Mid-Season Replacement Drama TV Series
A mid-season replacement TV series is a show that takes the place of another cancelled show due to poor ratings or some other reason between December and May. These shows are often second stringers that didn't make the fall line-up. Networks are hopeful they will catch on, but often their role is to hold on until the roll-out of the new fall line-up. Every once in a while, networks catch lightning in a bottle and these fill-ins become wildly successful, anchoring the network's lineup for years and spawning multiple spin-offs.
Which of these select mid-season replacement drama TV series* best filled its role as a fill-in and more? * minimum four plus seasons with December through May premiere
Vote in the companion poll: Mid-Season Replacement Comedy TV Series
Discuss the topic here.
Which of these select mid-season replacement drama TV series* best filled its role as a fill-in and more? * minimum four plus seasons with December through May premiere
Vote in the companion poll: Mid-Season Replacement Comedy TV Series
Discuss the topic here.
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- CreatorShonda RhimesMichelle LirtzmanStarsEllen PompeoChandra WilsonJames Pickens Jr.A drama centered on the personal and professional lives of five surgical interns and their supervisors.Aired 27 March 2005, 19+ seasons and 406+ episodes, 2 related spin-off and 2 international remakes
- CreatorAndrew W. MarloweStarsNathan FillionStana KaticSusan SullivanWhen a psychopath commits murders based on novelist Castle's books, Detective Beckett seeks his help to solve the case. He decides to work with her and uses his experiences as research for his novels.Aired 9 March 2009, 8 seasons and 173 episodes
- CreatorShonda RhimesStarsKerry WashingtonDarby StanchfieldKatie LowesA former White House Communications Director starts her own crisis management firm only to realize her clients are not the only ones with secrets.Aired 5 April 2012, 7 seasons and 124 episodes
- CreatorJoss WhedonStarsSarah Michelle GellarNicholas BrendonAlyson HanniganA young woman, destined to slay vampires, demons and other infernal creatures, deals with her life fighting evil, with the help of her friends.Aired 10 March 1997, 7 seasons and 145 episodes and 1 related spin-off
- CreatorDonald P. BellisarioStarsDavid James ElliottCatherine BellPatrick LabyorteauxThe cases of Harmon Rabb, former Navy fighter pilot, and his fellow lawyers of the U.S. Navy's Judge Advocate General's office.Aired 17 January 1997 (*originally aired on NBC),10 seasons and 227 episodes and 3 related spin-offs
- CreatorDavid JacobsStarsLarry HagmanKen KerchevalPatrick DuffyJ.R. Ewing, a Texas oil baron, uses manipulation and blackmail to achieve his ambitions, both business and personal. He often comes into conflict with his brother Bobby, his arch-enemy Cliff Barnes and his long-suffering wife Sue Ellen.Aired 2 April 1978, 5 part mini-series that became a show, 14 seasons and 356 episodes and 1 related spin-offs and 4 continuation series
- CreatorEarl Hamner Jr.StarsJane WymanLorenzo LamasChao Li ChiSet in the vineyards of California, this prime-time soap opera presented the conflict in the powerful Gioberti family, owners of the vast Falcon Crest Winery.Aired 4 December 1981, 9 seasons and 227 episodes
- CreatorChristopher CanaanLeslie GreifPaul HaggisStarsChuck NorrisClarence Gilyard Jr.Sheree J. WilsonCordell Walker and his partner, James Trivette, are Texas Rangers. They make it their business to battle crime in Dallas and all around the state of Texas.Aired 21 April 1993, 8 seasons and 203 episodes
- CreatorEdward HumeStarsBuddy EbsenLee MeriwetherMark SheraPrivate eye Barnaby Jones works with his widowed daughter-in-law to solve cases.Aired 28 January 1973, 8 seasons and 178 episodes
- CreatorDavid E. KelleyStarsDylan McDermottKelli WilliamsLara Flynn BoyleWe follow the exploits and cases of defense attorneys of a Boston law firm. Bobby Donnell is the senior defense attorney and founder of the firm.Aired 4 March 1997, 8 seasons and 168 episodes and 1 related spin-off
- CreatorBeth SullivanStarsJane SeymourJoe LandoShawn TooveyThe trials and adventures of a female doctor in a small Wild West town.Aired 01 January 1993, 6 seasons and 149 episodes
- CreatorSteven BochcoMichael KozollStarsDaniel J. TravantiMichael WarrenBruce WeitzThe lives and work of the staff of an inner city police precinct.Aired 17 January 1981, 7 seasons and 144 episodes and 1 related spin-off
- CreatorGlenn Gordon CaronStarsPatricia ArquetteMiguel SandovalJake WeberSuburban mom Allison DuBois attempts to balance family life with solving mysteries using her special gift. The dead send her visions of their deaths or other crimes while she sleeps.Aired 3 January 2005, 7 seasons and 130 episodes
- CreatorRobert A. CinaderHarold Jack BloomStarsRandolph MantoothKevin TigheJulie LondonThe crew of Los Angeles County Fire Department Station 51, particularly the paramedic team, and Rampart Hospital respond to emergencies in their operating area.Aired 15 January 1972, 7 seasons and 129 episodes and 1 related spin-off
- CreatorKevin WilliamsonStarsJames Van Der BeekKatie HolmesMichelle WilliamsTwo childhood best friends, Dawson and Joey, go through different stages of adolescence together. Their friendship is later tested when they both start a relationship with different people.Aired 20 January 1998, 6 seasons and 128 episodes and 1 related spin-off
- CreatorNicolas FalacciCheryl HeutonStarsRob MorrowDavid KrumholtzJudd HirschWorking for the F.B.I., a mathematician uses equations to help solve various crimes.Aired 23 January 2005, 6 seasons and 118 episodes
- CreatorCarlton CuseStarsDon JohnsonCheech MarinJodi Lyn O'KeefeA smart alecky San Francisco, California cop and his get rich quick scheme of a partner keep tabs on crime and take down the bad guys in the Bay Area.Aired 29 March 1996, 6 seasons and 122 episodes
- StarsLee MajorsRichard AndersonMartin E. BrooksAfter a severely injured test pilot is rebuilt with nuclear-powered bionic limbs and implants, he serves as an intelligence agent.Aired 18 January 1974, 5 seasons and 112 episodes and 1 related spin-off
- CreatorJason KatimsStarsPeter KrauseLauren GrahamDax ShepardThe lives and tragedies of the Braverman family tree.Aired 2 March 2010, 6 seasons and 103 episodes
- CreatorDonald P. BellisarioStarsScott BakulaDean StockwellDeborah PrattDuring an experiment into time travel, a scientist finds himself trapped in the past, "leaping" into the lives of different people, sorting out their problems and changing history in hopes of getting back to his own life in the present.Aired 26 March 1989, 5 seasons and 97 episodes and 1 reboot
- CreatorEsther ShapiroRichard Alan ShapiroStarsJohn ForsytheLinda EvansJoan CollinsThe trials and tribulations of two feuding families, the Carringtons and the Colbys, both oil rich families in Denver, Colorado.Aired 12 January 1981, 9 seasons and 217 episodes and 3 reunion movies and 1 related spin-off
- CreatorDavid MametStarsDennis HaysbertRegina TaylorAudrey Marie AndersonA secret US military group conducts covert operations across the world, facing several life-threatening situations during their missions.Aired 7 March 2006, 4 seasons and 70 episodes
- CreatorJason RothenbergStarsEliza TaylorBob MorleyMarie AvgeropoulosSet 97 years after a nuclear war destroyed civilization, when a spaceship housing humanity's lone survivors sends 100 juvenile delinquents back to Earth, hoping to repopulate the planet.Aired 19 March 2014, 7 seasons and 100 episodes
added 10 April 2021 - CreatorLee DanielsDanny StrongStarsTerrence HowardTaraji P. HensonJussie SmollettA hip-hop mogul must choose a successor among his three sons who are battling for control over his multi-million dollar company, while his ex-wife schemes to reclaim what is hers.Aired 07 January 2015, 6 seasons and 102 episodes
added 10 April 2021 - CreatorMichael BrandtDerek HaasMatt OlmsteadStarsJason BeghePatrick John FluegerMarina SquerciatiFollows District 21 of the Chicago Police Department, made up of two different groups: the uniformed cops and the Intelligence Unit.Aired 18 January 2014, 8+ seasons and 159+ episodes and 1 related spin-off
added 10 April 2021 (still on-air) - CreatorMark FrostDavid LynchStarsKyle MacLachlanMichael OntkeanMädchen AmickAn idiosyncratic FBI agent investigates the murder of a young woman in the even more idiosyncratic town of Twin Peaks.Aired 08 April 1990, 3 seasons and 48 episodes and 1 related TV movie
added 10 April 2021 (due to its influence on TV and pop culture, critical acclaim, and its stature on one the greatest TV ever) - CreatorWilliam BlinnStarsDick Van PattenLani O'GradyConnie NeedhamThis comedy drama focused on a family with eight very independent children.Aired 15 March 1977, 5 seasons and 112 episodes
added 05 February 2023 - CreatorDavid JacobsStarsMichele LeeTed ShackelfordJoan Van ArkThe residents of Knots Landing, a coastal suburb of Los Angeles, deal with various issues such as infidelity, health scares, rape, murder, kidnapping, assassinations, drug smuggling, corporate intrigue and criminal investigations.Aired 27 December 1979, 14 seasons and 344 episodes
added 05 February 2023 - CreatorJames Lee BarrettStarsCarroll O'ConnorAlan AutryDavid HartThe cases and adventures of the police forces in and around Sparta, Mississippi.Aired 06 March 1988 1990, 7 seasons and 142 episodes and 4 related TV movied
added 05 February 2023