21 Beloved TV Shows That Were Abruptly Canceled And The Cliffhangers They Ultimately Ended On

    I will never be over The Society ending so soon.

    Nora Dominick
    by Nora Dominick

    BuzzFeed Staff

    🚨Warning: There are MASSIVE spoilers ahead!🚨

    1. First, My So-Called Life only lasted one season, but it became a beloved '90s TV series. The show ended with Angela going off with Jordan, just as Brian realizes he's in love with her.

    Brian telling Angela, "You liked it though, right? It made you, like, happy?"
    ABC

    In an interview with Elle, creator Winnie Holzman said if Season 2 had happened, Angela would've chosen Jordan, saying, "I pictured a situation where Angela and Jordan are an item, Delia and Brian are an item, and Angela and Brian are constantly looking to each other for advice and help with their respective dysfunctional relationships."

    2. The Society was canceled by Netflix even after they ordered a Season 2. The show ended with everyone in New Ham turning on Allie and Will, and the "real" West Ham and a memorial with all of the teenagers' names on it.

    A list of names on a memorial reading "We remember them"
    Netflix

    We also never found out who the father of Becca's baby was, and it haunts me to this day. The show was gearing up for Season 2 and figuring out how to start filming under COVID-19 protocols, but then they abruptly got canceled. Creator Christopher Keyser said while preparing Season 2, the writers talked a lot about "the reasons why the children of West Ham became the children of New Ham. What the cause of that was, [and] how they might return home."

    3. Despite a devoted fanbase and critical acclaim, Hannibal was canceled after Season 3. So, the last seconds of the show featured Graham hugging Hannibal and the two of them going over a cliff.

    Graham saying, "It's beautiful"
    NBC

    Creator Bryan Fuller knew Season 3 would likely be the last, but he was still exploring ideas for a Season 4 when it was canceled. His dream was to be able to start telling Clarice Starling's story, and he wanted to cast a "Black or non-white [actor as] Clarice."

    4. Freaks and Geeks ended after only one season, but started so many notable careers. Due to its cancellation, the series finished with Lindsay ditching a summer school program and going with Kim to follow the Grateful Dead on tour.

    Lindsay saying, "Hey, Mom. I'll see you soon"
    NBC

    In an interview with Vanity Fair, creator Paul Feig detailed where he thought every character would be if Season 2 happened. He knew for certain that the show would've moved past high school and focused on the small town and "who gets out and who doesn't."

    5. Moesha ended after only six seasons, and the show didn't have a proper series finale. So, it ended with a positive pregnancy test being found in Moesha's dorm room.

    Someone saying, "What is important is somebody in this room is pregnant" and Moesha and her friends looking at each other
    UPN

    The original plan was to have the pregnancy cliffhanger resolved on the Moesha spinoff The Parkers, but that never happened. Moesha was expected to appear on The Parkers to wrap up the storyline too.

    6. Mork & Mindy was abruptly canceled, so the series shuffled episodes to try and give the show a series finale, but storylines were still left unresolved. The last episode featured Mork trying to figure out how to stay happily married on Earth, but it came right after a three-part episode where Mork and Mindy end up trapped in the past.

    Mork and Mindy telling each other they love one another and Mork reporting back to his planet
    ABC

    Basically, when Mork & Mindy was canceled, the team moved the episode about Mork figuring out marriage to the end of the season in an attempt to give some closure, thus ignoring the cliffhanger from the previous episode. Originally, the three-part episode was going to be the Season 4 finale and Season 5 would have picked up with Mork and Mindy "traveling through time" and meeting historical figures.

    7. Pushing Daisies was canceled after only six episodes of Season 2 aired. Since the final season had 13 episodes total, the show had time to write a good finale, but it still left fans with a lot of unanswered questions — especially since Chuck just told her aunts she's still alive.

    Chuck saying, "I'm alive"
    ABC

    In an interview with Vanity Fair for the show's 10th anniversary, Bryan Fuller still says he would drop everything to do a Pushing Daisies revival. He said, "I ask Warner Brothers every year to see if they’d be open to it."

    8. Teenage Bounty Hunters sadly ended after one (perfect) season on Netflix. The last episode showed Sterling getting rescued after being taken by Dana, her mom's twin, and it was revealed that Sterling was actually Dana's biological daughter.

    Dana saying, "Sterling, you are my daughter"
    Netflix

    In a heartfelt Instagram post, creator Kathleen Jordan thanked "everyone who watched" Teenage Bounty Hunters and "thank you extra extra to the most ridiculously supportive fan base I've ever seen. Y'all make me laugh every day."

    9. Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman was canceled after four seasons, and the cliffhanger it ended on was huge. The last episode featured a baby wrapped in a blanket with the Superman emblem being left for Lois and Clark.

    Clark reading a letter that was left with the baby that says, "Lois and Clark, this child belongs to you"
    ABC

    Executive producer Eugenie Ross-Leming said they didn't write the episode as a "series finale." She said, "If the show had gone on, we would have seen them figuring out how to raise this child, who would have aged rapidly. He would have become a teenager in months."

    10. Pitch was heartbreakingly canceled after only one season. The show ended with Ginny pitching an amazing game, only to injure her elbow. The last minutes of the episode show Ginny entering an MRI machine and she doesn't know if she'll ever pitch again.

    Ginny saying, "Let me finish my no-hitter. That's right, I said it. I'm throwing a no-hitter. And if you don't mind, I'd like to keep doing it"
    Fox

    A revival of Pitch was very close to happening after Disney acquired 20th Century Fox, but they ultimately couldn't find a home at one of the Disney-owned streaming services. Creator Dan Fogelman even re-assembled the core cast and the writers room was close to getting back to work.

    11. I Am Not Okay with This was canceled after just one season. So, the show ended on a massive cliffhanger, with Sydney meeting a mysterious man after she used her powers at school and killed Brad.

    Syd saying, "Should I be afraid?" and a mysterious man saying, "They should be afraid. Let's begin"
    Netflix

    The creators of the show even had a final second season all ready to go before Netflix unexpectedly canceled the show due to the coronavirus pandemic. Creator Jonathan Entwistle hated leaving fans on a cliffhanger, and he even asked Netflix if he could "recut the last two shots" so there would be some closure, but they wouldn't let him.

    12. Heroes was canceled after four seasons, and it didn't wrap up everything before it ended. The show finished with Claire revealing her powers to the entire world.

    Hiro saying, "What is she doing?" and Peter saying, "What the hell does she think she's doing? She's gonna change everything"
    NBC

    While Heroes briefly came back with a spinoff series in 2015, this is still a huge cliffhanger for the original show to end on. After Heroes Reborn ended, creator Tim Kring said he still has "more stories with the Heroes saga" to tell.

    13. The OA was canceled after only two seasons on Netflix. The show ended on a massive cliffhanger with Prairie, Hap, and the others going into a dimension where they are on the soundstage of The OA TV show, and the actors are playing versions of their real-life selves.

    Hap saying, "Hey, hey Prairie. We're here" and "I'm Jason Isaacs. She's my wife"
    Netflix

    The cancellation caused an outcry from fans of the series, considering it ended with so many unanswered questions. Jason Isaacs reflected on his experience on The OA, saying, "We made two seasons of maybe the most brilliant and original and imaginative show that I've been involved with in 32 years."

    14. GLOW was canceled by Netflix after Season 3, even though production had already begun on Season 4. The show's series finale now features Ruth turning down Debbie's offer to direct GLOW on TV.

    Debbie saying, "I don't understand you" and Ruth responding, "Yes, you do. Probably better than anyone"
    Netflix

    In an Instagram post, Alison Brie reflected on her time on the show, saying, "Going to miss this...Will always be grateful to my GLOW family for changing my life forever."

    15. The Secret Circle ended after only one season and without a proper series finale. So, the show finished with Cassie and Diana having the Balcoin mark on their palms and us never knowing what was up with the four strangers who also have the mark.

    Cassie and Diana looking at the marks on their hands
    The CW

    At the time, rumors spread on Twitter that the show had been renewed for Season 2. In fact, they were so believable that series star Phoebe Tonkin even texted executive producer Andrew Miller saying they'd been picked up. Andrew said, "I was thrilled beyond belief. Right until I saw that retraction. It was absolutely heartbreaking. Like the worst ever practical joke. And instead of just being depressed, I was depressed and embarrassed."

    16. The Get Down came to an end after just 11 episodes, and while a lot of storylines were tied up, we were still left hanging with some, like whatever happened to Mylene, Shaolin, and the other Get Down Brothers.

    Mylene singing
    Netflix

    Season 2 would've shown the '80s and the evolution of R&B, rap, and hip-hop music during that era. The cast was also aware that if the show continued, they'd eventually age out of their roles and new actors would've been brought in to continue the story.

    17. Finding Carter ended after just two seasons and it never got a proper series finale. The show ended with Max turning himself in after Jared's death, and we'll never know what happened next.

    Max saying, "I'm sorry" in a police precinct
    MTV

    The show was canceled just after Season 2 finished airing, and there were no concrete ideas for a Season 3, but obviously, this cliffhanger was meant to lead into another season.

    18. FlashForward only made it one season, and there was no way this show could wrap up everything in such a short amount of time. The series ended with another global blackout and the FBI building exploding with Mark trapped inside.

    Mark running and a building exploding
    ABC

    At the time, ABC wanted to replicate the success of Lost, and FlashForward was the best bet, but it just didn't hit. Robert Sawyer, who wrote the book the show was based on, said if Season 2 happened, they would've had a "massive reset."

    19. Sweet/Vicious, a criminally underrated series, was canceled after one season back in 2017. The show ended with us spotting a piece of Jules' backpack where Carter was murdered and Ophelia and Jules setting up the S/V forum so other people could report injustices on campus.

    Ophelia saying, "Looks like we're gonna be busy"
    MTV

    While the show was canceled after Season 1, creator Jennifer Kaytin Robinson has been working on a comic book that will continue Jules and Ophelia's stories.

    20. Run was canceled in 2020 after only a season. The series ended with Ruby choosing to go with her family and leaving Billy right before he's arrested.

    Billy saying, "I'll face this shit storm on my own, but it'll be worth it if you admit that you know that I love you"
    HBO

    Creator Vicky Jones didn't have Season 2 mapped out yet when Season 1 ended, but she said she had "a thousand ideas" for where the show would go if Season 2 happened.

    21. And finally, Angel was canceled after five seasons in 2004. So, the show ended with Angel, Spike, Gunn, and Illyria facing an army of creatures and getting ready to fight.

    Angel saying, "Well, personally, I kinda want to slay the dragon. Let's get to work"
    Warner Bros.

    At the Angel 20th anniversary panel at NYCC, James Marsters said he always assumed all of the characters died in this moment and it was a final "heroic act." However, the characters have since lived on in the comic books.

    We can't fit everything into one post, so which TV shows that ended on a cliffhanger are you still not over? Tell us in the comments below!