Didn’t Make The Cut: TV Shows That Will Soon Be Canceled

Fuller House

A story relying on nostalgia alone can only go so far. Luckily, Netflix’s Fuller House managed to balance nostalgia and narrative before finally bidding farewell to its fans for another time.

After the original show’s eight-season run in the ’90s, Fuller House brought back some of the original stars to reprise their acting credit and further explore their characters’ lives along the way. However, though the show may still have its fan base from its initial run, most of its viewers didn’t stay too long for the series – especially since Netflix has many shows in its catalog. With the show’s ratings declining after each season, Fuller House’s cast and crew have agreed that ending the show on the fifth season is a fitting conclusion for their characters’ journey.

Criminal Minds

With a series already exceeding 300 episodes, crime drama Criminal Minds had finally been canceled. Since the show’s inception in 2005, Criminal Minds was one of the most-viewed series on TV, with viewers looking forward to whatever crimes the story’s Behavior Analysis Unit will solve next.

Unfortunately, with the show’s number of episodes gradually decreasing through each season, it became apparent that enthusiasm for the series was slowly running out of gas. What started as a show with 22 episodes during its first season ended after its 15th season, with only ten episodes. The main reason for the decision to cancel the show was because of its dwindling ratings — and its ratings dwindled due to a few factors, including the choice to replace old actors with new ones, and the gargantuan production costs.

Bless This Mess

What started as an idea from indie filmmaker Lake Bell, the TV sitcom Bless This Mess had become a beloved story for its viewers. It featured the story of a couple adjusting to their new life on a farm The show did have the potential to feature different plot points since it began. Throughout its 2-season run, Bless This Mess showed its characters go through many scenarios and gave viewers more reasons to be attached to the story.

Unfortunately, the show’s fans had to bid farewell too soon after the show’s series finale on May 5, 2020. Though it only had a relatively small following, it is safe to say that Lake Bell deserves all the credit for coming up with something that was interesting. Indeed, fans are still waiting for Bell’s next project.

Altered Carbon

The sad thing about waiting for something new is that the excitement gradually wears off the more you are made to wait. And for Netflix’s sci-fi series Altered Carbon, this was one of the reasons behind the show’s unfortunate cancelation. With a two-year gap between the show’s two seasons, and a relatively convoluted story, many of its viewers eventually lost interest – season 1 ended with only a million viewers compared to the 2.5 million viewers it had when it premiered.

For Altered Carbon’s season 2 release, the show returned with even fewer numbers than the previous season. Sadly, not even Marvel’s Falcon actor, Anthony Mackie was able to give the show the numbers it needed. This proved to Netflix the need to shift their investments towards other projects. Well, at least the two seasons and their animated movie won’t be leaving the streaming service anytime soon.

Bojack Horseman

Many people will agree that a story should end while it is still in its prime rather than dragging on until it runs out of gas entirely. Luckily, for Bojack Horseman’s case, it was the former. Before the show started preparations for its sixth season, Netflix executives gave the creator of the hit animated comedy series a heads-up that this will be their last one. Thanks to this condition, the show’s creators got the chance to wrap up the story as neatly as possible – without any cliffhangers that inevitably lead to nowhere.

Though fans are generally unhappy about the show’s cancelation, the show’s cast and crew assured them that it was for the best. After all, it is better to end a series with a bang than with a whimper.

Vikings

History channel’s first scripted series, Vikings, has finally reached the end of its voyage. Fortunately, like the mythological bird, the Phoenix, the show’s conclusion became the beginning for a new spin-off – which means fans of the show need not worry.

Since the show’s beginnings in 2017, fans were engrossed by the events and characters that the story revolved around. When the fifth season premiered, fans received news that the show’s sixth season will be the last. Of course, they weren’t too happy about it. Fortunately, studio executives were quick to follow-up with another announcement that they’ll be making investments toward a spin-off series. To add more seasoning on this feast, Vikings’ creators will still be in charge of the spin-off, giving them a chance to introduce a brand new story while expanding the Vikings universe.

Broke

A show indeed loses a lot of its value when it unnecessarily drags itself further with episodes full of substanceless fillers, and the same can be said when a show ends before it could even blossom. That was the case for CBS’s new show, Broke. While the show’s first season was airing, executives behind the comedy sitcom announced that season 2 won’t be happening.

Although the show’s fans have defended and praised it, Broke’s ratings spoke otherwise. Out of CBS’ eight comedies airing at the time, the show’s ratings could only bring it to seventh place in the rankings. Though the show ended before it could even begin, its lead actress, Pauley Perrette, gave a lot of credit to fellow cast and crew members for the experience, claiming that it helped her be more optimistic in work and life.

Lucifer

The much-loved supernatural-crime-comedy Lucifer is nearing its end. After Fox first canceled the show after three seasons due to it only gathering a small number of viewers, Netflix came and helped the series continue its run — and it performed even better than before.

With the show holding a massive fan base and currently running its fifth season, it is safe to say that reviving Lucifer was one of Netflix’s wisest investments. Fortunately, in recent news, Netflix executives have announced that the show will have one more season’s worth of story to be told – which is great news for fans, especially since the fifth season was initially planned to be the last. With this little spark of good news, fans will at least have another season to look forward to.

Party Of Five

The show’s first season started with relatively low ratings, only for it to drop even further by its finale. It was only inevitable that the show got the receiving end of the production company’s proverbial ax.

Though the family drama’s first – and, sadly, only – season was received with praise from viewers and critics alike, it wasn’t able to gather enough of an audience to justify the production company making further investments for a second season. The show’s one-season run may seem like a breeze to watch, but if combined with the original series, fans will have a total of seven season’s worth of story to follow. Although the two iterations tell a different story, both the reboot and the original series revolved around a family’s touching story of staying together, no matter how trying the situation may be.

Carol’s Second Act

For sure, a show’s success involves a certain degree of participation from its audience. After all, a live same-day viewer count is crucial to a show’s success in the long run. Carol’s Second Act is a medical comedy that was among the shows that CBS decided to cancel due to low ratings. CBS replaced it with a new and potentially more profitable show.

Even if the series was praised for its quality storytelling, it failed to acquire the requisite number of viewers to justify continuing the production. Unfortunately, it slowly became clear that Carol’s Second Act wasn’t all that interesting to viewers, and the show eventually got canceled. What’s sad is that many critics said the show had potential, and that it had every opportunity to turn itself around, but it didn’t.