Relatively shortlived shows with huge staying power

[Alyce: Old Media Enthusiast]

The Critic

[BlackoutCreature]

Batman '66 only went three seasons, The Monkees two seasons and Green Hornet only had one, yet they're all considered iconic parts of 1960's pop culture.

[King Boo]

Jan 5, 2019 19:15:26 GMT -5 The 1Watcher Experience said:

I’ve known a lot of girls that were crazy about My So Called Life which only ran for 19 episodes over one season. I’d say that deserves a mention.

MSCL was so good. There *still* hasn't been a teen drama quite like it. 12 year old me is perpetually pissed at it getting canceled.

[Mozenrath]

Here's a surprising one, probably: Baywatch was cancelled after its first season. All the rest, all of it, was made for direct to syndication because David Hasselhoff believed in the project.

Given it is one of the most viewed television shows ever made, and was huge in foreign markets, etc, it was probably the right call, stupid as the show is.

[ERON]

The '60s in particular were rife with shows that only lasted 2 or 3 seasons but thrived in syndication (and on Nick at Nite) for many years afterward - Star Trek, Gilligan's Island, The Munsters, The Addams Family, My Favorite Martian, Lost In Space, The Monkees, and Batman, among others.

[Citizen Snips Has Left]

Jan 5, 2019 23:02:19 GMT -5 Mozenrath said:

Jan 5, 2019 22:59:23 GMT -5 A Platypus Rave said:

and that's a damned crime.

It did give us one of the most fascinating DVD commentaries ever, on the bright side, including stories like the CBS lawyer admitting they weren't sure why the network picked up the show, them musing about if they had gone with UPN instead, how things would have played out, etc.

As an aside, the commentaries on all earlier View Askewniverse works are generally filled with hilarious and interesting tales. The ones for Mallrats and Chasing Amy in particular are fantastic.

[Cyno]

The Critic - Lasted only two seasons and was cancelled after each season. ABC aired season 1 then cancelled it. FOX aired season 2 and then cancelled it. I'm genuinely surprised it never found an audience because it involved a lot of the same people that also made The Simpsons and IMO, the show at its best was as good as the Golden Age of the Simpsons. And that is NOT easy praise for me.

Clerks: TAS - This was a show that probably would've had a nice, healthy run on a current major basic cable channel like Comedy Central, TBS, FX, or the Adult Swim block. As it is, it aired on gunshy ABC. It was a show WAY before its time in terms of its content.

Chappelle's Show - This is a bit of a weird one because unlike other shows which were cancelled due to never finding a steady audience or dumb executive decisions, Chappelle's Show was a massive hit for Comedy Central and if it were up to them, it would've had a very long run. Possibly even still going today. Unfortunately, the sudden explosion of fame and status for Dave Chappelle freaked him out and he fled to Africa. He became a recluse for quite some time. And it's taken him a long time to really get any sort of momentum going on his career again, though he was an amazing host in 2016 for SNL, bringing back a lot of his classic characters for a Walking Dead skit.

Star Trek - Another show way before its time. NBC constantly meddled in the shows' affairs and cancelled it after only two seasons. It took an enormous letter writing campaign from disappointed fans to get NBC to renew it for a third season. And NBC set up Season 3 of the show to fail, slotting it in the infamous Friday 10PM slot (aka, the Graveyard Slot). Frustrated with what NBC did, Gene Roddenberry stopped directly working on production of the series, only keeping an Executive Producer credit. Because of the problems behind the scenes, Season 3's quality dropped significantly, with only a handful of critically acclaimed episodes like "The Enterprise Incident." NBC cancelled the show midway through, forcing the awful and uncharacteristically sexist (even at the time) "Turnabout Intruder" to serve as an incredibly disappointing series finale.

Firefly - This show has a dedicated following in sci-fi circles but it never caught on with a larger audience in the same ways franchises like Star Trek or the X-Files did. That said, it still enjoys a dedicated following to this day, even if it is mostly limited to geek culture. It's also a noteworthy show for being one of the few sci-fi franchises to have entirely silent space scenes, as they knew that sound does not carry in the vacuum of space.

Garth Marenghi's Darkplace - Another show that enjoys a small, but dedicated fanbase. This British Channel 4 parody of 80's horror television shows lasted for only one series of six episodes, but it's still one of the funniest shows I've ever seen. It grew a pretty decent-sized internet following, especially outside of the UK. Syfy and Adult Swim even picked it up for American broadcast after the fact.

[Chainsaw]

Star Trek is the very model of this. Like it's been mentioned, the influence that it had on TV and sci-fi in general for 3 years even before it was revived for the movies in '79 is staggering to this day.

[Mighty Attack Tribble]

Jan 5, 2019 18:50:51 GMT -5 Lizuka #BLM said:

Also Firefly came to mind but I'm not sure it actually counts? It did garner more popularity than its ratings would really reflect but Serenity flopped and while there are still products being produced in connection to it it's pretty far removed from many people talking or caring about it. It's kind of more a dud that's just managed to retain something of a loyal fanbase than keeping any sort of popular consciousness.

I'd argue Serenity came along too soon after Firefly. While not a mainstream favourite, the show's audience has grown significantly since 2003 and according to Parrot Analytics (which has become the TV industry's go-to for measuring demand for shows in the streaming age) it continues to be competitive against new releases, suggesting that if Serenity were released now instead of 2005 it would be a financial success. Not a mega blockbuster, but comparable to the Phase One MCU entries.

[Ryback on a Pole!]

The Office UK only had like 12 episodes but has a pretty big legacy.

Personally preferred the US version, but theres no doubt the UK version will be regarded as a classic for years to come.


Sticking with UK comedies. I'm Alan Partridge. One of the most widely quoted shows, only two seasons.

[Urethra Franklin]

I think you can make a very compelling argument that The Office is the greatest sitcom of all-time and it was only 12 episodes and a Christmas special (well, and a David Brent movie several years later).

[Ryback on a Pole!]

Jan 6, 2019 1:48:22 GMT -5 Urethra Franklin said:

I think you can make a very compelling argument that The Office is the greatest sitcom of all-time and it was only 12 episodes and a Christmas special (well, and a David Brent movie several years later).

Yeah, it was great. It's one of those shows which is going to be shown even in 30-40 years time.

Like I mentioned, I actually think the US version surpassed it, which isn't a knock on the original Office, but a sign of just how good the US version was.

[chazraps]

Jan 5, 2019 19:15:26 GMT -5 The 1Watcher Experience said:

I’ve known a lot of girls that were crazy about My So Called Life which only ran for 19 episodes over one season. I’d say that deserves a mention.

Came to say 'My So Called Life.'

[Bo Rida]

Bagpuss. 13 episodes that aren't shown on tv that often but is still considered one of the greatest kids tv shows in the uk.

[Clash, Never a Meter Maid]

Lots of short lived animated series have been pretty impactful. Freakazoid, Clone High, Sonic SatAM, Mission Hill and Megas XLR still have big followings today.

[Natural Born Farmer]

Jan 5, 2019 22:23:36 GMT -5 Ryback on a Pole! said:

the Inbetweeners had just 18 episodes and I think will still be quoted and fondly remembered for years to come

Could put Bad Education right there along it.

[Futureraven: Beelzebruv]

Jan 6, 2019 3:34:28 GMT -5 Bo Rida said:

Bagpuss. 13 episodes that aren't shown on tv that often but is still considered one of the greatest kids tv shows in the uk.

I'd say a few of those 70s kids TV shows, Mr Benn's another one.

[1 Free Moon-Down with Burger]

Jan 5, 2019 23:21:32 GMT -5 Citizen Snips Has Left said:

Jan 5, 2019 23:02:19 GMT -5 Mozenrath said:

It did give us one of the most fascinating DVD commentaries ever, on the bright side, including stories like the CBS lawyer admitting they weren't sure why the network picked up the show, them musing about if they had gone with UPN instead, how things would have played out, etc.

As an aside, the commentaries on all earlier View Askewniverse works are generally filled with hilarious and interesting tales. The ones for Mallrats and Chasing Amy in particular are fantastic.

Which one of the commentaries had Jason Mewes take a break and come back obviously high and slurring his words.

Was that Strike Back?

The Clerks cartoon may be the best thing Kevin Smith ever did IMO. Its bizarre and nonsensical in the right ways. It being so short lived kind of makes it better.

[Mighty Attack Tribble]

Jan 6, 2019 11:55:40 GMT -5 1 Free Moon-Down with Burger said:

Jan 5, 2019 23:21:32 GMT -5 Citizen Snips Has Left said:

As an aside, the commentaries on all earlier View Askewniverse works are generally filled with hilarious and interesting tales. The ones for Mallrats and Chasing Amy in particular are fantastic.

Which one of the commentaries had Jason Mewes take a break and come back obviously high and slurring his words.

Was that Strike Back?

Yeah. I believe they addressed it on one of their podcasts. Mewes was relapsing hard, and shot up midway through recording the commentary. Kev and Mos pissed, understandably so.

[James Fabiano]

The game show "Just Men" from 1983. Landed Betty White a best host Emmy.