Unforgettable TV Shows That Lasted For One Season
In most cases, TV series require a good amount of time to evolve, with most of the best shows (The Office, Seinfeld, BoJack Horseman) getting better with each new season.
Every once in a while, though, a television series with a single season manages to capture the attention of audiences everywhere, entertaining them with the same effortless ease as other long-running TV shows.
1. Firefly (2002)
An under-explored TV show canceled far too soon, Firefly’s widespread popularity among fans should serve as ample proof of its superior quality.
With a sci-fi universe as dense and expansive as Star Wars or Star Trek, Firefly felt like the beginning of the next great pop culture phenomenon–even if Fox executives never felt the same way.
2. Freaks and Geeks (1999)
Another short-lived TV series that continues to resonate among modern viewers, Freaks and Geeks’ prolonged success may have something to do with its stacked ensemble cast, which includes future stars like Linda Cardellini, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, and Martin Starr.
More than that, though, the series excels at portraying the trials and tribulations of growing up, complete with the slow process of gradual maturation.
3. Cowboy Bebop (1998)
One of the greatest anime series of all time, Cowboy Bebop has everything audiences could want in a full-fledged sci-fi TV show.
Bolstered by its humor, action, jazzy soundtrack, and likable characters, Cowboy Bebop rewards viewers with a first-rate space Western unlike any other.
4. The Prisoner (1967)
Ranking among the greatest British shows ever made, The Prisoner broke every rule associated with mainstream television, from its surrealist storyline to its contemporary spin on sci-fi and spy thrillers.
Over the course of its single season, showrunner and main star Patrick McGoohan weaved in such topical themes as authority, individuality, and conformity, leading to a Cold War thriller that reads like a cross between James Bond and Twin Peaks.
5. Police Squad! (1982)
Though it later gained new life as a successful trilogy of films, The Naked Gun’s original inception as the NBC comedy series, Police Squad!, proved too clever for its era.
With absurdist jokes delivered with rapid-fire ease, Police Squad! marked yet another successful collaboration between Leslie Nielsen and the comedy team of Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker following 1980's Airplane!
6. Almost Human (2013)
In many ways, one can argue that Almost Human never reinvented the wheel in its depiction of humanity’s relationship to sentients androids, nor does it rise above the cliches of the buddy cop genre.
In spite of its constant reliance on pre-existing genre tropes, Karl Urban and Michael Ealy’s indelible chemistry in the show made it all worthwhile.
7. A League of Their Own (2022)
A modern spin on a cinematic classic, A League of Their Own serves as a fresh adaptation of the 1992 film of the same name.
Like the original film, the show relies on the expert talents and camaraderie of its lead cast, with standout performances from Abbi Jacobson, Chanté Adams, and D'Arcy Carden.
8. I Am Not Okay With This (2020)
If viewers ever needed proof that Sophia Lillis exists as a future star in the making, Netflix’s dark comedy series, I Am Not Okay With This, provides clear evidence of that fact.
Led by Lillis’s powerful performance as a teenage girl coming to grips with her telekinetic powers, I Am Not Okay With This unfolds like an edgier, more comedic version of Stephen King’s Carrie.
9. Lovecraft Country (2020)
When HBO announced Lovecraft Country’s cancellation in 2021, audiences expressed utter outrage.
Within its single season, this ambitious adaptation left a lasting impression on viewers everywhere, thanks in large part to its intelligent treatment of race, Lovecraftian horror, and America’s disturbing past.
10. My So-Called Life (1994)
Like Freaks and Geeks, My So-Called Life earned nonstop acclaim the moment it debuted on ABC in 1994. The show, however, ran only a single season on its parent network. It didn't find an audience until MTV began running it in syndication, where the ratings exploded.
Treating its main thematic issues–including nuanced looks at high school life and adolescence–with utmost candor and seriousness, the show also established its lead cast (like Claires Danes and Jared Leto) as stars to watch out for in the years to come.
11. The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. (1993)
Leave it to Bruce Campbell to star in a show that everyone loves, yet only runs a single season.
Like his on-again, off-again tenure in the Evil Dead franchise, Campbell’s ham-fisted performance as Brisco County Jr.‘s title character provides consistent entertainment from one episode to the next.
12. Garfunkel and Oates (2014)
IFC has no shortage of overlooked comedy series, Garfunkel and Oates foremost among them.
Starring a folk comedy duo played by Riki Lindhome and Kate Micucci, Garfunkel and Oates’ persistent humor and satirical songs never fail to win audiences over, even if the show never got past its debut season.
13. Crashing (2016)
While Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s work on Fleabag tends to receive the most fanfare, viewers shouldn’t take anything away from her 2016 follow-up, Crashing.
As with her other series, Waller-Bridge’s intelligent and emotional writing informs Crashing’s unorthodox narrative and distinct dry tone.
14. Trigun (2010)
Like its original manga counterpart, Trigun follows the ongoing adventures of infamous fugitive Vash the Stampede–a fun-loving bandit defending himself from an endless army of bounty hunters.
Though a bit confusing in some places, Trigun’s colorful characters, vivid animation, and fully realized sci-fi setting make it a series most anime fans will love.
15. The Honeymooners (1955)
One of the few short-lived TV series that achieved significant mainstream attention, one can see The Honeymooners as a lasting testament to Jackie Gleason’s immense creative abilities.
Channeling his own unique vision for a diverse range of stories, Gleason became an overnight sensation with his well-rated Honeymooners series.
16. Eerie, Indiana (1991)
Another single-season series that has since become a cult classic, Eerie, Indiana reads like a junior version of Twin Peaks.
Challenging traditional norms for family television, Eerie, Indiana offered a somewhat darker interpretation of children’s fantasy than most other shows of its era, laying the groundwork for later series like Goosebumps and Are You Afraid of the Dark?
17. Terriers (2010)
Though Terriers has yet to receive a significant cult following, the finished product contains no shortage of memorable scenes.
Reinventing the hard-boiled detective series, this single season FX show delighted in subverting classic genre tropes, infusing them with an abundance of quirky humor and fascinating character breakdowns.
18. The Tick (2001)
An underrated comedic performer, Patrick Warburton has made his effortless comic potential clear on such shows as Seinfeld and Rules of Engagement.
With 2001’s The Tick, Warburton once again proves himself a more than capable leading man, holding audience's attention with his booming voice, deadpan delivery, and charismatic lead performance as the eponymous superhero.
19. FlashForward (2009)
Two words describe the single season ABC series FlashForward: wasted potential.
A promising sci-fi mystery that jumped around its linear chronology with the same ease as Lost, FlashForward’s time-bending storyline failed to satisfy network executives, leading to the show’s cancellation at the end of its inaugural season.
20. Odd Taxi (2021)
Despite employing anthropomorphic animal characters in its main story, Odd Taxi draws on a somewhat minimalist presentation that grows more and more bizarre with time.
Through the eyes of walrus taxi driver Hiroshi Odokawa, viewers navigate a noir mystery populated by drug-dealing alpacas, baboon gangsters, and social media-addicted hippos.
