Yahoo Lifestyle The Most Unjust Cancellations of 2024
Devoted TV fans are well-versed in the crushing defeat of a show cancellation, and 2024 delivered dozens of ’em. Let’s put a little more ice on the ones that still sting, shall we?
Though it’s hardly easy to say goodbye to any series, there are some cancellations from the year gone by that we’re still not over, all 10 of which are listed below.
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In some cases — like those of Evil and Station 19 — we were given a little time to emotionally prepare for the impending series finales, which softened the cancellation blows a bit. But in many more cases, viewers were caught off-guard by the news that Chucky, The Acolyte, Quantum Leap and other shows would not return for additional seasons.
Other notable losses included a gone-too-soon Disney+ gem, a much-missed extension of the NCIS universe, and a previously cancelled (but ultimately revived) comedy series that we so hoped would cheat death for a second time.
Keep scrolling to see (in alphabetical order) the 10 shows we’d bring back from the TV grave if we could, then drop a comment with your own additions to the list.
The Acolyte (Disney+)
Much of Disney+’s Star Wars and Marvel fare falls under the “limited series” umbrella, with little expectation of returning for a second season. What a shame, then, that The Acolyte — which very clearly set the stage for a sophomore run in its Season 1 finale — was cut short at the streamer. Even worse, star Amandla Stenberg said the cancellation was “not a huge shock” for her… but only because of the “rampage of vitriol” she’d been receiving from fans online. Um, not great! — Rebecca Iannucci
American Born Chinese (Disney+)
American Born Chinese left viewers with one heckuva cliffhanger in its Season 1 finale, making its eventual cancellation especially frustrating. On another level, though, we were disheartened by Disney+’s choice to nix a diverse and fresh series, making the streamer’s pool of non-Marvel-or-Star-Wars offerings even shallower. — R.I.
Chucky (Syfy)
This one was a real knife to the heart, which, if nothing else, we know Chucky himself would appreciate. But Don Mancini’s Syfy horror show was a wild, funny, bloody delight in the three seasons we got to enjoy; we simply never wanted it to end, especially not after the very eventful Season 3 finale that would ultimately serve as Chucky‘s small-screen farewell. — R.I.
Evil (Paramount+)
And while we’re on the topic of spooky series that weren’t afraid to get weird with it: We miss Evil! Though we appreciated that Evil‘s forthcoming conclusion was announced months in advance — plenty of time to cope with some canned margaritas — it felt premature to say goodbye to Kristen, David and Ben after just four seasons. Star Katja Herbers evidently agreed, writing in a since-deleted X post, “We’re all super sad @paramountplus has decided Season 4 is our last. @netflix u up? Care to snatch up the goods??” But snatch, Netflix did not. — R.I.
Minx (Starz)
On one hand, maybe we should have seen this coming: Before getting saved by Starz, Minx had previously been cancelled at Max, despite locking down a Season 2 renewal months earlier. So, perhaps we shouldn’t have been so crushed when its life on Starz was cut short, too — but we were! Creatively, the show was firing on all cylinders as Season 2 came to a close, capably setting up a third season that we would have loved to see. — R.I.
My Lady Jane (Prime Video)
We previously put My Lady Jane on our list of this year’s hidden TV gems… though we’d argue Prime Video didn’t have to hide the series quite so much from potential viewers. Funny, romantic and surprisingly audacious (we won’t spoil That Big Twist here, but whoa), this period fantasy drama was a refreshing change of pace, with even more to offer in a forever-hypothetical second season. With the proper marketing — fans of the book series told TVLine they didn’t even know it had been adapted into a TV show! — and some patience, My Lady Jane could have found an audience instead of being swiftly beheaded like its real-life heroine. — Vlada Gelman
NCIS: Hawai’i (CBS)
The numbers say it all: NCIS: Hawai’i Season 3 averaged 7.8 million viewers (with Live+7 playback data), up 4% versus its sophomore run. And out of the 14 drama series that CBS aired during the 2023-24 TV season, it ranked No. 6 in total audience — ahead of Elsbeth, Fire Country, the two FBI spinoffs, NCIS: Sydney and S.W.A.T., all of which did get renewed. — Matt Webb Mitovich
Our Flag Means Death (Max)
Another genuine surprise, given its devoted fanbase, Our Flag Means Death was cancelled less than three months after its second season concluded on Max. We didn’t expect that a Blackbeard-centric pirate comedy would yield one of television’s sweetest pairings, but it did just that with Stede Bonnet and Blackbeard’s disarming romance. The show’s axing was, among other things, a major loss for LGBTQ+ representation on the small screen. — R.I.
Quantum Leap (NBC)
It felt like NBC’s new take on Quantum Leap was only just getting started when it was cut from the network’s lineup in April. And though NBC exec Jeff Bader later said Quantum Leap was “a much softer show, performance-wise” — thus preventing it from relocating to Peacock, as Law & Order: Organized Crime has since done — we’ll always crave a little more closure on Ben and Addison’s space-time adventures. — R.I.
Station 19 (ABC)
Though Station 19 was hardly ABC’s top-rated drama, its seventh season was its first under new showrunners Zoanne Clack and Peter Paige, who not only energized the Grey’s Anatomy spinoff, they — if you’ll pardon the pun — set it on fire. The tag team honored the series’ history while moving it forward in such exciting ways that we weren’t just sad when it was cancelled, we were outraged. — Charlie Mason
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