A Sci-Fi CBS Canceled After 2 Months on Air Ended Up on Best American TV Series of All Time List

The world's library of sci-fi shows is an endless treasury; however, it's not exclusively gems in there. Sometimes, one can find a truly rotten flop instead of a secret masterpiece. But sometimes, people actually can't decide on what they found.

This seems to be exactly the case with Threshold. Remember that old CBS show that aired in 2005 and hardly even lasted three months?

Now, we Netflix bingers know that a canceled show is not necessarily a bad show. However, with Threshold, things are as mysterious as it gets.

Why Was Threshold Canceled?

After premiering on September 16, 2005, Threshold only lasted until November 23. What killed the series was a sharp decline in ratings — ironically, it was the result of an attempt to actually boost ratings by moving the show from Friday nights to Tuesdays.

After the ratings dropped, CBS canceled the series without even airing the remaining four episodes. Was Threshold really that bad?

Well, according to its Rotten Tomatoes' critics score of 44%, it definitely could've been better. Still, Threshold holds a surprisingly high spot in IMDb's list of best American series of all time.

What Do Fans Think of Threshold?

Fans seem to rather side with IMDb's list than Rotten Tomatoes' critics, because many people still believe that Threshold was a "hideously underrated" sci-fi show with a great mythology and exciting story.

"This remains one of my favorite alien invasion dramas on TV, I rarely ever like anything on CBS so maybe that's why it struck such a chord with me. I liked how dark it was, the pilot even freaked me out once or twice. I remember after that it was pretty episodic, but the last 3-4 episodes at least start getting deeper into the mythology and it was just incredible," said Redditor cory120.

What Is Threshold About?

The CBS gem revolves around a secret government project looking into first contact with aliens. Threshold's lead, Carla Cugino, portrays Dr. Molly Caffrey — a US government crisis manager when it comes to all things emergency: from nuclear wars to alien invasions.

Threshold is the name of a protocol that is activated in the case of a UFO contact. And that is exactly what happens when a U.S. naval vessel contacts aliens — an encounter that left many crew members dead while some managed to escape.

The series also has Peter Dinklage in the role of a mathematics and linguistics genius whose weakness is alcohol and women (which definitely doesn't remind us of any cult HBO characters...), as well as Rob Benedict as an aerospace engineer with confidence issues, and Brent Spiner as NASA-employed microbiologist.

Where to Watch Threshold?

You can stream Threshold on Freevee for free, or on Tubi with ads. On Prime Video, the show is available for rent ($2.99) or purchase ($9.99).

Source: IMDb