10 Beloved TV Shows SAVED By Fans
6. Star Trek
Star Trek isn't a series that many of us associate with failure.
The unbridled and often somewhat frightening passion that fans have for the sci-fi series is legendary, and it's hard to imagine a time when studios weren't willing to bank on it.
Well, during the Original Series' second season, there were rumours that NBC were planning to cancel the show due to declining ratings. The show's creator, Gene Roddenberry, worked with fans to organise a letter-writing campaign that bombarded the studio with mail in order to secure the show's future. NBC were surprised to discover that many of the show's fans weren't children - as they'd previously believed - but instead were members of an older, more appealing demographic.
NBC took announced on-air that they'd be renewing Star Trek, including a subtle request that fans stop writing in.
The Original Series' ratings continued to decline, though, and it was cancelled after its third season. Even after that, popular demand has kept the Star Trek franchise alive to this very day. The success of subsequent movies and spin-off show Star Trek: The Next Generation proved that Roddenberry's creation truly deserved to stand the test of time.