The Best Two-Season Shows of All Time
They burned brightly before cancellation, but they still left a pop culture mark
Great TV shows that lasted just two seasons is a surprisingly long list.
It makes you wonder why good shows fail to attract an audience. Is it ineffective marketing (or a lack thereof)? Did the show not connect with viewers?
Whatever the case may be, the following shows are well worth your time even though each ended too soon.
“Counterpart” — Arguably the best two-season show ever ended on a perfect note. The fascinating sci-fi series starred J. K. Simmons and Olivia Williams as agents caught in a cold war between mirror universes. It’s a deep exploration of how global conflicts can begin with a few people.
“Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles” — If I had to rank the “Terminator” saga I’d choose “T2,” “T1,” “T:SCC,” “T3” and then everything else. Lena Headey is fantastic as Sarah Connor and Summer Glau was brilliant as a T model. The twist at the end of season two hurts when you consider how great a third season three might have been.
“Tokyo Vice” — This HBO show should be more loved. The travelogue of Tokyo alone is worth the watch, but the drama is real, based on the book by journalist Jake Adelstein. The story tracked down how Yakuza bosses were paying to skip the line for transplants for cash in U.S. hospitals. It’s a gritty show with a fantastic cast: Ansel Elgort as Jake, Rachel Keller as Samantha Porter, Sho Kasamatsu as Sato and the venerable Ken Watanabe as world-weary detective Hiroto Katagiri.
“Fleabag” — Maybe it didn’t merit a five or six-season run, but Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s dark comedy deserved at least a third go-around. We came to love the unlovable sisters played by Waller-Bridge and Sian Clifford. Such a funny twosome.
“Carnivale” — This quirky show made a lot of Top Ten lists during its short run because it had so much going for it. The saga depicted an epic battle between good and evil during the Dust Bowl era.
“The Alienist” — I really liked this three-person detective team (Daniel Bruhl, Dakota Fanning, and Luke Evans) set in late 1800s Manhattan. The show felt like it was building to an even better third season, but I was in the minority on that front.
“Winning Time” — This is a show that, a decade from now, people will lament not getting a third season. It built a perfect foundation to highlight the Lakers versus Celtics clash during the 1980’s “Showtime” era. The show’s ratings collapse couldn’t be ignored.
“Enlightened” — Brilliant and perfect at two seasons. The series, created by Mike White and starring Laura Dern, delves into a s*** show of a personality trying to reach enlightenment while managing an out-of-control inner and outer life.
“Mindhunter” — People keep trying to bring this one back, but I think two seasons is just right for this show about a team catching serial killers. Come on, they tackled most of the big names by the end of season two, yes?
“Dollhouse” — The premise was exceptional and the execution not as bad as some remember, but I think it just was too much for a large audience at the time (2009-2010). The show depicted “Dolls” who have their memories blanked so a new “program” personality can be run for various crimes, adventures and rendezvous.
“Lodge 49” — Weird, quirky and fun, plus it added a visually interesting canvas.
“Pushing Daises” — I wasn’t a huge fan of this quirky ABC comedy, but I certainly liked it.
That’s all I have on my list. Did I miss your favorite? Why do you think there are so many good two-season shows that get canceled?
Jericho
Twin Peaks – national phenomenon plus feature film. Hard to call the Return a 3 rd season 25 years later more of a Lynch magnum opus absorbing ideas from all his previous work than a continuation of the TV series.
Dead Like Me – A great comedy, family drama and personal growth journey for the lead character. Original and very rewatchable. By the end of season two you can sense the writing team is running out of good ideas, but still brings it home with a finale that wraps everything up satisfyingly.
Loved Tokyo Vice. The horror/comedy Sitcom: Holliston was my all time favorite sitcom. Dee Snyder from Twisted Sister is hysterical and Oderous from GWAR steals the show every time. If Dave Brockie (Oderous IRL) wouldn’t have died, we’d have gotten season 3.
How about Men of a Certain Age? Sepinwall had it in his top 50 shows of the decade. Great cast and nice blend of comedy and drama. Had a diverse cast but wasn’t preachy. TNT was into a good platform for it and It would have done better in the streaming era. Much different than most shows with a primarily male cast a doubtful it would not get made today. One of my wife’s favorite shows.
Better Off Ted! Such a smart, funny show.
Dollhouse was garbage.
The Alienist, in addition to being anti-Catholic from the first episode, wasn’t nearly as clever as it thought it was. I’d skip that one. Carnivale was also pretty anti-religious in general, a bad thing for a show about good vs. evil, and it got quite porny in some episodes.
That’s an interesting take AJ, not being Catholic myself I of course see it all a bit differently. It’s like if I posted an article and someone said, “That’s anti Islam” or that’s “Islamaphobia” as religion to those not in it is always a bit strange and so where’s that line between legit criticism and being “anti?” I didn’t take “The Alienist” to be anti-Catholic (but admittedly not sensitive to that) as it seemed to my mind that the three central powers of Manhattan (City Hall, Police Dept. and the Catholic Church) were protecting the wealthy culprit. I liked the idea of a Scientist, Artist, and Detective archetypes solving crimes together as a team. Second season was a bit of a disappointment. It’s funny, I didn’t catch that with “Carnival” either but as I said I have a different point of view on things…I went to Catholic School in second grade here in Denver and had my head split open (required ten stitches at CU medical) by a Catholic Priest (he was old, senile having been sent away from Rome to the hinterlands of Colorado for God knows what crimes) because my friends and I were playing in the fountain on a hot summer day and he got mad. It wasn’t a great experience, kind of an odd form of baptism, but I loved attending service during the day…so for me Religion and God have always been two very distinct things. I felt that was the theme in “Carnival” where Evil was based on real life fascist Charles Coughlin and the young boy on Jesus. As for “porny” well one man’s porn is another man’s Sistine Chapel.
Rome
I totally missed Rome, for some reason I thought three seasons. Yeah for sure in the Top Five. Good catch.