For every TV show that lasts 10 seasons, countless others don’t make it past the first. It could happen for a variety of reasons: low ratings, production issues, and even controversies surrounding the show.
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Just because a show gets canceled doesn’t mean that the show itself was bad. There have been great shows with brilliant writing and compelling performances that still had the plug pulled on them.
‘Tell Me You Love Me’
Tell Me You Love Meis a rare breed. It’s an acclaimed, yet practically forgotten HBO original series. It follows three couples as they navigate the complexities of intimacy in their relationships and the therapist who is trying to help them but dealing with her issues at home. If that sounds familiar to you, you might be a fan of the other therapy-based HBO series,In Treatment, which debuted the following year.
The show is compelling thanks to, in no small part, its graphic focus on the intimacy of its characters. 2007 was a time in television where, at places like HBO, barriers were beginning to be broken in terms of the content you can show.Tell Me You Love Medoesn’t hold back. Its content, combined with the lack of score and handheld camerawork, gives the entire show a sense of realism that’s typically only found in documentaries. Initially renewed for a second season, the show was eventually canceled after its creator,Cynthia Mort,couldn’t nail down a direction to continue the story.
Vinylhad the perfect recipe for a successful TV show. It was an HBO prestige period drama, starring the always underratedBobby Cannavale, and co-created byRolling StonewriterRich Cohen, executive producer ofThe Sopranos,Terence Winter, rock legendMick Jaggerand master filmmakerMartin Scorsese, who also directed the pilot. What could possibly go wrong?
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In terms of quality, very little. The show is a consistently entertaining look at the exciting New York City music scene of the 1970s. Told through the eyes of Cannavale’s Richie, an underdog record executive looking to save his label from irrelevancy. The show was even renewed for a second season after the first episode aired. However, when the show failed to find an audience, HBO reversed its decision, ending the show after its freshman outing.
‘Perpetual Grace, LTD’
When discussing a show’s chance of renewal, the channel it’s aired on is as important, if not more, than the quality of the show itself. A perfect example of this isPerpetual Grace, LTD. The show followsJimmi Simpsonas James, a grifter who sets his target on a preacher and his wife, played byBen KingsleyandJackie Weaver. But they turn out to be more dangerous than they appear, and James has to find a way to win as he continues to dig himself into a deeper and deeper hole.
Perpetual Grace, LTDis an incredibly well-written show that finds a way to continually raise the stakes and features a cast full of great actors, including a truly wild performance from Ben Kingsley. Unfortunately, the show aired on the premium cable channel, Epix. If the show aired on a more popular channel like HBO or a streaming service like Netflix, it very well may have found an audience for its Coen Brothers-like Americana dark comedy. Epix canceled the show after one season, and then proposed a limited series follow-up to wrap up the story, which the series' creators turned down.
‘Feud: Bette and Joan’
Ryan Murphyis something of a hit-making auteur in the TV world. FromNip Tuck,toGlee, toAmerican Horror Story, Murphy has a knack for creating hit shows that run for several seasons. There are not many exceptions to his success. Unfortunately, one of them isFeud. The show was designed as an anthology series, with each season focusing on a famous real-life rivalry. The first season focused on the heated relationship betweenJoan CrawfordandBette Davison the set ofWhat Ever Happened To Baby Jane?
The show was met with critical acclaim, especially praisingJessica LangeandSusan Sarandon’sperformances as Crawford and Davis, respectively. The show also found success in the ratings, becoming FX’s highest-rated new series since Ryan Murphy’s other anthology series,American Crime Story: The People vs OJ Simpson. After such success, the show was renewed for a second season centering onPrincess DianaandPrince Charles. However, whenOlivia de Havillandsued over her depiction in the show, production was put on indefinite hold. Later, Murphy wassigned to an exclusive deal with Netflix, and all hope for another season ofFeudwent down the drain.
Based on a series of pulp crime novels,Quarryis a neo-noir crime drama that aired on the premium cable channel Cinemax in 2016, and starredLogan Marshall-Greenas a Vietnam War veteran who returns home to Tennessee, and struggles to find work, before working as a hitman for someone known only as The Broker. The crime genre tends to be popular because of its focus on a way of life most people aren’t familiar with.
Quarrywas an exceptionally well-made crime show, but at its core, it was capturing the moral confusion of Vietnam-era America in a way few shows have. Logan Marshall-Green carried the series on his shoulders playing a character that could easily become unsympathetic if not performed just right. With an ending that leaves you wanting more, but not necessarily hanging, the single-season of Quarry works pretty well as a standalone show and is worth a watch.
‘Terriers’
Terriersshould have been a hit. The 2010 FX crime dramedy followedDonal LogueandMichael Raymond-Jamesas a pair of down-on-their-luck best friends who start up a private investigation business in Ocean Beach, California. The show had everything needed to be a hit: an extremely likable cast of characters, a gorgeous setting, fun writing, a mystery full of genuine surprises, and a TV network known for turning out hit cable TV shows.
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Unfortunately,Terriersjust didn’t catch on. Sometimes in the TV world, it’s just luck of the draw. There could be countless factors as to why it didn’t find an audience, but at the end of the day, it’s better to have gotten one season of a show, than to never have gotten it at all.
Gypsywas a short-lived Netflix drama series starringNaomi Wattsas Jean, a therapist looking to spark up her life by inserting herself into the lives of the people her patients tell her about. She begins to lose touch with herself and her husband, as she becomes more and more emotionally invested in this new second persona.
Gypsywas a genuinely daring show, asking you to not only follow Jean through her journey but also to try and understand her, even when you may not agree with her actions. The antihero protagonist archetype isusually associated with male characters, so to see that role translated through a female perspective was something special.
‘Here and Now’
Created by acclaimed television auteur,Alan Ball,Here and Nowwas made to be his take on the cultural issues of America in the late 2010s. It focuses onTim RobbinsandHolly Hunteras two politically progressive parents, and their families, as they navigate modern life in Portland, Oregon. While family dynamics are at the core of the show,Here and Nowalso hints at something more. Throughout, there are moments of magical realism, leaving it to the audience to decide what’s real and what’s not.
While many canceled shows end in a way that’s still satisfying for a standalone season of TV,Here and Nowends with an event that completely changes what you think the show is. While the writing and performances make the show worth a watch as it is, it’s a shame that we will never get to see what happens next.
‘Cop Rock’
Once in a generation, a TV show comes along that’s too daring and too bold to find an audience. One that’s truly ahead of its time. In 1990, that show was ABC’sCop Rock. Created bySteven Bochco, the mind behindHill Street BluesandL.A. Law,Cop Rockwas yet another harrowing, dramatic look at the criminal justice system from the ground level. It was also a musical, where cops and criminals alike would break out in song to express their deep thoughts about the dangers of being a police officer, or the intricacies of selling children on the black market.
There has never been a show likeCop Rock. It is the definition of a creative swing with its concept of combining the musical and cop genres, into a strange tonal mix of hard-hitting drama, and fantastical song and dance numbers. It may have been too weird for the mainstream audiences of ABC, but it’s far from bad. The songs are great, including a theme song byRandy Newman, and the procedural cop drama is well crafted. It would have been nice ifCop Rockbecame as successful asLaw & Order, but the fact that it exists at all is a gift in itself.
‘My So-Called Life’
One of the more well-known one-season TV shows, for many,My So-Called Lifedefined what it was like to be a teenager in the 1990s.Claire Danesstarred as Angela Chase, a 15-year-old girl navigating the trials and tribulations of high school. What made the show so unique for its time, is how it tackled controversial topics head-on.Wilson Cruz’scharacter, Rickie Vasquez, was the first openly gay teenager on TV, and his storyline highlighted several real-world issues throughout the season, such as homophobia, teenage homelessness, and domestic violence.
For a show canceled after one season,My So-Called Lifehas had quite an impact. Claire Danes received an Emmy nomination for her work, and co-starJared Letowould go on to havean incredibly successful career, earning an Academy Award. The show has developed a cult following, and calls for the show’s revival were the subject of the first-ever internet fan campaign.
