Our ongoing look back at sci fi / fantasy TV shows that were cancelled way too soon or pilots that never made it to series.
For a very brief time in early 1993, this enjoyable little series about misfit-yet-tough-as-nails space rangers defending the galactic frontier appeared on CBS’s Prime Time schedule. It definitely served a healthy portion of cheese with its sci fi and borrowed liberally from other genre sources such as Aliens, but it also didn’t take itself too seriously and was just good fun. And even though original sci fi shows were thriving in the syndication market at that time (and would shortly take a big step forward with the arrivals of Babylon 5, Star Trek: Deep Space 9, and The X-Files that same year), the Big 3 broadcast networks (FOX hadn’t quite become a force yet) had little tolerance for the genre.
Space Rangers was definitely out of place on the Prime Time schedule and it didn’t help that CBS cast it to the Wednesday 8 PM EST hour where the network had struggled for years. In addition, that network had little tolerance for genre shows (a fact that is still true today) and didn’t give this one much of a chance. The series was cancelled after only one episode and only four of the six produced were aired.
Interestingly, though, it was well-received internationally and that eventually resulted in all six of its episodes getting released on VHS (link provided to the Wikipedia entry for those younger viewers unfamiliar with that term), making it one of the first short-lived TV shows to get a full release on home video. The show did get a DVD release in the States several years back, but that has since gone out of print and is fetching a fairly high price. But you can track down episodes on YouTube, and it is worth checking this one out as failed flirtation with space opera from the broadcast networks that deserved better than the short run it received. (You can read more about the series at this link)
Aired: CBS, 1993, 1 Season Totaling 6 Episodes (2 Unaired)
Starring: Jeff Kaake, Jack McGee, Marjorie Monaghan, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Clint Howard, Linda Hunt
Created By: Pen Densham
More from CancelledSciFi.com:
Keep up with the ratings developments and the status of all the currently airing sci fi and fantasy shows with our Weekly Roundup posts. And join the #CancelledSciFiArmy on Twitter to bolster our ranks and help us fight for the struggling and cancelled sci fi and fantasy shows.
Follow our Sci Fi TV Top 5 column for the top sci fi TV stories each week.
Check out our Sci Fi TV Schedule for debut and season finale dates and follow our Weekly Listings for a rundown of the shows airing in the current week.
Check back each Saturday for Sci Fi TV Retrospectives: A look back at cancelled, classic, forgotten, and more genre shows from the past.
