Some of the most popular TV shows of all time almost never had the chance to find a fan
base, as the networks nearly cancelled them.
And other hits actually were cancelled before gaining an unexpected second life.
Here's a look at some of the most popular TV shows that were so close to being cancelled
forever.
It turns out Friends was almost not "there for you."
Co-creator David Crane recently explained to The Huffington Post that the show, which
went on to run for 10 seasons and ranks as one of the most-watched programs in U.S. history,
didn't test well at first.
Apparently, it was considered to be geared towards too young of an audience, had too
many sexual innuendos, and featured characters that were only moderately likable to test
audiences.
NBC viewed it as a lackluster effort, but didn't have much else to fall back on for
its fall schedule, and Crane and co-creator Marta Kauffman stood by their concept.
Crane said,
"The show was always the six friends.
And we were prepared to live or die by that."
"That is how God intended it."
Despite its critical acclaim and a small but dedicated fan following, NBC's Community was
dangerously close to being canceled in the middle of its third season, as the network
put the show on hiatus with no return date mentioned in its promotional materials.
Fans of the series eventually succeeded in pressing for a renewal of the show, it ran
for two more seasons at NBC before being picked up by Yahoo!
Screen to avoid yet another cancellation scare, finishing out its sixth season on the digital
platform.
The show did not return for a seventh season, but it has long boasted itself as a "six seasons
and a movie" experience, so a feature film follow-up is still spinning in the rumor mill.
"We wait a little bit, let them explore their awesome careers, then get together for an
incredible movie."
In another instance of NBC almost underestimating its TV gold reserves with a premature cancellation,
the network reportedly only signed on for a four-episode order of what was then titled
The Seinfeld Chronicles, according to Business Insider.
Rick Ludwin, who headed up late-night programming for the network, ultimately convinced execs
to produce four more episodes and rerun the pilot, which then received significantly higher
ratings and justified ordering a second season.
Seinfeld ultimately ran for nine seasons and was the most-watched TV show from 1994 to
1995 and 1997 to 1998.
"You're very funny Jerry.
That's what I always tell people.
Jerry Seinfeld's a funny guy!"
The story of the Dillon, Texas' football teams with "clear eyes and full hearts" almost did
lose after its second season ratings were low enough to justify its early cancellation
on NBC.
But just like the Panthers, the network showed some serious heart by negotiating a deal with
DirecTV to co-produce its third, fourth, and fifth seasons on DirecTV's 101 Network instead
of cutting it altogether.
"You gotta get the fans involved.
You know like sometimes people mail stuff to networks to show how passionate they are.
They sent lightbulbs to save Friday Night Lights."
The show is now a cult favorite and was a notable critical success, despite its less-than-ideal
audience numbers.
"So I got that going for me.
And wine."
In another case of an original series' fan base pulling out all of the creative stops
to get a network to greenlight another season, followers of HBO's critically-acclaimed but
ratings-plagued drama series The Leftovers showed up at the network's headquarters in
New York City dressed as the show's Guilty Remnant faction, a group of people who wear
all white, chain smoke, and wordlessly picket events as a form of civil disobedience.
According to Variety, HBO, citing their respect for such fan enthusiasm and commitment to
creator Damon Lindelof's vision for closing out the series, renewed it for a third and
final season which brought the story to its preordained conclusion.
"So this is the last time we're ever gonna see each other, huh?"
"What do you mean?"
"Cause the world is ending."
"Oh, yeah."
In another instance of a series being rescued from its network's dust bin, Fox's Arrested
Development was shelved after three seasons thanks to a ratings dip in the second season
and a continued decline in season three before it was ultimately canceled.
But fans of the quirky comedy series made their hopes for more perfectly clear, leading
to Netflix purchasing the rights and producing a highly touted fourth season for its own
originals lineup in 2013.
A fifth season followed in 2018.
"Wait til you see it, Michael!"