There are times when you love television networks. They stick their necks out for a show like Lost or X-Files or Chuck and they make your season.

But sometimes… they suck.

Here are a few times when the networks sucked:

Pushing Daisies: Even though it was cancelled in 2008, the remaining episodes played in 2009, pouring salt on the open wound of missing a great show. Pushing Daisies had it all; a cute lead, a quirky heroine, an awesome private dick, and a chipper best supporting actress. The show also had some of the most interesting mysteries and the best narrator since Arrested Development’s Ron Howard. It was a show like nothing I’ve ever seen, a show with a compelling storyline, with interesting characters, and everything about it made me want to return to the screen every week. Bad move, ABC, canceling Pushing Daisies. I’m going to miss Chi McBride’s Emerson Cod saying “dead girl”.

The Unusuals: There is still a part of me that refuses to believe that Southland got picked up by another station but that The Unusuals was pushed out the door. Don’t get me wrong, Southland is a good show. I just think that The Unusuals was an awesome show. A great blend of comedy and tragedy, character dialogue that sparkled, complex relationships that intrigued us, a writing staff that didn’t take themselves too seriously – it was great. Those were characters I wanted to see on a weekly basis. I think there were actually tears when I learned they were canceled and I never searched so hard for information about whether the show would be picked up by another station. It worked for Medium, why not The Unusuals? Another dropped show by ABC that would have done really well given time and a steady timeslot.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: There are people who would disagree with me because of the slow pace of the final season, but the awesomeness that was John Connor jumping forward in time spelled an interesting third season opener for me. To me, it meant more action, the act of storytelling was kicking into high gear and the overprotective mother being hunted down by vicious, intelligent robots would mean it was time to get serious with the story. Also, I liked the big screen Terminator reboot (retelling, rework, rewhatever they were calling it) and thought that if they moved the television show towards that movie future, it would have been an excellent way for the series to go. Alas, poor future John Connor. We know you no more.

Life: There is just something about a police procedural that I like. I didn’t watch Homicide: Life on the Streets or NYPD Blue or even The Shield (although that’s my next tv marathon). I was too late for those shows. So for me, these shows are not retreads of better cop procedurals. Of the investigative shows that I like – Castle, Bones, The Wire – Life was my favourite. In real life, I’m a notorious lover of red-heads (if you knew them, just ask my friends), so that put Charlie Crews above the rest. But the story is what got me. Done documentary style, it told the story of a cop who was sent to prison for a crime he didn’t commit. When he is acquitted, with the help of his lawyer, after spending 12 years in prison, he sues the city and the police department, wins $50 million and gets his job back on the force. His partner Dani Reese was a great character too. A recovering addict from one too many undercover assignments, she doesn’t trust Crews at first. Why should she? He comes off as a little crazy with is Zen like assuredness, but underneath the unflappable exterior beats the heart of a man who will find the truth at all costs. Season one was a nail biter and season 2 had me enthralled, especially the finale when I thought he was coming to the conclusion that he was in love with Dani. I would have loved to see how that thought would run through continued seasons, but my time with Detective Charlie Crews would end much to prematurely for me.

I loved all of these shows. I will miss all these shows. So what about you? What shows do you think should have come back for the 2009-2010 season? (All links lead to watchable episodes of the show)