10 TV Shows That Deserved To Become Cult Hits (That Didn't)

10. Counterpart

Kicking things off with a show that looked destined to join the likes of The X Files, Firefly, and Fringe as a soon-to-be cult dramatic sci-fi hit, Starz' Counterpart boasted one hell of a premise.

After working in the Office of Interchange for thirty years, keeping his head down and not making a fuss, J.K. Simmons' in-the-dark employee Howard Silk soon has his world tipped upside down; or rather... duplicated.

The OI actually controls the checkpoint between parallel Earths, Alpha and Prime. And a tense spy thriller of sorts begins to unfold the second Silk meets his Prime counterpart, with Silk Prime acting as a highly skilled and somewhat merciless intelligence officer.

As expected, Simmons' work as both Silks brought home a ton of strong reviews, with Counterpart actually sitting with a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score for both of its two seasons.

Despite such an acclaimed run and the potential definitely being there for more glorious drama to be unpacked, however, Starz eventually opted not to renew the show past Season Two, feeling it didn't fit into their new female-focused strategy.

The fact Simmons' compelling work as dual Silks remains as an easily consumable two-season arc should've made this a prime candidate for cult sci-fi drama immortality. At time of writing, though, precious few are still yet to treat themselves to this consistently gripping thriller.