12 Critically Reviled Sci-Fi TV Shows (That Weren't Actually That Bad)

Produced by NBC in 2008 shortly after the success of Showtime’s far more critically endeared Masters of Horror series, this anthology show saw the likes of Glee’s Cory Monteith, Pitch Perfect’s Anna Kendrick, and Breaking Bad’s Jesse Plemons facing down all manner of monsters in a new adventure every week.

The stand-alone format meant this series has its fair share of misses as well as hits, but the critical hate heaped on it meant that the show never had a chance to explore more interesting or risky conceits in a second season, and when the series managed to attract the talents of heavyweight helmers Mick Garris (The Shining miniseries), John Landis (Twilight Zone: The Movie), Brad Anderson (Vanishing on 7th St), and Stuart Gordon (Re-animator), that’s a pretty sizeable loss for fans of prestige genre TV.

Just check out the Elizabeth Moss-starring instalment Eater, which proved the actress’ talent for genre fare well before The Handmaid’s Tale, Us, and the similarly-themed The Invisible Man, for an idea of how interesting and chilling the show could make its format during its short run.