The drama space at NBC is known for toeing the line between reality and comedy. For audiences who expect grounded, yet visceral programming, this genre-mashing can create the perfect storm, cultivating die-hard fans while also bringing low ratings and inconsistent viewership in its wake. The following short-lived NBC series perfectly exemplify the want and need of this juxtaposition.

Freaks and Geeks

The "freaks" and "geeks" of William McKinley High School
Paramount
 

Even though Freaks and Geeks only ran for one season in 1999, its impact on the years to come cannot simply be overstated. Set in the 1980s, this teen comedy-drama followed the two titular sets of teenage groups as they showed audiences what life was like for, "the rest of us." Its list of series regulars reads like a casting call—from John Francis Daley and Jason Segel to Seth Rogen and James Franco and even Linda Cardellini and Busy Philipps. The series also featured writing and directing by Judd Apatow and Paul Feig, the latter of whom also served as the creator of the series.

Packed with a burgeoning crew and cast on the precipice of hitting it big, this series seemed a sure win for success… until, suddenly, it wasn’t.

Between the melancholy feel, schedule changes, and episodes being aired out of order, it was difficult for audiences to keep an eye on the show. Worse yet, conflicts between the creators and NBC executives simply hastened things along. Executives wanted there to be a victory for the characters at the end of each episode, which was an aspect Apatow just wasn’t willing to back down from.

Said Rogen after running into the TV executive who canceled the show, “... That's what the whole show is about. It's high school. You lose all the time, and that's it.”

The executive in question, Garth Ancier, said of the verdict, ““This was an awful decision that has haunted me forever...but the show was consistently NBC's least viewed. For what it is worth, I have watched all of the episodes over and over again on Netflix, and asked myself what I could have done better to save it.”

Related: These Are Some of the Best TV Shows About Being a Teenager

Constantine

Constantine TV Reboot Is in Development with Matt Ryan?
NBC/Warner/HBO Max

Based on DC Comic’s Hellblazer series, this fantastical detective drama starred Matt Ryan in the titular role of an occult specialist and demon hunter whose soul is damned from the start.

Constantine, based on the comic co-created by Alan Moore, Steve Bissette, and John Totleben, has woven its way in and out of the zeitgeist ever since its inception in the mid-80s (from various small screen iterations to a major motion picture starring Keanu Reeves). With a slew of award nominations from 2014-2016 and a Rotten Tomatoes scores averaging in the mid-70s, it's a wonder how this series was canceled after only 13 episodes (though a fourteenth script has since been released by showrunner Daniel Cerone).

Said former executive producer David Goyer, “In retrospect, I don’t think it should have been on NBC. I think it was the wrong channel, and I’m sure they probably agree with that as well.”

There is merit to this argument. Ryan would go on to reprise the role for both Legends of Tomorrow, the Arrowverse and in Constantine: City of Demons.

Rise

Rise
NBC

Rise was based on a novel about the real life of teacher Lou Volpe, who reinvigorated a high school drama program in a blue-collar Pennsylvania town before eventually bringing it to international prominence. This series featuring Josh Radnor and Rosie Perez hit the air with hopes of high notes in the spring of 2018.

In both the show and in real life, the school was one of the first to put on a production of the musical Spring Awakening, which tells the story of secluded teenagers discovering their sexuality. In reality, the series caught flack for portraying Volpe as straight in the show when he wasn't in real life.

Premiering shortly after the season finale for This is Us, NBC described the series as a “heartening new drama about finding inspiration in unexpected places.” In spite of these high expectations, ratings for the show remained modest at best. A soundtrack for the series was released less than a week before the show was canceled that May.

Said Perez of the cancellation, “I think that it didn’t have enough time... Everyone kept comparing it to Glee, and that hurt the show, as well. It was a drama. It was a heavy, heavy drama. But I think that if it was given a chance for a second season, it really would have exploded, in the best way possible.”.

The Cape

The Cape
NBC/UPHE

The Cape premiered in 2011 during the early re-imagings of the superhero craze. In it, David Lyons was cast as Vince Faraday, a police officer who turns into his son's favorite comic book superhero in order to protect his family and clear his name. The series was picked up by NBC in May 2010, where it premiered early the following year. Webcomics were even introduced on the company’s website, similar to what was done for the Heroes franchise.

Unfortunately, the series never wound up doing well in the ratings, and the writing was on the wall after the network reduced its season order from 13 episodes to ten. The show would go on to air all nine episodes in total, while the tenth and last of the series was put up for streaming online.

Dracula

Cast of the t.v. series Dracula
KVH Media Group

This period drama version of the classic Bram Stoker novel was given a 10-episode order to air in 2012. Jonathan Rhys Meyers played the titular character, a member of the undead who arrives in late 19th century London posing as an American entrepreneur looking to bring modern science to the Victorian Era. Brought to the network by the producers of the Emmy Award-winning hit Downton Abbey, the show was given a straight-to-series order of ten episodes.

While never a perfect performer in the ratings, it was nothing if not consistent. The series was canceled after one season in part to strengthen NBC’s upcoming slate.

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Ironside

Cast of the 2013 reboot Ironside
NBC

This police drama, a reboot of the popular late 60s/early 70s show of the same name, aired for less than a month in October 2013. Ironside starred Blair Underwood as Robert Ironside, a police detective who doesn’t let his new need for a wheelchair following a shooting stop him from solving the case. As it turned out, Robert Ironside was the only character transferred directly from the original series.

Controversy over casting an able-bodied actor in the role aside, reviews for the series were ill from the start, and the show was pulled after airing only four episodes. Its remaining November and December timeslot was replaced with a string of new Dateline episodes, Saturday Night Live holiday-themed specials, and other holiday music.

Related: Glee's Kevin McHale Won't Play Artie Again, Says He Shouldn't Play a Character in a Wheelchair

Eerie, Indiana

Eerie, Indiana
NBC/Disney Channel/Alpha Video Distributors/Fox Kids Network

The 90s misfit nature of Eerie, Indiana is described as something between Twin Peaks meets Wishbone and Stephen King by way of The Simpsons. The show followed a teen investigator of all things weird as he explored the odd happenings of his small town alongside his two friends.

While highly regarded by The Hollywood Reporter, The New York Times, and USA Today, the staying power of this show proved short-lived on the network. Nineteen episodes were produced in all, the last of which aired in syndication on The Disney Channel.

As it turned out, the syndication brought a whole new fan base along with it. A spinoff of the show aired on the Fox Kids Network only a few years later, accompanied by a slew of paperbacks.

Related: 10 Forgotten '90s Kids Shows That Need a Reboot

Emerald City

NBC's Emerald City Trailer Brings Dorothy Back to Oz
NBC

Another stroll down the Yellow Brick Road, oh my! Set in the fictional Land of Oz, this modern re-imagining of the series transported our heroine Dorothy into a fantasy realm where all magic has been strictly outlawed.

Emerald City received its own 10-episode order by NBC in April 2015. The show had been previously ordered by NBC in 2014, but was halted mid-production. One change in showrunner later and the project was back on the road. The incoming pilot would go on to premiere two years later.

Unfortunately, the show’s elements failed to come together in time to save it from cancelation. It was cut from its three-month run after a slew of low ratings.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

Cast of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
NBC 

From executive producers Aaron Sorkin and Thomas Schlamme, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip gave viewers a more dramatic behind-the-scenes look at a fake sketch comedy show. Sound familiar? It should—the format of the show was similar to that of the network’s long-running Saturday Night Live. This series also featured comedy gold in the form of Matthew Perry, Amanda Peet, Bradley Whitford, and even Sarah Paulson.

The show was renewed for the remainder of the 2006-2007 season after consistently delivering decent audience concentrations among all the primetime network series (in key upscale categories that is).

Even with several Primetime Emmy nominations, the series would soon join the ranks as one of Sorkin’s few short-lived television shows (sans The West Wing, of course). When push came to shove, the network went with the similarly themed, cheaper-to-produce 30 Rock instead.

The Bionic Woman

Michelle Ryan in the 2007 reboot of The Bionic Woman
NBC/UPHE

This 2007 re-imagining of the 1970s series was actually a spin-off ... of a spin-off... of a spin-off... of a spin-off.

First, The Six Million Dollar Man t.v. movie was expanded into a t.v. series... and the first iteration of The Bionic Woman followed shortly thereafter. And, to top it all off, the overall concept was loosely inspired by the 1972 book Cyborg by Martin Caidin.

This iteration of The Bionic Woman followed Jaime, who after suffering from a devastating car accident, is saved by cutting-edge, top-secret technology that comes with more than just a hefty price tag. The series debuted nearly 14 million viewers strong, but viewership dropped to less than half of that by its eighth (and final) episode. All in all, this version lasted for little over a month on air. The series was canceled shortly after being suspended during the 2007 Writer’s Strike.

No matter the reason for their cancelations, it is important to remember and appreciate the impact these short-lived shows had on their audience. While some were already a part of the larger zeitgeist, others would go on to inspire more and more adaptations of the original in their own right. Most importantly, they've continued to motivate and inspire future generations of content creators and viewers, and will likely continue to do so in the years to come.