Summary
When a TV show is canceled, it’s normal for audience members and the show’s creators to hold out hope that it might return. While some series reach their natural conclusion or have always planned to have a limited number of seasons,others are cut short before their time, leaving unanswered questions and unfinished character arcs.This can be immensely disappointing, especially if audiences have spent years becoming invested in the story, only to never discover how it ends. Fortunately, the last few years have seen an increase in the number of reboots and revivals on television.
The actors, writers, and showrunners must all be willing and excited to return so that there isn’t a dip in quality and another inevitable cancelation.
There have been many instances whenfans saved TV shows from being canceledbecause of massive online campaigns and demonstrations of support for the series. These attempts to save a series can work because it shows producers and networks that there is an audience base that will watch the program, and the publicity stunt usually drums up ratings in all areas. However,it takes more than fans to bring a TV series back to life.The actors, writers, and showrunners must all be willing and excited to return so that there isn’t a dip in quality and another inevitable cancelation.
10 Great Comedy TV Shows That Were Canceled Too Soon
Comedy shows usually take a while to find their audience, but if their viewing figures aren’t up to scratch they can be canceled too soon.
The OA’s ending is one of theNetflix cancelations that hurt the mostbecause fans were so dedicated to reviving the series for so many years. However, with sci-fi shows, this type of cancelation can occur because there are so many moving pieces within the narrative that require a larger budget. However, it was especially confusing thatThe OAwas canceled after season 2 as the critical and audience reception only seemed to have increasedwith the latest installment.
Prairie, also known as The OA, was just getting started when the series was cut short, and the meta references and incredible use of alternate dimensions make the tone and themes of the show more relevant than ever.
Brit Marling led the show as Prairie Johnson, the young woman who seems to hold all the answers and the key to harnessing the higher powers at work. Prairie, also known as The OA, was just getting started when the series was cut short, and the meta references and incredible use of alternate dimensions make the tone and themes of the show more relevant than ever. Despite being canceled five years ago, support and interest inThe OAhas never faltered, andthe creative team behind the project has expressed interest in returning(viaScreenrant).
The Expanse
Cast
The Expanse is a sci-fi series set in the distant future where humanity has spread out across the solar system, but the alliances between the three most potent governing bodies have reached a state of the cold war. In the series, a mixed crew finds themselves at the center of a dangerous intergalactic conspiracy that threatens to bring war to the colonized worlds.
Originally,The Expanseaired on the Syfy network for the first three seasons,and when the viewer response to its cancelation was overwhelming, it jumped ship and got picked up by Amazon Prime. This is a common trajectory for recently canceled shows, but usually, for a new streamer or network to acquire a series, it must happen relatively quickly after its conclusion. However, sci-fi television has only become more popular as time has gone on, and it would make sense if Prime green-lit a revival.
The show is based on the book series by Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck,who write under the pen name James S.A. Corey. So far, the books include ten total volumes and encapsulate a variety of stories that the series could continue to draw from to inspire episodes and season arcs.The Expansedid take liberties with the source material. However, it could easily pick back up and use the novels to start up the character’s journey once again.
Hannibal
Created for TV by Bryan Fuller, Hannibal is a TV adaptation/reimagining of Thomas Harris' Red Dragon novel. The show follows the exploits of FBI criminal profiler Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) and psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) and their perpetual game of cat and mouse that unfolds over the series. When a string of murders in Minnesota requires a brilliant mind to crack the case, Will Graham is called in to investigate - but due to the intimate and terrifying nature of the crimes, he is appointed Dr. Lecter to act as his psychiatrist. The truth of Dr. Lecter is that he is Will’s target - but to complicate matters, he’s the only person that can truly understand him.
If aHannibalreboot could maintain the quality of the original and push the initial concept even further, it would be a hit.
The question of whether or notHannibalseason 4 will happenhas been on many people’s lips since the final episode of season 3 was released in 2015. Mads Mikkelsen and Hugh Dancy star as Hannibal Lecter and FBI profiler Will Graham in this modernized take on the classic tale of the notorious fictional serial killer. However,what started as a police procedural with a twist soon evolved into a thrilling psychological game of cat and mousethat took on philosophical questions about the nature of good and evil.
One of the driving forces behind the popularity ofHannibalwas the chemistry between Mikkelsen and Dancy, which resulted in the writers and showrunners developing a new facet of the Hannibal-Graham relationship.It’s well-known that Mikkelsen and Dancy have expressed interest in returningand wrapping up their character’s arcs, and now that it’s been almost ten years since the initial cancelation, the timing couldn’t be better. If aHannibalreboot could maintain the quality of the original and push the initial concept even further, it would be a hit.
Mindhunter
From executive producers David Fincher and Charlize Theron comes Mindhunter, a series that chronicles the founding of the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit used to track and apprehend serial killers. Mindhunter follows Agent Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany) as they work to establish a framework for understanding the minds of some of America’s most dangerous serial killers. Mindhunter adapts a number of true crime stories, including the BTK murders and the notorious Co-Ed Killer, Edmund Kemper.
There is a litany of crime dramas and police procedurals that have to do with criminal profiling on television today, butMindhunterwas something different from the start.Mindhunterwas created by David Fincher,a well-known director who has made some of the best thriller movies of the 21st century. The series unpacks how the field of criminal profiling was created by the FBI in the late 1970s. Jonathan Groff plays Holden Ford, a character inspired by the real agent John E. Douglas, who interviewed real serial killers.
Though it only ran for two seasons, the cultural impact thatMindhunterhad on its audience was monumental, and it’s just as rewatchable today as it was in 2019. One of the biggest obstacles that has preventedMindhunterfrom returning is the fact thatFincher and the creative team diverged from Netflix on how best to keep the show going. Maintaining the budget required to ensure the quality and content of the show was a difficult pitch. IfMindhunterwere to return, it would be a waste without the essential elements that made the show what it was.
Gossip Girl
Set among Manhattan’s elite, this drama series follows wealthy teenagers whose scandalous lives are exposed by an anonymous blogger. The show delves into themes of betrayal, ambition, and the complexities of high-society friendships, as the characters navigate interpersonal conflicts and personal aspirations.
In 2021, Max brought the iconic teen drama back to life with modern twists and updated scandals to thrill a new generation of audience members.Plenty of viewers were still nostalgic for the originalGossip Girl,and the 2021 iteration was the perfect opportunity to make up for some of the pitfalls that the original faced. However, after just two short seasons, the ratings and critical reception made its cancelation inevitable. Despite this, the popularity and success of the firstGossip Girlare too strong for the story to be put to bed forever.
Max bringing backGossip Girlcould be an exciting answer to the recent flood of interest in its other properties, likeSex and the CityandGirls.
One of the essential problems with theGossip Girlreboot was that, though it had the wealth and opulence that made its characters both aspirational and repugnant, it lacked the messy and trashy aspects to balance this. Max bringing backGossip Girlcould be an exciting answer to the recent flood of interest in its other properties, likeSex and the CityandGirls. There’s a clear path forward for the show, butit can’t fall victim to the polished and contrived plotting of the reboot’s first outing.
Our Flag Means Death
Created by David Jenkins and starring Rhys Darby and Taika Waititi, Our Flag Means Death blends romantic comedy with period drama on the high seas. Loosely based on real historical figures, the series chronicles the adventures of Stede Bonnet and the crew of the pirate ship Revenge, detailing their often hilarious exploits and encounters, including crossing paths with the infamous Blackbeard. The series received praise for its extensive and positive LGBTQ+ representation upon the first season’s release.
Taika Waititi has created and produced some successful TV series in the past few years, includingWhat We Do In The Shadowsand the canceled-too-soonReservation Dogs. However, though it’s unlikelyReservation Dogswill come back anytime soon, it’s possible that Waititi’s project that he also starred in,Our Flag Means Death, could make a comeback. After its initial cancelation on Max,the series was shopped to a few other streamers, but none picked it up at the time.However, the door is open for this possibility in the future.
Our Flag Means Deathis one of thebest period romance TV shows of the 2020s, alongside iconic series likeBridgertonandThe Great. Waititi’s show stood out among the rest because of how dedicated it was to creating positive and relatable LGBTQ+ representation that was seamlessly worked into the story.There is more interest in shows likeOur Flag Means Deathevery day,and if Waititi’s latest project,Time Bandits, is a success, it could meanOur Flag Means Deathcould be reevaluated for additional seasons.
Shadow and Bone
Shadow and Bone is a fantasy series set in a world divided by a barrier of darkness. Released on July 28, 2025, it follows a young soldier who discovers a unique power that could reunite her country amid a backdrop of scheming forces, including thugs, thieves, and assassins.
WhileShadow and Bonewas the trilogy that started it all, Bardugo’s second series in the Grishaverse is considered the superior installment of the franchise.
TheShadow and Boneseries made the wise choice to include the characters and story from Leigh Bardugo’s duology set in the same world asShadow and Bone,Six of Crows. WhileShadow and Bonewas the trilogy that started it all, Bardugo’s second series in the Grishaverse is considered the superior installment of the franchise. However,Netflix chose to simultaneously adapt both storiesand fit them into the same series. While this made sense on paper, it ended up slowing the show down and ruining the story’s pacing.
Audiences were devastated when Netflix canceledShadow and Bone, and there was a significant movement to save the series, even if it ultimately came to nothing. However, though the Crows have already been introduced inShadow and Bone, it’s likely thatviewers would be just as willing to watch a spinoff or revival that only focuses on the plots ofSix of CrowsandCrooked Kingdom. This would be a great way to draw audiences in without going back to the original story.
Outer Range
Created for Amazon Prime Video, Outer Range is a Sci-Fi and Western television series that began in 2022. The series was created by Brian Watkins and stars both Imogen Poots and Josh Brolin. The premise sees a Wyoming rancher trying to care for his farm and keep his land safe when a strange void shows up in one of his pastures.
Thanks to the popularity ofYellowstoneand its main spinoffs, the neo-Western genre has never been more popular, butOuter Rangeis not merely a weak copy of the well-known show.Outer Rangedoes much more than explore the trappings of the Old West in modern society.Transcending genre and audience expectations,Outer Rangeis more a sci-fi series than anything else,as it reveals in season 1 that time travel and multiple timelines are enormous parts of the narrative.
Josh Brolin plays the patriarch of the central family inOuter Range, but he’s hiding a dark secret, and his domestic problems are only heightened by the fact that there’s a murder and a time portal to contend with. Though season 2 only recently came out, Amazon Prime didn’t renew it for a third season, and this leaves the audience with many unanswered questions. However,it’s not too late for another streamer to swoop in and saveOuter Range,as it was just finding its footing as a series.
2Schmigadoon! (2021–2023)
The musical-comedy series needed to find its niche with audiences to continue.
Keegan-Michael Key and Cecily Strong play the hilarious leads inSchmigadoon!, the satirical musical-comedy show that appeals directly to fans of musical theater. Unfortunately, this isn’t the broadest audience base, but given time, it’s likely thatSchmigadoon!could have been a crossover hit thanks to its hilarious dialogue and amazing guest stars.Though many of the elements of the show were fantastical and unrealistic, the protagonists' entrance to the world ofSchmigadoon!from the real world kept it grounded with an element of realism.
If there’s a way forward forSchmigadoon!in the future, it could occur in the form of a reboot after the planned stage adaptation of the show in 2025.
Schmigadoon!was gaining traction after season 2, as the critical reception increased and the change in setting to a more upbeat and commercially popular musical style drew in larger audiences. However,the series remained an underrated hitand never had quite enough of a following to justify its budget. If there’s a way forward forSchmigadoon!in the future, it could occur in the form of a reboot after the planned stage adaptation of the show in 2025.
6 Action TV Shows Canceled Too Soon
Although a few effective action TV shows have a promising start, unfortunate circumstances have led to their unfair and premature cancellations.
GLOW
Based on the 1980s wrestling phenomenon of the same name, GLOW (aka Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling) is a comedy-drama series created by Netflix. It focuses on the women and people behind the unconventional new wrestling federation. The show follows three main characters, struggling actress Ruth Wilder, retried soap star Debbie Eagen, and director Sam Sylvia as they battle each other over how they wish to elevate their new project, all while dealing with the struggles of discrimination in entertainment during the 80s.
It was a shame when Netflix canceledGLOW, as TV series that feature women in leading roles both on and off camera are important projects for the industry and audience members. Alison Brie stars as Ruth, an actress who gets caught up in the world of women’s wrestling in the 1980s. WhileGLOWalready stood out thanks to its period piece setting and fun costumes,the series also asked deeper questions about the exploitation of women onscreen and the struggle for equality in the decade following the rise of second-wave feminism.
Initially,GLOWwas renewed for a fourth season, but because of the pandemic, the production was shut down,and viewers never saw the next installment of the story. However, this likely means that there is a script for season 4, and there’s a future where the characters come back together for one last run around the ring. There’s more to say and explore inGLOW, and while Netflix might have moved on from the series, audiences certainly haven’t.
