Top 10 cancelled TV shows of the past few years

Lots of great scripted shows have been canceled this season, as well as in the past few years, with networks opting for cheap, horrible reality shows, and as a TV show freak I can only be disappointed.

This is my list of the top 10 canceled shows. It only includes shows from the past two to three seasons because I don't know many old series that were canceled.

So here goes:



10. Firefly (FOX)

Why FOX, why? Why on Earth would you cancel such an awesome show after just eleven episodes?

Firefly was everything every science-fiction fan looks for in a television show. I mean is there something more kickass than a renegade crew living in a small spaceship, five-hundred years in the future, traveling across unknown galaxies? I don't think so.

And the fact that FOX canceled it with the "low ratings excuse", after airing the episodes out of the intended order and after not airing three of the original fourteen episodes (which in my opinion are of vital importance to fully understand the show), makes me sick.

Fortunately, Serenity, a spin-off movie of the series, was released in 2005, and while Firefly fans may not be satisfied, a spin-off movie's better than nothing.

9. The Dresden Files (SCI-FI)

Okay, before the fans of the books start to attack me (if there are any on the forums): The series wasn't as good as the books (even though to date I only read Storm Front) but it was pretty kickass. We don't have enough wizards on TV, let alone wizards who are also Chicago P.I.'s.

I also think we can all agree Paul Blackthorne is a great actor and that the series had a loyal, though small, following. But you can't expect a huge fan-base from a cable show, let alone a show airing on the Sci-Fi network.

It is unknown to this very day why the show was canceled.

8. Back to You (FOX)

Once again, FOX is canceling another great show. They announced it last week, and while this sit-com may cost more than others to produce, I think its quality is superior to that of 'Til Death, which FOX decided to renew instead of Back to You.

I mean, names such as Kelsey Grammer, Patricia Heaton and Christopher Lloyd (producer/screenwriter of cult shows such as Frasier and Wings) should be enough to convince FOX to keep this amazing comedy, but I guess they're not.

I hope the producers find another home for the show soon.

7. New Amsterdam (FOX)

This may not have been a brilliant show, but I thought the plot was great.

I agree on the fact that the show was very repetitive and not-at-all innovative regarding the whole cop sub-plot, but what people don't understand is that the show wasn't about that as much as it was about the idea of a four-hundred-year-old Dutch soldier, cursed with immortality, living in present-day New York City.

I thought the flashbacks regarding Amsterdam's "previous lives" (and the way they're connected to the present) were very entertaining, as well as the series itself.

I don't quite understand how FOX expected to show to have good ratings after they changed its timeslot to Mondays at 9, having possibly one of the worst shows in history, Canterbury's Law, as its lead-in.

Still the show managed to get decent ratings, never hitting numbers lower than 7 million. But FOX still decided to erase the show from the face of the Earth, and the saddest thing is that this show does not have any kind of hope of having a continuation unlike the other shows I listed before.

6. Journeyman (NBC)

Out of all the shows I posted until now, I think this one is the one with the most talent. It is definitely the one with the best plot and the most entertaining.

Unlike other time-travel shows, Journeyman isn't excessively repetitive, and unlike most shows on TV right now, it's a show you can watch with pretty much everyone, being it family, friends, etc.

It's a drama but the show is made in a way that you don't feel like it's a drama. It's so entertaining you could watch all the episodes back-to-back without getting bored. I know I did.

NBC canceled it because of bad ratings, even though the show didn't do bad when it had Heroes as its lead-in, averaging 7 million viewers, with its premiere getting a series-high 10 million, which is actually pretty good considering the show aired Mondays on the 10 PM timeslot.

It also did pretty good in other countries, especially the UK.

Nonetheless, this superb scripted series was canceled in order to produce yet some more useless reality shows. Way to go NBC!

5. Futurama (FOX)

I think we all know and love this one.

I cannot understand why on earth FOX canceled it. Someone may want to explain it to me.

Thank God at least we have five seasons (and four upcoming movies) of what probably is one of the greatest animated series of all time.

4. The 4400 (USA)

It doesn't get much better than this for a cable show.

The 4400 had everything a successful show is supposed to have: a good cast, an amazing plot, a great set of writers. And a few months ago we all thought it actually was a successful show, until USA Network canceled it for no apparent reason.

It really came out of nowhere, I mean, how many times does a successful show get canceled after four seasons on the air, without a proper ending?

We'll see if they bring it back on another network or if this awesome show officially dies.

3. Jericho (CBS)

There is absolutely no way of accepting the fact that this show was canceled. Then add the fact that it was replaced by "The Secret Talents of the Stars" and you got yourself breaking furniture and throwing it all over the house.

The first season of this show was probably one of the best seasons in the history of TV. The second season was weaker but captivating nonetheless. And of course, this show did not deserve to be canceled for any reason in the world.

I am sorry if I am being repetitive, but replacing what in my opinion is the best apocalyptic drama of all-time with a reality show about the "secret talents of the stars"? Not cool, CBS, especially considering Jericho has one of the most loyal fan-bases in the industry.

The best thing is, CBS never wanted the show to work. That's why they canceled it last season and that's why they canceled it again this season: They put it in a 10 PM timeslot, against well-established shows and with a lead-in that targets a different demographic.

It looks like they're "trying to find Jericho a new home" but I wouldn't bet on it and I think they're just saying that because otherwise they would be getting another ten tonnes of nuts in their headquarters. We'll just have to wait and see.

2. Moonlight (CBS)

The newest victim of CBS, Moonlight is a new approach to vampire shows. It illustrates the vampire world in a similar yet completely different way than other vampire shows (Buffy, Angel, Forever Knight), focusing more on the relationships they have with other vampires and with humans, all mixed with a great crime sub-plot.

Also worth a mention are the great cast, starring Aussie Alex O'Loughlin as the main character and the beautiful Sophia Myles as his love interest, with Jason Dohring and Shannyn Sossamon being the main two recurring characters, as well as producer Joel Silver (Lethal Weapon, Predator, Die Hard, The Matrix).

CBS practically killed this show since the beginning, putting it in the Friday night time-slot. And even though the show practically won its timeslot every night it aired (also winning the night several times), with an exceptional (considering it aired on Friday nights) 8 million average viewers, CBS didn't even blink when it came to canceling this amazing show.

They're supposedly looking for another network to host the show, The CW among others, being it partially owned by CBS.

1.Traveler (ABC)

Most of you don't know this show, and that proves the fact that ABC did a lousy job at promoting it.

Traveler is most definitely my favorite show ever, and the fact that it was canceled after just eight episodes makes me want to go to the ABC headquarters and punch every single exec in the face. Twice.

It has a great cast, not meaning it has great names (you may however recognize actors such as Steven Culp, Neal McDonough, Anthony Ruivivar and William Sadler) but meaning every single actor is perfect for the role they're playing.

Traveler is, by far, the greatest conspiracy-drama I have ever seen in my entire life, including movies, documentaries, etc. It's shot, it's made in a way that you just can't watch one episode without wanting to watch more. I watched all eight episodes in one night, without even having to drink one sip of coffee. Its plot is so captivating you just feel like you're part of the story too.

ABC obviously didn't want the show to work (for political reasons maybe?), airing it not only in the summer but also in the deadly 10 PM timeslot. Still the show managed to score a decent (considering it was summer) 5 million average viewers during the months of May through July, with the series' pilot scoring 9 million viewers and only one episode scoring lower than 4 million.

Now fans like me have to live with the fact that this one-of-a-kind show will probably never be revived and just settle with the series of answers about the show the creator, Dave DiGilio, provided us.



Be sure to check out any of these shows if you haven't already, and post your own top ten. Scripted shows only.

Arrested Development. (Your list fails for not including this.)

Tru Calling. (Don't worry FOX, we don't need you to air or release any of the final episodes, we're good with not ever seeing the epic confrontation between Fate and Choice they were setting up.)
Deadwood. (Never going to get the movies apparently.)
Star Trek: Enterprise. (You call that a finale?!?)
The Knights of Prosperity. (Especially since it had finally found its groove and gotten out from under Mick Jagger.)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wX6Rx96eso[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSTdVUL3dPE[/youtube]
Manhatten, AZ (Thank Darko for Hulu!)

Back to You was on the wrong network, should've been on CBS (who made the show) but Fox offered more money. Not a good sign when their previous longest running non-animated sitcom was the abhorrent The War at Home. I don't mind 'Til Death, I liked the two shows together.

The worst part about Firefly's cancellation is that it gave Joss Whedon free time to take on too many comic projects and now we haven't seen an issue of Runaways for what feels like three years. Although the Serenity and Buffy ones haven't been bad.

Arrested Development. (Your list fails for not including this.)

I knew I missed something. Do you have any idea why it was canceled?

I read somewhere it was because the last season had a 4 million-viewers-average, but maybe there's more to it... Then again it was on FOX, so it could've been anything.

On a side note, I liked Deadwood too. There's not a lot of shows like it. Only one I can think about is Rome, but Deadwood's setting and plot were much better.

Still I can't understand the reason behind the cancelation of a show that's been on the air for three seasons, has won Eight Emmy's and a Golden Globe, and that is practically one of the best cable shows in the past twenty years.

It never caught on, it wouldn't work with the animated block, so FOX tried to set it off on its own with Kitchen Confidential, but they went up against Monday Night Football. Then they killed Kitchen Confidential and waited to air the final four episodes on one night, when basically only Arrested fans watched it.

The show was probably too complex, even G4 couldn't get ratings out of it. (Airing the seasons out of order didn't help them.) The multi-arcs and continuity, all the "hidden" references and callbacks are not things that were standard in American sitcoms. The characters were probably too unlikeable for people who want characters who aren't horrible people with no or perverted morals in their shows. It's the opposite of the shows it was put betweeen at launch (Simpsons, Family Guy) which pretty much dismiss each episode after it's happened.

The Office did horribly on it's first run out too, but NBC stuck by it and promoted the heck out of it instead of cutting it back. Now their Earl-Scrubs-Office-30 Rock block is basically the end victory of the laugh-trackless, more pomo style sitcoms. (Although the ratings on them aren't amazing or anything.)

Most of these shows would have done much better today than when they were out. Especially with the move to counting webviews into the ratings now, especially from NBC which is why they've stuck behind things like Heroes and the Office and made sure they were on the website to view. The guy who backed Earl, Office, Heroes against ratings is now at FOX, so they may change their past of killing shows dead. (He's also the guy who pushed The Shield, Nip/Tuck, etc. at FX)

He's already signed on a show from the Arrested creator, as well as Whedon's latest, plus J.J. Abrams newest series.

EDIT: Can't get the forum to properly link the last two, so here are the links to copy/paste:
Hurwitz: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Class_Dismissed
Whedon: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dollhouse_(TV_series)
Abrams: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fringe_(TV_Series)

He's already signed on a show from the Arrested creator, as well as Whedon's latest, plus J.J. Abrams newest series.

EDIT: Can't get the forum to properly link the last two, so here are the links to copy/paste:
Hurwitz: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Class_Dismissed
Whedon: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dollhouse_(TV_series)
Abrams: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fringe_(TV_Series)

I just finished reading the premises of Fringe and Dollhouse on the FOX website and I'm looking forward to see both shows. I hope we get the pre-airs this summer like we did last year.

Don't know about Sit Down Shut Up, though. The whole "animation set against a live-action backdrop" thing is way too innovative, in my opinion, to last on TV, let alone a very high-profile network like FOX.

Also, Courtroom K, from producer Paul Attanasio (House MD) sounds interesting (I hope it's not identical to House, though), as well as Lie to Me, from producer Brian Grazer (Arrested Development, 24, as well as A Beautiful Mind and American Gangster, among others).

You can see the schedule for the 2008-09 season here.

fox has gotta be the worst station. the main reason all thier shows fail is cause they constantly change the schedule. both family guy and futurama suffered greatly from this.

Futurama is the only show mentioned so far that I watch/watched, I wholeheartedly agree it's overdue for a "proper" return. Surely, their efforts would be better than the Family Guy spinoff starring Cleveland that's coming later this year.

haha I knew you'd include Journeyman when i read the title.
man, I loved that show.


they cancelled New Amdsterdam?? that's pretty lame. I was really getting into it as my Journeyman replacement. people just don't know good tv nowadays.

You've always got Mackey to look forward to. (For a last season, but still...)

Jericho was a great show and I hated how they finished it the way they did.
There have been rumours that some other channel or something is trying to buy it or something....I cross my fingers they are, but I doubt it.

1.Traveler (ABC)

Most of you don't know this show, and that proves the fact that ABC did a lousy job at promoting it.

Traveler is most definitely my favorite show ever, and the fact that it was canceled after just eight episodes makes me want to go to the ABC headquarters and punch every single exec in the face. Twice.

It has a great cast, not meaning it has great names (you may however recognize actors such as Steven Culp, Neal McDonough, Anthony Ruivivar and William Sadler) but meaning every single actor is perfect for the role they're playing.

Traveler is, by far, the greatest conspiracy-drama I have ever seen in my entire life, including movies, documentaries, etc. It's shot, it's made in a way that you just can't watch one episode without wanting to watch more. I watched all eight episodes in one night, without even having to drink one sip of coffee. Its plot is so captivating you just feel like you're part of the story too.

ABC obviously didn't want the show to work (for political reasons maybe?), airing it not only in the summer but also in the deadly 10 PM timeslot. Still the show managed to score a decent (considering it was summer) 5 million average viewers during the months of May through July, with the series' pilot scoring 9 million viewers and only one episode scoring lower than 4 million.

Now fans like me have to live with the fact that this one-of-a-kind show will probably never be revived and just settle with the series of answers about the show the creator, Dave DiGilio, provided us.

I'm the only person I know, other than my family, who watched that show. I really enjoyed it.

I think the Cleveland spin-off talk could be spun off from this thread as it is a show that hasn't even come out yet, and this is about cancelled shows.

Last edited by benji on Thu May 22, 2008 7:45 am, edited 1 time in total.

Absolutely, we did get a bit off-track there. If anyone feels inclined to continue talking about the new show feel free to create a new thread. Personally, I don't have any further comment on it at this time.

Could you just split the posts off into a new thread?

I suppose I could. I originally brought it up as a tangent that was related to the topic at hand which is why I've left the posts here, though as I said agree we got off-track so any further discussion should take place in a new thread, if anyone feels so-inclined.

Use JaoSming's post as the post to start the split thread from. It does contain a quote of the original "Cleveland Show" mention.

I suppose I might as well. Done.

I heard that the Terminator TV series only had 9 episodes for its first season.

I heard that the Terminator TV series only had 9 episodes for its first season.

Because it sucked?

On another note, been getting into Arrested Development. This thread made me get around to starting watching it, and now I'm hooked. 10 episodes in 3 days.

I heard that the Terminator TV series only had 9 episodes for its first season.

Yet they renewed it for a second season, even if the production costs are unbelievably high and the ratings went down from eighteen million to less than eight. Not to mention the fact that, as Lamrock already said, the show sucked monkey balls.

I'm very pleased to see Firefly on your list <glances down at his signature>. However.... I am of the firm belief that it is one of the best television shows ever, aside from being one of the best cancelled ones, so it would definitely be much higher than #10 (if not #1) on my list.... if I made one... which I won't, because I'm lazy.

You actually gave me the idea for this thread when I saw your sig.

Firefly is indeed the best show on my list when it comes to quality (the direction, writing, acting and editing of the series were top notch) but I guess the fact that the show actually has a continuation (the movie Serenity, as well as two comic books were based on the series/take place after the series' ending) influenced its position on my list.

Also, I guess it comes to personal preference, I personally liked Traveler, as well as other shows on my list, more than Firefly.

EDIT: Just found out on the IMDb boards that Becker was also kind of canceled. This would change my whole list...

Anyone can confirm? I never actually saw the final season of the show so I don't know how badly it ended.

Apparently it was supposed to be cancelled after the fifth season but CBS changed their minds at the last minute and renewed it for a sixth season, which ended with a traditional finale type episode.