When a popular TV show gets unexpectedly canceled, many fans that got attached to the created world and characters have trouble letting go. And while some canceled series still fall into oblivion, remembered only by the most devoted viewers, others get a chance to continue their story in a different format. To the delight of many fans, these 5 TV shows carried on as comic books.
Many TV shows, like Daredevil, Constantine, The Flash, and others, are based on successful comic books. More rarely, the opposite happens — a series that was canceled before its time gets to carry on as a comic book. And while other popular formats include audiobooks, novels, spin-off series, and even full-length movies, comic books remain the most common avenue for the canceled shows' continuation. Here are the top 5 most successful examples.
Dollhouse
Joss Whedon's popular sci-fi series follows "Dolls," humans whose personalities and abilities were wiped and re-written to be rented out to wealthy clients for various engagements that vary from romantic interludes to heists and assassinations. The story centers on Echo (Eliza Dushku), a Doll who becomes gradually self-aware, and the struggle for mind control that leads to the full-blown apocalypse.
The series ran for only two seasons and left fans longing for more. In response, Joss Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen released a limited comic series, Dollhouse: Epitaphs, published by Dark Horse Comics. The first issue was included with the Dollhouse season 2 DVD/Blu-ray sets and focused on the initial outbreak of the mind-wiping apocalypse and its effects on the main characters. It was followed by a five-part miniseries set in a future Los Angeles that was reduced to ruins by the Dollhouse technology. The comics gave fans an appropriate closure and an opportunity to see Echo in action once more.
Torchwood
This beloved Doctor Who spin-off, created by Russel T Davies, centers on the adventured of Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) and his team, tasked with protecting the Earth from alien threats. After running for four seasons, the show ended in 2011 due to its creative team wanting to focus on other projects. However, both fans and the actors were not ready to let go.
Torchwood's story first continued with a novel, Exodus Code, that focused on the events following the series finale. It was then followed by several audio dramas that brought back the show's fan-favorite characters. In 2016, John Barrowman and his sister Carole E. Barrowman came together to release a 12-issue Torchwood comic book, published by Titan Comics, that was linked to both the novel and the audio series and ran for two years. It's a real treat for the fans who can't get enough of the cheeky captain and want to discover his adventures prior to his brief return to Doctor Who.
Smallville
Unlike other shows that continue their story in a comic book format only after their cancellation, the Superman-themed Smallville had 11 comics released during its 10-season run. Due to their production overlapping with the show's, the comic series became notorious for its continuity issues and was quickly canceled. However, DC Comics Smallville: Season 11, which picked up where the show left off, became much more successful. It began six months after Clark Kent embraced his Superman alter-ego and had to deal with the aftermath of Darkseid's attack, as seen on the show.
Smallville: Season 11, considered Superman canon, makes several alterations to the DC Universe as fans know it. Some of them included Superman crossing paths with Batman (where Barbara Gordon is revealed to be Nightwing and Carrie Kelley is Robin), Clark Kent assuming the role of Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman being significantly more 'human' and revealing her own superhero journey. These seemingly random alterations feel weirdly in line with the liberties taken during the show's run and fit nicely in the Smallville story.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Another Joss Whedon series that turned into a cult phenomenon, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, follows the story of Buffy Summers, a high schooler who discovers she's a Chosen One fated to battle the vampires and other forces of evil. While the show ran for seven seasons, fans were not ready to let it go and prompted the launch of Buffyverse that included a Dark Horse Comics series following the adventures of Buffy and her friends. Produced by Whedon himself, the series ran from season eight to season twelve and was recently rebooted by Boom! Studios.
Buffy's brooding romantic interest, a soul-possessing vampire Angel, got his own successful spin-off of the same name that ran for five years. It was followed by several comic book series, including IDW Angel: After the Fall, which is considered the canonical Angel season 6, and Dark Horse Angel and Faith, part of Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 9. With both Buffy's and Angel's stories continuing and even getting rebooted, there's enough material and new monsters to slay to satisfy even the most demanding fans.
Firefly
This hilarious sci-fi western featuring Nathan Fillion was canceled after only one season but gained a massive cult following after its release on DVD. It follows the misadventures of a raggedy group of smugglers under the command of Captain Mel Reynolds aboard a spaceship called Serenity. Thanks to the show's unique setting, exciting stories, quotable lines, distinct humor, and excellent cast, it became an iconic classic with a fiercely loyal fan base known as 'Browncoats' or 'Firebronies.' Its popularity led to the release of a 2005 sequel movie Serenity that tried to wrap up the stories of most of the beloved characters but still left the fans craving for more. To their delight, the crew's stories continued in the comic book format.
Some of the Dark Horse comics explored the characters' origin stories (like the secret past of Shepherd Book or Wash's adventures), as well as the events following the Serenity movie. And thanks to the ongoing Boom! Studios series, fans get to discover Mal and Zoë's exploits during the Unification War, bear witness to an exciting all-female heist, and even meet the captain's mother. With new issues coming out regularly, fans have plenty of stories to discover while still hoping for the series' return.