There’s nothing quite like the sting of seeing your favorite show get axed out of nowhere. One minute, you’re hooked, and the next, it’s canceled without warning. This seems especially common with cult-favorite shows, which often don’t last more than a few seasons but leave a legacy that lasts for decades.
However, not every cancellation is a shock. Between behind-the-scenes drama, plummeting ratings, and scandals, some shows practically sealed their own fate.
From fan favorites that ended way too soon to series that, frankly, had it coming, here are 10 cancellations that blindsided fans and nine that made perfect sense.
The shows that were cancelled out of the blue:
1. FX’s Terriers was released in 2010, lasting a single season, despite incredibly favorable reviews. This detective drama followed ex-cop and recovering alcoholic Hank and his best friend, Britt, as private detectives in California. Then-FX president John Landgraf explained that it was because of low ratings and an ineffective marketing campaign.
2. From the mind of the problematic Joss Whedon, Firefly developed a dedicated fanbase quite rapidly. However, it wasn’t enough for the network, as it failed to pull in ratings. It only aired 11 out of its 14 scheduled episodes.
3. Pushing Daisies similarly gained a solid following. Unfortunately, a few different factors played into its ending. For one, the 2007-2008 Hollywood Writers Strike. Secondly, ratings weren’t high. The show ended after two seasons.
4. For as short-lived as it was, Freaks and Geeks built a cult-like following. Even though the show is responsible for launching the careers of James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, and Linda Cardellini, to name a few, it only lasted a single season. According to NME, its cancellation after one season (NBC never aired six episodes in its original run) was the result of an erratic schedule, poor marketing, and creative differences.
5. NCIS: Hawai’i had already developed a pretty strong base. However, CBS felt like it wasn’t enough. The company said cost and ratings, along with trying to keep their schedule fresh, led them to nix the show.
6. Netflix’s The Get Down brought a refreshing take on musical dramas and earned great praise. However, the streamer decided to nix the show after the first season due to a reported high production cost, behind-the-scenes issues, and other factors that led the show to end.
7. Another Netflix series gone too soon, Mindhunter, followed FBI agents Holden Ford and Bill Tench, with psychologist Wendy Carr, as they interviewed serial killers to gain an understanding of their psyche and use that information to solve similar cases. However, the show’s creator explained that the show had begun getting too expensive, and Netflix wanted to appeal to a broader audience, so they pulled the plug after two seasons.
8. There are a few reasons why Don’t Trust The B***h in Apartment 23, unfortunately, didn’t make it past two seasons. According to Krysten Ritter, who starred as Chloe, ABC nixed the show after poor scheduling and being “dragged around by a sh*t-smeared dog.”
9. Lovecraft Country started bubbling up as a promising series on HBO. However, in the middle of the production for its second season, it was abruptly canceled. Without an official cause by the network, rumors began swirling about its cancellation, especially since Season 1 ended on a cliffhanger. Some believed it could’ve been due to the high cost of production; others said that it was because there wasn’t a solid vision for the next season. According to Tinderbox: HBO’s Ruthless Pursuit of New Frontiers by James Andrew Miller, several sources from HBO alleged that showrunner Misha Green created a “toxic” and “hostile” work environment.
10. My So-Called Life was another fan favorite that developed a cult-like following after its conclusion. However, low ratings and uncertainty about its target audience caused ABC to cancel the show after two seasons.
The shows that were cancelled for valid reasons:
11. House of Cards became a Netflix mainstay in the 2010s, but once sexual misconduct allegations against its star Kevin Spacey emerged, they decided to pull the plug. Its sixth and final season focused on Claire Underwood after rewrites and reshoots.
12. TLC’s reality show,19 Kids And Counting, ran for 10 seasons, following Jim Bob Duggar and his wife, Michelle, and their 19 children. In 2015, the show was canceled after Josh Duggar, their eldest son, faced allegations of child molestation.
13. After ABC ordered a reboot of Roseanne for a 10th season, the show’s star fumbled the bag completely. Roseanne Barr went off on a racist Twitter rant targeting former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett. ABC swiftly took action, announcing that the show would be canceled. However, they later reworked the series into The Conners.
14. In addition to poor ratings, Clone High‘s initial cancellation was due to the backlash it faced for its offensive portrayal of Mahatma Gandhi, which led to hunger strikes in India, according to reports. The show later received a reboot without Gandhi’s inclusion.
15. A television adaptation of the 1988 movie Heathers was set to debut on the Paramount Network. However, it faced several delays initially and raised concerns surrounding its subject matter, particularly school shootings. It was ultimately canceled, but the show eventually aired.
