LindaL100

Hi everyone, I tried to find a topic similar to this but couldn't find any so I decided to create a thread for it. As we all know, sometimes TV shows even good shows are short-lived and last for only 1 or a few seasons before they're cancelled prematurely. It could be due to several different reasons, it could be for financial reasons or low ratings etc. So I am curious to know what shows that you love or liked but were short-lived and you wish that they had renewed them with more seasons made? This list can include shows that were aired on streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max etc, and when I say "short-lived" I mean shows that only had about 1-3 seasons, and preferably please also explain why you wish these TV shows had lasted longer, because I'm genuinely curious about what other people think of this. Or you can just simply list all the short-lived shows you wish were not cancelled without explaining.

Here are some of my fav shows that were short-lived:
Shadowhunters: This is 1 of my favourite shows of all-time, it's such a great series with interesting characters and storylines but even with the show's popularity mostly on Netflix, it was cancelled after only 3 seasons due to financial difficulties. The series finale was very rushed and seemed incomplete with some questions & storylines still left unresolved, particularly the Clace lovestory, which was not developed properly in the show, despite the fact that Clace were the main couple of the show. The writers had spent way too much time & focus on minor and unnecessary storylines instead of focusing more and putting more effort into developing the Clace lovestory better, therefore the development & progression of Clace's relationship had suffered abit and Clace never reached their full potential in the show The ending was a huge disappointment and a slap in the face for many Clace fans, they definitely deserved a much better ending than what we actually got in the finale The cast and crew had expected the show to be renewed for a 4th season, they had even written the scripts for a potential season 4 and beyond so the cancellation of Shadowhunters was very sudden and a huge shock to everyone, the show had so much potential for many more seasons and they still had more storylines from the original books to work with, so it's very disappointing that they weren't able to continue the series due to financial reasons after Netflix cancelled its contract with Freeform which essentially cut off most of the funding for the show.
Terra Nova: I love this show it's another one of my favs, it is a great Sci-fi show with interesting characters and writing, and the ratings were actually quite good for FOX. But sadly it was cancelled after just 1 season because the show was too expensive to make another season of especially since the show required a lot of expensive CGI and special effects. And just based on the series finale it's obvious that the story was still unfinished, they ended the show just as a new storyline was being established so the ending was left very open, so it seemed like the producers had anticipated for the show to be renewed, but sadly it wasn't, another fantastic show with so much potential that was cancelled prematurely
Absentia: Again this is another great series with fantastic writing and acting and fascinating characters that also only lasted for 3 seasons, it was only available on Amazon Prime but it was a popular show, the series finale didn't really seem like a proper ending to the series, the way the ending was filmed it seemed like they had left it open for potentially more seasons, it didn't seem like a proper conclusion to the series, so I was surprised & disappointed when the show was cancelled, I had assumed that the show would be renewed. But according to the lead female actor Stana Katic, the show was always intended to only have 3 seasons, so basically they cancelled the show on their own terms. which is understandable, sometimes it's better to end a show early on a high note, than dragging the show out for too long and the quality starts going downhill...I'm still disappointed though, I would've been satisfied if they had made just 1 more season to properly conclude the show.
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: another great show I love that was cancelled prematurely after only 2 seasons, although both seasons were cut into 2 parts so some people often mistakenly think it has "4 seasons" when it officially only had 2. Anyway the ending was heartbreaking and I wish Netflix had renewed the series, it definitely had potential for more seasons.
Midnight Texas: this was a very good show with interesting characters and storylines and I love the concept of it, but sadly it was cancelled after just 2 seasons, even though season 2 was even better than the first season was. It was cancelled due to low ratings and S2 had lower ratings than S1 which is probably why it got cancelled. But this is because the series was originally only a mid-season filler show with S1 airing during the off season when there was much less competition from other shows. But for whatever reason the idiots at NBC decided to move this series to a prime season timeslot competing against so many bigger shows of course the ratings dropped in S2. That was a big mistake made by NBC, they should've continued airing the show during the off season when there was less competition, the ratings probably would not have suffered and the show would've continued.
Penny Dreadful: City of Angels: this is not 1 of my fav shows but I thoroughly enjoyed it, it's very deep and deals with racism during the 1930s in LA and is loosely based on historical events. It only lasted for 1 season due to low ratings, I mainly watched this show for Dominic Sherwood whom I'm a big fan of but he only had a small role in this and we knew very little of his character in this, he was quite mysterious. I think this show had a lot of potential and I wish Showtime had not cancelled it, if they had made more seasons I'm sure we would've learned a lot more about Dom's character.
Moonlight: this is another one of my favourite shows, this is an interesting supernatural series about a vampire private investigator who falls in love with a human, I love the 2 main characters Mick and Beth and their lovestory was beautiful and the writing was good, sadly the show only lasted 1 season and it ended prematurely and so suddenly on a cliffhanger with some aspects of the main plotline left unresolved.

Butterfly85

Dark Angel: I'm still pissed to this day this amazing show was cancelled after only 2 seasons. It was Jessica Alba's debut and I thought the show could be another Buffy. I thought the writing and diverse cast made the show even better. Even though I liked S1 a little more overall, S2 was great as well and set up so many great questions and things to come. The series finale was directed by James Cameron himself and was so good. They set up things like Sandman, Max being important to the survival to the human race, all of the Manticore people banded together and stayed put to stand up for themselves and their rights, and then we also don't know if Max got the virus removed from her blood that kept her and Logan from being together. This show ended with so many cliffhangers after a kickass final episode. They planned to renew it for a S3, did for a short amount of time, then cancelled it at the last minute for Firefly. I know many people love that show too but Dark Angel didn't deserve to get screwed over for that show and in general, especially when Firefly lasted even shorter than Dark Angel did SMH.

Tru Calling: Another Fox show that was cancelled too early after only two seasons with a crapload of cliffhangers. This cancellation still pisses me off too, Fox cancelled SO MANY amazing shows for no reason and this cancellation was the final straw for me with Fox at the time. I gave the show a chance cause I liked ED on Buffy and followed her to this show when Buffy ended. I thought it was a great idea having her relive days. S2 set up so many great storylines as well but they cancelled the show after only six episodes with many cliffhangers as well. Hearing about what they planned for the rest of the season sounded so great and it's extremely stupid and annoying they cut the show off at the knees and didn't even give it a chance.

Those will always be the two shows who's undeserved and early cancellations were undeserved and straight up bs. They cancelled great shows like that all the time back in the day, but nowadays crappy shows get 7465375 seasons regardless of how bad the writing and the ratings are.

LindaL100

here are some more short-lived shows that I wish had not been cancelled:

666 Park Avenue: this is not 1 of my fav shows but I thoroughly enjoyed it, this was an interesting show about an old hotel that was being haunted by a mysterious dark supernatural force, I loved the concept of it I thought it was unique and some of the characters were interesting with good writing. This show had a lot of potential, but sadly it only lasted 1 season due to low ratings.
Alcatraz: here's another good show that was canceled after only 1 season, the show had fantastic writing, interesting concept and characters and the acting was good. But it ended with a cliffhanger without a resolution to the main story, probably because the show was canceled unexpectedly, so the ending was left very open and unresolved.
Alphas: This is another interesting show about a group of people with unique and supernatural powers known as 'Alphas' who investigate crimes involving other Alphas. The show had a lot of interesting characters with great writing and had so much potential for more seasons, but sadly it only lasted 2 seasons and like 'Alcatraz', Alphas also ended on a cliffhanger that was never resolved so the ending was left very open with no real conclusion.
The Tomorrow People: another good sci-fi show that was similar to 'Alphas' about advanced humans with special powers, this is another show that I thoroughly enjoyed with interesting writing and characters. But like some of the other shows listed, this show was canceled after only 1 season and ended on a cliffhanger with some storylines left unresolved.
APB: another show I enjoyed but only lasted 1 season, this show was about a tech billionaire who makes a deal to purchase a Chicago Police district and equip it with cutting-edge technology. The concept was interesting and some of the characters were likable, but like all the other shows I mentioned, APB was canceled prematurely even though it had potential for more seasons.

LindaL100

Knight Rider (2008) - I haven't seen the original Knight Rider series that came out in the 1980s, but I recently watched the newer rebooted version that came out in 2008 and I thoroughly enjoyed it, I love the concept of it and the characters are interesting, it was a really good show and thoroughly entertaining. Too bad it only lasted 1 season, it had so much potential for more seasons.
Threshold - another good show that came out in the early 2000s that was cancelled too soon due to poor ratings. I loved the concept, characters and writing, it had so much potential, but I think it might've been ahead of its time which may not have helped in the ratings. The show was canceled after only 1 season with 4 episodes left unaired, which resulted in the show ending on a cliffhanger with no real resolution.
LA to Vegas - I just finished watching this show starring Dylan McDermott and I loved it, it's a comedy focusing on a budget airliner and follows the lives of the staff and the regular customers of the airliner and their interactions with each other. The show is so cheesy and silly and quirky but very funny and entertaining at the same time and it's obvious it doesn't take itself seriously. But sadly it only lasted 1 season too, probably due to low ratings, I wish the show wasn't canceled, it was a really interesting feel-good show.

LindaL100

Still Star-crossed - this was a very interesting period drama about the continuing rivalry and conflict between the Capulet and Montague families after the deaths of Romeo & Juliet. The story focuses mainly on Romeo & Juliet's cousins Benvolio & Rosaline respectively as they became the new heirs of their respective families, and follow these 2 characters lives and their relationship with each other which develops into a lovestory, they were sort of like the "new Romeo & Juliet" except unlike Romeo & Juliet, Benvolio & Rosaline had a somewhat happier outcome. Another major storyline was Count Paris of Matua wanting to annex the city of Verona where the story is based. It's a great show with rich storytelling and writing and fantastic acting, but sadly it suffered from bad ratings and was cancelled prematurely with 2 episodes more left unaired, so the show ended on a cliffhanger with no real resolution to the main storylines. I'm so disappointed mainly because the series ended just as soon as Benvolio and Rosaline finally realised their love for each other, so they never got the chance to be a proper couple, while we did see their relationship gradually develop and evolve throughout the series, but it wasn't until the very end of the series in the last ep when they finally realised they love each other & they kissed The other major storyline of Count Paris wanting to conquer Verona was also left unresolved since the series ended just as Count Paris was preparing to invade Verona. So the show ended on a cliffhanger with 2 major storylines left unresolved and unfinished, because for some stupid reason ABC decided not to air the last 2 episodes of the series, if they had aired those last 2 eps, we probably would've had a proper conclusion to the show. As much as I love this show and wanted it to continue with more seasons, but I would've been ok with just 1 season if ABC had just aired those last 2 episodes, without those 2 eps, the series was unfinished with no real conclusion.

Butterfly85

^^^I only watched Star Crossed once and didn't remember much, but I didn't know two episodes were unaired. I'm not surprised though, that's another thing that networks do that irk me. They cancel a show and screw everyone over, then sometimes don't air all the episodes. It's the LEAST they can do, I mean it's over so why not just air them? They did the same thing with Tru Calling, the last episode was a Christmas episode but it didn't air on Fox back in the day. I didn't see the episode until I watched them all on Youtube a few years ago (but got the DVDs now) That was the last episode that ended with so many cliffhangers and unresolved storylines, but it should of been aired. I remember I was so surprised that Harrison found out Jack and his father were working together, then forgot about it when the day rewound. That's something the fans should of saw. I forgot I posted in this thread, I'm surprised it doesn't have more responses.

LindaL100

^ I only just recently watched 'Still Star-crossed' and I'm so disappointed ABC didn't air the last 2 episodes, I don't know why they didn't but I have a pretty good idea of the possible reasons. One reason is due to the low ratings and that's probably the main reason, the ratings were bad from the very beginning, the first ep premiered with only about 2 million viewers and the ratings just kept dropping and by the last ep the ratings only had less than 900,000 viewers. For a big commercial TV network like ABC the ratings were terrible from the start, those dismal numbers were about the same kind of numbers that the shows on the CW usually gets. Another possible reason is I heard TPTB at ABC were not happy that the series had a black female actress as the main actor, they thought that Juliet who was played by a white actress would be the main female character, and that they were not happy that Rosaline who was played by a black actress was the main female character, so ABC had very little interest in the series and did not invest alot of time or effort into promoting the show. I think it's probably a combination of both reasons for ABC's refusal to air the last 2 eps. It's sad really because without those last 2 eps the show ended on a cliffhanger with no real resolution and no proper conclusion, it was left very unfinished. Regardless of the bad ratings I agree with you that they SHOULD have aired the last 2 eps to properly conclude the show. If ABC was so worried about the bad ratings then why did they air the first 7 eps which all had low ratings and waited until the last 2 eps to suddenly stop airing? They could've stopped airing the show sooner, but instead they chose to stop airing the show with just 2 eps left. Considering ABC had commissioned the show for 9 eps, you would think that they would've at least aired all 9 eps. It's a real shame considering the show was fantastic, it's a top notch quality show with rich writing and storytelling and fantastic acting. It's not your typical weekly network TV drama, it feels more like an artistic show that belonged on a cable network and not on commercial TV. I think the show would've done better if it had aired on cable like HBO or Showtime or a streaming service like Netflix.

I'm surprised this thread is so dead, I would've expected more responses since I'm sure many people have watched short-lived shows that they wish had not been cancelled...but apparently very few people want to talk about it here. Maybe the thread would be more active if I tell people they can just give a list without explaining the reasons? Many users here seem to prefer listing their choices without giving explanations...

LindaL100

Second Chance: I just finished watching this sci-fi show and it's really good, I think the concept is interesting, it's about a 75 yr old disgraced retired cop who gets murdered then his consciousness gets brought back to life in a younger man's body. I love the writing and some of the characters, especially the main characters Jimmy and Mary. But sadly the show got cancelled after only 1 season due to low ratings and it ended on a cliffhanger, so it never got a proper conclusion. I think the writers had probably hoped the series would get renewed but sadly it didn't, it had so much potential for more seasons and I love the relationship between Jimmy and Mary.

Butterfly85

I just remembered a few more, but I think these are the only other shows I can think of that were cancelled too soon.

Agent Carter: I don't know how I forgot this, but I just got both seasons on Blu Ray and rewatched the episodes after not seeing them for years. The show was even better than I remember. Loved watching Peggy Carter kick ass and continuing to see the rest of her story after Captain America: The First Avenger. I liked S2 even more than S1. The show had great villains and I liked Peggy's triangle with Sousa and Wilkes (The only triangle I've ever enjoyed) Apparently S2 got low ratings despite people liking the show and they cancelled it. Of course this ended on a cliffhanger too, but at least Peggy got her happy ending with Cap in Avengers Endgame. Agent Carter should of had S3 be the final season, and Disney+ cold easily revive the show since people loved it and they have so many MCU shows on there now.

Extant: This one isn't too bad cause they did plant a seed for a possible S3 with having that evil computer put itself into a robot when they thought they deleted it. It did mostly end with closure, just left the door open on that. I think it would of been nice to see another season of this show to see what would happen there, but it doesn't hurt as much as other shows I loved getting cancelled too soon. I just thought the show had a great storyline in both seasons, and it's the last good thing Halle Berry did cause her movies have sucked for years.

Charlie's Angels (2011) I admit I don't remember much from the show, but I remember liking it and thought it got way too much hate. Of course they said people hated the show and it got bad ratings, they cancelled it halfway into S1. It was also another show where they didn't air the remaining episodes and it ended on a cliffhanger. I never really got into Charlie's Angels until the films came out, and that's why I gave this short lived version a chance. I would of loved to have seen more of this show. I can't believe this came on ten years ago, but since it was so short lived I forget about it myself sometimes lol.

X Men Evolution: I liked how serious the show got in S3, and would of loved to have seen more of the X Men in a post mutant exposed world. The show shouldn't of ended at S4, but at least they went out on top since they fought and defeated Apocalypse. I heard if they had a S5 it would of dealt with The Dark Phoenix Saga, that has always been one of my favorite X Men stories and I would of loved to have seen their version of it. I also hated that it ended so early cause Gambit and Rogue didn't officially get together, they are my favorite X Men couple and I would of loved to have gotten more of them. At least they got their own episode, but I wanted more! It couldn't measure up to X Men TAS for me, but I still enjoyed it. Cancelled too soon.

So I just remembered those, but they don't hurt like hell like Dark Angel and Tru Calling's cancellations do. Those cancellations still irritate me so much.

LindaL100

^ I agree with you about 'Dark Angel', while it has been a long time since I last watched that show but I remember enjoying it so much the first time I watched it, the concept was interesting with rich characters and storytelling, it was a high quality interesting series, and I loved the relationship between Jessica Alba & Michael Weatherly's characters, I think they dated during the time they filmed the show. It's a shame that the show was cancelled after only 2 seasons and it ended sort of with a cliffhanger, even though it had so much potential for more seasons. I think the main problem was FOX moved the show to the much-hated friday night "death" timeslot during season 2 which caused the ratings to plummet significantly, the show had really high ratings in its original timeslot on tuesday nights during S1, I think FOX made a big mistake by moving it to friday nights.

Butterfly85

Oh yeah, I remember some saying the ratings got lower in S2 cause they moved it to Friday nights. At the same time, that's also a cheap excuse cause Fox cancelled every great show they had anyway so it wouldn't of mattered when it aired. It also really hurts cause I think they said over the Summer they were told they were picked up for S3, then out of the blue they were told it was cancelled instead. Just the usual sloppy way Fox handled all their shows back then RME. So much potential was wasted with Dark Angel.

LindaL100

^yes FOX does have a bad track record for their sloppy handling of their programming and cancelling great shows too soon.

Almost Human: this is another really good show that FOX canceled too soon, it's a sci-fi show starring Karl Urban that aired from 2013-2014, it is set in the year 2048 about a human cop who gets partnered with a synthetic AI robot to fight crime. It was a very interesting show, I loved the concept the characters and the writing was good, it had a lot of potential for more seasons. But sadly FOX canceled it after only 1 season.

LindaL100

I just recently finished watching this show called Stitchers, it's a really interesting Sci-fi show about a woman who was recruited into a government agency to be "stitched" into the memories of people recently deceased to investigate murders and mysteries that otherwise would have gone unsolved. The concept is so unique even for a sci-fi show and I don't think this concept has ever been done before, the show also had good writing and interesting characters, it was a very solid show. But unfortunately it only lasted 3 seasons and ended on a cliffhanger with no real resolutions, so that's disappointing, I don't know why the show was canceled but I think it was a mistake to cancel it. It should've been renewed for at least 1 more season to properly conclude the show.

LindaL100

The Gifted is another good show I just recently finished watching which I really enjoyed but was cancelled too soon, it's a superhero show focused on a group of mutants, it's sort of like a spinoff of the X-Men. It was a really interesting show with good writing and likable characters, but as usual FOX cancelled it too soon after only 2 seasons and it ended on a cliffhanger with no real resolutions. It's a real shame, the show had so much potential for more seasons, but I suspect the bad ratings for S2 was the main reason why the show got canceled sadly.

LindaL100

I just finished watching this supernatural drama called The InBetween that came out in 2019 about a woman who can see ghosts and uses her abilities to help the police solve crimes. Even though this concept has been done before with 'Medium' and 'Ghost Whisperer', but I think 'The InBetween' is better than both those shows, I think it had better writing, more interesting characters & the acting was great, and just an overall more solid and better executed show. Sadly it only lasted 1 season with only 10 episodes, I think that's probably because NBC aired the show during the off season and aired in the afternoons so the ratings were low. I think it was a big mistake by NBC to air it during the afternoon instead of primetime, it was a great show with alot of potential, better than a lot of other shows that air during the night. I think the ratings would've been better if NBC had aired it on primetime in a better timeslot, the show had so much potential for more seasons, certainly better than Medium & Ghost Whisperer, I wish it was more successful. And like most of the other shows I've listed before, 'The Inbetween' also ended on a cliffhanger with no real resolution so that's kinda frustrating.