10 Failed TV Shows That Became Cult Classics

1. Party Down

Perhaps more than any other show on this list, Party Down really had all the ingredients to enjoy a long life as a comedy mainstay: a top-drawer cast, wickedly funny writing that subverted genre cliches and strong critical acclaim to boot.

But the one big thorn in the side of this show about a group of aspiring actors and writers working as caterers in Los Angeles? It aired on Starz.

It's extremely easy to imagine how a show starring Adam Scott, Ken Marino, Lizzy Caplan and Martin Starr would've absolutely slayed as a low-key smash on a more prominent network, but it was pretty much sent out to die on Starz, scoring less than 70,000 U.S. viewers near the end of its second season.

Between the low ratings and the departure of Adam Scott and Jane Lynch for Parks and Rec and Glee respectively, Starz decided to end the show after two seasons, killing a cult gem in the process.

Pretty much all the main cast members have done well off the back of the show, so that's a plus, but one suspects with a cannier treatment from the outset - namely a network with the business nous to market and mount the show appropriately - it could've gone on for many more seasons.