Every month, I bring you dedicated readers my favorite TV shows of the moment. And while I love reporting on the latest and greatest in TV Land, what is also just as important to me are the dozens of shows that were canceled before their time.

Whether the ratings were bad or the shows were too expensive, many of TV’s best and brightest have been taken off the air before they have a chance to flourish. But while these shows had their untimely demise, these articles should hopefully resurrect them, at least in the form of you watching them and thinking they’re awesome.

Moonlight

So the reviews weren’t great and the show only lasted a season. But had Moonlight premiered a year or two later, it would have been a smash hit. Why? Because it’s all about vampires, and whether it’s TV, movies, or books, vampires are the hottest thing in media right now.  And while competing with HBO’s hit True Blood and CW’s mediocre The Vampire Diaries wouldn’t be easy, it would have at least stood a chance.

Canceled after 2008’s Writers Guild of America strike, Moonlight centered around Mick St. John, who turned vampire after being bitten by his bride on their wedding night. Years later he works as a P.I., protecting humans while hunting down the vampires who harm them. The show feels like a cross between Veronica Mars and Supernatural, while still being as focused on romance as the shows that have followed it.

One of the biggest television renewal upsets last spring was Fox choosing to bring back fledgling series Dollhouse while canceling Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.  Both shows were struggling for ratings but Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles seemed more likely to be picked up as it was concluding its second season compared to Dollhouse only having aired twelve episodes (the thirteenth episode, “Epitaph One”, is currently only available in the DVD box set for season one and via iTunes). Obviously, loyal Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles fans were upset at this decision.

Those fans may have come to terms with the series never returning to television, but they haven’t given up hope for a direct-to-DVD movie. It seems unlikely but Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles producer James Middleton gave some indication that it could happen:

“The quick answer is, yes, there have been many discussions. I can’t go into more detail about the subject until I have something truly substantial to report. What the fans should know is that I hear them and I too would love to see T:SCC come back in some form.”

Sure, people may only be having “discussions” at this point but at least they’re talking. That’s a good first step for a show that desperately needs a conclusion. Without spoiling anything, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles pulled out all the stops for the season finale and left the series on a giant cliffhanger. Then it got canceled and we were all left wondering what would happen next. Some may find it easy to dismiss fan support as futile but there’s growing precedence for their voices being heard.