Virtual Season

Virtual seasons are a form of fan activity where fic writers create an unofficial continuation of a show that has been cancelled, is on hiatus, or to replace a season which is considered to have jumped the shark, or needs denying.
They are often done as collaborations with different writers contributing individual stories as episodes, often with the new episodes "airing" at the same time the show would've aired. Sometimes they are multimedia projects with accompanying fanart or trailers. Some fans go as far as to make fan films such as Star Trek, The New Voyages.
Sometimes virtual seasons can be the project of a single author. One famous example is the Buffy Season Noir by Anna S.
Many virtual seasons are presented with elaborate ancillary apparatus. These vary widely, but frequently include character descriptions, title pages, brief synopses of episodes (similar to those in television program guides), and background on the world of the series. In some instances, the episodes of a virtual season are published weekly or biweekly in a semblance of the schedule of an actual television series. In such a case, promotional "ads" may be created for upcoming episodes.
==Origins==
The very first virtual season was in 1979 in the print zine Moonbeam #5/6. It was a zine that took Space: 1999 into its third season. From the flyer for that issue: "We're aiming for 24 different episodes, at about 20 pages each (typed and double-spaced). Stories exceeding that length may be considered as 2-part episodes." 
Another early virtual season was for Forever Knight. The show was canceled in 1996, but followed shortly by a virtual fourth season (known as V4S). 
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman was cancelled in 1997 and spawned several virtual seasons, which continued the trend.
==Some Fan Comments==
Some White Collar fans in 2014 discussed creating a virtual season for their fandom. Some excerpts are below: 
Between 2014 and 2015, the Almost Human fandom decided to create a virtual season due to the cancellation of the show by Fox.
==Further Reading and Meta==
* Forever Knight: A comparison of two virtual continuations (2009)
==Sites Listing Virtual Seasons==
* MZP - one of the largest virtual season sites currently running, MZP is a "virtual network" comprising original series and continuations, as well as 'Buffyverse' fiction.
* Complete Zines Online, E-zines & Virtual Seasons, by jjjean65 in own geocities
== List of Shows with Virtual Seasons ==
===The Adventures of Sinbad===
*The Adventures of Sinbad Fan Fiction Seasons
*The New Fanfic Adventures of Sinbad
**(Geocities)
**(Reocities)
===Alias Smith and Jones===
*Alias Smith and Jones Virtual Seasons
===Almost Human===
*AH Virtual Season by ahfancon
*Almost Human TVS
===American Gothic===
*American Gothic The Virtual Second Season 
===Angel===
*Angel: No Limits
*Mutant Existential Scoobies Presents: Angel Season Six
*MZP Angel Virtual Continuation
*Three Deep
===Battlestar Galactica (1978)===
*Virtual Second Season project
===Beast Wars===
*Beast Wars the Virtual Season
===Beauty and the Beast===
*In Another Life (alternate third season)
===Blake's 7===
* Program
* Ghost
===Blood Ties===
*Blood Ties Virtual Season 
===Brimstone===
*Brimstone Virtual Seasons
*The Unofficial Brimstone Finale Website
===Buffy the Vampire Slayer===
*Three Deep
*Buffy Season Noir
*The Buffybot Adventures
**(Geocities)
**(Yuku)
*MZP's Buffy: The Virtual Continuation - the Scoobies relocate to Cleveland
*Slayer Academy - follows young Slayers at the newly-formed Rupert Giles Academy
*Buffy: The Chosen
*Cordelia the Vampire Slayer
*Faith: The Series
*B3 Buffy Fanfic Series 
*Undaunted
*Watchers Central
*Buffy Season 8
*Virtual Lunatics' Virtual Season Eight
*WaTchers: The Virtual Series
=== Cold Case ===
* Cold Case Season 8
===Dark Angel===
*Virtual Dark Angel
*Cable Hack (pre-Dark Angel)
===Dark Matter===
*Dark Matter The Virtual Fourth Season Episode 1 Act 1
===Dark Shadows===
*Dark Shadows Returns: Episode 1246 & Beyond
===Doctor Who===
*Doctor Who Season Four
*Doctor Who Season Five
===Due South===
*due SOUTH Slash Virtual Season
===Farscape===
*Farscape Virtual Season 5
===Firefly===
*Still Flying
===Forever Knight===
*V4S (index page)
*FK4 (intro page)
=== Gargoyles===
The Gargoyles Saga
===Guiding Light===
* Otalia Virtual Seasons
===Harsh Realm===
*Harsh Realm Virtual Season
=== Hercules===
* Hercules & Iolaus: The Legends Continue: The Virtual Season of Hercules
===Highlander===
*Highlander: The Fanfiction Season (season 6)
*Highlander the Fanfic Season Home Page
===Invisible Man===
*I-Man the Virtual Season
===JAG===
*JAG Virtual Seasons (link not archived) by JAGNikJen's JAG Archive
===Kung Fu: The Legend Continues===
*Kung Fu the Legend Continues FanFiction Season
===Legend of the Seeker===
*Legend of the Seeker Femslash Virtual Season
===Lois & Clark===
*Lois & Clark Seasons 5 & 6
*The Unaired Fifth Season
===The Lone Gunmen===
*Episodes
===MacGyver===
*MacGyver Virtual Seasons
===Magnificent 7===
*Old West and ATF
*Season Four
===Millennium===
*The Millenium Compendium
*Millennium Season Four
*Millennium: Virtual Season 5
===Once Upon a Time===
*Once Upon A Time Virtual Series
===Quantum Leap===
*Quantum Leap: The Virtual Seasons (seasons 6-14)
===The Pretender===
*The Pretender Virtual Series
===Prey===
*Prey Virtual Television Series
===The Sentinel===
*Cascade Virtual Tales by Black Panther Productions 
*Faux Paws Productions Virtual Seasons 
*Novation Productions Virtual Seasons 
*Sentinel Slash Virtual Season 
*The Sentinel Slash Movies Project 
*The Sentinel Slash Stories of the Month
===Sliders===
*Sliders Season 6
*Sliders The Lost Sixth Season
*Sliders Earth 214
*Sliders Earth 317
*Slide Override
*Infinite Slides
===Space: Above and Beyond===
*Space: Above and Beyond The Virtual Seasons
===Sports Night===
*Sports Night on CSC
===Spy Game===
*Spy Game Central
===Star Trek: Voyager===
*Voyager Season 7.5
*Voyager Virtual Season Project‎
*Star Trek Voyager Seasons Six and Seven
===Stargate Atlantis===
*Beyond Atlantis Virtual Season Six & Beyond Atlantis
*Stargate Atlantis: The Imaginary Season
===Stargate SG-1===
*Stargate SG-1 Chrysalis Virtual Season 7.5
*Stargate SG-1 VS6
===Starsky & Hutch===
*Starsky and Hutch Virtual Season (online) 
*Starsky and Hutch Virtual Season (zine) (slash)
*Starsky and Hutch Gen Virtual Season (5th and 6th on the Hutchfans Yahoo Group)
===Strange Luck===
*Strange Luck: The Virtual Second Season
===Supernatural===
*Supernatural Virtual Season
*Redemption Road
*Thin Blue Line Virtual Seasons (Season One & Season Two)
===Supergirl===
*Supergirl Virtual Season
===Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles===
*Terminator The Sarah Connor Chronicles Virtual Season
===Transformers===
*Transformers Season Four
===Women's Murder Club===
*Women's Murder Club Virtual Season Two (1st Virtual Season) & Season Three (2nd Virtual Season)
===X-Files===
*Fox & Rat Virtual Series (1999 - 2017) (Season 11 premiere! 2 September 2017!)
*The X-Files Virtual Season 1-3
*X-Files Virtual Seasons 8-16
*X Files: VCU ("Violent Crimes Unit"), by Deslea (2003)
*X-Files: Fight the Truth
===Xena: Warrior Princess===
*Shipper Seasons (Xena/Ares, season 7-10, ongoing)
*XWP Subtext Virtual Seasons (Xena/Gabrielle, season 7-10 – also available in French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish)
**(XWPSubtextVS)
**(XenaMultimidea)
**(AusXip)
===Young Americans===
*New Beginnings (Has Virtual Seasons up through Senior Year)
==References==
 Virtual Season
Category:2019 Fannish History Friday
Category:Social Media Feature