Canceled show

“The algorithm felt it wasn’t hitting the right taste clusters,” a memorable scene in the HBO dramedy Barrygoes, as an executive parodying a streaming service cancels a show that was just released. 

As a critic who has been writing about television for the last few years, I’ve learned that TV show cancellations happen for all kinds of reasons: financial constraints, bad timing, behind-the-scenes creative differences. Nonetheless, it always hurts when a series you were growing emotionally attached to — whether after four seasons or four episodes — gets the axe. 

This year, there were a lot of themon the chopping block. Some shows got canned before you even had a chance to watch them — like Netflix’s The Boroughs, stomped out in a matter of days. On the other hand, Disney+’s Marvel series Wonder Man was renewed but then subsequently mysteriously canceled, despite an Emmy nomination for its star. Others — including HBO’s Industryand Hulu’s Paradise — are wrapping stories up on their own terms, giving fans one last season to savor before going off the air. In between, there were shows with immense potential if given a chance to find their footing. 

Here are the ones I think deserved better. 

One-season wonders

Ponies(Peacock)

There is no shortage of spy thrillers on television, but this series set in 1977 Moscow did it with style and intrigue. Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson play secretaries who are trying to get to the bottom of what happened to their deceased husbands (both spies), pulling them into working for the CIA. 

The series was positively reviewed, well-performed and entertaining. It’s a shame not to spend more time with these characters, especially after a cliffhanger finale that left much unanswered.

Wonder Man(Disney+)

This one is a doozy. The series follows the Marvel Comics character Simon Williams (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), an aspiring actor with superhuman strength, as he works toward an audition for his dream role. The problem, other than competition at auditions? In this universe, Hollywood has outlawed anyone with superhuman abilities from acting after an incident that led to the death of an actor years prior. 

The series garnered an Emmy nomination for lead actor Abdul-Mateen and is one of the more well-received shows from Marvel in recent years. It also got an initial Season 2 renewal, only for network bosses to reverse course a few months later and cancel it anyway, supposedly due to low viewership numbers. “I was told that it had something to do with the viewership numbers,” Abdul-Mateen told Vanity Fair. “I think they decided that it didn’t make sense for business, and that’s the decision that we live with and we keep on marching forward.”

Too bad: The show took a satirical look at Hollywood that reminded me of The Studio, and there was so much they could have explored here.

Not Suitable for Work (Hulu)

Mindy Kaling has had an illustrious television career both in front of and behind the camera, creating series that tackle coming of age (Never Have I Ever) and the college years (Sex Lives of College Girls). Her latest entry, Not Suitable for Work, centers on a group of 20-something friends who all live in the same New York City apartment building. Over nine episodes that fly through the plot and will-they-won’t-they dynamics, I grew to love these characters, each with their own work drama. 

And yet, it’s the latest show to get the cut. Last week, Hulu announced that the show won’t be returning. From the network’s perspective, it may seem like its other Gen Z comedy, Adults, has more potential on the platform, but it’s too bad we couldn’t have both.

Stumble (NBC)

It is mind-boggling that we don’t get more from this charming junior college cheerleading mockumentary. Jenn Lyon stars as Courteney Potter, a big-leagues coach who moves to Oklahoma to lead a scrappy sis-boom-bah crew in the hopes of competing in cheerleading championships. 

Stumble evokes the energy of Parks and Recreation andGleeby following an ever-optimistic group of underdogs who never quite have the skills or reg for NBC and was canceled after 13 episodes due to low viewership

The Boroughs (Netflix)

It’s odd how quickly The Boroughs was canceled by Netflix, given that it was executive-produced by the Duffer Brothers, who created Stranger Things. It had a similarly monstrous sci-fi approach, in which residents of a retirement community come face-to-face with a supernatural entity that keeps attacking them. The impressive cast included Alfred Molina and Geena Davis, and the well-reviewed show seemed to have been widely watched. And yet cancellation still arrived with a thud within weeks of its premiere. Beyond the usual financial or viewership factors, the Hollywood Reporter pointed to another likely culprit for its ouster: the Duffers’ new programming deal with Paramount.

The Vince Staples Show(Netflix)

This Netflix comedy gem felt inspired by FX’s Atlanta, but also brilliantly toed the line between reality and fiction by having rapper Vince Staples play a somewhat fictionalized version of himself. 

The series ran for two seasons but never landed on top viewership lists or garnered any awards. To me, it felt fresh and well performed, often quite funny while also satirical and foreboding. All the same, the show felt slightly out of place in Netflix’s catalog and didn’t get much promotion. 

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy (Paramount+)

With Star Trek: Starfleet Academy‘s cancellation and no other Star Trek shows in development, this newer leg of the franchise is coming to an end. Starfleet Academy took a bold swing: A younger cast brought more of a YA energy to a typically buttoned-up tone. There was also a backlash from viewers review-bombing the show over its diverse casting (which was odd, considering it was the original Star Trekthat broadcast the first interracial kiss on television). 

Complaints aside, the way the show grappled with moral conundrums hearkened back to older Star Trek episodes. It was polished, propulsive and featured a strong anchoring performance by Holly Hunter. The show was an entertaining new entry I would have kept watching for subsequent seasons. At least we still have the second and final season on its way.

Brilliant Minds(NBC)

Unfortunately for the medical drama Brilliant Minds, it’s pretty hard to compete with The Pitt — or even Grey’s Anatomy. That said, this was the only series exploring what it’s like for a doctor to practice medicine with prosopagnosia, the neurological disorder otherwise known as face blindness. Zachary Quinto’s lead character, inspired by real-life doctor Oliver Sacks, also happened to be gay, a rarity for protagonists on network television. The show also boasted a strong supporting cast, and deftly used flashbacks to breathe life into its story. 

Alas, after two seasons, NBC unceremoniously pulled the series from the air midway through its last batch of episodes. The remainder of Season 2 eventually aired in early summer, following an announcement confirming the show wouldn’t be returning. 

Ending it on their own terms

Industry (HBO)

The high-stakes finance drama set in London arrived on HBO in 2020 with little fanfare. Creators Mickey Down and Konrad Kay finally found their footing in a strong third season, and the show hasn’t slowed down since. By its fourth season, which aired earlier this year, its viewership had skyrocketed, and critics were fully on board. Some (me included) call it one of the most underrated dramas on television.

Thankfully, Industry was renewed for a fifth and final season that’ll air next year. To be fair, that’s a very solid run for a drama, and its stars, Marisa Abela and Myha’la, are surely set for career greatness. But I can’t help but wish we had just one more season.

Paradise (Hulu)

Creator Dan Fogelman has said that he’s always intended for this post-apocalyptic sci-fi drama to only last three seasons, but the news that it’ll be ending next year still comes as a blow. On the one hand, I’m excited to see what Season 2’s leap forward and space-time continuum twist means for how this complex story gets wrapped up. On the other hand, having just three seasons feels so short. I think we could spend a bit longer with Xavier Collins (Sterling K. Brown) and the ensemble cast, especially given how popular this series has been for Hulu.

Smiling Friends (Adult Swim)

The shenanigans and gore of Smiling Friends aren’t for everyone, but it’s a shame to say goodbye to the endless creativity of this little animated series about two friends who get hired to turn those frowns upside down — especially since Adult Swim actually wanted more episodes. 

Creators Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack turned down an offer to return for two additional seasons due to burnout, concluding the series with two final Season 3 episodes in April. However, they did hint that it could return in the future if the stars align. 

Emily in Paris(Netflix) 

OK, hear me out on this one. Emily in Paris was never that serious. It is cotton candy television, meant for a quick, joyful binge. It’s so forgettable that I typically need to read a recap every season to remember what happened. And six seasons is a great run for a comedy. But why does the fun need to end at all?! 

So yes, I’m bummed that Netflix’s ultimate guilty pleasure will end with Season 6 this Christmas. I can see Emily in Paris ending up with a spin-off for a supporting character or two (my money is on Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu’s Sylvie), perhaps in a new city. I, for one, will miss Emily’s seemingly never-expiring work visa and her inability to learn more than two French sentences.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale (Hulu) 

There was a lot of buzz for this new iteration of Buffy, which had Sarah Michelle Gellar’s hands-on involvement and a pilot that was directed by Oscar winner Chloé Zhao. Somehow, the reboot failed to impress, and Hulu opted not to pick it up. 

On the outside, this seems puzzling. The Buffy series is one of those too-big-to-fail pieces of intellectual property; I can’t imagine how it got canned so quickly. At least we’ll always have the original series.

Stargate reboot (Prime Video)

The original Stargate SG-1 series ran for 10 seasons and led to two spin-offs on Syfy, years before Amazon bought MGM Studios, which now owns the rights to the franchise. After greenlighting a reboot last year, Amazon announced this summer that the project is DOA. 

There was a promise that the series would appeal to fans both old and new, and would have fit well into a television landscape that is continuously embracing more sci-fi (shows like Severance and Stranger Things). Painfully, the reboot was axed in early development, reportedly over network concerns that it wouldn’t appeal to enough new viewers. Boo.