Shows getting canceled before their stories are finished are among the most infuriating experiences as a TV viewer. So when Reddit user Furgy_Krueger asked people which TV show cancellation frustrated them the most, there were plenty of examples to pick from. Here are the top answers below:
*Warning!! The following discusses spoilers for TV shows. Read with caution.
1. Santa Clarita Diet was canceled despite the cliffhanger ending in its Season 3 finale, which saw main character Sheila turn her husband Joel into a zombie at the last moment, opening up what would have been a whole new direction for the series.
“Amazing cast, amazing writing, great potential for either a complete story arc or a continuing wacky family sitcom. Canceling it was such a waste!”
“Everything was going at full steam and then plop. Not even a season finale that ties up loose ends. Just… gone.”
“This was the reason I left Netflix and never went back.”
2. The Society was actually renewed for a second season that never got made because of the pandemic, leaving fans haunted by the many unanswered questions from the Season 1 finale.
“I randomly decided to rewatch it a few months ago and got mad all over again.”
“I want to know more about why the town did this!”
“What was so frustrating about this one is that it had been renewed for Season 2! But then a few weeks into the pandemic, Netflix decided that it was easier to cancel the show than to wait for it to be safe to film.”
3. Carnivàle ended on a cliffhanger in its Season 2 finale, after which it was canceled, despite creator Daniel Knauf having planned up to Season 6.
“Twenty years later and it still pisses me off.”
“I actually only binge-watched it three years ago, and it blew me away. I’m still mad I will never find out the truth.”
“So pissed off about Carnivàle! I remember when they canceled it, and the network said something along the lines of ‘We felt the story had reached a natural conclusion.’ No, it had NOT.”
4. Quantum Leap ended abruptly after five seasons, leading to two title cards being added at the end of the final episode to “conclude” the series, including one noting that the main character, Dr. Sam Beckett, continued leaping through time rather than returning home.
“Quantum Leap had a frustrating ending. Fade to black… ‘and Sam never returned home.’ Motherfucker WHAT?!”
“The most annoying thing is, the last episode is otherwise excellent. They should have just ended it with the originally filmed cliffhanger ending of Al jumping through time and ending up in a bar in the future.”
“I don’t care what reasons people give for why it’s a fitting ending. I hate it and will hate it with all the fires of hell and beyond until my dying day.”
5. The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance was canceled after just one season due to how expensive it was to make, leaving many plot threads hanging.
“Of all the shows Netflix canceled, this is the one that hurt me the most. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised since that show looked expensive as hell and probably wasn’t pulling the numbers to justify its budget, but it really deserved more.”
“I get the budget was big, but there was so much investment that was wasted as well with all the puppets and stuff.”
“The way the entire season built towards a battle that never came was frustrating, and then it was just such bullshit to cancel it then and there without any resolution whatsoever. The season seemed to exist only as a setup for Season 2. It left such a bad taste in my mouth.”
6. Terra Nova was canceled after one season due to declining viewership and large production costs, which meant the plot threads that had been set up for the next season went nowhere.
“The finale was clearly set up for Season 2. Then they didn’t even make Season 2!”
“So many unanswered questions, but the biggest of all is: WTF is the ship doing there?!”
“I wanted to know what the drawings in the rocks would eventually mean.”
7. Kaos was canceled just 40 days after its premiere due to an apparent decline in viewership. Creator Charlie Covell had planned a three-season arc, meaning Season 1 had essentially been just the first act of the story.
“This was SO GOOD, and I’m still so mad they canceled it. Such a refreshing take on the stories; I freaking loved it.”
“This was the Netflix cancellation I take personally. Finally had a solid show that was going to pick up steam, I’m sure; and they dump it after one fucking season? Madness.”
“They canceled it immediately after the first season. I was so irate I immediately canceled Netflix.”
8. Shadow and Bone lasted for two seasons before it was canceled, with the planned spin-off series Six of Crowsalso being scrapped, even though production had already begun. Although the show is based on a completed book series, there had been some big changes in the adaptation that now remain forever unexplored.
“This was such an amazing show. Casting was superb as well. Bloody raging when it was canceled.”
“Budget is a huge issue for fantasy shows, especially those about magic, which require special effects. It is unfortunate Netflix wasn’t willing to let them continue.”
“I enjoyed the first season, but it took so long for the second season to come out that I already lost interest by then.”
9. Mindhunterwasn’t renewed for a third season as expected, leaving a number of plot threads hanging, including the BTK killer storyline.
“I lost track of where I was in the series when I binged it, finished the last episode, and sat there waiting for the next to autoplay. I really could not grasp that it just ended, seemingly in the middle of the story.”
“There was so much going on in the series that it felt like a cliffhanger ending to me.”
“I’ve watched this series way too many times, and I’m depressed every time I finish it! I need more.”
10. Pushing Daisies was unexpectedly canceled during its second season, leading to a flash-forward epilogue in the finale that felt rushed and unsatisfying for many fans.
“This is a show that should have had six full seasons. I still mourn it, and that is despite not having rewatched it since it aired in 2008. Scenes and visuals are just that etched into my brain.”
“To this day, I have yet to watch the final episode because I missed it when it was airing live, and immediately heard how unsatisfactory it is as an ending, and I couldn’t bring myself to do it.”
“Pushing Daisies deserved so much more time than it got.”
11. Kyle XY ended with huge plot twists in the Season 3 finale involving revelations about both Kyle’s biological and adoptive families, but then the show was unexpectedly canceled.
“The creators did a write-up of how they wanted it to end, but still… ending a season on a cliffhanger before you know whether or not it will be renewed is infuriating.”
“12-year-old me was PISSED about this.”—lomeinfiend
“I was so mad and disappointed with how that show ended.”
12. 1899 was intended to have a three-season arc, meaning that its cancellation after just one season left the story and the major plot twist in the Season 1 finale in an extremely unsatisfying place.
“That cliffhanger still feels like a personal attack.”
“How do you get the creators of Dark, a show that needed three seasons to successfully wrap up its story, and then cancel their new show after only one season? Unforgivable.”
“I have never been as pissed about a cliffhanger as I was with 1899. Recently rewatched it and it just made me feel even more insulted.”
13. Hannibal ended on a literal cliffhanger, as creator Bryan Fullerintended for there to be another season before the show was canceled during Season 3. While the current ending, with Will and Hannibal tumbling off a cliff together, serves as a poignant finale, there was a post-credits scene that hinted at what was obviously meant to be further developments.
“I have yearned to see more of Hugh Dancy as Will Graham for years. He was unbelievably good in that role.”
“I especially want to know how they got Bedelia.”
“I’d 100% pay for a streaming service if they gave the prestige television treatment to a fourth season of Hannibal.”
14. Glow was another victim of COVID, having been renewed for a fourth season and even begun filming before the pandemic hit, and everything was ultimately scrapped. This meant the Season 3 finale served as the last episode, leaving several storylines unfinished.
“I have NEVER, in all 47 years of my life on this planet, had a show that seemed so tailored to my specific interests as this one was, and the fact that it was a legitimately good show too really blew my mind. I’ve watched it a few times since it was canceled, and my boyfriend is always saying, ‘Why do you do this to yourself?’ because I get so angry and upset each time I get to the finale.”
“Very sad, it only needed a few more episodes to tidy it up.”
“I am still angry. I loved it so much.”
15. The Last Man on Earth was canceled after Season 4, with the finale ending on a cliffhanger that saw the main characters surrounded by a group of mysterious people, leaving their fate unknown.
“This is the one I’m still saltiest about. It was such a great show with such a fun premise!”
“One of the last great comedies that I can remember; they just don’t make them like that anymore. I was so devastated by the whole thing ending on a cliffhanger.”
16. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chroniclesran for two seasons before being canceled, leaving many plot points hanging, including John Connor time-traveling to the future and discovering that nobody knows who he is.
“It looked like they were tying it into Terminator Salvation… I wish they could have finished it.”
“That show really got done dirty by the writers’ strike. I really liked the direction the show was going.”
“It was just ramping up to be amazing and… nothing. Ugh.”
17. Jericho had a twisting path to cancellation. It was initially axed after its 22-episode first season before being renewed for a second season in a rare instance of a fan protest campaign successfully reversing a network’s decision. Unfortunately, only seven episodes were created before the show was canceled again, leading to a rushed series finale that left just about everyone unsatisfied.
“Just watched this one for the first time and couldn’t get over where it ended. I know there are graphic novels, but I can’t believe it didn’t get picked up for some kind of movie or end it properly or something.”
“I still think about this one.”
“This was my first time experiencing a show ending without a conclusion. It was so frustrating as a kid.”
18. My Name is Earl ended with a paternity cliffhanger and a “to be continued” in the Season 4 finale, as the creators intended and expected there to be a Season 5, but a breakdown in communication between the network and production company meant the show was ultimately canceled.
“It kills me to not know how that ended!”
“The paternity cliffhanger killed me when I watched it as a kid. I was so pissed when I realized that was it.”
“Such a good show, so sad that it got canceled.”
19. And finally,Marco Polowas axed after two seasons, despite the Season 2 finale introducing a new plot direction and leaving many character arcs unfinished, ultimately creating a perpetually frustrating cliffhanger.
“What a cliffhanger to cancel on!”
“This one hurt me so bad. What a phenomenal show.”
What series cancellation haunts you the most? Share in the comments or the anonymous form below!
Your daily brain workout:Only People With The Biggest Brains Can Solve Today’s Word Chains
Also in TVAndMovies:<a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/audreyworboys/disney-movie-by-two-word-trivia-quiz?origin=yahoo-recirc-links” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank”>“Can You Name These Classic Disney Movies From Just Two Words?”
Also in TVAndMovies:“Plan A 7-Course Meal And We’ll Tell You Which Disney Villain You Are”
