Sci-fi as a TV genre is highly plagued by studio intervention and cancelation, and some shows deserve another chance. Networks' inability to comprehend that the genre is inherently niche and will not rack up viewership like their more popular titles in more mainstream genres like drama and comedy often ruin sci-fi shows. The high budgets that some sci-fi premises require means executives would promptly pull the plugs on projects quite prematurely.

Some uniquely complex sci-fi TV shows can be big on streaming services. Therefore, some of the older sci-fi TV shows and the few with ionately loyal fanbases that were canceled too early deserve to be revisited with a reboot or a remake. They could become more popular or at least be made to completion in an industry where big-budget shows are constantly being made.

10 Cleopatra 2525

Aired in 2000 for 2 seasons

25 years ago, one of the wildest premises for a sci-fi TV show got greenlit. Cleo, a 20th-century dancer, goes to get breast augmentation surgery, which goes awry, and she has to be put in cryosleep for years. In 2525, she is finally awakened and s two other women as they fight against Baileys, which are flying machines that control the Earth.

Cleopatra 2525 ran for 28 episodes.

The weirdly comedic premise would work in today's landscape of campy absurdist sci-fi TV and would get justice today on streaming services where niche projects do well as they find their audiences in the form of loyal fans. Today, TV shows that are weird cult classics are back in the conversation as deserving of more attention. So, there's clearly a market for campy shows, and Cleopatra 2525 would get its own version today that explores femininity in a less male-gazey way while still creating comedy with an outlandish premise.

9 Firefly

Aired in 2002 for 1 season

Firefly is one of the most beloved sci-fi TV shows of all time and has a loyal fanbase today who still hope for a revival. The show didn't do well when it first aired, prompting Fox to cancel it even before the pilot season had finished airing, because of low viewership. However, today, there's a market for Firefly to return because the loyal cult fandom that has developed over the years since it aired 23 years ago is eager for news of its return.

The fanbase is so strong that the cult following prompted the release of a follow-up movie in 2005, Serenity, which did practically tie up all loose ends, but that's because there was no guarantee of a second season. While Disney's Firefly revival with a season 2 has been rumored for a while now, cast claim it's much less of a possibility than fans might be hoping for. So, it's still up for grabs for a remake, which is possibly a better creative choice, seeing how the cast has significantly aged, and a remake would mean Serenity never happened either.

8 Max Headroom

Aired in 1987 for 2 seasons

Journalist Edison Carter is on the run after uncovering a secret that he shouldn't have when he gets in a motorcycle accident and dies. The last thing he sees is the maximum headroom sign on the parking garage gate. So, when his brain is ed, and he is reconstructed on a computer, the first words his reconstruction says are "Max. Headroom", which then became its name. Max Headroom is more of a comic relief character who works as a news presenter and makes uniquely hilarious observations on TV.

As the first-ever dystopian cyberpunk show, it was perhaps too ahead of its time.

Max Headroom is set in a world where network television has taken over the world, and even governments work by the wishes of network executives, ing laws that allow networks more control. As the first-ever dystopian cyberpunk show, it was perhaps too ahead of its time, which would explain its premature cancelation. However, in today's streaming world, Max Headroom would find its audience if it was remade.

7 Eon Kid/Iron Kid

Aired in 2007 for 1 season

An ordinary 11-year-old kid, Marty, suddenly becomes the target of an evil General's dark armies after he acquires the legendary Fist of Eon. He is the latest wielder of the fist that had been lost for a century and grants him incredible fighting powers. On his quest to escape from the General's clutches and fight back at him, he makes friends who him in his fight against the General.

The bonds Eon shares with Gaff, the mysterious man who introduces him to the history of the fist, and Ally, who is also running from the army, make for beautiful friendship-based narratives. The show had heart and featured funny dialogue and kid-friendly action sequences. It was canceled too soon, and in a children's animation market that is overflowing with formulaic action shows, this would be a refreshing break, especially if they kept the video game animation style.

6 Sliders

Aired in 1995 for 5 seasons

Another victim of the Fox network's interventions, Sliders, had a rocky time when it aired. Creator Tracy Tormé wanted a show like Star Trek with social commentary, but Fox wanted a show that was heavier on action. After the network ran episodes out of order and Tormé clashed with the executives to keep his vision intact, he was fired from his own show. After Tormé got fired, actor John Rhys-Davies left the series, and Fox canceled it after one more season.

When the Syfy channel picked it up again, they focused more on the sci-fi aspect and less on the social, thus basically drifting further away from the original vision. The continuing popularity of Star Trek proves that there is space for a sci-fi show about people jumping between parallel universes which focuses more on social commentary and human bonding than action and technology. In fact, actor Jerry O'Connell's reboot idea for Sliders involves sticking with the vision from the first couple of seasons.

5 FlashForward

Aired in 2009 for 1 season

With a unique premise, FlashForward had a lot of promise as a sci-fi show. During a mysterious event, multiple people around the world collectively blackout for a little over two minutes and get a flashing vision of what their life will be like six months into the future. The show explores how these people react to getting the visions, how the visions of different people connect, and how a group of FBI agents try to piece the puzzle together.

In a world where shows like Severance and Dark become so popular, so FlashForward will hopefully be revisited someday.

Flashforward was unfairly canceled after one season despite people dubbing it the new Lost. The high-concept sci-fi show was meant to run for five seasons, and so, it ended on a cliffhanger. The ending introduced the plotline from the book that the show was based on. There is absolutely a market for high-concept sci-fi shows today, in a world where shows like Severance and Dark become so popular, so FlashForward will hopefully be revisited someday.

4 Brimstone

Aired in 1998 for 1 season

Brimstone is a gritty and gory show from the late '90s that didn't get its due when it first came out. Only a partial season was aired before it was canceled for being too extreme and not getting enough attention from viewers. After Fox canceled it, like so many sci-fi shows that aired on that network, it didn't completely go off the air as the Syfy channel broadcast reruns sporadically.

The series explores the depraved depths of humanity and also features an extreme amount of gore.

However, as a sci-fi show, it had a ton of potential. A dead police detective makes a deal with the Devil to send all escaped souls from Hell back to the Devil on the condition that he'll send the detective to Heaven. The series explores the depraved depths of humanity and also features an extreme amount of gore. The detective has to shoot his victims through the eye as part of the pact. However, with great gory TV shows like The Boys and Hannibal doing so well today, a remake of Brimstone would win viewers over in no time.

3 Get Ed

Aired in 2005 for 1 season

Created for Jetix as part of Toon Disney, by the late Andy Knight, Get Ed is an underappreciated sci-fi kids' show that deserves a revisit today. As the first fully computer-generated Disney show, it had a cool visual style that complemented the futuristic tone of the story and its setting. With fascinating skateboard stunts and a stylish world design, Get Ed won viewers over when it first aired, but was unfortunately not renewed for a second season.

Andy Knight's death in 2008 and the subsequent closure of Jetix in 2009 ensured the show would never be revisited anytime soon. However, if Get Ed were to be remade today, it would probably find an audience. With its futuristic visuals and the slick skateboard stunts, it can win viewers over quickly. The heart of the show, the titular Ed, who goes through a meaningful journey of understanding his place in the world as a skater who fights against information crime, which is an even bigger concern in today's age of AI, makes for a compelling protagonist.

2 The Middleman

Aired in 2008 for 1 season

A quirky sci-fi show that got canceled even before the filming of its finale, The Middleman follows an artist, Wendy Watson, who is recruited to fight for humanity's survival. She works with The Middleman, a freelancer, who fixes "exotic" problems around the world, from mad scientists to extraterrestrial threats. He and Wendy work together, with the latter being a trainee for the former due to her skills.

The weird energy of the comedy in The Middleman failed to make a big impression on viewers, but absurd comedies with the weirdest vibes are in demand today. The unmade finale would satisfy viewers too, but ideally, a remake of The Middleman would reintroduce audiences to the wacky show, and hopefully garner enough fandom for it to become a successful streaming title.

1 Dark Angel

Aired in 2000 for 2 seasons

Featuring Jessica Alba's breakthrough role in Max Guevara, the protagonist, James Cameron's show Dark Angel still has a cult popularity today, 25 years after it began airing. Genetically enhanced supersoldiers, trained to be assassins and soldiers, escape from a secret US government institution one day. A few months later, terrorists released an electromagnetic pulse in the whole world that disrupts the functioning of all electronic devices.

The show mainly follows the events that happen a decade later, as it follows a grown-up supersoldier, Max Guevara, as she attempts to find the other escapees and stay away from the institution that is still looking for them. The show couldn't live up to its potential as declining viewership led to cancelation, but with such a strong female lead, a remake would do extremely well on streaming services today. The gothic sci-fi aesthetic along with the protagonist's femme fatale characterization, makes it highly appealing.