I found watching Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip quite an odd experience. Here I was, ready to dive into a new TV show – new characters, new set-ups, new everything, with the knowledge that it was cancelled after only one season in the US. One season doesn’t really give a show a chance to build up a loyal fanbase or become a fixture in people’s lives, but that was all NBC gave it. Having watched the programme, I became even more frustrated - I had really liked it.

Unfortunately the pain that is sure to be inflicted when the series ends, is not one that I am unfamiliar with. Losing a beloved TV show is one of life’s many rubbish rituals, leaving battle scars that we all have. And so as I say both hello and goodbye to Studio 60, I take this opportunity to pay homage to those other shows snatched away before their time. For some lucky few, DVD box-sets are released, but others are nothing but a fond memory. Walk with me down memory lane as TV Scoop remembers those we have loved and lost.

10) Veronica Mars: VM has only just finished airing its third and final season in the US, but for fans, news that their favourite student cum private investigator will not be returning to TV screens is a source of serious depression. For what is essentially a teenage show, VM managed to cross-over to adults with its strong, feisty female lead, social commentary and biting humour. Kristen Bell in the role of Veronica was a revelation and the critics responded warmly to the unusual combination of modern thriller and traditional mystery noir, with Joss Whedon calling it “the best show ever.” Unfortunately despite fans bombarding TV bosses with Mars bars, the best show ever is no more. Veronica Mars is still being shown on Trouble, Tuesdays at 9pm.

9) Dark Angel: Titanic Director James Cameron created the show, Fantastic Four leading lady Jessica Alba starred in it and yet Dark Angel only made it to two seasons. The show about a genetically-enhanced soldier with a few feline habits was a hit when first broadcast in America, but this wasn’t to last for long. A myriad of factors are believed to have contributed to DA’s downfall ranging from a change in time slot, fears of 9/11 insensitivity and departing cast members. Ultimately, Fox opted for Firefly in the autumn schedules rather than DA (ironic, considering Firefly also made our list), and fans were left hanging when important storylines went unresolved. Interestingly, Fox recently conducted a poll into which show viewers would most like to see return to their line-up, with DA coming top with 34.5% of votes.

8) Eerie, Indiana: Back when New Kids On The Block were top of the charts and The Simpsons was in its infancy came a programme called Eerie, Indiana. The show, which followed the adventures of young boy Marshall Teller as he unravels the weird and wonderful mysteries of his new hometown of (you guessed it) Eerie, Indiana, ran for a mere 19 episodes in the early ‘90s. Star Omri Katz became an alternative pin-up for girls who liked boys with curtains hair, and so the odd-ball kid, in a show about a town of odd-balls became a cult hit. It received a spin-off years later that, with a new cast, failed to re-capture the old magic and was cancelled quicker than the original.

7) Rome: I know that Rome has only just finished but already I yearn for Atia and co. to return to my TV viewing. Rome had it all, fantastic acting, incredible sets, snappy dialogue and plots of revenge, passion and violence ripped from the history books. The set was said to be the biggest constructed for a TV show, with a crew of 350, even more extras and a season one budget of US$100million. It is speculated that it was the sheer scale of the production combined with the mounting costs that led to the downfall of Rome (and here I was thinking it was those German barbarians!)

6) Commander in Chief: Another show claimed by the one season curse, Commander in Chief set a woman as the first female president of the USA. And not just any woman, oh no, this was Oscar winner Geena Davis in the title role as Mackenzie “Mac” Allen, a woman struggling to raise her children, make time for her husband and avoid war with North Korea – you know, the usual problems. Davis was a natural fit for the role, with a strong sparring partner in the form of Hollywood veteran Donald Sutherland as the Speaker of the House, Nathan Templeton. Creator Rod Lurie was unhappy with how the show developed and walked, with other problems including the inevitable political whinges of depicting a woman in power and the show’s left-wing, liberal bias. There is talk of a film, but fans aren’t getting their hopes up.

5) Freak and Geeks: Chances are you’ve seen or heard of the film 40 Year-Old Virgin. You might have also noticed another comedy due for release this summer called Knocked Up. Well, both films were the work of Judd Apatow, who as part of the Frat Pack is revolutionising cinematic comedy, however the silver screen hasn’t always been his home. Before collaborating with the likes of Will Ferrell, Apatow executive produced the show Freaks and Geeks, a truthful and embarrassing look at those pesky teenage years through the eyes of a band of social misfits. F&G starred James Franco (Spiderman) and Linda Cardellini (ER) and again, despite critical acclaim and a cult following was cancelled after only 12 episodes. Sadly, this is not the only programme featuring a credible depiction of teenage angst and confusion that figures in our top ten.

4) Carnivale: I know only a handful of people that managed to catch this HBO period drama when aired on FX, but those who saw it liked it. Carnivale was a two-tiered look at good and evil, throwing in Christian theology and set in the Deep South during the Great Depression. Our unlikely hero was the vagabond Ben Hawkins (pictured left, as played by Terminator 3’s Nick Stahl), who, after the death of his mother, joined a band of disparate circus folk or carnies led by the dwarf Samson. Providing the villainy was Clancy Brown (from The Shawshank Redemption) as Brother Justin, supposedly a man of God but capable of great evil. Originally conceived as a six season programme, the show was cancelled after only 2 leaving plots that had been in place since the begininng, woefully unresolved. It is believed that the spiralling costs deterred HBO, with one source claiming that they would have pursued a third season had the producers not insisted each episode cost US$2million. On news of the show’s abrupt ending, outraged fans bombarded HBO with 50,000 emails in one weekend demanding its return, but all to no avail.

3) Arrested Development: What anyone could have against Michael Bluth and his hilariously dysfunctional family, I’ll never know. Only 53 episodes of the superlative sitcom were made and yet it won 6 Emmys, a Golden Globe award, critical plaudits and was both exec produced and narrated by Hollywood director Ron Howard. Some have speculated that it was the show’s penchant for in-jokes that alienated people, that it handled too many controversial issues or poked fun at too many sectors of America’s society. AD never caught on with middle America and as such never scored well in the ratings, leading to its being axed. Rumours persisted that another network would pick up the rights to AD, but as the creator Mitch Hurwitz was not intending to return, these plans soon fell flat.

2) Firefly: What was Firefly? I have asked this of serious fans of the show and they cannot liken it to anything else on TV. In their eyes, it was truly a one-off, a genuine original in a sea of reality TV clones and repetitive soap operas. Firefly is called a space western and it was this surprising fusion of styles, which coupled with Joss Whedon’s ear for sharp dialogue, that really stood Firefly apart from everything else. With a CV that boasts Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, you might have thiought that bosses at the Fox network might have been a bit more accommodating to Whedon and his pet project, but it was not to be. His two hour pilot was begrudgingly condensed into just one hour, leaving him behind on exposition and character development. The show was cancelled after only 11 of the 14 episodes were aired, with fans buying an advert in Variety and instigating a postcard writing campaign to try to save their sci-fi treasure. Their pleas were ignored. Whedon fashioned a swan-song of sorts for his show, with the film Serenity, but afficionados know that a 119 minute film is no substitute for their favourite futuristic programme.

1) My So Called Life: The ending of My So Called Life left me a traumatised teenager. How was I supposed to navigate myself through girlie crushes without the help of my friend Angela Chase? MSCL lasted for only 19 episodes, and yet in that short space of time, we grew to love and relate to Angela, lust after her crush Jordan Catalano and know that other teens were struggling with identity issues too. The show was applauded for tackling ‘real issues’, for deliberately eschewing glamour and for its depiction of a young gay character, Rickie Vasquez. Rumours persist that star Claire Danes had no wish to return for a second season and with low ratings, the show was cancelled. She has since gone on to shake off her insecure TV persona and, like Jared Leto, has found life after Liberty High. I guess I should try to as well.

Other contenders:
The Comeback: Lisa Kudrow was no longer Phoebe from Friends, sadly no-one watched to see.
Angel: It enjoyed a longer run than all of the entries on our list, but still the ending leaves fan upset.
Survivor (UK): They 'got it' in America, why didn't we in the UK?