There is no heartbreak quite likethe cancellation of a beloved show. Ideally, great shows would all get to go on for many seasons. However, oftentimes, these shows get cancelled very prematurely. Because of these early cancellations, so many wonderful shows have not gotten to live up to their full potentials, and instead had to wrap up before they were ready.
Every network and streaming service is guilty of this. However, ABC in particular has had so many amazing shows that were cancelled before they could properly resolve their storylines. As a result, these shows had to wrap up quickly, and were unable to properly tell their stories. These are 10 ABC shows that were cancelled too soon.
10’Grand Hotel'
What started as an American adaptation ofGran Hotelsoon evolved into its own thing throughout the only season ofGrand Hotel. The show followed the Mendoza family, the owners of the Riviera Grand Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida. This family consisted of the hotel owner Santiago (Demián Bichir), his second wife, Gigi (Roselyn Sánchez), and each of their children. It also focused on many of the employees of the hotel.
Grand Hotelwas sadlycancelled after only one season, but it was very fun while it lasted.The show had a great deal of drama, and shocking twists and turns, such as paternity secrets and missing former employees.The characters were all very compelling, especially the more morally gray ones that fans just could not help but root for, even as more twists were slowly revealed.
Grand Hotel
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The recently cancelledNot Dead Yetwas a workplace comedy with a paranormal twist. The show followed former journalist Nell Serrano (Gina Rodriguez), who gave up her previous career and social life for a relationship that then failed. She had to come back to her old life, with everything different, such as her best friend now close with her work nemesis. The biggest change was that Nell got assigned to obituaries.
This was a fun sitcom that also had some very sweet and touching emotional beats.The great twist was that Nell could see and communicate with the ghosts of each person she was writing about, until the obituary was complete.It was both funny and emotional to watch Nell slowly adjust to this big change and to watch her grow as a person because of it.
Not Dead Yet
8’The Baker and the Beauty'
The Baker and the Beautywas a fun romantic drama that followed the relationship between a baker and a popstar. When Daniel (Victor Rasuk) and Noa (Nathalie Kelley) met one night while Daniel was breaking up with his girlfriend, they shared unexpected sparks. Neither one of them knew where this would go, but it ended up being a life-changing relationship that affected their family and friends as well.
This was just a really fun, low-stakes, and enjoyable romantic drama.The highlight of the show was definitely the focus on Daniel’s family.Despite the main storyline being the relationship between Daniel and Noa, the show’s best romance was between Daniel’s ex-girlfriend, Vanessa (Michelle Veintimilla), and his brother, Mateo (Maggie’sDavid Del Rio). It was a really enjoyable show with excellent drama,and its cancellation was really disappointing.
The Baker and the Beauty
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Even a decade later, fans are still devastated by the cancellation of the hilarious yet touching sitcom,Selfie. The show was a modern take onMy Fair Lady, chronicling the transformation of Eliza Dooley (Karen Gillan). When Eliza suddenly lost her social media following due to an embarrassing incident on a plane, she turned to her coworker, Henry Higgs (John Cho), for help rehabilitating her reputation.
Selfiewas such a fun show, particularly for its hilarious and compelling characters.It was entertaining and touching to see Eliza’s character growth, and to watch her and Henry really come to care for each other.Selfiehad very clever jokes, a fun way of paying homage toMy Fair Lady, and wonderful characters and plot lines.
Selfie is currently not available for streaming or purchase.
6’Ugly Betty'
Ugly Bettywas afun and often suspenseful dramedythat followed the life and career of Betty Suarez (America Ferrera), from being an intern at Mode Magazine, to eventually becoming an editor. The show had many plot twists, due to the abundance of family secrets within the Meade family, and Wilhelmina Slater’s (Vanessa Williams) villainous streak. It also worked as a family drama, with fans growing attachedto the Suarez family.
Despite getting four seasons, the ending ofUgly Bettyfelt very rushed.The show made do, but its cancellation took away from some fascinating plot lines.As such, the plot line with Claire’s secret son was wrapped up too neatly and too quickly. Wilhelmina’s redemption arc was rushed, and Betty and Daniel’s romantic feelings for each other were very rushed as well. The show’s writing was so excellent, and it deserved more seasons.
ugly betty
5’Happy Endings'
Happy Endingstook the concept of a hangout comedy, and made the friend group all severely codependent and obsessed with both themselves and each other. This made for an absolutely wonderful concept, with hilarious in-jokes, made-up words, rituals, and even holidays that the group honored. They were always competing with each other over things that did not matter.
Sadly,Happy Endingswas canceled after only three seasons, although the show easily could have gone on for many more.Its characters were incredibly well-written and funny, and their backstories and lore were wonderfully complex.The showhad many phenomenal episodes, like the prank war, the lies that spun out of control, and the realization of Penny’s (Casey Wilson) birthday curse.
Happy Endings
4’Don’t Trust the B in Apartment 23'
ABC has cancelled many niche sitcoms over the years, shows that took popular concepts but became unique due to their characters. Another example that fits this description wasDon’t Trust the B in Apartment 23. The show started out with what seemed like a disastrous roommate situation, and quickly became a fun romp of schemes, wild nights out, and celebrity sightings.
This show was so much fun, due to its characters, clever episodes, and hilarious jokes.There were so many bizarre situations, like Chloe (Krysten Ritter) getting herself a job atPeople Magazinejust by walking in the door and firing someone, so that she could play a prank on June (Dreama Walker).There was alsoan over-the-top trip to the Hamptons, and a mortifying performance fromJames Van Der BeekonDancing with the Stars.
Don’t Trust The B—- in Apartment 23
3’Kevin from Work'
Cancelled after just ten episodes,Kevin From Workremains severely underrated to this day. The show started with a nightmare scenario, in which a drunk Kevin Daly (Schitt’s Creek’sNoah Reid) wrote a letter confessing his love to a coworker, Audrey (Paige Spara), the night before he was set to move to Italy for a new job. Of course, the job did not pan out, and Kevin was stuck working back at his old job.
This show was so much fun, blending a workplace comedy with a hangout comedy, elevated by the occasional cartoon to show off Kevin’s romanticized view of the world.Kevin as a character was a really great parody of often-criticizedsitcom men like Ross Gellerand Ted Mosby, wherein other characters were regularly hitting him with reality checks. The characters were all very compelling, and the show deserved more than one season.
Kevin from Work
2’Galavant'
There was perhaps no TV moment as meta as when a monk (played byWeird Al Yankovic) sang in the last episode ofGalavantabout their likely cancellation. He pointed out the likelihood of their cancellation, singing,“Now we’ll probably have to go and get work on some cheap-ass cable network.“Galavantwas a high risk and high reward sitcom that took a fairytale and turned it into a musical meta parody.
Galavantwas so much fun, matching the tone of classics likeThe Princess BrideandMonty Pythonand the Holy Grail. It had epic quests that went on for multiple episodes, great romances, and hilarious musical numbers.The show always found new ways to twist the plot and keep things fresh, like killing off Galavant (Joshua Sasse) and bringing him back from the dead with a zombie army.
1’Pushing Daisies'
PushingDaisieshad genuinely one of the most original TV show concepts of all time. The show existed in a fairytale version of the real world, and it followed a piemaker named Ned (Lee Pace) who could wake the dead with a single touch. Of course, his power had rules; if the dead stayed alive for over a minute, someone else would die. Additionally, if Ned touched the dead again, they would die for good.
The show took this concept and made it wonderfully tragic and romantic, with Ned reuniting with his childhood sweetheart, Chuck (Anna Friel), upon her death. They were finally together, but they could never touch. In each episode, they used Ned’s powers to solve crimes for their Private Investigator friend, Emerson Cod (Chi McBride).Pushing Daisieswas the ultimate comfort show, and it had many interesting murder mysteries.Its cancellation was absolutely heartbreaking, and fans remain hopefulthat it will be revived one day.
