The Society
The heartbreaking thing about The Society is that it was meant to have a second season. Production was about to get underway… and then the pandemic happened and Netflix decided to kill the show. The cancellation left viewers without resolution to hundreds of questions, such as who was Becca’s baby daddy, and exactly where, and when, are the New Ham teens trapped?
Sunset Beach
Sunset Beach may have been the most over-the-top soap opera to ever exist, but that was part of its charm. During its tenure there were evil twins, love potions, voodoo spells, people forever returning from the dead, and every type of dangerous weather that Mother Nature is capable of. Sunset Beach was trashy and camp, but was the perfect way to decompress after a rough day
Eerie, Indiana
Technically Eerie, Indiana received a spin-off show, Eerie, Indiana: The Other Dimension, but that show was an inferior copy. What fans were, and are still, screaming out for are more stories featuring Marshall Teller, Simon Holmes, and Dash-X. The official season finale, a meta self-referential episode with the cast playing fictitious versions of themselves, was one of the show’s finest, and way ahead of its time.
Outsiders
A show aimed at the Sons of Anarchy crowd, Outsiders was tragically cut short after three seasons. A fourth was planned, with sets built, and scripts written, however a change in ownership of the network led to its immediate cancellation. Outsiders focused on the Farrell clan, a community of ‘hill people’, as they tried unsuccessfully to co-exist with the townsfolk below them.
Firefly
Although it eventually got a continuation of sorts in 2005’s Serenity, Firefly remains one of television history’s biggest tragedies. The sci-fi space western from Buffy creator Joss Whedon could have been great. Sadly, the network took an instant dislike to the show and set about ensuring its cancellation, even going so far as to air episodes out of sequence so the plot made no sense.
The Sarah Connor Chronicles
The Sarah Connor Chronicles ended just as it got interesting. Set a few years after the events of Terminator 2, the show followed a teenage John Connor and mother Sarah as they time-jumped to the year 2007 alongside a female terminator assigned to protect John. The season two finale time-jumped again, this time to during Skynet’s reign, an era ripe for exploration.
Young Americans
The origins of Young Americans began in season three of Dawson’s Creek when Pacey’s friend Will came home to Capeside for a visit. Young Americans joined Will as he enrolled in a very prestigious private summer school. It featured early appearances of both Kate Bosworth and Ian Somerhalder, and could have surpassed its parent show were it given a chance.
Unreal
Unreal was an excellent female-fronted show that exposed the hypocrisy and fakeness of reality dating shows. Set within the production of the popular fictitious show ‘Everlasting’, a Bachelor knock-off, Unreal demonstrated just how these programmes are constructed as it followed unstable workaholic producer Rachel and her cutthroat boss, Quinn.
Hannibal
The season three finale of Hannibal, which saw Will and Hannibal fall off a cliff, felt like a very definite conclusion. However, there is still a lot more of Hannibal Lecter’s story to be told. Whilst Will might have perished, Lecter is a sly character and could have survived. With Will gone, someone else would need to spar with Hannibal – enter Clarice Starling.
The Tribe
New Zealand science-fiction soap, The Tribe, began when a virus wiped out all grown-ups. Left to their own devices in a post-apocalyptic world, children and teenagers set-up opposing factions and fought for dominance in the new world. During the fifth season finale the primary group, The Mall Rats, were seen arriving on a new island, having fled the city. What happened next was never told.
Game of Thrones
Epic fantasy drama Game of Thrones shook the world when it arrived on screens back in 2011, and as pretty unanimously beloved until its fateful final season. Fans who had dedicated years of their lives to following the stories of the Starks, Lannisters and Targaryens were devastated at the mess of a finale. With this in mind, many believe the show deserves one last season, to redeem itself, return to former glory (and maybe retcon the entire last season.)
Westworld
Whilst there’s an argument that Westworld could have ended after the first season, its actual conclusion after four felt underwhelming. Westworld ended with the eradication of life on Earth and the robots uploading their consciousnesses to The Sublime, aka Android Heaven. Dolores’ ending speech however made reference to there being one final game to play, which loyal viewers have now been deprived of.
Dungeons and Dragons
Cartoon series Dungeons and Dragons introduced a generation of children to the concept of disappointment when it ended without resolution. The series saw a group of teenagers transported to another realm after riding a Dungeons and Dragons ride. Each teen was granted a special power by a kindly Dungeon Master to aid their quest home, but the show ended without them achieving their goal.
Dynasty Reboot
Although the Dynasty reboot fared better than the Dallas revival, five seasons just wasn’t enough time with the Carrington family. Dynasty’s cancellation was announced early and so a reasonably strong ending was conceived. However, some story-lines got sidelined or forgotten in the rush to the finale. An extra few episodes to properly tie-up all the loose ends would have been perfect.
Santa Clarita Diet
Santa Clarita Diet was a moreish morsel of zombies, real-estate and humour, and deserved more than the three seasons it received. Drew Barrymore was perfect as accidental zombie Sheila. Aided by her husband Joel, she tried desperately to balance home-life and finding a cure. The season three finale left fans bereft as it ended on a massive cliffhanger, as Joel appeared to get turned too.
Harper’s Island
Harper’s Island was a wickedly fun murder-mystery with a healthy strand of slasher film. The story began seven years after a community tragedy in the lead up to some nuptials. Soon somebody, or something, started picking off the wedding party one-by-one. A glorious whodunit, Harper’s Island is a mini-series that should have either continued or become an anthology series.
Tru Calling
After winning a legion of fans as Faith in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Eliza Dushku fronted her own show, Tru Calling. Dushku starred as Tru Davies, a city morgue worker who gains the ability to help those that turn up on the table by travelling back in time twenty-four hours. Part science-fiction, part murder-mystery, Tru Calling had so much potential, but was unfairly cancelled.
Freaks and Geeks
One of the original ‘gone too soon’ shows, 1999’s Freaks and Geeks continues to amass fans. Set during the eighties, the teen drama followed a group of high-school outsiders as they traversed their tumultuous adolescent years, or more specifically year, as the show was cancelled after just one season. Despite this, the show launched the careers of many a household name actor, including James Franco, Seth Rogen and Jason Segel.
The Adventures Of Lois and Clark
Before Smallville, The Adventures of Lois and Clark was the go-to Superman show. Starring Dean Cain as Clark Kent and his superhero alter-ego, and Teri Hatcher as tenacious reporter Lois Lane, the show provided quality family entertainment. The final episode caused huge frustration when the couple found a baby wrapped in a Kyrptonian blanket, whose fate the fans never found out.
Girlboss
Based on the autobiography #Girlboss by Sophia Amoruso, Girlboss charted the rise of Amoruso’s clothes company Nasty Gal. Britt Robertson played the part perfectly, and the show wasn’t afraid to portray Sophia as an unlikable protagonist. This refreshing approach meant it was sad when the show came to an early end, especially as the story of Nasty Gal itself was only just beginning.
Happy Endings
After Friends finished, audiences were clamouring for a new sitcom to fill its void. Sadly, Happy Endings lost the successor crown to The Big Bang Theory. Happy Endings followed the hilarious hijinks of some friends as they tried to navigate life. To this day, both the cast and fans are holding hope for one more series.
Dark Angel
Dark Angel launched the career of Jessica Alba, with her role as genetically-engineered super-soldier Max. Having escaped her creators, Max was forever evading capture whilst trying to free fellow ‘experiments’. Produced by James Cameron, Dark Angel was ahead of its time. The ending of the season two finale saw Max and friends on the precipice of war, a frustrating cliffhanger never to be resolved.
The Secret Circle
Based on the books by L. J Smith, The Secret Circle was cancelled after just one season despite having one of The CW’s highest rating figures. The Secret Circle presented a witchy alternative to The Vampire Diaries, and the books provided plenty of material for future seasons. The only positive of its cancellation is that most of the cast were redistributed into other CW properties.
The Following
In The Following, Kevin Bacon played retired FBI agent Ryan Hardy who is called upon to deal with serial killer Joe Carroll. Although Carroll is incarcerated, he has a legion of followers who begin murdering in his honor. Written by Kevin Williamson, each season was superbly tense and devilishly dark, and the third series ended with a tantalizing tease that was unfortunately never explored.
Gossip Girl Revival
The recent resurrection of Gossip Girl is an example of a revival done correctly. The new series paid homage to the original, but had its own standalone identity. Rather than relying on the mystery of the online gossip blogger, the twist was that the audience immediately knew Gossip Girl’s identity. This iteration was also far more open-minded and less toxic in its portrayal of relationships.
Stargate Universe
Each Stargate series has its own style and tone. The most interesting, and frustratingly shortest, was Stargate Universe. An expedition of scientists and military operatives become stranded aboard the starship Destiny. The season two finale saw the Destiny on the verge of collapse and the bulk of passengers in stasis. A desperate hyper-jump was orchestrated, but where did they end up?
Dare Me
Based on the novel by Megan Abbott, Dare Me followed the lives of competitive high-school cheerleaders in a small American town. After a new coach is appointed dark secrets about the team rise to the surface. Gritty and compelling, Dare Me’s first series was a very solid mystery thriller and received positive reviews, but a change in network strategy quashed a second series.
Roswell
The network tried to cancel Roswell after its first season, but fan intervention saved it. A similar scenario occurred after the second season. The science-fiction teen drama was genuinely beloved, and try as they might, the chronicles of Liz Parker and her extraterrestrial boyfriend Max Evans came to an end after three seasons. A reboot began in 2019, but it just wasn’t the same.
Melrose Place Reboot
1992’s Melrose Place was a spin-off from Beverly Hills 90210. It followed the lives of the residents within an apartment complex. In 2009, after a ten year break, the show returned with a new cast, which included singer Ashlee Simpson. This new version was full with all the trademark lust, lies and fashion and warranted more time to step out of the original’s shadow.
Glow
In 2019, Netflix announced that its black-comedy women’s wrestling drama Glow was to have a fourth and final series. However, they then went back on this promise due to the pandemic. So inside of the well-rounded ending that Glow could have had, fans now have to live in a world where its conclusion has the group all scattered, with their future uncertain.
Heathers
Initially planned as an anthology series, the release of Heathers was tainted by real-life tragedy. First attempts to launch coincided with several school shootings, and with the content of the show including teen violence, Heathers was held back. Eventually a censored version was released which has the final two episodes edited into one. Although never made, Heathers ended with a tease for Heathers: Revolution.
Sense8
Created by Lana and Lilly Wachowski, Sense8 was one of the first casualties of the Netflix cancellation curse. The story followed eight strangers from across the globe who shared a psychic connection and was a firm fan favorite that should not have ended so soon. In response to fan outcry, the show was permitted a feature-length ‘finale’, but the story felt rushed.
Swamp Thing
Typically everything that horror icon James Wan touches turns to gold, but sadly for TV’s Swamp Thing, this was not the case. The DC property, which leaned heavily into the horror genre, was cancelled after one short, but wickedly sweet series. Having only had ten episodes, Swamp Thing was just getting started.
My So Called Life
Often touted as one of the best shows of the nineties, it’s always shocking to remember that My So Called Life ended after just one series. Starring both Claire Danes and Jared Leto, the series was praised for its honesty about teenagedom. Considering how impactful this first season was, it would have been amazing to see it have a Dawson’s Creek length run.
Ash Vs Evil Dead
The third season of Evil Dead continuation show, Ash Vs Evil Dead, ended on an epic cliffhanger that frustrated not only the fans, but Bruce Campbell too. The actor regularly discusses the proposed direction for the now defunct fourth season, but retains hope that one day he might get to wield the chainsaw again.
Millennium
Millennium was created by Chris Carter, the brilliant mind behind nineties phenomenon The X-Files. The show followed Lance Henriksen’s Frank Black, an ex-FBI agent with the ability to peer inside criminal minds. After its sudden cancellation, Carter inserted a final episode of sorts in season seven of The X-Files. But with so much story left untold, it’s begging for a revival.
The Order
The Order was a supernatural show set in college. New student Jake joined a secret society that taught and practised magic and found himself in the middle of a war between dark magic and werewolves. With its cancellation now confirmed, the climax of season two is tortuous. Jake’s love-interest Alyssa was savagely attacked by a werewolf and her fate is now forever unknown.
Invasion
Invasion’s popularity was sadly directly affected by Hurricane Katrina. The national tragedy was too fresh in audiences’ minds and so the show’s ratings suffered. It is a massive shame as the show presented an interesting riff on the Invasion of the Body Snatchers story, as residents of a small Florida town were infiltrated by water-based creatures under the guise of a hurricane.
Pushing Daisies
Starring Anna Friel and Lee Pace, Pushing Diaries was a quirky comedy series. Pace’s character, Ned, had the ability to bring dead things back to life by touching them. With the aid of his formerly deceased childhood crush Chuck, Ned helped solve murder cases. Unfortunately the one thing that Ned couldn’t resurrect was the show itself as it was unceremoniously stopped mid-way through season two.
The OA
The OA offered audiences mystery, drama, science-fiction, fantasy and the supernatural; it basically catered to everyone. The OA followed a formerly blind woman, Prairie, who returned after being missing for seven years, insisting on being referred to as OA (Original Angel). Initial story plans had plotted for a five season arc, but Netflix pulled the plug after only two.
