The Top Eight One-Season Shows Everyone Should Watch

I couldn't tell you why, but a few days ago I was at the gym sweating my little but off on the elliptical, and I ended up thinking about how many great cancelled shows there are out there. In fact, some of my favorite shows have only lasted for three seasons or less.  Then I realized that off the top of my head I could name a bunch of really wonderful shows that have only lasted for one season.

The point of this list is simple.  Here are eight amazing shows that are garanteed to delight you, and won't take up too much of your time in the process.  They're easy to swallow, easy to be entertained by, and easy to get obsessed with.  While deciding what made the cut, I definitely came across some one season shows that filled my heart with reminiscent glee (Two of a Kind), and some that were maybe a little longer than one season (Veronica Mars).  But I went with only the cream of the crop.  These are shows you should absolutely without a doubt in my mind take the time to sit down and watch, that everyone has the time for.

These are the shows that I can watch over and over again and never get sick of.  They're only one season (well, for the most part).  So take a gander.  And the next time you have a hankering to watch something new, but aren't sure what kind of commitment you want to make, remember this list! :-)

8. FlashForward

Great cast, intricate plots, a wonderfully intriguing science fiction mystery drama where everyone on earth blacks out at the same time and has a "flash forward" to a few months into the future.  In dealing with what that means for each individual character, we end up with a great ensemble piece full of delicious character development.  It's kind of like a sci fi Grey's Anatomy.  (Yeah, I said it.  And if you want to make fun of me for it, I'll refer you to my post about why I love Grey's Anatomy.  That's all I can do, really.)  The plot's pretty meaty as well, if not full of explanations that sound completely plausible but are just a bit over our heads.  But isn't that all good sci fi should be?

One thing that puts FlashForward at the bottom of the list is it was definitely meant to go on for much longer than one season.  I'll warn you of this before you watch it:  The ending is sensationally terrible, and will leave you screaming at your TV (well, probably your computer screen) wondering why they would ever choose to use that weird montage of senselessness when they could have at least tried to wrap up some plot points a little.

7. Grosse Pointe

Don't be fooled by that little stamp that says, "From the creator of Sex and the City."  Indeed, this is another Darren Star show, but Grosse Pointe has a completely different tone, feel, and brand of comedy to it.  In retrospect, that was probably its downfall.  It attracted the wrong kind of people because of the name attached to it (think: Funny People).

Grosse Pointe is a delightful sitcom about the cast of a ridiculous prime time soap opera called, well, Grosse Pointe.  A satire based mostly on the set and actors of Beverly Hills 90210 (another Darren Star show), Grosse Pointe takes you into the lives of five actors who all have their own unique issues due to the glamorous lives they live.  Additionally, it takes you into the life of Dave the Stand In (played by Kyle Howard, who happens to be one of my favorite actors, but also seems to be a show killer sadly.  Wah, wah.), who is sucked into their world by his desire to get his big break and become a real actor.  Despite their being a little bit crazy, you will feel for these characters.  In the short run it got, every character in this show showed some form of personal growth.  This short ride will suck you in and leave you screaming for more.  Oh.  And did I mention it's freaking hilarious?

6. The Middleman

Oddly enough this was the first TV show I watched when I moved to New York.  Why is that odd?  Because The Middleman is about a twenty-something year-old girl named Wendy.  She is a starving artist.  She illegally lives in a cool, New York apartment.  And she's desperately looking for temp work to make some money.  Well, hey.  That about describes me, except my apartment isn't nearly as cool (or big!  why are TV apartments and dorms always so big?! and cool???!!!).  And I'm willing to bet most of the people reading this can relate as well!

Well, anyway.  On what I believe was her first day as a temp receptionist for some cryptic sciency company, a crazy botched science experiment (yeah...it's a tentacle monster) leads her to meet The Middleman.  Sounds pretty cool already, doesn't it?  Did I mention it's based on a comic book?  The Middleman is one of those superheros whose always saving the world while trying to keep all the crazy shit that happens a secret from us ordinary people whose brains simply just can't handle the knowledge of their existence.  And Wendy becomes his sidekick!  Plus he's got a seemingly endless supply of cheesy 50s-esque sayings that are quite unique and will most likely make you go "huh-buh-what?" in the best way possible.

It's fun, funny, and anyone living in New York to pursue their creative passions will relate to Wendy and her friends.

5. Better Off Ted

Okay.  This is one of two shows that made the list that is technically two seasons, but each are 13 episodes which makes it one average American TV season. :-)

Better Off Ted is a satirical office sitcom that takes place at a company called Veridian, which is basically based on big corporations and how incredibly screwed up they are.  The main character Ted is head of Research and Development,  which means that whatever Veridian decides to do next, we see the research and development for.  These things could range anywhere from weaponizing the pumpkin to seeing if its possible to cryogenically freeze a live human being for a year (which they may or may not have tested on one of their own employees).  In addition to Ted, there's Ted's bizarrely emotionless and definitely crazy boss played by the phenomenal Portia de Rossi (Arrested Development, married to Ellen), Ted's love interest Linda whose true passion in life is to get her book published (a children's book about a toaster and a zebra becoming friends), Ted's strangely insightful eleven year old daughter Rose, and the genius scientists Phil and Lem who you could imagine encounter a lot of strange things in the lab and of course have classic scientist social problems.

It's a very witty, strange as all hell, yet a decisively realistic non-stop laugh fest.  Just watch it.  Really.

4. The Class

Jesse Tyler Fergusson.  Lizzy Caplan.  Jason Ritter.  That girl who plays Linda in Better Off Ted (haha, her real name is Andrea Anders).  That alone should be enough to make you want to watch this show.  But don't worry, I have tons more to persuade you!

In the pilot episode of The Class, Ethan (Jason Ritter) surprises his fiance by bringing together all the kids (now in their late twenties) from their mutual third grade class for a party.  His engagement doesn't exactly last, but this bizarre get together where no one is quite sure why they are there ends up sparking a whole new web of interactions and friendships between these people who barely know each other anymore.  It rekindles some old romances, sparks some new ones, and all in all just creates strange new relationships that are completely endearing.  Fall in love with these characters as their lives begin to intertwine in this infectious fashion.

I don't know how else to put it.  There's honestly so much character development and different yet connected plots to describe in this one little blurb.  Plus, it's just better and way funnier if you let it surprise you.  I promise this is one sitcom you will not regret watching.

(Author's Note: For any of you who have seen my sitcom FYE, the relationship between Kat (Lizzy Caplan) and Ethan is very Sunshine/Mart.)

3. Party Down

This is the other two seasoner on the list.  From the creator of Veronica Mars (who happens to be named Rob Thomas.  Not the Matchbox Twenty guy.  A different Rob Thomas.) comes a show about starving artists living in LA and working for a catering company called Party Down.  There's a young, hot actor (Ryan Hansen), a female comedian (me!  I mean... Lizzy Caplan), a washed up actress who never made it (Jane freaking Lynch), a pretentious science fiction screenwriter (also me!  I mean...Martin Starr), their boss who has become a true Party Down man - you know the type (Ken Marino), and Henry (Adam Scott), the truly talented actor who made it just enough to become a punch line from a stupid commercial, but feels beaten down by the lifestyle, so he's back to catering.

We see the world from their perspective.  How they all have so much talent and so much drive, but just haven't found that way to make it yet.  So they're forced to work in the service industry, catering to people who have way too much money and ridiculous needs.  The dry humor pours from these characters and realistic situations like a chocolate fountain of delicious sarcasmy goodness.  (Weird simile, I know).  With a great cast and an amazing creative team, Party Down is a masterpiece that showcases the humor, the frustration, and the fun that comes with pursuing your dreams.

2.  Firefly

Yeah, yeah.  Raise your hand if you've been waiting for this one.  Sue me, I'm a Whedon-head.

For those of you who don't know, Firefly never really got the chance it deserved.  First of all, it was on Fox.  Second of all, Fox decided not to air the pilot episode.  And Firefly happens to be a Space Western which takes place in a very unique, confusing, longggg time in the future world, all the facets of which are still not completely clear to me.  So you could imagine how confusing it would be to have to dive in without the two hour pilot.  What is wrong with Fox executives?  The world may never know.

Firefly has that unique Whedon touch of a delightful wit mixed into a series of serious and seriously dangerous situations.  All the characters are distinct and lovable, yet they all have their secrets, and everything is a bit more mysterious and complicated than it seems.  I love the way that Joss Whedon tells a story, and Firefly is no exception to that rule.  The one benefit of this show is that we do get a sort of conclusion with the movie Serenity.  Although I'm not going to lie to you, it's probably not the conclusion you were looking for, and it still leaves a ton of unanswered questions.  He created an amazing world with this show, and had it continued for longer than the 14 episode stint it got, I don't doubt it would have become one of the greatest shows ever written.


1.  Wonderfalls

Despite it only consisting of 13 episodes, Wonderfalls is one of my favorite shows of all time.  It's from the same creator as Pushing Daisies and has a similar feel, but this earlier creation from Bryan Fuller is, in my opinion, far superior.  And I strongly believe had it gotten the run it deserved (aka had it not been on Fox.  Eff those guys, seriously), it would have had a lot more staying power than Pushing Daisies.  And it still has Lee Pace!  (He starts as a small character but gradually becomes more important, and has one of my favorite lines in the show.)

Wonderfalls is about Jaye, an anti-social, disgruntled, highly sarcastic young woman who lives in a trailer park and makes a living as a sales clerk at a kitsch souvenir shop in Niagra Falls, despite her rich and highly influential family.  Actually, a little bit to spite them.  One day inanimate objects start talking to Jaye in a very Joan of Arc fashion.  Whether or not these stuffed animals are channeling the voice of god, or Jaye is just going crazy, the voices always have a purpose.  Jaye soon realizes that the cryptic messages from the stuffed animal deities are always trying to get her to help someone, something that pretty much just goes against Jaye's nature.  But what I really love is that Jaye always has to work it through and really figure out what they're trying to say.  Each episode takes you through a journey and follows through.  You always know exactly how you got from point A to point B.

This is one of the smartest, funiest, most heart warming, fun, romantic, and sad shows I've ever seen in my life.  If you take away one show from this list, honestly, I hope it is this one.

But really, you should watch them all! :-)