TV Week Presents: 5 Shows Dead Before Their Time

I talk a lot about comics in here, but I've pledged to discuss subjects from the full range of geek interests. So I'm launching TV Week, which will feature a variety of posts about this newfangled invention they call the "telly-vision". It's like radio, but with a plasma screen that may or may be set up for HD correctly.

So here now is the clichéed first item, but The Unit's on and I don't have that much time to think of something else before Jonas gets in his groove.

5 Shows Dead Before Their Time

In order of crying shame, then.

5. Veronica Mars.I would have given good money to see that Veronica Mars, FBI series, instead of throwing Kristin Bell to the wolves (i.e. the Jeff Loeb-written, momentum-robbed Heroes). A fourth season of Veronica would have meant, at the very least, another full season of songs to put on my playlist. Whoever was music coordinator on that series was a genius!

4. Clone High
They crank out a lot of lame cartoons every year, so I'm surprised some of the good ones get lost in the shuffle, and indeed, I discovered Clone High well after it was cancelled. My bad, I guess. This high school comedy about cloning famous people from history taught us about biology vs. environment, manifest destiny or lack thereof, and most of all, about friendship. Specifically, the friendship between an unpopular Abraham Lincoln and an ADD Ghandi. Sorry Clerks, this is my choice for best little animated series that could and should.

3. Space Above and Beyond
Sure, the CGI was pulled right out of polygonal video games, but that only proves the show's quality. Despite those dodgy (and still not that bad) effects, SAAB was a wonderful SF take on Tour of Duty, with memorable, endearing characters. Lasting all of one season, it went out with a bang, a despressing bang - an ill-fated mission, and not everyone surviving intact. Kind of put the kibosh on a revival right then and there. I think I watched some season of 24 just because McQueen was on staff at CTU.

2. Studio 60
Another one-season wonder that didn't make it. Too intellectual? Too political? Too against the lowest common denominator for its own good? Too much like and yet unlike the surprise hit 30Rock? Whatever the reason, there's immense irony in a show that spent a lot of its air talking about how television should strive for more challenging and engaging programming and taking the piss out of that lowest common denominator, should fail exactly because of that philosophy. Screw irony, I wanted S60 to get as good a run as its spiritual uncle, The West Wing.

1. Harsh Realm
For some reason, despite the success of the X-Files, Chris Carter could never get traction on any other project. Though Millenium could no doubt be put on this list, for me the real loss is Harsh Realm. Quite simply, this show was ahead of its time. Not only did it prefigure The Matrix with its virtual environment premise, but TV today looks a hell of a lot LIKE Harsh Realm: It's a military show which co-stars Max Martini (The Unit), and has a "what the hell is going on?" conspiracy story AND Terry O'Quinn (Lost). Only 8 episodes, which was scarcely enough to tell the story, which in fact, without any kind of resolution. Booo!

Tell me what you'd put on this list and when I get that studio/channel I've been mulling over, I'll see if I can't hook you up.