February 15th saw the premieres of not just one, but two super-team television shows. The first, Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy, is based upon a popular Dark Horse comic book by My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way and artist Gabriel Bá; the second, Doom Patrol on the DC Universe streaming platform, is adapted from a long-running DC Comics series. And while both shows focus on a ragtag team of superpowered misfits coming together to fight evil, one is clearly better than the other in the way that it translates its source material to screen. Mild spoilers ahead for both The Umbrella Academy and Doom Patrol.

Whenever one mentions genre television shows that were canceled too soon, Joss Whedon’s 2002 one-season sci-fi wonder, Firefly, is bound to come up in the discussion. There’s nothing wrong with loving Firefly, but today we’re going to look at eight shows other than our favorite space western that perhaps deserved a second shot on the small screen. These eight shows ranged from highly-publicized failures to little-known genre gems that never gained traction, but they all have one thing in common: I was sad to see them go. So here’s a list of eight genre shows that were canceled too soon (that aren’t Firefly).

Netflix’s South Korean zombie horror series, Kingdom, debuted on January 25th. An adaptation of a popular webcomic by Kim Eun-hee and artist Yang Kyung-il, Kingdom’s six-episode first season is breezy, zombified fun. The series gets a lot of compelling mileage out of its unique setting and premise - which is essentially a mashup of period drama and zombie horror - but has a difficult time rising above the conventions of both genres. Minor spoilers ahead…

The third and possibly final season of Travelers, the cult Canadian import on Netflix, arrived in December of last year. An unabashed favorite here at Strange Harbors, I wrote extensively about the show last year in an Under the Radar feature, extolling the show’s bold storytelling and vivid character work of its first two seasons. The series’ third season continues this trend with a propulsive narrative and a heartwrenchingly bittersweet final act, even if it suffers from some wheel-spinning and a midseason sag. Mild spoilers ahead...

Don’t let Homecoming’s sleepy premise dissuade you, Sam Esmail’s new bite-size thriller is incisive, smart, and visually breathtaking. Julia Roberts makes her television debut in Amazon’s new series with a fascinating role that carries the show through its twisty narrative and visual tricks. Refreshing in its easily digestible 30-minute episodes, Amazon’s Homecoming makes for a brisk and satisfying binge. Mild spoilers ahead...

The Haunting of Hill House is one of Netflix’s best original series. Loosely based upon the 1959 classic gothic horror novel of the same name by Shirley Jackson, Hill House is deftly adapted by horror veteran Mike Flanagan with equal parts terror, suspense, and melancholy. One of the biggest contributors to the quality of Netflix’s newest ghostly series is the show’s fifth episode, “The Bent-Neck Lady.” The episode is not only the best of the series, but one of the best episodes of television in 2018, with tinges of Lost’s “The Constant” and this year’s equally masterful “The Queen” from Hulu’s Castle Rock. Major spoilers ahead...

Under the Radar is a column by Strange Harbors that explores hidden gems in pop culture. Whether it's a little seen film, an underappreciated television show, or a forgotten comic, there's a lot of quality stuff out there that goes relatively unnoticed. This column's job is to shine an oft-needed light on these overlooked, but ultimately worthwhile, works. This week, we'll be taking a look at the short-lived but excellent Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles - a television series that captured the magic of the James Cameron films way more than their later sequels ever did.

Under the Radar is a column by Strange Harbors that explores hidden gems in pop culture. Whether it's a little seen film, an underappreciated television show, or a forgotten comic, there's a lot of quality stuff out there that goes relatively unnoticed. This column's job is to shine an oft-needed light on these overlooked, but ultimately worthwhile, works. This week, we'll be taking a look at the Canadian sci-fi import that's currently streaming on Netflix: Travelers.

Premium channel Starz gets into the prestige sci-fi game with Counterpart, an espionage thriller starring J.K. Simmons and featuring spies, parallel universes, and games of Go. Although the series doesn't officially premiere until this Sunday, Starz has made the pilot available for viewing since December 10th of last year. Fringe by the way of The Americans, the Counterpart pilot offers thrills and suspense at a brisk clip and introduces us to its dizzying world with a rock solid first outing. Minor spoilers ahead...

Marvel's Runaways fails to capture the magic of its source material. While the comic is now considered a classic of the modern Marvel era, this new adaptation can't seem to muster the focus, charm, and creativity of the original. A disclaimer: as a huge fan of the original comic, it is impossible for me to review this show objectively. If you are looking for a review that can judge this show on its own merits, this one may not be for you. Mild spoilers ahead...

What makes a killer kill? Netflix's new series from David Fincher and creator Joe Penhall about the birth of serial killer profiling, based on the true crime book of the same name, tries to answer that question in a mostly worthwhile trip to the 1970s with one caveat: the pilot is a mess. Tough out the first episode, however, and you will be rewarded with a gripping look at the real-life psyches of America's most disturbed murderers. Mild spoilers ahead...