While the idea of continuing a television series long after its cancellation is nothing new, there were quite a few made-for-TV movies of Hart to Hart, it does seem to be a popular trend lately. Veronica Mars and Absolutely Fabulous got theatrical films. The X-Files returned to FOX for a few new episodes. Gilmore Girls found a new home on Netflix. 24 is scheduled to return, and I read that Prison Break is on the horizon. Plus, and this is the big one for me, Twin Peaks will be back on the television map next year. I'm nervous that the quirky, bizarre magic of the original series will be somewhat lost in the new episodes, but this post isn't about my geeky concerns and theories over Special Agent Dale Cooper, Sheriff Harry S. Truman, and the late, wrapped in plastic, homecoming queen, Laura Palmer.
This post is a short list of series that I would like to see return, mainly because they didn't get an ending. Don't get me wrong, I love cliffhangers, just not unresolved ones.
POPULAR aired for two season on the WB from 1999 to 2001. Before Glee and Scream Queens, Ryan Murphy created this high school teen-angst hyper-reality, which I obsessively enjoyed visiting every week. Tragically, it was cancelled after two seasons, ending with a life and death cliffhanger. We'll never know if Nicole Julian killed Brooke McQueen or just turned her hair from blond to brunette, as was teased in the DVD audio commentary.
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Must see episode:
Season 1, Episode 14
CAGED!
Coinciding menstrual cycles leads to a showdown in the Novak.
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Must see episode:
Season 4, Episode 20
WITCH LADY
An invitation to tea leads to being chained in the basement.
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MY NAME IS EARL aired for four seasons on NBC from 2005 to 2009. I mostly avoided this series during its original run because I thought the premise of a criminal just trying to be a better person sounded like an extended, vomit-inducing very special episode or a painful Afterschool Special. Once I caught part of an episode I realized it was hilarious and joyfully non-p.c. Sadly, we'll never know if Earl Hickey is for certain Dodge's dad (Little Chubby could have messed with the DNA results) and if Darnell Turner isn't Earl Junior's dad, then we'll never learn who is, which is especially confusing with that kid's hair!
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Must see episode:
Season 1, Episode 8
PUZZLERAMA
A neighborhood contest leads to more than fun and games.
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SWINGTOWN aired for one season on CBS over the summer of 2008. I often feel like the only person in the world who enjoyed this drama about relationships (friends, love, forbidden love, marriage, open-marriage) set in the summer of 1976. The more I watch the 13 episodes, the more I love this short-lived series, especially because of how much the characters grow and change. Strangely, while I would love to see what happens next, I also find myself satisfied with the open-ended conclusion. Maybe I don't need anymore than Trina Decker reading a baby book, Janet Thompson adding her first advice column to her scrapbook, and Susan Miller stepping over the threshold of Roger Thompson's hotel room. Just thinking about those final scenes give me goosebumps and makes me want to watch the series again for the Nth time!
Thank you for reading my list. Please feel free to mention series you'd like to see return in some form or another in the comment section below!
Freak Out,
JLH
P.S. Click 1975 for a post about a television show I obsessed over not too long ago.
Always enjoy your blogs!! I'm THRILLED that Twin Peaks is coming back, but like you, I"m a little apprehensive about whether it will have the kick that the original had. I too loved SWINGTOWN and it really was a good short lived series. What I would LOVE to see reborn is Northern Exposure! It may now be a little outdated, but I still loved the premise and especially the characters such as John Corbin's DJ character ... LOVED that show!!! Thank you, John for jogging my memory and bringing smiles to my face remembering some of these long forgotten shows!!
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