The show revolved around a former ballerina turned Vegas showgirl, Michelle Simms (Foster), who capriciously married one of her irers, Hubbell (Alan Ruck). She moved home with him to his small fictional town, located near Ojai, California. He is tragically killed in the pilot, leaving Michelle behind with his disapproving mother, Fanny (Kelly Bishop). She gives Michelle a job at her ballet studio, and despite their differences, the two women eventually grow close. Michelle also gets really tight with her students, who wind up helping her as much as she helps them.

Palladino’s writing was as sharp as ever and she managed to deftly mingle the comedic aspects with the more dramatic elements of the series. Bunheads never reached the same creative heights that Gilmore Girls did, but then again, it was never given the chance. ABC Family canceled the show in 2013 after only one season. Palladino hinted that money, or lack thereof, was the underlying issue.

12. Undeclared

Don’t worry, we’ll get to Freaks and Geeks, but while Judd Apatow’s follow-up wasn’t quite as strong, it was still great. Undeclared did for the college experience what Freaks and Geeks did so well for the high school one: it took an incredibly honest look at post-adolescence, managing a surprising amount of heart, all the while mining every embarrassing situation for its innate comedy. Over the years, it has become, like its predecessor, a series that is mournfully missed by everyone who watched (although there weren’t that many who did).

Airing on Fox for a mere seventeen episodes from 2001-2002, the show starred Jay Baruchel, Carla Gallo, Monica Keena, Seth Rogan, Tim Sharp, Loudan Wainwright and an incredibly dreamy pre-Sons of Anarchy Charlie Hunnam. Undeclared also employed actors that have become Judd Apataw’s usual suspects: Busy Phillips, Martin Starr, and the best recurring character of the series, Jason Segal as Lizzie’s (Gallo) on again/off again, completely obsessed boyfriend, Eric. The pillowcase she has with his face on it is amazing (not to mention that screensaver).

The series had really fun guest stars like Adam Sandler (who appeared as himself), Will Ferrell, and Ben Stiller pop in to provide some star power on occasion. There were also tons of new faces that appeared in the series before they were famous, such as Tom Welling, Amy Poehler, Kevin Hart and Felicia Day. Apatow reportedly had awesome plans for season 2; too bad we’ll never get to see them play out.

11. My So-Called Life

This series winds up on pretty much every list of shows axed too soon, and for goof. My So-Called Life aired only nineteen episodes from 1994-1995, but it was one of the most influential shows ever to grace the airwaves. It launched the careers of Claire Danes (Suicide Squad). Ricky Vasquez (Wilson Cruz) was the first openly gay teenager on American network television. Rayanne Graff (A.J. Langer) realistically portrayed not only drug abuse, but recovery as well. The show dealt with real issues that teens face and delved into relationships in a way never before seen on the small screen.

It was not only a genuine look at the lives of teenagers, but of adults as well. Bess Armstrong and Tom Irwin were central to the show, going through their own struggles, not only as parents, but also as people. Creator Winnie Holzman imbued her characters with undeniable authenticity, and the show's social and personal issues were treated the same way. Regardless of the themes being explored, whether it was homophobia, homelessness, or child abuse, My So-Called Life never felt like an after school special.

MTV aired episodes when the series wasn’t gaining enough viewership in its impossibly rough time slot on ABC, but that didn’t save it. The show was canceled before its first season ended. Apparently, Danes had no desire to return for a second season anyway. At least fans can take solace in the fact that Holzman knew the show’s fate and gave it an amazing sendoff.

10. Suburgatory

Considering this show made it through three seasons before ABC canceled it in 2014, there is a surprising dearth of people who have seen this underrated suburban satire. Suburgatory could switch beats in an instant, vacillating between the serious and the absurd, and somehow making it all work together to create a lovable sitcom. The tropes themselves may have been familiar, but the way that this show implemented them was not.

George Altman (Jeremy Sisto) is a single father who moves his teen daughter from New York City to the suburbs in an effort to give her a better life. For her part, his daughter Tessa (Jane Levy) looked as though she had been dropped into that Elvis Costello song, “This is Hell”. Despite their opposing viewpoints on where they should call home, George and Tessa’s relationship was, in large part, what anchored the series. However, their ing cast was stellar as well. Cheryl Hines, Ana Gasteyer, Alan Tudyk and breakout star Carly Chaikin are just a few of the fine and funny actors who made the show stand out. While many of these characters began the series as walking punch lines, over time, they were fleshed out and the show became more of an ensemble piece. Let’s also not forget about that awesome Clueless reunion when Alicia Silverstone showed up as George’s ex.

9. Dollhouse

the Whedonverse has its dark places. The show’s detractors even argued that the idea of Dollhouse was a regressive step for Whedon, an outspoken feminist. However, the series was more about deconstructing identity than sex.

Eliza Dushku played Echo, one of many “dolls” living in the Dollhouse. We are initially led to believe that these dolls are willing participants, although the more we learn about the titular establishment, the more sinister it becomes. The dolls are essentially blank slates that become imprinted with new personalities so that rich folks can rent them out to indulge their every whim. When the job is done, it’s tabula rasa for the dolls. Some felt that the characters were difficult to connect with because they were different every episode, but if you could get behind the show’s original conceit, it was easy to get hooked.

Dollhouse was more than its premise, though. The show’s backdrop was an intricately woven mystery, and each new piece of the puzzle only raised more questions. We’ve seen the heights that Whedon is capable of taking a series to, so it’s a shame indeed that this was one mystery that we never got to fully unravel.

8. Wonderfalls

Created by Brian Fuller (Hannibal, also canceled too soon) and Todd Holland, this delightful show aired on Fox in 2004. The series revolved around Jaye Tyler, played by a wry Caroline Dhavernas. She’s a brilliant chick with a philosophy degree, so naturally…she works in retail. Her dead-end job in a Niagara Falls gift shop isn’t exactly giving her life meaning, but she can’t get it up to do much else. Her successful family has no doubt largely shaped her worldview. “They all work really hard every day and they’re dissatisfied. I mean, I can be dissatisfied without hardly working at all.” Here comes the awesome part

Here comes the awesome part: Jaye begins to hear inanimate objects talking to her. Slowly, with the help of a wax lion, a brass monkey and lawn flamingos, among others, she (reluctantly) begins to find her way by helping people. These objects give her rather perplexing instructions, and if she doesn’t follow them, she’ll never get a moment of peace. Seriously, that wax lion can sing all night long.

Wonderfalls was critically adored from its pilot episode, but struggled to find an audience. Fox airing the episodes out of sequence and switching the show’s time slot didn’t help matters, and after only four episodes, the series was canceled. Luckily, all thirteen installments were later released on DVD.

7. Arrested Development

These days, Arrested Development is so beloved that it is almost impossible to believe its overwhelming lack of popularity when Fox canceled the series in 2006. Not only is it difficult to imagine a time when the Bluths were not a household name, but also to consider what the television landscape would be like without this series. Sitcoms were something else entirely before creator Mitchell Hurwitz assembled one of the greatest casts in the history of television. Their absurdist world was full of cleverly constructed jokes and intersecting narratives that rewarded repeat viewing. Because the show never really found much of a following while it was on the air, its fate was continually in question. By season three the series had truly become meta-comedy:

Michael: So, what's going on with the fundraiser?

George Sr.: Well, I don't think the Home Builders Organization is gonna be ing us.

Michael: Yeah, the HBO's not gonna want us. What do we do now?

George Sr.: Well, I think it's "Show Time."

Viewers were watching with bated breath, desperately hoping that the Bluth family would find its network savior. They didn’t, at least not until much later. When Netflix revived the series in 2013, it had already reached new levels of popularity from DVD sales and streaming. Unfortunately, while the 4th season was definitely brilliant, it wasn’t quite what fans were expecting, and the reactions were mixed. However, the impact of Arrested Development has become an unassailable truth. Here's hoping season 5 lives up to expectation.