Is there anything worse than your favorite TV show coming to an end?
Well, there is, actually: when that show still had a lot of life left in it and should never
have been cancelled in the first place.
It's one thing when a show reaches the end of its natural life cycle and rides off into
the sunset.
But it's another when that show is murdered by the network.
"I have a terrible idea."
Here's a look at five TV show cancellations that were a mistake.
Bloodline
With an all-star cast including Kyle Chandler, Sissy Spacek, and Linda Cardellini, Bloodline
was touted as the next big prestige series from Netflix.
Instead, it got a pink slip after just three seasons despite increasing buzz, including
an Emmy win and Golden Globe nomination for co-star Ben Mendelsohn.
Since Netflix rarely releases any of their viewership statistics, it's impossible to
know how many fans the show actually has, but rumors claim the series was yanked as
part of a financial dispute between Netflix and Sony, which produced the series.
Whatever the reason, it's too bad this Bloodline has gone extinct.
Marvel's Agent Carter
While Marvel's movies have been hitting on all cylinders, their TV shows have had a spottier
record.
That's what makes it even more tragic that arguably their best show yet, Marvel's Agent
Carter, was cancelled after just two short seasons, ending on a cliffhanger that may
never be resolved.
"I'm leaving just give me a second."
Who shot him?
Is he okay?
What's happening?
We may never know.
And the show's untimely demise was especially galling considering the series was not just
a critical darling, but vital to building the backstory of the Marvel Cinematic Universe,
giving fans a look at all the events that shaped the superhero world from the end of
World War II through the debut of Iron Man.
With decades of stories still untold, here's hoping Marvel gives Agent Carter another chance
some time in the future.
Good Girls Revolt
Quick history lesson: back in 1983, a new sitcom called Cheers was among the lowest
rated shows on television.
Rather than cancel it, though, NBC decided to give it a chance to build a fanbase, resulting
in one of the most beloved runs in television history.
Cheers thrived because it was given time to mature.
But no such opportunity was given to the Amazon series Good Girls Revolt, which was amazingly
cancelled just six weeks after the first season debuted in October, 2016, far too soon for
the streaming service to know whether or not its story about women seeking equal rights
in the late '60s would catch on with viewers.
"Some of the other girls and I, are filing an Equal Employment Claim.
It's illegal for them not to let us write.
And we want the policy changed."
So why the quick hook?
According to reports, Amazon Studios chief Roy Price personally disliked the show, even
though it apparently was popular with viewers.
He gets a vote.
Fans don’t.
The Nightly Show
When Stephen Colbert left his Comedy Central hit The Colbert Report in 2015, veteran Daily
Show contributor Larry Wilmore took over the time slot with his own spin on the events
of the day, The Nightly Show.
And his take on things was one many viewers felt was long overdue.
"And hearing from you guys has been incredible.
Even you, @Wilmore_blows666"
Unfortunately, Wilmore's dry humor and incisive look at political and social issues didn't
draw high enough ratings to satisfy the network.
The good news is, Wilmore has since signed a development deal with ABC, but in today's
divisive political climate, his voice is sorely missed.
BrainDead
This science-fiction-horror-political satire-comedy was probably a bit of a risk for CBS.
But it had a nice pedigree going for it: It was created by Michelle and Robert King, creators
of CBS's long-running legal drama The Good Wife.
The offbeat premise: A documentary filmmaker from a prominent family goes to work for her
senator brother in Washington, D.C. and discovers that parasitic alien bugs taken over the minds
of the U.S. government's top leaders.
The show was canceled because of low ratings, probably because people are just getting tired
of reality television.
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