28 Great TV Shows That Were Cancelled Way Before Their Time

Glow, Santa Clarita Diet, The Wilds — gone but not forgotten...

With the recent announcements that some of our favourite TV shows have been cancelled, we asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us which shows they think were cut too soon. Here's some of what they said.

Netflix / Via giphy.com

1. Julie and the Phantoms

Netflix

"I made an account just to say this. It was an amazing POC lead with great music and a solid storyline (amen to Kenny Ortega). It ended with too many questions for us to be satisfied, and I need more answers!!!"

—a bee

"They left it on a MASSIVE cliffhanger (which I don’t personally watch now!), and they left so. Much. Unresolved. Not to mention, the songs were incredible, the plot was brilliant, and the fanbase is amazing!!!"

—joolzr2

youtube.com

2. One Day at a Time

Netflix

 "I was so glad Pop renewed it after Netflix cancelled it, but then they cancelled it midseason during the lockdown, and they never got to finish making the season!"

—redfirefixfox

youtube.com

3. Anne With an E

Netflix

"Netflix always cancels the best shows! Anne With an E was my personal favourite, and it was cancelled after two seasons! :( It even had the largest petition to bring it back, but to no avail. I want to see how Anne and Gilbert are doing!!"

—Kate

youtube.com

4. Mozart in the Jungle

Prime Video

"Rodrigo and Hayley deserved better than that — 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Amazon has the AUDACITY. Not cool. I won’t watch any series on Prime now; burn me once."

—muzzles523

youtube.com

5. The Society

Netflix

"Please, please, please bring it back! How could they give us one phenomenal series and then cancel it?!"

—Claire127

"They renewed it but later cancelled it due to COVID complications or something. So disappointed. I didn’t even know you could cancel something after you have already renewed it??"

—Billie

youtube.com

6. Sense 8

Netflix

"OMG! What a huge mistake cancelling that was!!! Every storyline had so much more potential."

—ggcooperpoos

"Sense8 was done dirty, although they did kinda finish it. The two-hour finale — albeit rushed — was alright, but I felt satisfied when I’d finished."

—joolzr2

youtube.com

7. I Am Not Okay With This

Netflix

"I'm so sad that Netflix cancelled it. I want to know what happened with Syd after she blew Brad's head off, what happened to Syd's diary, whether Syd and Dina were going to get together. I want that show back!"

—fuzzywuzzykoala

youtube.com

8. Santa Clarita Diet

Saeed Adyani

"Great cast, unique story, hilarious episodes...all that stayed consistent for three whole seasons, and then it ended on a massive cliffhanger. Netflix didn't want to pay the (well-deserved) actors anymore, and so it got the axe. Such a shame. They should have shelled out for one more season to wrap up the storyline. It's not too late, Netflix!"

—nrappaport79

"At least one more season to wrap it up!"

—Dango Jumper

youtube.com

9. Arrested Development

Fox

"I will never get over Arrested Development being cancelled after three seasons."

—mlly

youtube.com

10. Single Parents

ABC

"The show was so funny, and it ended on a cliffhanger. Still so mad about it."

—peon

youtube.com

11. Pushing Daisies

ABC

"It got paused during the writers strike and never came back. It was utterly brilliant. I regularly rewatch the season and a half that exists."

—senexbarbatus

"It was funny, genuine, and so unique. We were robbed!!!"

—Jcd3811

youtube.com

12. Timeless

NBC

"It was such a great show with a strong cast. There were so many different storylines that deserved justice, but they were cancelled, so they got a rushed finish. I still rewatch the two beautiful seasons we did get, and I’ll forever be mad."

—Lizzie

youtube.com

13. Bunheads

ABC

"Such a good show. The same energy as Gilmore Girls, since it was created by the same person. Likable characters, quotable episodes, and then it was just cancelled."

—sh730el1

youtube.com

14. The Wilds

Prime Video

"The characters were so complex, and I’m going crazy knowing we won’t ever get a satisfying ending to the mystery!"

—rwalters2890

"Yesterday, I just got the news that it was cancelled. WTF?!"

—pauloyanagi

youtube.com

15. Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist

NBC / Sergei Bachlakov / NBC

"NBC had 800 crime procedurals and one unique quirky comedy/musical, and which one got axed? This show was unlike anything else on TV, which meant it had to go."

—lindabernazzani

"It was so good! The music is still on the majority of my playlists. This show had so much potential! Thank god there is a movie to tie it all up."

—emilykane1234789

youtube.com

16. Red Band Society

ABC

"It had amazing interweaving storylines that made you love the characters, and it ended with so many unknowns. It was the first show I saw to ever portray eating disorders as a disease and not a choice."

—futurewriteroftheworld

youtube.com

17. Archive 81

Netflix

"It was a huge shock and disappointment to discover that Netflix cancelled Archive 81. I'm not even a huge fan of horror, but for me, this show was surprisingly really excellent: very dark, engaging, well written, with an amazing cast. It also had a great Black main protagonist, which is rare."

—Celeste Monet Dubois

youtube.com

18. The OA

Netflix

"What a unique, emotional, and utterly gripping show. Two seasons were simply not enough."

—jwhite45691

youtube.com

19. First Kill

Netflix

"I, for one, am *livid* that Netflix decided not to pick up First Kill for another season. What's the point of giving us content if you're going to drop shows like hot potatoes and leave us viewers in the lurch? What a damn waste of our time."

—ravenbard

youtube.com

20. Freaks and Geeks

Netflix

"Such a clever, heartwarming, realistic, witty show. As I watch it year after year, I have come to really appreciate its one perfect season. Sure, I have always wanted more, but now I cherish it in its whole as a perfect piece of teenage cinema."

—S987654

youtube.com

21. GLOW

Netflix

"It was utterly brilliant, just an incredible show. It wasn’t cancelled for lack of viewers or fans. They were filming when COVID hit and had to shut down production, and because the show is about wrestlers, they couldn’t find a way to safely film and ended up just pulling the plug. The season was mostly written and partially filmed. I miss the show so much and wish I could have seen how they wanted it to progress."

—mitchellm8

"The way Season 3 ended with a 'twist' that wasn’t a twist but more of a jaw-dropping moment."

—Jake Clements

youtube.com

22. Carnivàle

HBO

"This cancellation will haunt me forever. The second season finally started giving us answers to some of the show’s mysteries and got better and better with each episode. The second season was just incredible, and the creators had six seasons planned out. So sad I will never see how this should have ended."

—mitchellm8

youtube.com

23. My Name Is Earl

NBC

"A show about an ignorant, no-good guy who tries to turn his life around and learns some life lessons along the way. Really funny and heartwarming, and it ended on a cliffhanger."

—brittanyewhite824

youtube.com

24. Selfie

ABC / Hulu

"It was a genuinely good modern take on the Pygmalion story. A new-to-American-audiences Karen Gillian was charming and likable in her unlikability, and John Cho was the romantic leading man he so deserves to be!! Their chemistry was really special! Grrr, it's making me mad just thinking about it!"

—kaw410e2d4b7

youtube.com

25. The Owl House

Disney Channel

"For a show with so much good representation, great potential, and most of all a KICKASS PLOT to be cancelled is bordering on criminal. And now they act as if  they're doing us a huge favour with the peanuts that are three special episodes in lieu of Season 3? Puh-lease."

—marielhornbill

youtube.com

26. The Babysitter’s Club

Netflix

"This cancellation was a betrayal. It was a wholesome, dope show. It was super positive and age-appropriate and showed some badass teenage entrepreneurship, friendship, and boss mentality. Plus, it was great for all of us sentimental millennials."

—mikiefambro

youtube.com

27. Gentleman Jack

HBO / BBC

The story was so beautifully told, and the acting was superb. Everything about the production was excellent, and we were only beginning the story when HBO decided not to continue with the show. It was the first time so many people felt that a show actually represented the struggles with internal and external prejudices, and it empowered so many people to be unapologetically themselves — much like Anne Lister. A true travesty that it might not get another season if BBC can't find a production partner."

—gemified

Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.

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