Alien nation was over 20 years ago. I think that's a bit to far back to compare to what is happening today. TV land was a very different place back then.
I suppose that is fair, but it was a very well-done show (better than the original film) and got the shaft for financial reasons.
Sliders Had two solid seasons and then went on to have a few more on sci fi. It had cast changes and other issues that did not help it out at all.
Fox killed it, and its move to SciFi was just extended death throes.
Lone Gunmen was an attempt to have an X-Files spin off and in retrospect it died when it needed to. If it had lasted any longer then 9/11 would have happened and the makers of the show have said that they would not have wanted to do Lone Gunman after that happened.
Yes, in retrospect. Not at the time, though.
Dark angel had two seasons. Personally, I didn't like it but was given a good run.
I liked it very much. It was one of the better scifi shows that I watched. There are some hit-or-miss episodes, but it is my understanding that many of those "monster-of-the-week" episodes, like with "Fringe" were network-mandated and not really desired by show producers.
Heck, I think Tru Calling, John Doe, Millennium, Tick, Wonderfalls, Brisco County Jr might serve as better examples IMO. Fox does a great job for giving shows a chance that others channels don't. It's hard to say if the shows ever earned more air time.
Tru Calling is a show I didn't care for. John Doe I never tried because it looked like the kind of show Fox was going to nix anyway, just like Millenium. The Tick cartoon was good, but I didn't see a need for a live action version. It struck me as too much "Greatest American Hero." I'm not familiar with Wonderfalls, and I think Brisco County might have been ahead of its time, or perhaps better suited to cable. I like Bruce Campbell and thought the show was good, but it was purposely campy, and network tv didn't seem well-suited to camp.
Anyway, considering that reality tv seems to cater to a large audience, of which I am not a member, and costs considerably less, I'm surprised networks even keep making scripted television.