Our ongoing look back at sci fi / fantasy TV shows that were cancelled way too soon or pilots that never made it to series.

J. Michael Straczynski ventured far from his Babylon 5 universe with this post-apocalyptic series—loosely based on the French comic book of the same name—about a plague known as the “Big Death” that has wiped out most of the world’s population over the age of puberty. The show takes place fifteen years after the pandemic, as those survivors—now grown up—try to rebuild the world. Luke Perry stars as the titular character who teams up with Kurdy (Malcolm-Jamal Warner) in his travels through a devastated world. The two then decide to join up with a group that has taken refuge in “Thunder Mountain” (NORAD) who have a plan to rebuild the country. The series definitely excelled in its first season with some first-rate story telling that offered the type of complex tales rife with moral quandaries that shows like Battlestar: Galactica, The Walking Dead, and Game of Thrones would later be celebrated for. Its second season was a bit uneven in a large part due to studio tinkering, but it still had its moments and it brought Joanne Kelly and Sean Astin into the cast.







JMS had a five year story arc planned for the show, but when a new regime took over at Showtime they decided to clean house and Jeremiah was cancelled before its second season began. Fans mounted a campaign to convince the network to keep the show going for a third year, but that was not to happen. Straczynski knew about the cancellation in advance, though, and it gave him time to resolve the ongoing storylines so that the series had a resolution of sorts, though he still had plenty more story to tell. Since then the show has unfortunately dropped off the radar even though its two seasons have been released on DVD and it is also available for streaming on Hulu (Amazon Prime has Season 2 only). For those who have not seen the series, it is definitely worth checking out–especially the first season–and you can go into it knowing that it will not leave you hanging (though you will probably still be wanting more and you can read more about the series at this link).

Aired: Showtime, 2002-04, 2 Seasons Totaling 35 Episodes

Starring: Luke Perry, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Peter Stebbings, Joanne Kelly, Sean Astin

Created By: J. Michael Straczynski