15 Sci-fi TV Shows That Ended Too Soon

There are some things that leave a void that just can't be filled when they go. Worldy goods are one thing (special mention to pizza, obviously), loved ones and relationships another, but characters and story arcs you're invested in are on another level entirely. And they're the ones that are often the most inevitable.

Every spring and fall schedule has a load of shows included that won't make it past the pilot stage, let alone a full season order. But for every worthy swing of the studio axe - Knight Rider, Defiance, Dracula and, erm, Time Travelling Bong - there are some shows that get the cut, despite being pretty darn good.

The majority of the shows on such death-lists tend to be victims of circumstance; they either arrived at a time where there was not an audience to appreciate them, or, brutally, the numbers just didn't stack. This leaves burgeoning fanbases worldwide choking back tears and wondering what could have been.

Don't despair, we live in a world of relaunches, revamps and reboots. Some of the entries on this list that haven't already been given a second shot might yet make a comeback.

The Beginning:

Spielberg! A $20million pilot! Stephen Lang! Everything about this sci-fi show screamed ‘promising’ when it was announced at the turn of the decade.

Fox were so sure they had a hit on their hands that a full season was ordered before the cameras started rolling. The result was a thrilling, never boring romp where dwellers of a depleted earth were whisked back to the prehistoric period to colonize the planet.

Cue lots of action, Lost esque intrigue and high production values.

The End:

Airing September 2011, in a thirteen-episode run, Fox trembled at the viewing figures and were quick to send the show into extinction, this was despite some decent reviews and a lot of money ploughed into it.

There have been rumblings of a Netflix revival but at this point nothing has been confirmed