Five TV Shows I Wish They Would Bring Back

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Supernatural

The final season for Supernatural wrapped up last year (Season 15), and I wish the series would start up again. I can’t imagine life without the Winchester brothers. You can watch Supernatural reruns only so many times on Netflix.

Okay, the show was getting a little stale and the actors sometimes appeared to be phoning it in for the final season. But when it was good, it was really good. Mind you, I wasn’t fond of the overarching plots. I liked it best when it was just Dean and Sam hunting monsters. Many of those episodes were genuinely scary.

Photo: Netflix.com
One especially memorable episode was when the brothers were tricked into attending a Supernatural convention (Season 5, Episode 9). It’s hilarious how they interact with the cosplayers, some of whom are dressed as them. And don’t worry—real ghosts actually turn up.

Another memorable episode (Season 13, Episode 16): Dean and Sam are sucked into an episode of Scooby-Doo, Where are You? Two of my favorite groups of ghost hunters—the Winchester brothers and the Scooby Gang—working together. HEAVEN!

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Buffy didn’t last quite as long as Supernatural, but the series still had a good run at seven seasons (1997 to 2003). Buffy was a high school student who finds out she has superhero vampire-slaying powers. That comes in handy since her school is sited over a hellmouth. Buffy was, in other words, a typical coming-of-age drama filled with relationships, prom and teenage angst, except with vampires and demons.

The series boasted a great ensemble cast and good storylines, and it quickly gained a cult following. I say revive it with new actors and updated plots. We don’t have enough female superheroes who save the world—or at least Sunnydale, Calif.—over and over again.

If you're feeling sentimental, you can catch Buffy on Hulu.

Reaper

This series revolved around a reaper, Sam Oliver, who retrieved escaped evil souls for the Devil (actor Ray Wise at his best). It turns out that Sam’s parents promised his soul to the Devil in exchange for restoring the father’s health when he was sick. Sam was employed at the Work Bench, a big-box home center, and he co-opted his colleagues into helping him fulfill his new responsibilities.

The show ran for two seasons (2007 to 2009) on the CW network. It had a supernatural premise, but the series ultimately was about a slacker and his relationship with his friends and love interest. It was heartwarming and funny—qualities we sorely need after the abysmal year we had.

FreakyLinks

Anyone remember FreakyLinks? Few would, given that the series ran for only 13 episodes (from October 2000 to June 2001). The main characters were members of FreakyLinks.com, a website that investigated cryptids, paranormal phenomena and urban legends. Like Buffy and Supernatural, the show gained a cult following, but that didn’t stop it from going off the air.

I found the short-lived series charming, and the characters were extremely likable. A new FreakyLinks series would be in line with the times given the multitude of vlogs and YouTubers we have right now.

The X-Files

Photo: Hulu.com
Speaking of paranormal investigations, I thought The X-Files one of the more intelligent and innovative shows at the time. 

The names Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, as well as the show’s tagline: The Truth is Out There, have earned their place in American pop culture. I was hooked from the very first season (although I have to confess I wasn’t thrilled with the short 10th and 11th seasons, which ran in 2016 and 2018, respectively).

If you live under a rock and haven’t heard of the series: Mulder and Scully were two FBI agents who investigated unsolved cases involving the paranormal. Scully was a medical doctor, so she brought science into their admittedly less than scientific subjects.

I preferred it when Mulder and Scully went after monsters rather than aliens and government conspiracies. The more unforgettable monsters include the “fluke”—a mutant man who could crawl into tight spaces such as sewer pipes, and glowing green insects that trapped the FBI agents in a cabin in the woods.

I think we need Mulder and Scully more than ever, given all the conspiracy theories currently floating around. Don’t you?

The X-Files is available for streaming on Hulu.

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