For every landmark TV show like The Sopranos there are the also-rans: the short-lived Carnivàle, Sports Night and the now defunct John From Cincinnati. The lasts pedigree was impeccable. From the makers of Deadwood, it aired on HBO with a cast that included Rebecca De Mornay and a gnarled-looking Luke Perry. It had cult appeal trappings too: an enigmatic stranger/saviour turns up in the washed-out Imperial Beach resort and confounds the lives of three generations of the surfing Yost family.
The sea and endless sky backdrop hints at an alternative universe out there on the waves, while little miracles blossom all over town. Resolutely unfinished by dint of its being cancelled, John had enough of a curveball premise to do more. A great pity.