More often than not, what kills a TV show isn't the concept; it's a combination of how the concept is executed and how well the show is marketed. Sadly, Yahoo's Shows in Trouble page is littered with examples of TV programs that had an amazing premise, but failed to attract an audience once on the air. From sci-fi to period dramas to sexy spy tales, these are TV shows that had a fascinating concept, but failed to entice audiences.
"Awake"
On paper, it's hard to find fault with this series. First off, there's a pretty cool concept: After a car accident, a man finds himself alternating between two realities. When he goes to sleep, he dreams of a reality where his son survived the crash. But when he sleeps in that reality, he dreams of another version of his life where his wife, and not the son, survived. Jason Isaacs did great work in a challenging role, but with low ratings, the show was canceled after just one season. Given the wild popularity of the book series, a live-action "Animorphs" series should have been a home run. However, the show ran for only 26 episodes. Perhaps the technology of the time was to blame -- making kids turn into animals involves a certain level of convincing CGI that just wasn't as feasible in 1998 as it might be today. Critical darling J. J. Abrams is also popular with TV viewers, but apparently not popular enough to sustain "Undercovers" for more than 13 episodes. Given all the success Abrams had with "Alias," the romantic spy core at the heart of "Undercovers" should have resonated with TV fans, but many found the series to be too frothy and fun compared to the standard, dark, conspiratorial fare that Abrams excels at. How could a show about scantily clad women set in the 1960s have failed? Well, for starters, it wasn't on a premium channel, which restricted the exploration of some adult themes. Add in bad press, angry women's groups, and poor writing, and the show was basically dead on arrival. When it comes to TV, crime is king. From "The Sopranos" to "Breaking Bad," Americans love to watch a show that takes them deep into the criminal underworld. But somehow "The Black Donnellys," a series about four Irish-American brothers in New York who accidentally make themselves the leaders of the criminal underworld, failed to find an audience. Out of the 13 episodes filmed, 7 were aired as online-only. You'd think Joss Whedon would have learned his lesson after what happened with "Firefly," but the fan-favorite TV creator opted to work with Fox again on his 2009 series "Dollhouse." Despite a cool central concept that allowed for a lot of variety from week to week, this sci-fi series was canceled after two seasons.
