With Covid causing shows to drops like flies it got me thinking about which cancelled shows pissed me off the most in the past. For whatever reason the one that still bothers me to this day is Quarry. A superb show like that only getting 8 episodes then getting the shaft out of the blue was a fucking travesty. What cancellation still stings the most for you?
Two that spring to mind are ... 'Carnivale' - which had a truncated second season when they found out it was being cancelled. It completely ruined a promising series. And 'Deadwood' which had a similar truncated third season, and the movie years later still ended in a fairly unsatisfactory way. Also, 'The League of Gentlemen'. Another TV show that was very critically acclaimed but didn't have the viewing figures to stay afloat. I'm sure i can think of more good examples ...
All excellent examples. The HBO ones which end after 1 or 2 seasons are really a sore spot no doubt, as they typically were such high calibre fair versus the standard cable stuff that gets the axe. A really timely post @Waterbear , as I actually expected this thread discussion to be kicked off because of Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, which I only read this morning has been given its notice. That one is particularly sore for me, for, even though the Netflix model is very much cutting shows off after 2 seasons (which I understand to be heavily around contracts they sign with actors, specifically for this reason :S ), as there is such a dearth of shows with practical effects, and I have always been an incredible fan of the Froud/Henson collaborative works. Can we really only afford to get properly handled immersive worlds of fantasy only once in a generation? It is especially hard to grasp now, over a year I think since the first season was released, when other similar Netflix originals which have been cancelled have been given the notice shortly after - or in some cases, even before - the shows 'aired.' Yes, I get that it was undoubtedly costly to produce, but to me the potential payoff on proper licensing of such a show could be so much more than stock entertainment, which, I guess is the staple of Hollywood these days, sadly. Anyways, there are probably loads that really sting me if I care to think about it (and especially frustrating with the many unresolved cliffhangers we never got to see), but since this one is so fresh and also personal, I thought I would give it first mention. In short,
Only recently binged all three seasons recently and was surprised when/how abruptly it ended. Was trying to work out if it was a victim of the writers strike a few years back, but dates were never a strong point. That said, I can think of way more series that dragged out waaaaay longer than they should've than got cut short.
Indeed. I always thought Breaking Bad went on for too many seasons, and don't get me started on the 'effing Walking Dead.
IIRC Deadwood was extremely expensive to make. I think that is one major contributor to why it was cancelled.
I'm sure I've got my own list hiding up there in my mushy grey, but it's difficult to think of a newer one that stung more than What a perfectly realized world they presented, and one in which I'd hoped to spend many more hours inside. Another one - same network, and victim of the same axe swing as Quarry - is Soderbergh's The Knick. We got a second year to hang out in turn-of-the-century NY, but a managerial shift over at MAX robbed us of the opportunity to wade any further into the birth of modern medicine. Fools!
Another vote for Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. Also very unhappy to hear that The Venture Bros. got the axe.
'Altered Carbon'. At least there was a second season, which I think I enjoyed more than the first. Its a shame because there were plenty more books to adapt. Also, 'Bored to Death'. It was one of the more unusual TV comedies that got cancelled before it should of been. I thought it had plenty of life left in it.
John from Cincinnati, written by David Milch of Deadwood, True Detective fame. He's about the dialog, makes actors salivate.
Wasn't it this show that everyone blamed for the 'death' of Deadwood? His attention was elsewhere? ... I don't remember the details ... Also, FIREFLY. Oh, the lamentations over the loss of that one, they still reverberate ...
Came hear to say Firefly but @The Moog beat me to it!! Had such high hopes for that one at least we got the movie?
^^ Last Man on Earth, and The Mick were two half hour comedies that didn't deserve their early demise.
I remember in the streaming thread a lot of clueless boomers argued that the new Dark Crystal series sucked but I loved it and it's a damn shame we won't see season 2. Good to see some love for it on this thread. Agreed. This was awful news.
I always wondered why Carnivale started out so good and just ended. Other Space was another one I really enjoyed but it vanished. I don't even know anyone else who saw it since it was on some weird yahoo channel thing. It had a great red dwarf vibe to it. Oh yeah, good riddance to The Walking Dead too. Glad they decided to put that show out of my misery. And fuck those stupid spin-offs and movies ahead of time as well.
USA/UK/ITALY production 'ROME' was another really good one but they couldn't afford to keep it going. It was planned for 5 seasons but they only managed two. I was a bit gutted at the time because I bloody loved it.
Yeah, thought only to be rumours but I think they've admitted it recently. Its a shame. I believe BBC4 is where the 'Detectorists' started out. Another excellent comedy drama!
I can't think of many shows that ended too soon, other than a few that were named here. Most shows go well past the date when they should have ended. I was still enjoying Regular Show on Cartoon Network when it came to an end. I always wanted another season of The Mighty Boosh, too. If you want to see a series that had a surreal final episode, check out the last episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold. The plot of the final episode is actually that the show is being cancelled by the execs, and the animators took a parting shot at them, before wrapping up the series.