Top 5 Classic Sci-Fi TV Series that Should Be Brought Back

There are quite a few shows that have been canceled by short-sighted network executives. Here are the top five science fiction shows that were canceled too soon and should be brought back:

Firefly

This show, which was canceled far too soon, should be brought back with the original cast, if possible. Recasting the quirky and nuanced roles of each of the Serenity crewmembers would be difficult if not impossible and a spin-off of the show would be premature. Firefly never got the chance to achieve its true potential - thanks to network executives who did not learn from Cheers - a show, ranked last in its first season that became a massive success because it was given a second chance. The only hopes lies in movies, but this seems as unlikely as a revival of the series.

Sliders

This show had an intriguing premise but suffered from wildly uneven writing and production values. The basic premise -that four people are stuck traveling between parallel versions of Earth unable to get home, has such juicy implications, most of which simply were not even touched upon during the original five series run. However, the original cast had great chemistry and managed to make the best of lackluster scripts - you could enjoy Remy "The Crying Man" Brown bicker with John Rhys-Davis irascible "Professor" for the better part of an hour as the Sliders inexplicably bounced between cliché world after cliché world. With some decent and consistent writing, a diverse cast, and a solid special effects budget, a new iteration of Sliders could be wildly popular.

Kings

Having suffered some of the worst marketing gaffes ever, the intriguing show was just beginning to get good when NBC dropped it, after screwing up the promotion. The show, which takes place on a parallel universe wherein the United States is divided into kingdoms, is a religious allegory and contains deep and persistent religious allusions, which enrich the narrative. Rather than being heavy-handed, it is garish and fun - Ian McShane's King Silas Benjamin resembles nothing so much as Al Pacino's affected Devil from The Devil's Advocate. The political intrigue and ubiquitous machinations, coupled with the relationships, made for a compelling mix like nothing on television. And just when the hero was exiled to a foreign kingdom with King Silas determined to destroy him at all costs at the end of its first season, NBC dropped the axe.

Star Trek

After the recent movie breathed new life into the franchise and seemingly did away with forty-three years of continuity, the movie stars, after another successful movie or two could bring their chemistry to the small screen. Of course, the writers would have to be given some leeway with the characters and plots - after all the franchise got bogged down with deference to continuity and adherence to various interpretations of Roddenberry's vision. Writers should be brought in without attachment to the franchise, which is what the latest movie so successful.

Farscape

An intriguing show, Farscape was canceled at least a few seasons too soon. Given the scope of alien races that inhabit its universe, it should only be remade if it can command the budget that its vision demands. Its cast of rogues and miscreants gives feels like a cross between Firefly and Babylon 5 and its scope recalls that of Stargate SG1.And overall, it was fun, even if might not have hit the artistic heights of say, the reboot of Battlestar Galactica.