More TV Series are Coming Back From Cancellation

It used to be that when your favorite show was cancelled, that was that. But these days, the end doesn't necessarily mean a permanent end.

Just today, Fox TV announced that Kiefer Sutherland's "24", which ended three years ago this month, will be returning for a one-off, 12 episode mini-series next summer.

And, of course, if it does well, don't be surprised if it's not just a one-off season.

Coming in just two weeks, cult comedy "Arrested Development", which was cancelled in 2006, will be making an unprecedented return, putting out all 15 new episodes at the same time on Netflix (a strategy that has already worked for the streaming service) on Sunday, May 26th.

It could be argued that the current trend started in 2004 when Fox's "Family Guy" fell victim to cancellation, did well in reruns and DVD sales, and was brought back to life three years later.

The same thing happened with "Futurama", cancelled in 2003 and brought back in 2010 (and now cancelled again at the end of the current run).

So I guess the lesson here is, just because your favorite show is cancelled, it doesn't mean that it's necessarily the end. You can always hold out hope for a revival.