TV shows that were canceled before we got to know the ending

Shows that kept us hanging
Unexpected endings
Santa Clarita Diet (Netflix)
Lois & Clarke: The New Adventures of Superman (ABC)
GLOW (Netflix)
V (NBC)
Hannibal (NBC)
Flashforward (ABC)
I Am Not Okay with This (Netflix)
Las Vegas (NBC)
Pushing Daisies (ABC)
My Name is Earl (NBC)
Penny Dreadful (Showtime)
My So-Called Life (ABC)
The Tomorrow People (The CW)
Kyle XY (ABC)
Dead Like Me (FOX)
Popular (The CW) 
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (Netflix)
John Doe (FOX)
Reunion (FOX)
Sense8 (Netflix)
Agent Carter (ABC)
The OA (Netflix) 
Prodigal Son (FOX)
Shows that kept us hanging

Nowadays, canceling a TV show seems to be as easy as announcing it on Twitter. Viewer numbers are the measure to evaluate if a show continues or gets canceled. And they must be really high for a series to make it to the next season.

Picture: Glow / Netflix

Unexpected endings

The problem arises when the canceled show has a cliffhanger or leaves some plots to be resolved. For dozens of those series, we will never know the ending or what was really going on behind all the drama.

Picture: Sense8 / Netflix

Santa Clarita Diet (Netflix)

After three hilarious seasons (2017-2019), the zombie Sheila (Drew Barrymore) and her husband Joel (Timothy Olyphant) had to say goodbye to the audience. Right when Sheila bites her husband in the ear and he is supposed to become a zombie as well… the series got canceled!

Picture: Netflix

Lois & Clarke: The New Adventures of Superman (ABC)

Four seasons culminated in Lois and Clark's (Teri Hatcher and Dean Cain) wedding and left us with an image of a Kryptonian baby on their doorstep. Even though ABC announced another season, the show ended up getting canceled.

GLOW (Netflix)

Due to the pandemic, this incredible show that only improved with each of its three seasons was canceled. In October 2020, Netflix announced that the female wrestling show wasn't going to continue, even though it had renewed GLOW for another season only months prior.

Picture: Netflix

V (NBC)

Although it now seems as if it lasted for ages, the iconic lizard show had only one season. The open ending still has people mad since 1984.

Hannibal (NBC)

The TV adaptation by Bryan Fuller gifted us with three amazing seasons. Hugh Dancy and Mads Mikkelsen had incredible on-screen chemistry, but when the audience numbers didn't add up, NBC canceled the show.

Picture: NBC

Flashforward (ABC)

For 137 seconds, humanity lost consciousness and saw a glimpse of its future. The first and only season of the show not only was amazing but had us all hooked. The last episode ended with a major cliffhanger… And nothing.

I Am Not Okay with This (Netflix)

The show had a lot of potential and Sophia Lillis, who played the protagonist, delivered an amazing performance. The show starts with the death of her father and ends when she meets another person with telekinetic powers. It was a shame to end the first season (and the last one) at that very moment.

Picture: Netflix

Las Vegas (NBC)

After five seasons, NBC announced that they were canceling the show. The channel also cut down the last season from its usual 22 episodes to just 17. The creator of the show was so angry that he purposely left a cliffhanger in the last episode with a 'To Be Continued' screen…

Pushing Daisies (ABC)

This series, also by director Bryan Fuller, centered on the life of Lee Pace who could bring people back to life just by touching them. Two seasons later, the show had to end abruptly, and people were not happy about it.

My Name is Earl (NBC)

After four very successful seasons, the final episode ended with a 'To Be Continued' sign. However, the show didn't come back for a new season.

Penny Dreadful (Showtime)

Having characters from gothic English literature in a show was indeed a wonderful idea. It worked well for three seasons and people loved Eva Green's performance as Vanessa Yves. However, once the show was canceled, the ending felt rushed and left many characters without a real resolution.

 

My So-Called Life (ABC)

Claire Danes has been a star since this 1994 coming-of-age show. At its beginning, Angela, the protagonist, receives a mysterious letter. At least in the last episode of the first and last season of the show, we get to find out who wrote said letter. But whatever happened to her sweetheart Jordan Catalano (Jared Leto)?

The Tomorrow People (The CW)

A group of twenty-something people who have superpowers and are hunted down by scientists could be a 10-season premise. And yet, The CW canceled the show before it made it to a second season.

Kyle XY (ABC)

The young man without a belly button, memories, or known family didn't continue for a fourth season and the series ended abruptly.

Dead Like Me (FOX)

Another great Bryan Fuller show that didn't get further than the second season, 'Dead Like Me' had a great script and introduced the topic of death excellently in every episode. Yet, the ending felt unresolved.

Picture: FOX

Popular (The CW) 

This teen show by Ryan Murphy had two seasons and was canceled right when the popular Queen Bee leaves the prom dance and gets hit by another character's car.

 

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (Netflix)

The show had an incredible '80s feel to it. 'The Dark Crystal' exuded quality and soul and was praised by critics. However, it was too expensive for Netflix and got canceled. Although we know the ending thanks to the movie it was based on, it was a pity not to see it displayed on the small screen.

Picture: Netflix

John Doe (FOX)

In 2002, Dominic Purcell wakes up without clothes and can't remember who he is. The first season ends when the protagonist finds out that his friend belongs to an organization that may shed some light on what happened to him. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see more.

Reunion (FOX)

Six high school friends reunite after 20 years and one of them is murdered. All of them are now suspects. In each episode, we can see what went on with each of their lives, but in the end, we never get to discover who was the murderer.

Sense8 (Netflix)

This is one of Netflix's shows with the most fans in history. Yet, it was canceled only after two seasons. The show focused on diversity, love, and the LGBTQ+ community but it was too expensive to continue. Fans will probably never forgive the platform for that.

Picture: Netflix

Agent Carter (ABC)

Before Disney +, Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) knew how to carry a show throughout two seasons. ABC decided to cancel the series 'Agent Carter' right when the protagonist was bleeding to death, and we never get to discover who shot her.

 

The OA (Netflix) 

The show was equally weird and fascinating. The last episode (which aired in 2019) was a total shock and left the audience with even more questions. But Netflix showed no mercy, and the series was canceled.

Picture: Netflix

Prodigal Son (FOX)

This FOX show depicts an FBI profiler whose father is a serial killer, 'The Surgeon.' From jail, the father helps his son to solve murders, however, the last episode of the second season ends with the son stabbing the father. How could anyone cancel a show with such a cliffhanger??

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