Can You Name These One Season TV Shows From Their Synopsis Alone?

20 Network TV Shows from the 21st Century, all of which were prematurely cancelled after one season on the air. Can you name them from just their synopsis?

Network TV can be a cruel place. Shows with much potential can be snuffed out prematurely before they're given a proper chance to shine as the broadcasters fight over audience share and advertising revenue in an increasingly competitive landscape. Of course, other shows get cancelled early because they are just not very good and you're left wondering who commissioned them in the first place. But the purpose of this collection of one season TV shows, all cancelled before their time, is not to pass judgement on the quality, rather to see if you can recall them from just their synopsis alone.

Every synopsis has been lifted from IMDB. As an example...

A reimagining of the popular 1970s TV series about a female athlete who is given bionic strength.

...That's a fairly easy one as it kinda gives a big clue to the title, but you'll find the collection below a bit harder as we've redacted a few names and spoilers. Do you remember the 2007 reimagining of The Bionic Woman? That was the synopsis. The show was cut short after just 8 episodes, in part thanks to the strike by the Writers Guild of America and also because the ratings quickly plummeted after the pilot (which actually won the night when broadcast).

All of the shows listed below were broadcast on one of the five major US networks; CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, or The CW, and all of them were cancelled in the 21st Century, lasting no more than one year on the air. Many of them didn't even make it to a full season order, but can you name them all just from their synopsis alone? You might find some of them fairly easy to name but we bet a few of them will have you struggling. There are no prizes, it's just for entertainment, something we could all do with right now, especially if you're stuck at home in lockdown. Of course you could go looking on the internet for clues but where's the fun in that? As ever, there's a link to the answers right at the bottom of this post when you're done trying. Good luck...

1. In the aftermath of a hurricane, a Florida Park Ranger and his family deal with strange occurrences.

2. When a man goes looking for his missing girlfriend, he stumbles upon a government conspiracy that is bigger than the president himself.

3. A high school mathlete starts hanging out with a group of burnouts while her younger brother navigates his freshman year.

4. In Victorian England, the young and beautiful [Redacted] tells a tale of a strange new land that exists on the other side of a rabbit hole.

5. Five hundred years in the future, a renegade crew aboard a small spacecraft tries to survive as they travel the unknown parts of the galaxy and evade warring factions as well as authority agents out to get them.

6. An average twenty-eight-year-old man who gains the ability to use the full extent of his brain's capabilities is hired by the F.B.I. as a consultant.

7. After being the subject of an embarrassing viral video, a self-involved 20-something enlists the help of a marketing expert to revamp her image in the real world.

8. A middle aged son moves in with his old fashioned dad.

9. [Redacted] return to the small screen in this mockumentary-style series that follows their personal and professional lives.

10. The Portland Police Bureau's Elite Special Crimes Unit is led by Det. Lt. [Redacted], an alcoholic and smoker who is in failing health, but takes on cases in special circumstances.

11. After a car accident takes the life of a family member, a police detective lives two alternating parallel lives, one with his wife and one with his son. Is one of his "realities" merely a dream?

12. The crew of a research vessel are on a quest to find a missing TV explorer in the Amazon.

13. In a not-so-distant future, a human cop and an android partner team up to protect and serve.

14. A behind-the-scenes look at a fictional sketch-comedy television show.

15. [Redacted] manages The Sunshine Centre, a second rate sports arena in San Diego.

16. An irreverent sportscaster, pressured by his boss to join a support group because he can't move forward after the death of his wife, finds connection with the extremely varied members.

17. In 1963, all the prisoners and guards mysteriously disappear from [Redacted]. In the present day, they resurface and a secret agency are tasked with re-capturing them.

18. A special task force in the FBI investigates after every person on Earth simultaneously blacks out and awakens with a short vision of their future.

19. College freshman [Redacted], his girlfriend and their fellow dormmates embark on one the greatest experiences of their lives. Unfortunately for [Redacted], his lonely and recently divorced father is tagging along for the ride.

20. An FBI agent and his new partner, a CIA operative, embark on missions to save the world, but have to put up with each other first.

So how many of these one season TV shows could you name from their synopsis alone? Let us know in the comments below.

If you think you've named them all or you're stuck on one or two, you'll find the answers here.