Television

UPDATE: The TV Shows That Have Been Rescued From Cancellation

by Michael Walsh
May 11 2018 • 1:00 PM

Ah, May. That gorgeous time of year when the flowers begin to bloom, the sun sets a little later every day, and a bunch of our favorite TV shows get cancelled by network executives who obviously hate our guts. It’s always one of the worst things about making the turn from spring to summer, because the end of the traditional TV season also means the end for dozens of series. And this year has some real disappointing doozies.Here are the shows we’re most upset about losing, and the chances we think they have of returning from the television graveyard.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine (5 seasons – Fox)

Hold on, one second, gotta get this out of the way first…ARE YOU ****ING KIDDING ME! WITH THIS ****?Okay thank you.The most shocking cancellation of the season, and the one that has resulted in the biggest outcry, is Fox’s decision to end Brooklyn Nine-Nine after five seasons, despite both a loyal (and it turns out rabid) fan base and critical acclaim. It hasn’t been a ratings hit, but it hasn’t been a dud either, and viewers are not happy to see this patrol come to an end.Odds it comes back: High! Not only have devotees of the Nine-Nine taken to social media en masse, there are already reports the show could find a home somewhere else, with Hulu emerging as an early frontrunner.UPDATE: Woohoo! Thank goodness somebody loves u. (Name of your sex tape.) Brooklyn Nine-Nine was quickly resuscitated by NBC after getting the axe from Fox, but it’s not the only show to find a second life after being brought back to life by another network. Check below to see which cancelled show has been uncancelled somewhere else.

Last Man on Earth (4 Seasons – Fox)

Brooklyn Nine-Nine wasn’t the only comedy with a great cast to get the axe at Fox, and it’s not the only one to get fans in an uproar. The wonderfully weird The Last Man on Earth starring Will Forte is also going extinct after four seasons, and “Ohh farts” isn’t the only f-word fans are using.Odds it comes back: They are not zero, but we’re not optimistic. While fan anger and disappointment has been all over social media, there doesn’t seem to be much in the way of rumors it will find another home.UPDATE: The planet remains barren.

The Mick (2 Seasons – Fox)

Geez what the hell happened at Fox this year? Did they decide they hate well-reviewed comedies with talented people?  The Mick, starring Kaitlin Olson as the worst legal guardian ever, also got evicted from the network’s schedule amid underwhelming ratings. (The real reason for all three comedies being cancelled is likely because Fox needs the programming space for Thursday Night Football.)Odds it comes back: Despite its hilarious star and huge initial push from Fox, the show never caught fire the way the network hoped. With only a season-and-a-half (it had a mid-season launch) there’s probably not enough momentum to have it end up under the supervision of another network or streaming site.UPDATE: The Mick didn’t manage to stick anywhere else.

Lucifer (3 Seasons – Fox)

Folks might think Fox is the devil for cancelling three popular comedies, but viewers will also be upset to learn the network has also sent the actual Devil back to Hell, cancelling their series Lucifer after three seasons. Despite good reviews, the show’s ratings did not maintain it’s surprising first season success. They say the Devil’s in the details, but it looks like the only thing that mattered here was how many people weren’t watching.Odds it comes back: “The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was making people think he didn’t exist.” Well not this time; we think the road to Hell is paved with decreasing ratings.UPDATE: It might yet be saved from cancellation Hell, but nothing definitive yet. As of June 15, Lucifer’s been saved. Netflix is picking up the show and continuing with season four.

The Exorcist (2 Seasons – Fox)

Fox also decided if they weren’t going to keep the Devil around anymore they didn’t exactly need The Exorcist either. The network was compelled to pull the plug on the anthology horror drama after two seasons due to low ratings.Odds it comes back: This one is dead and buried.UPDATE: Still dead. Still buried.

Designated Survivor (Seasons 2 – ABC)

Designated Survivor, starring  Kiefer Sutherland as the unlikely President of the United States after a major terrorist attack wiped out most of the government, has been designated for cancellation by ABC after just two seasons of middling ratings.Odds it comes back: Everyone was certain Richard Nixon’s politic career was dead and buried after he lost the race for governor in California in 1962, and yet he went on to win the White House. That has nothing to do with Designated Survivor though, which we don’t expect to get elected to another term somewhere else, we just think it’s an interesting factoid.UPDATE:The show might have found its own super pac, as Netflix is reportedly thinking of picking it up.

Quantico (Seasons 3- ABC)

Designated Survivor isn’t the only ABC drama revolving around a terrorist attack that has to give a concession speech, because Quantico has also been cancelled by the network. Apparently Quantico‘s ratings didn’t qualify it for another season.Odds it comes back: The show wasn’t a total bomb ratings wise, but it also didn’t leave enough of an impression to think it has enough fans to bring it back.UPDATE: This is one investigation that has been permanently shut down.

The Expanse (3 Seasons – Syfy)

Sci-fi fans weren’t spared by this year’s cancellations either, as the beloved series The Expanse was launched into the vacuum of space by Syfy after three seasons. Much like Brooklyn Nine-Nine, the surprising news caught fans off guard, and they are ready to go to war over it.Odds it comes back: The show does not plan on going down without a fight, with reports the series will try to continue at another network. A great sci-fi series with dedicated fans and a motivated production company determined to keep the story going? Our bet is The Expanse will expand to a fourth season somewhere.UPDATE: No one can hear you scream in space, but we heard fans from around the world yell in delight when Amazon announced it picked the show up for a fourth season.

Taken (2 Seasons – NBC)

Taken, a prequel series to the Liam Neeson film franchise (somehow set in the present day), never quite took off at NBC, which has decided not to renew the series for a third season after its ratings took a punch in the face during its second year.Odds it comes back: As you would expect from Bryan Mills the show won’t go down that easy. It will reportedly try to find another place to beat up some bad guys, but our bet is this might be one fight Bryan won’t win.UPDATE: This is one cancellation that took.

Life Sentence (1 Season – The CW)

Life Sentence starring Lucy Hale as a woman who has to deal with the fallout of her actions while she was dying from terminal cancer after she survives it was the actress’s follow-up to Pretty Little Liars. But this series comes in six seasons seasons and about 150 episodes short of PLL‘s run.Odds it comes back: Zero, which is pretty much the only number smaller than the show’s ratings.UPDATE: This cancellation was a death sentence.

Which one of these cancelled shows are you most upset about? Which one do you think will actually return? Tell us in the comments below.

Images: Fox, NBC, ABC, Syfy, The CW

More television news!

[brightcove video_id=”5780118230001″ brightcove_account_id=”3653334524001″ brightcove_player_id=”rJs2ZD8x”]