15 Cult Sci-Fi TV Series That Ended Way Too Soon

8. Sapphire And Steel

Calling Sapphire aAnd Steel "creepy" doesn't do the series justice. Over the course of six adventures (1979-1982), these extraterrestrial operatives were sent by higher powers to mend damage to time, with stories occurring in a haunted railway station and in an eerie old house etching themselves indelibly into viewers' memories. After years of scaring viewers silly, they were trapped in a motorway café at the end of their last story. Audiences looked forwards to seeing how they'd escape in the very next adventure - only there wasn't one. The series was abruptly cancelled due to stars David McCallum and Joanna Lumley being busy and the network being reorganised. It seems there are times when good ratings aren't enough to dodge the bullet. This dour end-of-season cliffhanger was never meant to be the final fate of the two otherworldly agents and so fans were thrilled when Big Finish produced follow-up audios. These stories hinted that fellow agent Silver had rescued them from the trap, allowing for more chilling missions. However (spoliers!), in typically sinister Sapphire And Steel fashion, these audios conclude with the surprise that all the spin-off stories were illusions and the two operatives are really still trapped. Forever. Brrr. But way to go, Big Finish.
Contributor
Contributor

Mike has lived in the UK, Japan and the USA. Currently, he is based in Iowa with his wife and 2 young children. After working for many years as a writer and editor for a large corporation, he is now a freelancer. He has been fortunate enough to contribute to many books on Doctor Who over the last 20 years and is now concentrating on original sci-fi & fantasy short stories, with recent sales including Flame Tree, Uffda, and The Martian Wave. Also, look for his contribution on Blake's 7 to "You and Who Else", a charity anthology to be released later this year. You can find him on Tumblr at https://www.tumblr.com/blog/culttvmike