Television networks have an annoying habit of bringing new shows out at the beginning of the season, or in January (the traditional mid-season) and then just as they get interesting – Boom! They yank them from the schedule without so much as a chance to wrap up any storylines. From a practical viewpoint, the reason is that ratings showed not enough people were watching the show to justify keeping it on. Companies who advertise on a television show look at numbers of people watching a television show to gauge how effective their ads are. If few people watch the show, then it follows that few people see their ads. So the show gets pulled. It always seems that the lousy shows stay on and the really good shows die a quick death.

Here is a list of shows that should have been given a chance to find an audience.

Invasion (2005)

This show was heavily advertised, and yet ratings never materialized. Eddie Cibrian, William Fichtner, and Kari Matchett starred in this sci-fi thriller about a Florida Park Ranger and his family that began to suspect that a hurricane had disguised the arrival of an alien invasion. Cibrian played Russell Varon, (The Park Ranger) who along with his fiancé Larkin, and her conspiracy theorist brother Dave suspect that in the aftermath of the hurricane, several people have been replaced by extraterrestrials. One of these people is Russell’s ex-wife, and mother of his children, Mariel. The show lasted one season, and left a cliffhanger ending.

Firefly (2002)

Set five hundred years in the future, the series followed the crew of the Serenity, a renegade spaceship on the run from the corrupt authority of the time, while they also try to stay out of the way of warring factions. Joss Whedon (creator of hits “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, and “Angel” was never able to get an audience for this well made series. It lasted one season, and starred Norman Fillion as the Captain of the Serenity, along with Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Ron Glass, and Summer Glau. (who went onto star in another short lived series, “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles”) The series spawned a feature film prequel which was released in 2005.

Pushing Daisies (2007)

This was a quirky show about Ned (Lee Pace), a man who discovered as a child that he had the power to touch someone, and bring them back from the dead. However, If he touched them a second time, they would die, permanently. However, if he did not touch them the second time, someone else would die. He makes his living with a restaurant that sells pies. (He touches rotted fruit, bringing it back to life, and making it delicious) He also helps Private Eye Emerson Cod, (Chi McBride) by waking murder victims to find who killed them, and the two split the reward money. When Ned wakes his murdered childhood sweetheart Charlotte “Chuck” Charles, (Anna Friel) he can’t bear giving her the second touch. So now the three work together along with Ned’s waitress Olive Snook, (Kristen Chenoweth) who is secretly in love with Ned. She is also the only one of the group that doesn’t know about Ned’s power. The show used bright colors, and offbeat sets. It was renewed for a second season, but failed to find an audience. It was canceled at the end of season 2.