4. Dead Like Me
I was only twelve when Dead Like Me first premiered on Showtime in 2003. Between its overuse of foul language, clever depictions of death, and more than overt talk of sex and drugs my young mind was hooked. Of course, my father highly disapproved of his preteen son watching such filth but it certainly didn't stop me. This filth was nothing short of brilliant and even as a walking display of puberty I was able to understand its greatness. The series follows Georgina "George" Lass - a young, unfocused woman who quit college and moved back in with her parents; eventually she is forced to take an intern job and then dies. Yeah, you read that right. She dies! Fortunately - or unfortunately depending on how you look at it - she is recruited by a group of grim reapers. She now has to learn to deal with life after death as well as her new non-paying job as a taker of souls for the soon-to-be departed. The series boasts an outstanding supporting cast including the always wonderful Mandy Patinkin and features some of the best dialogue to ever grace premium television. So what happened? Bryan Fuller - the mastermind behind it all - had a lot of difficulty with broadcaster Showtime over cuts to what he deemed significant to the overall plot of the show. Eventually, because of these conflicts, he departed from the series after season one leaving much to be desired as MGM Television continued to butcher the series. Following the second season in which a decrease in ratings occurred the series was officially canceled. A direct-to-DVD film titled Dead Like Me: Life After Death was released five years later in order to wrap things up. During its first season Dead Like Me was nominated for two Emmy's. The series showed true potential and it's unfortunate Fuller had to leave.