In the world we live in, more and more TV series and movies are premiering in theaters, television, and streaming platforms. And at the same time, as the amount of productions has increased, it has also become much more frequent for them to be unexpectedly canceled. It is well known that working on a film or TV production from scratch takes a lot of effort from everyone involved and a significant financial investment, not to mention each team member's valuable time. In many cases, and if the audience goes along with it, that investment is easily compensated after the production's premiere. However, there have been many projects over the last few years that, for one reason or another, were canceled in the middle of production, making all the time and money invested in them become, for the most part, a significant loss.
The reasons behind the termination of shows and movies are not always the same. With regard to TV series, what happens most frequently is that, according to the ratings achieved in its first season, the company decides whether to renew it for a bit longer or to cancel it and concentrate its efforts on other shows in case they are not satisfied with the performance. Many productions did not even get to premiere: they were canceled before airing due to different conflicts, even when all the material was fully prepared.
Unfortunately, no show or movie is spared from being potentially canceled, no matter the number of fans it has around the world. In fact, in the last few years, major blockbusters have been discontinued, triggering tremendous anger from fans, who often carried out campaigns and petitions to reverse the situation. Whether due to low viewership or other problems related to the project, here are 10 movies and TV shows that were canceled in the middle of their production.
9 Viva Laughlin
Hugh Jackman has been involved in a number of successful projects over the years, but unfortunately, the musical drama show Viva Laughlin was not among them. This production was inspired by the British serial Blackpool, and adapted by Bob Lowry and Peter Bowker, who also served as executive producers along with Jackman and others. Viva Laughlin follows businessman Ripley Holden, who invested all his savings in opening a casino in Laughlin, but as he discovers that he is still short of funds to finish the project, he attempts to make a deal with his rival, Ricky Fontana. This negotiation doesn't go quite as planned, though things are about to take a turn for the worse when Fontana is found dead in Holden's casino. Lloyd Owen stars in the production alongside Mädchen Amick, Ellen Woglom, Hugh Jackman and Melanie Griffith, among others. Unfortunately, this show was poorly reviewed and did not achieve the anticipated ratings, so it got canceled after only two episodes.
8 Broadway Brawler
The 1997 film Broadway Brawler would have featured Bruce Willis as Eddie, a retired ice hockey player in the early stages of his relationship with a character played by Maura Tierney. However, this rom-com suffered a lot of internal conflicts during its production, so it ended up being canceled and never made it to theaters. Willis also served as producer along with Joseph Feury in this Lee Grant-directed film, in which Daniel Baldwin, Alex Boyd, Jennifer Lewis, and Casey Moses Wurzbach were also cast. Broadway Brawler had barely been shooting for 20 days when it got canceled, and the main reason had to do with the huge financial loss they were facing due to the lead actor's disappointment with many of the filmmakers and fellow cast members, who were laid off in the process.
7 Secret Talents of the Stars
Secret Talents of the Stars had everything it takes to become one of the audience's favorite shows, but it never quite made it. This reality game show featured different celebrities already known to the public displaying their hidden talents, while being judged by a panel made up of Debbie Reynolds, Brian McKnight, and Gavin Polone. In addition to the judges' feedback, the contestants depended on the audience's vote to stay in the competition. This show premiered in April 2008 on CBS, and the first celebrities to compete on the show were Mýa, Clint Black, Sasha Cohen, and George Takei. Unfortunately, the first episode had very low ratings, so the game show was canceled.
6 Revenge of the Nerds Remake
1984 saw the release of Revenge of the Nerds, a Jeff Kanew film starring Robert Carradine, Anthony Edwards, Ted McGinley, and Bernie Casey. This production follows Lewis Skolnick and Gilbert Lowe, two nerdy best friends who enroll at Adams College to study computer science and are bullied by the college's most popular fraternities and sororities. Revenge of the Nerds kicked off a comedy franchise that was followed by the films Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise, Revenge of the Nerds III: The Next Generation and Revenge of the Nerds IV: Nerds in Love. In 2006, a remake of the original film began to be developed under the direction of Kyle Newman, starring Adam Brody, Katie Cassidy and Jenna Dewan. However, this production was never actually completed due to difficulties in finding a filming location. Anyway, there is still hope for this franchise: in 2020, Seth MacFarlane expressed his intentions to work on a reboot of the original film.
5 The Time Traveler's Wife
The Time Traveler's Wife is a novel by Audrey Niffenegger released in 2003 that was adapted into a film a few years later, starring Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams. In 2022, this story was re-adapted, but this time, for television. The show was created and written by Steven Moffat with direction by David Nutter. Starring Rose Leslie and Theo James, The Time Traveler's Wife follows Henry and Clare's relationship, which is marked by the man's genetic disorder that causes him to time travel involuntarily. The TV series premiered on HBO last May, but due to its poor reviews, it was canceled after the first season. Fans of the show attempted to save the series by petitioning for its renewal, but to no avail.
4 Powerless
Powerless is set in the DC Universe and features Vanessa Hudgens as Emily Locke, a Wayne Security worker. This woman collaborates with a team on innovative solutions for ordinary people affected by the consequences of fights between superheroes and villains. This NBC series was developed by Ben Queen and premiered in February 2017. Apart from Hudgens, the cast featured Danny Pudi, Christina Kirk, Ron Funches, and Alan Tudyk. The pilot episode of Powerless was screened at San Diego Comic Con to rave reviews. However, not long after, Queen dropped out of the project due to creative differences with Warner Bros. and the show was re-written based on new ideas. Unfortunately, this new version did not impress the audience, and the show was canceled halfway through its first season.
3 Nimona
The story of the movie Nimona had its ups and downs, but it eventually got its happy ending: despite being canceled a few years ago, the project was picked up again in 2022, and is expected to premiere this year. The first version of this animated film was inspired by ND Stevenson's comic series, and featured the voices of Chloë Grace Moretz, Riz Ahmed, and Eugene Lee Yang. Originally directed by Patrick Osborne, Nimona would follow a teenage girl with the ability to shape-shift and an innate talent for misdeeds. This film was an original Blue Sky Studios production that was left inconclusive following the studio's shutdown in 2021. Fortunately, Annapurna Pictures took up the project, which will now be directed by Nick Bruno and Troy Quane.
2 Arrested Development
Arrested Development had a similar fate to the movie Nimona, and despite its cancelation, it was eventually picked up for renewal a few years later. This Mitchell Hurwitz sitcom follows the Bluths, a dysfunctional wealthy family, and particularly Michael, the main character played by Jason Bateman. The cast of the show was rounded out by Portia de Rossi, Will Arnett, Michael Cera, Alia Shawkat, Tony Hale, David Cross, Jeffrey Tambor, and Jessica Walter. Despite being a critically acclaimed series that won many awards, its low ratings led to its termination in 2006 at the end of its third season. However, Netflix gave it a second chance in 2013, and commissioned two additional seasons of the show, which wrapped up in March 2019.
1 My Best Friend's Birthday
Rounding out this list is My Best Friend's Birthday, a film that, had it not been canceled, would have been Quentin Tarantino's directorial debut. The idea for the film originated from a script by Craig Hamann that was edited alongside Tarantino, and the cast was made up of the director's friends and co-workers. This project was shot over four years with a budget of $5000. However, in post-production, several rolls of film were mistakenly discarded, and only 36 minutes of content survived. Although this material was edited and exhibited at various film festivals as a collection of scenes, the production of My Best Friend's Birthday was canceled and became one of the director's unfinished projects.