There are so many grand science fiction shows that often don’t get the love they deserve, yet these three should get some big love.
In modern media, you either have to be popular or cutting edge. There apparently is no room for “great” television anymore, at least not if you don’t have a high social media score. That’s not so much a knock against the system mind you, as great pieces of entertainment only exist because someone is willing to sell an idea and hope they make a profit off of it. That’s not always the case. Right, SyFy?
The shows on this list are great television experiences but never found the life they deserved to have. All three shows were riveting pieces of entertainment but save for one, weren’t give the chance to succeed, and finishing telling their story. That’s obviously a problem when you go back to watch these shows; that knowledge that you’re about to watch something that’s incomplete is a challenge to get through.
What was going to happen? Who’s to say. Sure, you could go all Sheldon and call the creator to find out, or wait until they inevitably tell everyone on Twitter what the plans were instead. You might even be one of the lucky ones who gets a revival of some sort, even if just as a comic book. At least you’d get closure. That’s more than a lot of people get sometimes when a show is canceled right out from underneath them.
So let’s get in on this and talk about three science fiction shows that were canceled all too soon by the networks they aired on.
Defiance (SyFy)
This is the one show you can’t really come at the network for. Airing on SyFy, Defiance lasted three seasons and was arguably the biggest original piece of property ever created by SyFy. The series didn’t just launch to massive hype but also premiered alongside a massively multiplayer online third-person shooter called Defiance. The game invited fans and non-fans of the show alike to join the gaming world as it developed alongside the television series.
The series featured an event that saw aliens land on Earth in masse and attempts to terraform the planet to their specific needs, resulting in a war that nearly destroyed everyone and everything. Eventually, treaties are signed and settlements begin to be rebuilt in the dust of the war.
The series starred Grant Bowler as Joshua Nolan, an outlaw of sorts who fought in the war. He adopted a young alien girl by the name of Irisa, whom he raises as his own daughter. The two spent most of the series running from their respective pasts while trying to settle into the new outpost of Defiance, built on the remnants of old St. Louis.
Julie Benz and Tony Curran also star.
The series blends science fiction, space travel, and western motifs into one visually stunning series, and a complete universe of interconnecting characters, alien species and fantastic twists along the way.
Despite the series being canceled by SyFy in 2015, the video game series based off the show continues on in its sequel series, Defiance 2050.
Jericho (CBS)
What would a world look like if you were stuck in small-town America, in the middle of nowhere and you’re some of the only survivors of a nuclear attack? Welcome to Jericho, Kansas. Home of the Green family, father Johnston (Gerald McRaney), mother Gail (Pamela Reed), son Eric (Kenneth Mitchell), his wife April (Darby Stanchfield) and screw-up brother Jake.
The family is thrust into a post-nuclear attack world, where Johnston Green, as Mayor, has to lead the town through the worst possible scenarios one can imagine, including an election against the greedy business owner Gray Anderson (Michael Gaston).
Lennie James, Ashely Scott, Brad Beyer, Alicia Coppola, and Erik Knudsen also star in this series that lasted just 29 episodes.
Set in the fictional town of Jericho (not named after the wrestler, but the biblical city), the Greens and the rest of the townfolk have to figure out how many cities were destroyed, who did it, and why all from an isolated little town that now needs all the help it can get.
Mysteries, espionage and hidden secrets come to light along the way. Along with a border war, lead by the amazing character actor Timothy Omundson.
The world and show isn’t just action, chaos, and carnage, but one that brings a slice of life concept to the series, featuring how people would get by if there was no electricity or deliveries of food to sustain the town. Romances, infighting, politics, and the like feature heavily; alongside some great action.
Ulrich has never been better in the starring role as Jake Green. Not Scream, not Riverdale; this is his masterclass of acting, and his ability to get the audience on his side is undeniable. All within a series that pushes the viewer to the edge of a person’s morality and asks them to make a decision.
Do you send away refugees when you know you don’t have enough food? Do you risk bringing people dying of radiation poisoning into your hospital and risk contaminating more people? What about raiding another town’s hospital in order to ensure your father lives? Morality wasn’t easy in this show, but the Greens and the rest of the town sure made you cheer when they got it right.
To those who’ve watched and loved the show, there’s only one more thing that needs to be said.
“Nuts.”
Dark Matter (SyFy)
Another great entry from SyFy. This series, like Defiance, only lasted three seasons and unlike Defiance was never given the full SyFy treatment. For some reason, the series was constantly adjusting the show’s formula for the sake of constant shakeups to the story.
Unlike the other series on this list, Dark Matter was fused with a mystery to start the first season. The crew of Raza wakes up without any memories of who they are or why they’re together. The first season follows the crew as they try to discover who they are and why they’re together.
The series was truly captivating in that first season, yet, shakeups to the cast and questionable character arcs harmed the series as a whole as it went on. While it wasn’t bad by any means, it did take established characters and forced them into new dynamics which may have harmed the overall tone and shape of the show. Ending the series early probably cost the creative staff the chance to complete these storylines and bring a satisfying resolution to these arcs.
The cast for the first season didn’t really have names, instead being known for the order they awoke from their capsules in. Marc Bendavid (One), Melissa O’Neil (Two), Anthony Lemke (Three), Alex Mallari Jr. (Four), Jodelle Ferland (Five), and Roger Cross (Six) make up your main cast, as the nameless crew. For at least the first season. The series also features a “living” computer played by Zoe Palmer.
It’s hard to go into details about the show without giving away chunks of the plot but even though there are some missteps, the series as a whole is worthwhile and worthy of your time.