The best two-season TV shows

HBO’s show about the “Showtime” Lakers, which couldn’t be called “Showtime” because of a competing network, arrived with hype. John C. Reilly was playing Jerry Buss! They had found actors who looked quite a bit like Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Some were turned off by the first couple of episodes, which were a little too “Adam McKay” for the tastes of many. Fortunately, that was tamped down. Unfortunately, few people returned to the show. Winning Time was canceled after two seasons, which meant that this show about the Lakers ended with the Celtics winning the title.

Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement’s comedic music duo Flight of the Conchords existed before the first season of their very funny HBO show. That meant they had a whole catalog of songs to use for episodes that season. For the second season, Bret and Jemaine had to craft new songs, which was more time-consuming and perhaps not as rewarding. The duo decided against a third season.

Lodge 49  was idiosyncratic, so much so it was likely always destined for cult status. Even the folks behind the show were gunning to tell a full story in three seasons — four, tops. Wyatt Russell plays a drifting Californian who stumbles upon a fraternal lodge and decides to dedicate his life to it. Weird things happen from there. It had devoted fans and critical acclaim, but the show was canceled by AMC after two seasons, ending on a cliffhanger.

Musical comedy on television has never really managed to fly, but “Galavant” certainly tried. A riff on King Arthur-esque fantasy stories, none other than Alan Menken helped craft the songs for the ABC show. Even the second season was a surprise, but being doubled up in terms of airing nights, Galavant saw its 10-episode second and final season end in less than a month’s time.

Produced by the 30 Rock crew and created by 30 Rock veteran Tracey Wigfield, Great News kind of brought that show’s sensibilities to the world of TV news. Also, Nicole Richie was on the show and turned out to be a pretty good comedic actor! The second season introduced Tina Fey into a supporting role, perhaps in hopes of goosing the ratings. Alas, G reat News would be canceled after two seasons, as would Wigfield’s meta riff on Saved by the Bell for Peacock.

With a cast headlined by Ray Romano, Andre Braugher, and Scott Bakula, TNT’s Men of a Certain Age had a lot going for it as an hour-long “dramedy.” It had funny moments, to be sure, but it also could nail the gravitas of the drama in this story of three men facing down their forties. Though the show won a Peabody award, it didn’t earn more than two seasons.

In the vein of Comedy Central’s somewhat absurdist sitcoms, Detroiters featured a couple of dyed-in-the-wool Michiganders and shot in Detroit. Riffing on the local ads of their youth, the creators brought a level of verisimilitude, but Comedy Central still axed it after 20 episodes. Those creators, by the way, were none other than Sam Richardson and Tim Robinson, who also starred together. Now Robinson has become a Netflix star thanks to his sketch show I Think You Should Leave, which leaves one to wonder if Comedy Central has any regrets about canceling Detroiters.

Before Disney+ was the home of all things Marvel television, ABC tried its hand at a couple of MCU shows. Agent Carter is a period piece set in the wake of Captain America: The First Avenger, and it features Hayley Atwell reprising the role of Peggy Carter. While Atwell excelled in the starring role, in truth, the show, while good, flagged at times. Agent Carter had a solid run but didn't quite rise to the “brilliant but canceled” level.

Remember when SportsCenter was a vital element of the landscape for sports fans? Sports Night harkens back to those days. The dramedy centers on a fictionalized version of SportsCenter, from production realities to behind-the-scenes drama. While Sports Night only lasted two seasons, it opened the door for its creator to get his next show on the air: The West Wing . Yes, Aaron Sorkin created Sports Night.

Perhaps Better Off Ted is one of those shows that couldn’t overcome its title. It doesn’t tell you anything about the show other than that there is probably a guy named Ted involved. Indeed, Ted Crisp is the main character in this absurdist satire of corporate greed and workplace politics. Better Off Ted is a very funny, joke-filled watch, but it was canceled before the second season even finished airing.

Mike White is not afraid of making audiences uncomfortable, even in comedic shows. Enlightened was a sterling showcase for Laura Dern as a protagonist that, shall we say, does not cater to audience likability. While the show won Dern a Golden Globe and got her mother and co-star Diane Ladd an Emmy nomination, HBO canceled Enlightened after two seasons.

The Knick was a change of pace for Cinemax. The network had eschewed its softcore porn origins but had become a network for action-heavy shows that have widespread (i.e., international) appeal. On the other hand, The Knick was a prestige period drama starring Clive Owen as a surgeon in 1900. It had plenty of blood but not the fun, action-y kind. If not for Steven Soderbergh directing every episode, it likely wouldn’t have gotten one, let alone two, seasons. Eventually, though, Cinemax decided to lean into its brand and canceled The Knick.

For many years, kids’ television, including animation, was built upon standalone episodes and no sense of continuity, the better to serve up reruns forever and ever. Gravity Falls, though, tried something else for Disney XD. It’s a serialized mystery but also a comedy, centering on two siblings spending the summer with their great-uncle in a weird town. Think of it almost like Twin Peaks, but for kids. This time, the show’s creator intended for the program only to run for two seasons. Gravity Falls told its story, and that was that.

Victor Fresco is apparently dedicated to doing things the way he wants. He created Better Off Ted, but before that, he was the creator of Andy Richter Controls the Universe. Once again, here we have an absurdist workplace sitcom, this time starring Richter, fresh off of being the sidekick on Conan O’Brien’s late-night show. While Fresco tweaked the tone, the cast, and the premise, Andy Richter Controls the Universe only got 19 episodes, and five originally went unaired.

You know, maybe it’s just us, but it seems like shows with odd, idiosyncratic premises often have a hard time finding an audience. Pushing Daisies had a lush look envisioned by creator Bryan Fuller, but it’s also a somewhat twee show about a piemaker who can bring people back from the dead by touching them, though, of course, if he touches them again, they die forever. While it earned a litany of Emmy nominations, and a lot of people tuned in for the pilot but did not return, Pushing Daisies lasted 22 episodes.

You might be thinking, “Wait, that sitcom where Tom Hanks plays a guy who pretends to be a woman to get an apartment?” Well, first off, it’s Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari, and they have delightful chemistry together, both in and out of drag. Also, Bosom Buddies is pretty funny. Broad, sure, but funny. By the second season, the “dressing like women” aspect of the show became less and less part of the show and focused more on two talented sitcom actors who worked well together, plus the rest of the supporting cast.

The first season of The Alienist  was supposed to be a limited series, a one-and-done scenario. Perhaps that is how the TNT show got the likes of Daniel Brühl and Dakota Fanning to come to the world of basic cable. The period drama is a crime procedural, a dark one at that, with several real historical figures in the mix. A couple of years later, a second season with the subtitle “Angel of Darkness” debuted. There has been no talk of a third season, so for now, that is it for The Alienist.

Eric Kripke created Supernatural, so he knows how having a long-running hit show feels. Shawn Ryan created The Shield, so he helmed successful prestige television. Together, they created Timeless for ABC. The sci-fi series focused on a team dedicated to stopping a mystery organization from changing the world through time travel. So, here we had a network sci-fi series built on time travel. Enticing? Perhaps, but it only landed with a cult audience. However, that cult audience was enthusiastic enough to get Timeless a second season after ABC canceled it following the first season. The show was canceled again after the second season, but ABC actually gave Timeless a two-part series finale that effectively served as a made-for-TV movie to wrap up the storytelling. Most of these shows weren’t that fortunate, but luckily for Timeless fans, they got some closure.