There were so many excellent shows Fox Television never gave a chance…

Recently the Prodigal Son trailer dropped and it looks fantastic…

However, as the TV Brew crew and I talked we realized that while we were looking forward to the series we had concerns. Fox Television doesn’t have, historically, the best record with television shows that are a bit off the beaten path. For every 24 there are literally dozens of series that were groundbreaking television, with amazing cast and wonderful writing that were cancelled before they truly got off the ground. Below is a list of a few that we feel should’ve been given the time to become more than three (or less) seasons wonders.

The Passage

Belle:
Where to begin with this wonderful series? Should I start with Mark Paul Gosselaar’s amazing work as the morally grey, emotionally wounded, badass federal agent Brad Wolgast? Or Sanniya Sidney’s star making turn (seriously, this is the child who should play Moon Girl you guys) as the super powered and wise beyond her years Amy?

Maybe I should begin with the stellar writing and the well rounded cast of characters of every race and background. Or the genuinely terrifying story based on the book series of the same name. No matter how you look at it this show deserved more time and Fox had something amazing on their hands that they utterly wasted.

Lucifer

Brook:

Lucifer is possibly one of the greatest “cop shows” to grace network television. I realize its more than that, as I read Gaiman’s (and later Carey’s) comics, but the translation to the screen was a smart idea.

The cast was fantastic, particularly Tom Ellis as the titular character, and each episode was hilarious, fascinating, and pertinent. The script was well-written, and the metaplot kept us coming back for more.

The only reason I can think that Fox would cancel it is because of the backlash over its religious depiction. Luckily, Netflix saved it, if only for two more seasons, so it can have the ending it deserves.

 

Lie to Me

Belle:
One of the best, quietly brilliant series that Fox has ever put out, Lie to Me starred one of my all time crushes, Tim Roth, as human lie detector Dr. Cal Lightman, and was one of the few shows I watched in real time. The cases that Cal and his team tackled were intriguing and they, as well as Roth, are what originally pulled me to the show.

What kept me watching were the complicated relationships that Cal had with his team, family, friends and the police. Roth brought humor and sorrow to a man who’s greatest weapon, his mind, was also the thing that isolated him from the world around him.

The Exorcist

Brook:

Who would have thought they’d make a fantastic TV series out of a 45-year-old Horror movie (and countless horrible sequels/prequels)? They pulled it off, though, by creating an intriguing story that combined fringe priests investigation dark cults, political (and religious) machinations, and a demonic invasion.

The real draw to this show was Ben Daniels as the excommunicated Father Deane. He brought just the right gravitas and jaded personality that we hadn’t seen since Max Von Sydow in the original film. The added twist during Season 2 was also appreciated.

It’s a shame that the second (and final) season spent so much time elsewhere, as we never finished learning about the main plot involving the demons and their worshippers. As usual, I think Fox canned it because of religious objections, although this one wasn’t quite as blasphemous as Lucifer.

Almost Human

Brook:

This show is probably the one that’s angered me the most since Firefly, because (like that show) it had so much potential and just abruptly ended. Almost Human left us with so many questions (What’s over the wall?!) and no possibility of answers.

Any show that could get Karl Urban and Michael Ealy, two top-notch movie actors, should have been a guaranteed win. I’ll admit, this was essentially Alien Nation but with androids, but Almost Human was as relevant for 21st-century issues as that show was for the end of the 20th.

I’m still fuming at the loss of this one and wish it would be picked up, even if in a comic or novel.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

Belle:
Listen up guys, all Terminator movies after T2: Judgement Day are hot frigging garbage. They just are. Which is why, as far as I’m concerned, the only sequel to T2 is Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

Starring pre-Game of Thrones Lena Headey as a post T2 Sarah Connor who’s taken a level in aloofness in her one woman war to stop Skynet; Thomas Dekker as John Connor who is finally realizing the fate of the world is on his shoulders and wonders if they’re big enough to carry that weight; Summer Glau as Cameron Reese, John’s ‘sister’ that happens to be a T-1000; Richard T Jones as Ellison, the one federal agent who is actually paying attention to what Sarah is saying;  Brian Austin Green as Derek Reese, uncle of John and Cameron, warrior from the future and shell shocked veteran of epic proportions; the always amazing Garret Dillahunt as Cromartie the Terminator sent to take out the entire Connor-Reese family and last, but certainly not least, Garbage’s Shirley Manson as Weaver: CEO, mother and so very much more.

This show was smartly brutal in how it looked at what the day-to-day would be for the Connor-Reese family and how hard it would be to live the way they do knowing what they know. It also built the mythology of the films up in a way that nothing has lived up to since and on top of that had a wonderfully dark sense of humor. In other words: this is the Terminator continuation we deserved and yeah, I’m still mad. 

Firefly

Doug:
Ok. Let’s talk sci-fi, folks. Firefly was one of the best-loved sci-fi/steampunk series ever made. So many of us will always call ourselves Browncoats, and sing along with the ‘Ballad of Serenity‘. Watching Nathan Fillion in the role of Captain (“Tight Pants”) Malcolm Reynolds was one of the best parts of our week for a lot of us.

The action, steampunk-style tech, and humor of this show was so far ahead of its time, and should have gone far beyond what originally ran on the channel. Sure, we were given the Serenity movie, but that was just a twist of the knife to those of us who loved all of the characters. Knowing we would never see this cast together again in this setting? The cancellation was harsh.

The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.

Doug:
Bruce Campbell on TV. ‘Nuff said! C’mon! This show was: 1. Hilarious. 2. Great action. 3. Amazing treasure-hunter story.

Brook:
I’m going to second what Doug said above – if it has Bruce Campbell in it, it’s either good or so bad that it’s good. Brisco County was definitely the former and not just because of its cast. This show was one of the best representations of ‘the weird west‘ (the cousin of steampunk) on television, since The Wild Wild West in the ’60s.

Alien Nation

Brook:
If ever there was a need for a show like Alien Nation again, it would be now. The entire series was an allegory for immigrants and refugee seekers during the ’80s. If we could reboot one Fox series, preferably on another network, then this is the one I’d vote for.

Unfortunately, like most things, Fox cared more about its bottom dollar than good television. Despite Alien Nation proving one of its few successes during the studio’s earlier years, it was canceled to balance their books. We were lucky that it did receive five television movies to complete the series, but this is one show that never should have been cut to begin with.

These are our picks, what are yours? How does the Prodigal Son trailer look to you? Are you in or have you been burned by Fox too many times? Let us know in the comments!