It’s safe to say that after enduring all the hard work it takes to produce a TV series, everyone involved in the project wants it to be a success, the audience sticks to every episode and deserves the best possible reviews. In general, these projects are extremely demanding and require a huge investment of time and money, so it’s very rewarding to feel validated after a season’s premiere, especially if those positive results lead to a renewal for another season. And while there are many series that can position themselves among audience favorites from the start, many others follow a much rockier path.
Some shows start strong but lose momentum along the way, while others go the other way: their first season starts off on the wrong foot, but they manage to pick up their pace in the next. Unfortunately, due to TV’s time constraints, networks aren’t always willing to let these series establish themselves, so they end up canceling them out of the blue.
Hundreds of series have been canceled over the years, only a few of which have been picked up by another network. Since recent years, with the increasing number of shows available on streaming platforms, cancellations have become more and more common. The vast majority of these productions end too abruptly, unable to properly complete their characters’ stories, greatly angering audiences that the series followed episode by episode. Here are eight TV series that were canceled before their time.
8/8 Glowworm
Glowworm is a TV series created and produced by Joss Whedon, who also created the hit show Buffy the vampire killer. This production, which premiered in 2002, is set in the year 2517 and follows a group of humans who arrive in a new planetary system on the Serenity starship led by Malcolm Reynolds (Natham Fillion). Joining Fillion in the cast are Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin, Adam Baldwin, Jewel Staite, Sean Maher, Summer Glau and Ron Glass. Glowworm was canceled before the first season ended, but built one huge fan base. For that reason, Whedon directed several years after its premiere Serenitya film that concluded the show’s story.
7/8 I’m not good with this
Originally renewed for a second season, the 2020 series I’m not good with this was eventually canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All in all, quite a shame, given the critical acclaim this production based on the graphic novel by Charles Forsman received. I’m not good with this plays Sophia Lillis, and follows Sydney, a teenager who, on top of typical problems her age, discovers she has mysterious telekinetic powers as she mourns the death of her father. Joining Lillis in the cast are Wyatt Olef, Sofia Bryant and Kathleen Rose Perkins.
6/8 The OA
Brit Marling shines The OA as Prairie, a blind girl who returns to her community after a seven-year disappearance with a big surprise: she now calls herself “the OA” and has mysteriously regained her sight, though she is unwilling to reveal what happened in that years exactly. Created by Marling and Zal Batmanglij, this production was originally planned as a five-season show. However, it was canceled after only two seasons, and although the show’s fans tried to keep it going through social network petitions, they were unsuccessful.
5/8 Santa Clarita Diet
In 2017, audiences went wild when they found out that Drew Barrymore would star in the horror-comedy TV series Santa Clarita Diet. Created by Victor Fresco, the production follows Sheila and Joel, a married realtor couple whose lives are turned upside down when she develops zombie-like symptoms. While trying to resolve this situation, the family does everything they can to help Sheila cope with her hunger for fresh meat. Barrymore stars alongside Timothy Olyphant, Liv Hewson and Skyler Gisondo. During the three seasons on the air, Santa Clarita Diet received critical acclaim, but was unexpectedly canceled by Netflix in 2019.
4/8 Sentence8
Sentence8The cancellation of the series is probably the most surprising in this list, especially considering the series’ overwhelming success with audiences. Created by Lana and Lilly Wachowski along with J. Michael Straczynski, this production follows eight people from different parts of the world who don’t know each other, but discover that they are connected, emotionally and mentally. Sentence8 ran for two critically acclaimed seasons on Netflix, but was canceled in 2017 without completing the story, angering fans. After much controversy, Netflix finally got the message and released a two-hour special to wrap up the show. And while it wasn’t exactly what fans were hoping for, it at least gave them some closure.
3/8 Freaks and Geeks
Freaks and Geeks starred Linda Cardellini, James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, Busy Phillips, and John Francis Daley, among others, and the show was partly responsible for boosting the careers of these great actors, who were young promises at the time. Created by Paul Feig, this production follows a group of college students going through their teenage years, with all that entails. At the time of its premiere, it did not attract as large an audience as expected, so it was canceled midway through its first season. Yet it became a cult classic over the years and enjoys a large fan base worldwide to this day.
2/8 Pitch
Pitch was one of the most anticipated series of 2016, and one of the highest rated of the year. Created by Dan Fogelman and Rick Singer, it follows Ginny Baker (Kylie Bunbury), the first woman ever to play in Major League Baseball. She is joined in the cast by Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Mark Consuelos, Mo McRae, Meagan Holder, Tim Jo, Dan Lauria and Ali Larter. although PitchGinny’s first season was highly praised, the show was eventually canceled because it didn’t reach the audience level Fox hoped for, so Ginny’s story was left unfinished.
1/8 The community
Rounding out this list is a TV show that, while successful, also suffered the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The community is a Netflix production created by Christopher Keyser and starring Kathryn Newton, Gideon Adlon, Sean Berdy, Olivia DeJonge, and Natasha Liu Bordizzo, among others. Premiering in 2019, it follows a group of teenagers in West Ham, Connecticut, who must learn to organize themselves as a community in order to survive after the unexpected disappearance of the adults and the rest of the town’s residents. at first, The community received critical acclaim and was renewed for a second season. However, due to the pandemic, the show was canceled in 2020.