If you’re well-versed in streaming services now, in 2023, you know not to get too attached to a new show that has the potential to be extremely successful. Everything could be going great, and a month later the streaming service could announce that the show would be canceled, leaving you feeling hopeless, angry, and confused. It’s even worse when the season ends on a cliffhanger, which it usually does, creating much discourse amongst fans to try and save the show by having a different network pick it up. Dedicated fans have started petitions to try and save their beloved series, but rarely does it come to fruition, and they’re left devastated by a show that should have gotten more time. Here’s a list of some fan favorites that were canceled way too soon.
10 Freaks and Geeks
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There are so many great series that have been canceled prematurely, but to this day, people still talk about the influence Freaks and Geeks had on television and how it shouldn’t have been canceled after a single season. The cast was mint; young stars that would all go off to do big things, such as Jason Segel, Linda Cardellini, James Franco, and many more. It was a coming-of-age story about high school, first loves, and discovering one's self. To this day, it’s still up in the air if the show will ever be rebooted, but fans would be thrilled to see if it happens.
9 The Society
If you like dystopian teen stories like The Hunger Games, The Society was one of the best Netflix shows on the subject. The Society pulls inspiration from the book series Gone by Michael Grant, following a group of teenagers who go on a field trip only to return to their little town to find it completely abandoned. Their parents are gone, along with everyone else that makes up the town of Newham, even kids and animals. Quickly, as expected, groups start to form as they try to figure out what happened, some dangerous and some desperate for power. The show was canceled after one season and left fans on a cliffhanger in the finale, leaving them wanting more and furious they would never know what happened to the teens.
8 The Punisher
Jon Bernthal starred as Frank Castle in the Marvel series The Punisher for two seasons, and fans are still not over the cancelation of this show. The series followed Castle, who, after losing his family to a brutal murder, transforms himself into a vigilante known as The Punisher, who isn’t someone you’d want to meet in a dark alley in the middle of the night. Frank Castle originally guest starred in Netflix's Daredevil, and after his character was met with high praise, he quickly got his own spinoff series. Even though the series was canceled, there have been rumors floating around that the show could possibly be picked up by Disney+, three years after its initial cancelation.
7 The Get Down
If you enjoy disco music and the birth of R&B, you were most likely crushed when The Get Down was canceled after a single season on Netflix. The show was an instant hit across multiple generations, taking place in The Bronx in the 1970s, just as hip-hop was on the rise. The show's point of view is through a group of teenagers who are not only discovering themselves but also discovering their love of music with each episode. The season is split into two parts: one where the teens are young and doing reckless things, and the next where we see them in adulthood. It was a great show and truly deserved more seasons before it was canceled.
6 Sense8
Sense8 received high praise and several awards for how well it did as a series, not only for the acting but also for the cinematography, music, and best drama series. It’s another Netflix series that was canceled after two seasons, much to the dismay of fans who loved the show and characters. The plot in season one followed eight individuals who learn that they’re all linked by a psychic connection and try to figure out how and why they’re connected. The show was praised for how it portrayed LGBTQ themes as well as showing the importance of empathy. It was on the right track for a third season but was ultimately canceled on a cliffhanger, which was resolved about a year later when a two and a half-hour proper finale was released.
5 My So-Called Life
Hailed as one of the best teen drama shows to ever grace television, My So-Called Life was cut way too soon after a single season, and its influence is often talked about to this day. The show followed Angela Chase (Claire Danes) and her life as a teenager in high school. Something the show did well was tackle difficult themes that other shows were skipping over in order to create a happier atmosphere for the show as a whole. In just a single season, My So-Called Life brought up issues such as homophobia, alcoholism in teens, child abuse, drug abuse, adultery, and more. It was an important show that helped a lot of people and deserved more seasons.
4 I Am Not Okay With This
I Am Not Okay With This is based on the graphic novel of the same name by Charles Forsman and was a success as an adaptation of a show. It starred Sophia Lillis, Wyatt Oleff, and Sofia Bryant, and the trio was truly memorable for their short time on the Netflix show. They played off each other and really showed what it was like to grow up in a small town where you aren’t exactly accepted, for several reasons. Sydney (Lillis) discovers she has powers that are dangerous if she doesn’t learn to control them, but the audience doesn’t get the chance to see what happens since the show was cut off after only a single season.
3 Pushing Daises
Pushing Daisies is considered a comfort show due to the coloring of each episode and the way it was filmed, making it aesthetically pleasing and different from what was on television during that time. Ned, played by Lee Pace, is a pie maker and also solves murder cases on the side thanks to his ability to bring people back from the dead. The series had two successful seasons and received high praise from critics, but was sadly canceled, so we never got to find out what happens between Ned and Chuck.
2 Anne With An E
Anne with an E was based on the children's stories of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables and received positive reviews and a roaring fanbase. It has three seasons on Netflix, and when it was canceled in 2019, fans rose to the occasion and demanded that the show be saved. Petitions were circulated, and letters were sent to other networks in an attempt to save the show, but it was ultimately canceled after three seasons. Similar to My So-Called Life, Anne with an E often discussed topics such as racism, homosexuality, bullying, freedom of speech, gender inequality, and more.
1 Raising Dion
Raising Dion was one of the best representations of a Black superhero for kids, and it was taken off-screen far too soon. Dion was a young boy who discovered he had powers just like his father, wanting more than anything to be reunited with his dad after he disappeared. The show did a great job of showing representation not only through race but also disability, with the character Esperanza, always witty and eager to help her best friend. The show was supposed to have a third season, but it was prematurely canceled, leaving it with only two and several questions from fans.