3 Canceled TV Shows You Should Watch Over Summer Break
There’s a lot of things I love about summer: Warm weather and beach days. Sundresses and espadrilles. The perfect excuse for eating ice cream at just about any time of day.
But there’s also a few things I could do without: Mosquito bites, sun burn, and most importantly… my favorite television shows going on hiatus. It’s only fair, right? We get a summer break, and the people behind our favorite shows should get a break too. I understand the concept but that doesn’t make it any less depressing when the only things on TV are reruns and bad reality shows.
Don’t worry, though, I’ve got you covered: There may not be any new shows on TV, but that doesn’t mean you can’t rediscover some old ones. Over the years, there have been some pretty great television shows, and there’s no way you could have caught them all. So why not spend your summer catching up on some of the better canceled shows out there? Here are three of my personal faves.
1. Gilmore Girls
Gilmore Girls will forever be my all time favorite television show. It ran for seven seasons and was canceled back in 2007, but old episodes still air on ABC Family and SoapNet and I still break out my DVDs at least once a month. (We know many of you guys love it, too – see our post on Rory Gilmore’s style for evidence!)
The show centers around a mother and daughter who are more like best friends than family. And it’s that relationship that grounds the show as it grows and changes along with these woman. Along the way, we meet the quirky characters in their fictional hometown of Stars Hollow, from Lorelei’s pushy and snobbish but well-meaning parents, to the many, many cute love interests of both mother and daughter.
The dialogue is quick, the characters are witty, and the pop culture references are many. In short, this show is super addictive. Watch the pilot and you’ll be set for the summer.
2. Veronica Mars
Veronica Mars, the cult show that ran for three too-short seasons, is best described as a modern day Nancy Drew, expect this heroine has way more spunk and way cuter clothes.
At the heart of this show are Veronica and her father, Keith Mars, who runs a private detective agency. Veronica, of course, can’t help but get involved int he family business, especially when she realizes that her father, the former sheriff, is still investigating the murder of her best friend who was killed off screen, months before the show picks up. Now Veronica, who once ran with the popular crowd, is a certified outcast amongst the rich kids at Neptune High. But that doesn’t stop her from finding herself in a love triangle with the two most popular guys at school, her first love and ex-boyfriend, Duncan, and his reckless best friend, Logan Echolls.
Veronica Mars was an awesome, intelligent, quick-witted, and all around heartwarming show canceled well before its time. Watch it. You won’t be disappointed.
3. Friday Night Lights
So this one has been canceled, and the last season has already aired on Direct TV, but the fifth and final season will actually air once again on NBC this summer. So if you start watching now, you might just catch up on time.
Friday Night Lights, at first glance, is a show about high school football in a Texas town, but really it’s so much more than that. The show centers around Eric Taylor and his wife Tammi, the picture-perfect TV couple with the relationship just about everyone wants. Eric Taylor coaches the high school football team, and Tammi starts out as the guidance counselor. And as these two, and their daughter, get to know this town and its inhabitants, so do the viewers.
With amazing, realistic issues, heartfelt relationships, and episodes that made me cry weekly, this show is a much-watch. Friday Night Lights starts off as a show about football, but at its core, it’s really about family and friendship, loyalty and love (and also really cute boys playing football). Watch it. Trust me.
What do you think?
Do you have any TV shows you’re planning to catch up on over the summer? Any canceled shows you’d like to recommend? Have any of you seen these shows before? Leave a comment and let us know!
Posted on on May 22, 2011 / Filed Under: College Life / Tags: Canceled Shows, Featured, Gilmore Girls, Summer, TV
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Kayla
Love Veronica Mars!!
Such a good show!
Another good show to watch is Heroes. It’s sort of a supernatural show, but not quite.
I watched all 3 seasons in a week.
Larissa
Have to admit that I love Felicity!
Lizzy
I LOVE Veronica Mars! Such a shame that it was cancelled, definitely worth watching that!
Liz
Veronica Mar is an A+ choice.
UH. WHERE IS FIREFLY ON THIS LIST? XD
Jenn
Veronica Mars is a great show!
And I agree with Liz, Firefly definitely needs to be on this list.
Cassidy
I said: If Gilmore Girls isn’t on this list it’s not a worthy list.
And look, number 1. Gilmore Girls :)
Simone
I love all three of these shows! Great recommendations. For other canceled shows, I’d suggested Arrested Development and Dead Like Me… both are hilarious in different ways!
Charlene
I feel like about half of the shows that I adamantly love and watch are cancelled or about to be cancelled– my fault for not watching all of the CSI shows? xD
But seriously. This is a solid list that would appeal to a lot of people! I LOVED the first season of Veronica Mars; not only is it like a modern film/tv-noir, but it also says a lot about the social structure of Neptune. Friday Night Lights is a show that I never thought that I would’ve been interested in, but after seeing an episode that happened to be on TV, I was instantly intrigued.
UGH, can you say TV nerd?
K
I would also agree that Dead Like Me and Firefly should be on this list. I’m really happy that Gilmore Girls is on here though, one of my favorite shows. :)
Riley
What about Pushing Daisies? It had a wonderfully quirky sense of humor, not to mention its retro-fabulous fashion, featuring tons of full skirts and vibrant color combos. I’m still sad it’s not my pick-me-up on Thursday nights. :/
Priya
Yes, you have Gilmore Girls on this list! Probably one of the best shows ever and I cannot believe its been off the air for so long :(
GREAT LIST.
cate
I think the OC should have been on this list.
Adam Brody is too adorable.
Alayna
So sad Ugly Betty got canceled!!!!!
Rachel
What about Buffy??
Cristina
Freaks and Geeks.
Blaire
Not to be a typo Nazi, but I think you mean “except”, not “expect”. (Veronica Mars, first sentence)
Sophia
The O.C, I re watch it every summer. Haha, but I will deff have to check out those shows listed.
Sarah
My fave cancelled shows are def Friends and I Love Lucy. They’re both definitely older than the other ones CF and everyone else mentioned but still can’t get enough of them! They’re soo funny and addicting!
Julie
I’d definitely second (ok more like sixth) the recommendation of Veronica Mars. It is so ridiculously good and addictive.
RACH
love this list!!
gilmore girls is SUCH a great show!!
also, pushing daisies. amazingly quirky supernatural detective show with fabulous vintage fashions!
Marie
I miss Veronica Mars. Definitely one of the best shows ever.
lisa
friday night lights is not a canceled show, its still on and one of my favorites!
lisa
sorry just re read what you wrote, youre right, its canceled but still airing its final season! haha sorry again
Heather
Good choices but also…
-Firefly
-Arrested Development
-Any show by Bryan Fuller (Dead Like Me, Wonderfalls, Pushing Daisies)
-Rubicon (Super slow but also very very tense if you have the patience)
Grace Wright
GIlmore Girls comes on ABC family every weekday afternoon at 4 central time–they aired the pilot a couple weeks ago, so you wouldn’t be far behind to start watching now!!
Crystal
LOVE Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars! Those are our go-to shows for me and my mom when we’re spending time together. :D
Melissa
I love watching Gilmore Girls but my all time favourite is FRIENDS!!!!! Come on, that should’ve made the list!
Akilah
I want to watch Gilmore Girls, I’ve seen Veronica Mars but I lost my way around season 2, and I LOVE Friday Night Lights! I’m started watching it a couple months ago when I was bored one day in the dorms and have been hooked since then! I’m in the midst of watching season 5 right now.
Another good option would have been The O.C.!!
Isabella C.
Will&Grace is def a must watch!
Bella
UHHHHHH, you missed the best show ever created: Arrested Development. Only 3 seasons so it’s pretty easy to watch all of it!
Kelley
*Firefly
*Ally Mcbeal
*The L Word
*Battlestar Galactica
*24
*Coupling (British sitcom – Netflix streams all episodes live!)
Ash
I completely agree with Gilmore Girls. One of my all time favourite shows. I could never get into the other two. One other cancelled show that I love is Slings and Arrows. A brilliant parody of the theatre world. I definitely agree with the Freaks and Geeks comment.
jillian
Whoa. You missed My So Called Life, Freaks and Geeks, Dexter, Dead like Me, Six Feet Under, and of course, Sex and the City. I’ll chalk that up to a typo.
destinee
This is so funny because I seriously spent my first week of summer break watching all three seasons of Veronica Mars, great choice!
Tessa
Definitely check out Dharma and Greg. If you didn’t watch it when it premiered in the late ’90s, its absolutely adorable, fun, and entertaining. And all of the episodes are uploaded to youtube!
Christy
you should totally watch HELLCATS this summer and sign the petition to get it put on for season 2 (: We have nearly 3,000 signatures and our Facebook group is really pulling together to get the CW’s attention.
http://www.petitiononline.com/hellcat2/petition.html
Rose
I second the Dharma and Greg recommendation; I’ll always have a soft spot for that show because it was the first ‘grown up’ series I ever saw. I’d also reccomend Monk, which was awesome, and Human Target.
I haven’t seen any of the shows mentioned on the list, so I have some catching up to do.
Lana
I’m loving the over abundance of Gilmore Girls on here lately ?
Lana
^ That question mark was supposed to be a heart in my last comment ahaha!
Lola
Love all of the shows posted! I also love Buffy reruns!!
Kelly
THANK YOU for listing three of my favorite shows! Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars are my top two favorite shows ever, I watch them all the time in the summer! For anyone who has Netflix, most seasons of Law and Order:SVU and Dexter are available to watch online, those are another two shows that are awesome to fill in the summer season.
Samara
The OC! Hands down best series ever <3
Started rewatching yesterday…I think its my third/fourth time haha!
Jessica
Oh my Gilmore Girl is forever my favorite show!
<3333
Anna
3 AMAZING perfect shows. Veronica Mars is who I aspire to be and I wish I had half her brains and spunk and wit, and Friday Night Lights will just make you weep. Perfect lists!
Lisa
Just wanted to say i LOVED to watch Rory Gilmore in Sin City… wierd, but nice to see her do other acting jobs…
Laura
This list is definitely missing Arrested Development, Freaks and Geeks, and Party Down. All really great shows!
Megan
WILL & GRACE
My all time favourite! Consistently funny
Jasmin
Love Veronica Mars, Friday Night Lights is pretty good but could never really get into Gilmore GIrls.
As per the rest of the comment would highly recommend Buffy (and all shows in the Whedonverse), Arrested Developmen plus La Femme Nikita (the old version) and Men in Trees.
Talisha
FIREFLY, as some have mentioned above is highly recommended! =)
Paula
COULDN’T AGREE MORE!!!!!!
Even though I’ve never watched FNL, Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars are one of my favorite shows ever. I recently started to re-watch GG, actually!!
I would definitely add The OC to that list, too!!! Even though the 4th season really sucked (lol), it’s worth watching every single episode of it!! 6 Words: SETH COHEN IS MY ETERNAL LOVE.
Cortney
Scrubs and Clone High!
Bill Lawrence rules.
Kelsey
I want to be Veronica Mars when I grow up.
Props to Rory and Lorelai for making the cut, too.
Kate
I know there are other girls out there who love campy fantasy like I do, in which case I highly recommend Legend of the Seeker. Canceled after two seasons, and way, way too soon.
D
This is so funny..!
I decided to watch Gilmore Girls this summer because it was a rite of passage that kind of passed me by (I’m halfway through season 2 and watching an episode as I type this) and then I see this post! haha. You’re totally right; it’s addictive, and I love every minute. I feel like I’ve gotten even wittier just by virtue of watching ;)
Becky
My picks would be Firefly, Arrested Development, and The Office (at least the first three seasons)
Sally
I really liked the ABC Family show about fat camp called Huge. Too bad there’s no second season!
Beautiful Stranger
I miss Gilmore Girls so much! I literally watched all the seasons of Veronica Mars in an entire month last summer. They should really be back on the air! xoxo
Kelly
Aww! No Boy Meets World?
Kay
I second Kelley’s Battlestar Galactica nomination. Its one of the best sci-fi series ever. I’m not sure how many high-fantasy/historical-fantasy fans are in this blog, but two other tv shows I like is Merlin and Legend of the Seeker. Legend of the Seeker got canceled after two seasons but Merlin will be back for a fourth season on BBC. Merlin is a family drama that is based on a retelling of the Arthurian Legend in a different perspective, plus it has some major eye candy! Actually so did Legend of the Seeker and Battlestar Galactica (Craig Horner and Jamie Bamber…*swoon*) :)
Shinke
Love Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars!!!! Never seen Friday Night Lights. I should try it. :)
Meghan
Veronica Mars is soooo awesome! one of the very few DVD series I own!
Amshea
Gilmore Girls is the best EVER. I own all 7 seasons on DVD and there is definitely some GG marathoning going on during summer vacation. (: The O.C. is also great show, and old Dawson’s Creek reruns too.
Karissa - Elms College
Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars. The best shows. Ever.
Becky
I agree with Jillian – My so called life! I just watched the whole series on DVD in a week!
also Torchwood, not cancelled but also not been around in a while, and new series coming soon!
Ames
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS!!!
ahem. pardon. I just get so excited when Friday Night Lights get mentioned in any sort of ‘you really need to watch this’ list. Love it. It knocked Veronica Mars off my all-time favourite show. Which had previously knocked off Gilmore Girls as my all-time favourite show. So there you go.
(Also, I like to spell favourite with a ‘u’. It’s how the Queen spells it :) )
Katelyn
I was living in a devil town. FNL rocks
Marybeth
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
It excites me that someone else shares my obsession and recognizes it for the great show it is! Not many people have watched it before or even knw what it is, and it’s so addicting. One of the best shows on television, too bad it got cancelled.
Ariel
I netflixed Veronica Mars, and I have to say I’m addicted. Great post!!! It’s only been 6 days and I’m already halfway through the 3rd season!
Ally
That 70′s Show is the best cancelled show ever.
Kyley
Gilmore Girls is still my all time favorite show. I’ve heard good things about Veronica Mars before and I’ll probably have to actually watch it this summer. Don’t really know if I’d like Friday Night Lights…I’ve seen the movie and I think thats enough but I may give it a try.
As far as other canceled shows I agree with Firefly, and also Related was a really good show but it only ran for one season :(
Ana
love Gilmore Girls, I cannot believe that it was cancelled. it is such a great show
Lindsay
Yes, yes, and HELL YES. Veronica Mars is my favourite show, EVER. Friday Night Lights a close second, and Gilmore Girls definitely in my top 5. Still holding out for a Veronica Mars movie! Spread the word!
Meghan
I LOVE Veronica Mars. I actually got into it because my aunt was in the show as an extra for all the seasons, but they had to schedule her less because she was becoming “too recognizable” haha.
Jenni
Love these I think some other good ones are Big Wolf On Campus and Dark Angel
Ale
Totally agree with Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars, honestly some of the best tv shows in the last decade, but I would add Buffy and Angel and of course the OC ( fourth season DID MAJORLY SUCK).
Also add dawson’s Creek, Boy Meets World, sex and the city, SCRUBS ( i love me some chocolate and vanilla bear love) and everwood
Emily
Excellent article! You nailed three of my favorite shows. I would also recommend Freaks and Geeks as well as Arrested Development.
Amber
FRIENDS!! I could watch friends over and over and over…
Mikkiey
Love Friday Night Lights!!! So sad next Friday is the last episode! :’(
charlie
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do an inspired by veronica mars fashion!(like the one on lorelai and rory). i love veronica mars and the way she dresses:)
Anna
I LOVE Veronica Mars!! I used to love the Gilmore Girls, its like a cup of hot cocoa. Veronica Mars is more like a martini on the rocks. Its SOOOO good.
So, maybe I should trust you on Friday Night Lights. I just can’t get over Veronica Mars. I hope they make it into a movie.
Sarah
Don’t forget BETTER OFF TED!!!
Funniest show. Ever.