Gone but not forgotten - 32 TV shows that were cancelled too soon

Whether it's because of chilly weather outside or you just have some much-deserved time off, there's nothing like settling down for a good box-set binge-watch. 

There are the best British TV shows you want to rewatch time and time again, or perhaps you like to keep up with the streaming platform's newest hit shows. 

If you've exhausted your watchlist and are looking for something inspired, you might want to revisit some of these gems which were cancelled too soon and still have fans talking about what could have been.

32 iconic tv shows that got cancelled too soon

My So-Called Life

A pre-Romeo + Juliet Claire Danes plus the first openly gay teenager to appear on American network television are part of the legacy of this gem of a show which continues to find new fans despite only running for 19 episodes between 1994 and 1995.

Jared Leto also starred in the series as Claire Danes' teen crush.

Freaks and Geeks

Set in the 1980s at McKinley High, this cult classic show followed two different groups of teenagers, the Freaks with cool and charismatic Daniel Desario and tomboy Lindsay Weir and the Geeks with Lindsay's shy brother Sam, Bill Haverchuck, and wannabe ladies' man Neal Schweiber.

The show only ran for eighteen episodes but has developed legions of fans, thanks in part to the cast who’d go on to do great things, including Seth Rogen, Linda Cardellini, Busy Philipps and James Franco.  

Firefly

Any list of TV shows cancelled too soon nearly always includes this sci-fi classic that has gone on to earn legendary status despite only airing fourteen episodes in total between 2002 and 2003. 

Set 500 years in the future after a universal civil war, it was the brainchild of Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon.

GLOW

Critically acclaimed, the Netflix series followed a struggling actress, who ends up finding success in a professional wrestling promotion called the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (GLOW). 

GLOW was sadly a victim of Covid. In October 2020, show bosses Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch announced that the fourth season was cancelled as Netflix was trying to figure out how to get their shows back on track following the pandemic.

Devious Maids

Soapy, kitsch and full of scandal, Devious Maids was created by Desperate Housewives boss Marc Cherry and shared a very similar tone and style. 

Devious Maids managed a healthy four seasons, but its cancellation was still considered a shock to many fans, especially as they were left with quite the cliffhanger after the disappearance of one of the main characters at the end of season four.

The OA

Created by and starring Brit Marling, the Netflix series kicked off as Prairie, a young woman who has been missing for seven years, returns. Her sudden return is not the only miraculous occurrence - Prairie returns no longer blind. 

Cancelling the show after two seasons, fans were in uproar as they were left with more questions than answers. 

Creator Brit Marling responded to the widespread cries for more, writing on Instagram, "Your words and images move us deeply. Not because the show must continue, but because for some people its unexpected cancellation begs larger questions about the role of storytelling and its fate inside late capitalism’s push toward consolidation and economies of scale."

Mindhunter

David Fincher – who had directed the likes of Fight Club, Seven and Gone Girl – is one of the most celebrated filmmakers, so it’s only natural that audiences and critics alike were astounded that Netflix pulled the plug on his show, Mindhunter, after two seasons. 

The series followed FBI agents Holden Ford and Bill Tench, who attempt to understand and catch serial killers by studying their damaged psyches.

My Name is Earl

The comedy, starring Jason Lee as a petty criminal who tries to right his wrongs after misplacing a winning lottery ticket, aired for four seasons from 2005 to 2009.

Despite lasting longer than other shows on the list, fans were devastated when the acclaimed comedy was cancelled before season 5 and ended on a cliffhanger.

Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies

Set to be one of Paramount+’s major original series, Rise of the Pink Ladies took place in 1954, four years before the events of the iconic musical Grease. 

Boasting original music and incredible 50s fashion and set-pieces, it followed four students who came together to found the Pink Ladies. Not only was the show unceremoniously cancelled after one season, its sole series was removed from the streaming platform altogether. 

Perry Mason

The original Perry Mason series ran between 1957 and 1966 and focused on Raymond Burr’s defence lawyer with weekly one-hour episodes. 

In 2020, a prequel series set in 1932 launched, starring Matthew Rhys. 

Despite being a critical smash with a strong audience, the show was cancelled after two seasons.

A League of Their Own

In 2022, Amazon released a series adaptation of the 1992 film of the same name which starred Geena Davis and Madonna and focused on the formation of a WWII-era women’s baseball team. New characters and plots were written for the series. 

The series was intended to be renewed for a four-episode final season, but it was scrapped in 2023 due to the Writers Guild of America strike that shut down Hollywood.

The Baby-Sitters Club

Netflix had a bona fide hit on their hands with the 2020 series based on the books by Ann M. Martin. Running for two seasons and achieving a rare 100% Rotten Tomatoes score, the show starred Clueless’ Alicia Silverstone. 

Despite the acclaim, it’s reported that the show was cancelled due to audience numbers, as it ranked in Netflix’s Top 10 for just one week.

Anne with an E

Based on the classic 1908 book by Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables, the Netflix series was set in 1890 and focuses on Anne Shirley, a 13-year-old orphan. She is sent to live with an elderly spinster and her brother, and over time, she comes to change the lives of those around her. 

In a statement posted to her Instagram, creator and executive-producer Moira Walley-Beckett wrote, "I’m sorry for the sad Netflix/CBC news today. I wish it could be different but it cannot. We have reached the end of the red Green Gables road after three wonderful seasons."

The Get Down

A splashy, lavish series created by Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge, The Great Gatsby), the series follows a group of teenagers growing up around the birth of hip-hop and disco in New York City. 

Despite great reviews, the series was cancelled after one season.

1899

Mind-boggling horror show 1899 was celebrated as one of Netflix’s best original horror series when it first landed in 2022, but a solid Rotten Tomatoes score (77%) and strong word of mouth on social media weren't enough to stop it getting cancelled after just one series. 

One of the show’s creators, Baran bo Odar, broke the news on Instagram, writing, "With a heavy heart we have to tell you that 1899 will not be renewed. We would have loved to finish this incredible journey with a 2nd and 3rd season as we did with Dark. But sometimes things don’t turn out the way you planned."

The Afterparty

Detective shows and whodunnits tend to run for a long time when they connect – Murder, She Wrote, Columbo, etc. – and Apple TV appeared to have struck gold with one of the first original sleuthing shows of the streaming era. 

The Afterparty ran for two seasons, with each series following a different murder. Each episode revisited the murder but with a different format and from a different witness’s point-of-view. It landed a 92% score on Rotten Tomatoes but it was confirmed there wouldn’t be a third.

Lovecraft Country

The series is about a young black man who travels across the segregated United States in the 1950s in search of his missing father, learning of dark secrets plaguing a town on which famous horror writer H. P. Lovecraft supposedly based the location of many of his fictional tales. 

In James Andrew Miller's book, Tinderbox: HBO's Ruthless Pursuit of New Frontiers, different writers of the show claimed it was cancelled allegedly due to a toxic work environment, and not reflective of the show’s quality or reception.

Hannibal

Anthony Hopkins might have made Hannibal Lecter one of the most chilling cinematic villains of all time, but Mads Mikkelsen explored the role further in the TV series which acted as a prequel to The Silence of the Lambs. 

It showed Hannibal in his role as a forensic psychiatrist, with his part-time hobbies including his cannibalistic serial killer ways. It was a critical smash but ended after three seasons.

Pitch

Starring Saved by the Bell’s Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Mark Consuelos and Kylie Bunbury, Pitch was a well-reviewed series focusing on a young baseball pitcher who became the first woman to play in the Major Leagues. The show held 93% on Rotten Tomatoes but was cancelled after just one series.

High Fidelity

Based on the 1995 novel of the same name by Nick Hornby and its 2000 film adaptation, Hulu’s High Fidelity series (which streamed on Disney+ internationally) starred Zoë Kravitz as Robyn 'Rob' Brooks, a young record store owner who revisits her past relationships through music and popular culture. 

Zoe’s mother, Lisa Bonet, appeared in the original film. The series wasn’t renewed for a second season.

Agent Carter

In the series, Peggy Carter must balance life as a secret agent with that of a single woman in 1940s America, as she also contends with the idea that her boyfriend, Steve Rogers aka Captain America, is feared dead. 

Despite a positive critical response and the fact that the series tied in with several other characters from the popular Marvel Cinematic Universe, viewership fell and in 2016, the show was cancelled.

Scream Queens

With a stacked cast – Emma Roberts, Jamie Lee Curtis, Glen Powell – and a hilarious concept – a campy, politically incorrect take on the horror genre, Scream Queens only made it to two seasons before being given the axe. 

Per Screen Rant, co-creator Brad Falchuk (married to Gwyneth Paltrow) thought that the show was simply ahead of its time, and would find a stronger audience on streaming.

The Big Door Prize

Apple TV’s high-concept sci-fi series followed a small town forever changed when a mysterious machine appears, promising to reveal everyone's true potential. It was based on a novel by M.O. Walsh and starred Bridesmaid actor Chris O’Dowd. 

Despite high praise and a frustrating cliffhanger ending for the second series, the streaming platform confirmed it would not be renewing The Big Door Prize for another season.

Gossip Girl

Technically Gossip Girl 2.0 since the first iteration of the series ran for six seasons between 2007 and 2012, the reboot of the series never really had time to flourish like the first time around. 

The reboot featured a new cast of characters but was cancelled after two seasons. Fans and critics were warming up to the show after an initial slower start just as it was cut short.

Schmigadoon!

On paper, the curtain never should have come down for Schmigadoon! A hilariously over-the-top parody series spoofing multiple musicals and boasting an impressive cast of Broadway stars and TV favourites including Jane Krakowski, Aaron Tveit, Ariana DeBose, Tituss Burgess and Kristin Chenoweth, Apple TV confirmed that the show wouldn’t be returning for a third season in January 2024.

Santa Clarita Diet

A Netflix show fronted by Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant, Santa Clarita Diet was a trippy, horror-comedy that debuted in 2017. Drew played a housewife who discovers a new way of life that leaves her looking and feeling better than ever... it just requires her to drink human blood. 

In a statement in 2019, show creators Victor Fresco and Tracy Katsky confirmed Netflix had pulled the plug. “Like our audience, we were all-in on Sheila and Joel. Their relationship, in the face of incredible adversity, was inspiring to write and to watch. Mostly, they were funny, which in a comedy is important…Netflix took a chance on this odd show and for that, we will always be grateful. They were supportive, ever positive, and appreciative of our work. Until about noon today.”

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip was poised to be the next big thing when it debuted in 2006. 

Starring Matthew Perry and written by the West Wing’s Aaron Sorkin, the show never quite lived up to its potential with critics of viewers. It ended up being cancelled after one series, becoming Aaron Sorkin's only series not to air for more than one season.

SMASH

A musical series about putting on a Broadway musical, SMASH was an all-singing critical darling when it first debuted in 2012. With a cast made up of bona fide Broadway talent like Megan Hilty and Leslie Odom Jr, TV royalty like Debra Messing and Hollywood icons including Anjelica Huston, the show followed a cast of creatives attempting to stage a new musical inspired by Marilyn Monroe. 

Despite a promising start, the show only lasted two seasons.

Bunheads

Bunheads was the second TV show created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, best known for creating and writing Gilmore Girls. And Bunheads, like Gilmore Girls, was set in a quaint small town filled with quirky characters. There was even the crossover of Kelly Bishop starring in both (as matriarch Emily Gilmore and as head of the ballet school, Fanny Flowers, in Bunheads). 

However, Bunheads never quite drew the same level of popularity as Gilmore Girls and was cancelled after 18 episodes.

Pushing Daisies

Centred on a pie-maker named Ned who has the strange ability to bring back the dead with a simple touch (only… another life must be taken if he doesn’t then touch them again to re-kill them) Pushing Daisies was a wholly original series that debuted to widespread critical acclaim in 2007. 

The series even received 17 Emmy nominations, with seven wins. Starring Lee Pace, Anna Friel and Kristin Chenoweth, the show is often cited as one of the biggest casualties in the 2007/8 Writers Guild of America strike.

Gentleman Jack

After two seasons and rave reviews, the BBC One and HBO series, Gentleman Jack, was cancelled. The show starred Suranne Jones and is based on the diaries of real-life Yorkshire landowner and queer icon Anne Lister. 

Despite plenty of success and a dedicated following, the show was axed after two seasons. 

"HBO will not be moving forward with a third season of Gentleman Jack," the network said in a statement. "When we began this journey more than five years ago, we knew the series’ creator Sally Wainwright had a uniquely compelling vision, and it’s been tremendously gratifying to see how Anne Lister’s journey has resonated with viewers."

The Society

Netflix went all in with a high-concept 2019 series about a bunch of high school students who return home from a camping trip following a storm to realise that all of the adults have gone missing. A modern take on Lord of the Flies, the show was a huge success… but was never picked up for a second series, leaving fans on a major cliffhanger and without any answers. 

"We’ve made the difficult decision not to move forward with second seasons of The Society," reps for Netflix said in a statement in August 2020. "We’re disappointed to have to make these decisions due to circumstances created by COVID."