Sci-fi Brilliant but Canceled or little known gems

[Beagleman]

Speaking of fantasy shows on Fox Kids during that era, who else here remembers Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog? It was basically a Power Rangers ripoff with medieval knights and no old Japanese footage to help defray the costs of the action scenes. I really only watched it because I had a huge crush on Princess Deirdre.

Haha, the only two things I remember about that show are that it was pretty terrible and that the girl team member was really cute.

 

[JD]

It came out October 6 of this year. http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releases/Special-Unit-2-Complete-Series/17649

I'm very, very tempted to get it, but about the time I do it will probably pop back up on TV somewhere.

Since it ran for 4 seasons, I don't know that Torchwood technically qualifies as "Brilliant but canceled." However, I do lament the way that they just sort of kamikaze piloted that show into the ground during the 4th season. Season 1 was good but tried too hard to be "adult" and ended up coming across as quite juvenile as a result. The show really found its footing in Season 2 and I would have appreciated more seasons in that vein. The "Children of Earth" mini-series is brilliantly developed but deeply frustrating and emotionally distressing. It's 5 supremely powerful hours of television but I'm not sure I'd ever be able to stand watching it ever again. The final "Miracle Day" miniseries was just crap. There was a decent idea at its core but the villains' plot doesn't make any sense. I also didn't like most of the new characters and the whole thing just runs out of steam during the 2nd half. They tried to recapture the magic of "Children of Earth" but bloated it out to a 10-part miniseries.

I don't know if they're any good, but John Barrowman and his sister have been writing a bunch of post-Miracle Day comics.

 

[shivkala]

Birds of Prey (A good show that was treated horribly by The WB )
Max Headroom
Streethawk
The Highwayman
Brimstone

Something Is Out There
Quark
Automan
Max Headroom
Highwayman
Star Cops
Space Precinct

I have to agree on Highwayman. The concept was interesting (shades of the cartoon M.A.S.K.).

Probe. Absolutely wonderful show. Only lasted six episodes (I see seven on imdb, but I only remember six). Created by Asimov! Michael Piller was a writer on the show before he went to TNG. It was like a sci-fi mystery show. I thought every episode was entertaining and the mysteries were interesting and took some thought to solve at the same time the characters were trying to. Wish this one was on DVD.

Probe

This show was advertised as being conceived by Isaac Asimov. It's about an eccentric scientific genius (played by Parker Stevenson) who solves mysteries with the help of his female secretary/assistant (she's like Watson to his Holmes)

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Probe was another favorite of mine.

Both shows premiered within a year of each other and really fueled my love of sci-fi, which was always there, but TNG really kicked into high gear.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

I'd like to do a full watch of First Wave someday. I've seen a sizable chunk of the episodes, and I tended to enjoy it. It was a nice blend of paranoid conspiracy theory/covert alien invasion, sorta like The X-Files meets They Live.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Wave_(TV_series)

 

[JD]

I just remembered another one I enjoyed that I don't think anyone has mentioned, Hunters.
It wasn't a series exactly, but for a few years Syfy did a bunch miniseries directed by Nick Willing based on classic stories, Tin Man, Alice, and Neverland. I really enjoyed all of them, and I was hoping for a while that they would do more.
I kind of consider those a spin-off of the RHI fantasy miniseries, like The 10th Kingdom, Merlin, The Lost Kingdom, and The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns, most of which I also enjoyed.

 

[Guy Gardener]

I saw Roger Cross from First Wave/Dark Matter in drag on the L World last night.

6 inch heels.

Impressive.

 

[shivkala]

It wasn't a series exactly, but for a few years Syfy did a bunch miniseries directed by Nick Willing based on classic stories, Tin Man, Alice, and Neverland. I really enjoyed all of them, and I was hoping for a while that they would do more.
I kind of consider those a spin-off of the RHI fantasy miniseries, like The 10th Kingdom, Merlin, The Lost Kingdom, and The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns, most of which I also enjoyed.

If we're including mini-series, especially from Sci-Fi (back when it was Sci-Fi, not Syfy), then I'll add The Lost Room. I really enjoyed it and the mystery it presented. Sadly, low ratings precluded it going to series, but the creator had hopes it would be launched into a series as Battlestar Galactica had been three years prior to The Lost Room.

And while we're on the topic of brilliant (at least I thought so), but cancelled/forgotten shows, I'll add John From Cincinnati, which may be stretching things to consider as Sci-Fi, per se, but the mysterious powers the eponymous John had certainly lend it to being fantasy of some sort. Granted those powers did have a religious tone, not to mention the fact that the show seemed to be placing New Testament characters in a modern setting. Even as someone who's not Christian/religious, I found the sound engaging.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

I've got a few to add but my mind is blanking now, maybe later.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

I haven't gone back and read the whole thread but a few I've thought I'd like to have seen more of.

Crazyhead

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Survivors

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Outcasts

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Tripped
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/tripped

 

[Bob The Skutter]

The Aliens

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Utopia

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In the Flesh

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There's probably more but that's all coming to mind right now.