7 Canceled Shows That Deserve A Second Chance
Every year, a new crop of TV shows shuffles off this mortal coil and slips away into streaming heaven, doomed to buffer forever. Sometimes we prepare for their deaths; other times, the shows die in shocking fashion. (Especially if they’re on Netflix.) In any case, there are hundreds of series that fans wish would earn a reboot or a final season, if anything just to wrap things up. To that end, here are some all-timers that we wish would grace our screens again. And don’t get salty if we miss your fave: There’s only so much room in one article.
The Great
How dare they cancel this after three seasons (“they” being Hulu)? This satirical sendup of Catherine the Great’s reign was already firing on all cylinders when it entered Season 3 in 2023, but it somehow surpassed itself. By killing off one of its main characters, the expletive-laden show sent the Russian monarchy into a spiral of madness, inspiring an awe-inspiring performance from Elle Fanning. Then, the meme-able ending, which weirdly predicted the meme-able ending of Saltburn, left several plot threads hanging.
GLOW
Fans were infuriated when Netflix canceled this 1980s-set series about the world of women’s wrestling, citing Covid-19 lockdowns as a pretext. Alison Brie and Betty Gilpin were unforgettable in their roles, bringing nuance to a story that was already a layered take on modern feminism. On top of that, the show was just fun, with a rich tapestry of supporting characters coloring its world. At least we can be glad it launched Gilpin’s career and allowed her to make Peacock’s one-of-a-kind Mrs. Davis.
Shadow and Bone
Another recent casualty of Netflix’s cruelty. Despite its vocal, active fanbase, this series – based on the Grishaverse by Leigh Bardugo – lasted only two seasons. Not only did this frothy, intricate fantasy series end on a maddening cliffhanger, but it never had a chance to develop its fan-favorite queer romance that had just started to blossom.
Happy Endings
This show is hard to explain because its elevator pitch – Friends but make it Chicago – doesn’t exactly inspire FOMO. But the jokes came a mile a minute on this show, with the bonus that they preserved a window into mid-aughts popular culture. Plus, the show nearly revolutionized pop culture depictions of queer people, blessing viewers with loveable gay Max, who was a slob with a beer belly. You must remember that, at this time, most gay characters on TV were in the Jack McFarland vein. In any case, Happy Endings did not live up to its title, and it faded away after three seasons.
One of Us is Lying
OK, we didn’t say that all these shows were Emmy-worthy. Instead, Peacock’s One of Us is Lying was just solid popcorn entertainment with intriguing mysteries and hot main characters. But it departed us in 2022 after only two seasons, leaving a maddening “To Be Continued…” that will haunt viewers for the rest of time.
Reboot
How ironic that we’re clamoring for a show called Reboot to get another season. But we promise that we’re not just doing this for the meta of it all. Reboot, which ran for only one season in 2022, earned two Critics’ Choice nominations, including one for Best Comedy Series – and for good reason. This show was consistently hilarious in its skewering of Hollywood, remakes, and, well, reboots, and it inexplicably starred both Rachel Bloom from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Johnny Knoxville of Jackass. You rooted for the writers and actors on the show’s fictional rebooted sitcom, even as they faced impossible circumstances, and its premature cancellation implied that Hulu never gave it a good chance to begin with.
A Black Lady Sketch Show
We should probably just be grateful that we got four seasons of this show, for in that time, BLSS blessed us with sketches about not only black hair and Hoteps, but Jesus, the apocalypse, and Patti LaBelle. But that didn’t make the news of this show’s cancellation any more palatable. Courtroom Kiki and Bad Bitch Support Group (starring Angela Bassett!!) are absolute classics of televisual cinema.