell) waking up on an island off the coast of Seattle, with no memory of who he is or how he got there. But he did know everything there was to know about everything else in existence! The engaging mystery kept John Doe and viewers guessing all season about what happened to him. While the finale only spurred more questions with a cliffhanger ending, the show’s producers did, eventually, offer up answers to all the big Qs in an interview. (John Doe is not streaming anywhere, nor is it on physical media.)
More than a decade after the release of Zack Snyder’s tepidly received, by-the-numbers film adaptation of the comic book series written by Alan Moore, Damon Lindelof served up this nine-episode gem that at first appeared to merely take cues from the source material, as police detective/costumed vigilante Angela Abar investigated her mentor’s mysterious hanging. But by the end of the limited series’ run, Lindelof had layered in rich, oft-haunting themes of white supremacy while also going all in on top-shelf characters such as Doctor Manhattan and Ozymandis. (Streaming on Max.)
Spun off of two highly successful, early-1970s TV-movies, this drama followed newswire reporter Carl Kolchak (played by Darren McGavin) as he investigates vexing crimes involving vampires, aliens, zombies, many flavors of possession and other out-of-this-world elements. Kolchak has oft been cited by Chris Carter as an influence for The X-Files, and for good reason, seeing as it is a bit of utterly spooktacular TV in its own right. (Stream on Peacock.)
In this British ’60s cult series, Patrick McGoohan (who also created, wrote and directed) starred as Number Six, a retired spy imprisoned in “The Village.” Six spends his time planning his escape, repeatedly falling victim to psychological experiments by his captors. The series was philosophical and frightening, blending sci-fi with spy fiction and allegorical elements that questioned society and authority. The Prisoner laid the groundwork for shows like Lost and Twin Peaks, both of which owe a great deal of gratitude to McGoohan’s mysterious and spellbinding creation.
Joss Whedon’s 2002-03 space western fused multiple genres and tones, adding its own quirky stamp to sci-fi television. With a motley crew of rebels evading a dominating ‘verse-wide government, these “Browncoats” lived far outside the law, hustling odd jobs to keep their boat in the air. Nathan Fillion handled Whedon’s self-aware humor and screwball splashes with panache, as the gang dodged freaky, cannibalistic pirates throughout expansive worlds. Firefly was ambitious, clever and experimental… all of this and more in just 14 episodes. (Streaming on Hulu.)
Great list. But, missing Journeyman.
I loved that show!
Yep. Journeyman was excellent!
Journeyman was great, I agree.
But I very very loved Surface and Invasion, too.
The Tomorrow People deserved better than only one season, too.
I loved tomorrow people!!!
‘The Tomorrow People’ deserved a probationary second season before deciding to definitely cancel.
I will see your Journeyman and raise you one Day Break, the forgotten and much-underappreciated Taye Diggs time-loop series which proceeded Journeyman by a year and which coincidentally also co-starred Moon Bloodgood.
Among more recent series I would add Station 11, Paper Girls, Archive 81, The Nevers and Tales From the Loop.
And for a real blast from the past from 1973, I would have to mention the much-maligned and Harlan Ellison disavowed cult series, The Starlost.
I own ‘Day Break’ on DVD! At least that miniseries had a beginning, middle, and end. Unlike poor ‘Paper Girls’ ending on a cliffhanger…
‘Journeyman’ and, to a lesser extent, ‘New Amsterdam,’ were both screwed over by the then WGA strike.
Some of my favourite shows are on this list: Almost Human, Firefly, Forever and Now and Again. These were all amazing shows with excellent writing, wonderful acting, endearing characters, and pretty excellent production values. At least two of them were arbitrarily cancelled by Fox, which is the reason I’ve given up watching anything on that network.
Well, CBS is the one who made the terrible decision about Now and Again.
I couldn’t believe this one was cancelled. At least the ending gave a glimmer of hope that the characters escaped for a better life together.
Still love Firefly! That show could’ve gone on for years
YES! It is still my favorite sy/fy show! I love ALL the characters!
Second Chance Fox 2016:
Jimmy Pritchard, a 75-year-old former King County, Washington sheriff (Philip Baker Hall) who was morally corrupt and eventually disgraced and forced to retire. After he is murdered, Pritchard is brought back to life in the improved body of a younger man (Robert Kazinsky) by billionaire tech-genius twins Mary (Dilshad Vadsaria) and Otto Goodwin (Adhir Kalyan). However, despite having a new life and a chance to relive his life and find a new purpose, the temptations that led to his career being tarnished continue to haunt him
The chemistry between Tim DeKay who plays his FBI agent son and Robert Kazinsky was worth the price of admission. This was a great show.
Yes. This is one that came to my mind as well. It was a good show, and should have been on this list instead of that garbage show “Y: The Last Man”.
Was furious when THRESHOLD went away…so engaging!
I was also a big fan of JOURNEYMAN, starring Kevin McKidd. Probably not something everyone liked, but it engrossed me
LOVED Middleman! Such a funny, funny show. I’m still bitter it got canned.
I’m with you. One of the funniest SF shows out there. I loved every minutes of it!
Yes, great show that was doomed by being on the wrong network.
Amen.
Loved John Doe. But you don’t say how we can watch it.
You can’t stream it anywhere and I don’t think it was ever released on Dvd.
Threshold was a big one. Was the best of the three by far.
Not sure it would fit, but Day break was another.
Loved “Almost Human”. Two fabulous actors in a very interesting sci-fi world. I’m a huge fan of sci-fi, and would love to know where I can find the second seasons of “Dark Angel” and “Jeremiah”. They each had two seasons, but can’t find them anywhere.
I recently watched Jeremiah Season 2 on Amazon Prime.
I loved Jeremiah. It was amazing.
Dark Angel Season 2 is only available on DVD from what I found.
What about The Event? STILL want to know what would have happened when the Inostrakens moved an entire planet into our atmosphere!
I loved the event!!!
Yes.. I don’t know why it reminds of our current migrant crisis. Not too mention they’re evolution they were about to go through.
Journeyman was great! Put in the top 20, along with …
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Flashforward
Defying Gravity
Astrid & Lily Save the World
And maybe stretching it to meet the requirements, Constantine (mind-control – kind of; teleportation – kind of?)
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If there’s ever a list of best SyFy mini-series, I have a bunch of suggestions for that one, too!
Just remembered: Blood Drive (robots and other advance corporate tech in an apocalypse!) – season 1 ended with a very revealing shot of Alan Ritchson in a new locale that would have made for a great season 2. This show was so much fun, and no one had more fun than Colin Cunningham.
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And I’ll definitely echo others on:
Earth 2
The Event
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And add one more one-season that I really enjoyed: Terra Nova.
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Several of these are questionable in an expanded top 20 list, but I enjoyed them and they had an impact on me
I loved Terra Nova!!!
I came here to add Earth 2 and Terra Nova!
I loved Flashforward – so much could have been done with that series. Also loved Terra Nova.
Where’s Flashforward? Miss it to this day.
I loved flashforward!!
I so love flashforward!!!!!
‘Flashforward’ should have and could have had a miniseries wrapping everything up!
Agreed. I only discovered it a few years back and watched it with a friend, we both loved it.
I loved Earth 2 back in the day. Hated that is ended on a cliffhanger.
Journeyman is awesome and should be on the list. Hindsight was another good show.
That’s a good list. I would have added ABC’s Invasion (2005) to that list. It debuted the same year as Threshold and had one glorious season. It ended on one hell of a cliffhanger. Highly recommend it. It’s cheap on Amazon Prime right now.
That was a good show. So many great shows were on ABC debuting in 2004 and 2005 seasons. I think Lost cornered the Sci-fi program for ABC during that time.
Crusade, Joe Staczynski’s Babylon 5 spinoff, canceled by TNT before the first episode aired (1999).
I’m still bummed about Nowhere Man on UPN; Earth 2 and Journeyman also could’ve made the list, and of the shows trying to ape Lost that year I most enjoyed Invasion.
Almost Human not getting renewed was a travesty.
I was going to post about Nowhere Man myself. It feels like it’s been forgotten with time since it was on UPN.
Matt Bomer’s Traveler and Alison Tolman’s Emergence.
I forgot about Traveler! And now I’m smiling that he was in a similarly named show, Fellow Travelers. I guess in another 15 years he’s due for a 3rd Traveler-named show to complete his personal Traveler trilogy!
*Emergence* had a very fun first season and cliffhanger!
‘Traveler’ was good but NOT science fiction.
That Emergence didn’t get another season was a joke as I heard the ratings were pretty solid.
Two I was hooked on that unfortunately died early deaths are “Drive” from 2007 on Fox and “The Others” from 2000.
The Others was so good! I recently watched the series on YouTube!
In no particular order: (I am totally lying: Firefly forever!)
Firefly
Kolchak: Night Stalker
The Prisoner
Watchmen
To which I add, as have others, Earth 2. I loved that show so much, but it was in a horrible timeslot–7 p.m. Sundays–so not much of an audience I guess. Such a pleasure to see Clancy Brown play a good guy.
Interesting that the article mentioned Kolchak: the Night Stalker, the show which inspired the X-Files, but there was no mention of the Lone Gunmen, the show which was not only spun-off from the X-Files, but whose pilot episode very eerily featured a plane headed toward the World Trade Center a good six months before the Towers were destroyed in real-life during the 9/11 attacks.
Seen almost all these shows…Here are my top 5(*):
#1 – Middleman- DubDub forever!!!
#2 – Now and Again – Any show that opens with a blood soaked subway car gets my attention!
#3* – New Amsterdam/Forever. I adored both these shows. (I want another one!!!)
#4 – John Doe – Loved the mystery, and the reveal by the showrunner was a great answer.
#5 – Almost Human – Great show ruined by Fox’s wackadoodle episode airing order. (I saw the original piIot, so I knew a bit more than the average viewer.)
Honorable Mentions:
Firefly – Not as good as people remember, but the movie was awesome!!
Debris – Great Idea that got too convoluted too fast.
Awake was fantastic and Jason Isaacs was wonderful in it.
Forgot about ‘Space: Above and Beyond’.
The Peripheral should to this list.
I’ve watched several of these shows, my favorite is Forever. One show that I enjoyed was Limitless mostly because of the lead star.
Limitless was my absolute favorite. The “insufferable know-it-all” pill would be my superpower of choice.
This list gave me pangs of grief for all the cancelled shows. Sadly Summer Glau seems to be related to the deaths of a few…
Same. I also like Forever and Limitless. In fact I like Limitless the tv show better than the movie.