19 Shows That Were Cancelled Before They Ever Even Aired
It’s no easy feat to land a TV series on a network, and even more difficult to sustain it for more than a season. For example, Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk revealed that the show had been rejected for 10 years by South Korean studios. Once it landed on Netflix, though, it became a phenomenon.
Networks have to take risks to ensure a show’s success, but sometimes, there are early signs that it just won’t work. Then, there’s the creative differences between the networks and the shows’ creators. The vision doesn’t align, and then we see promising TV series getting shelved.
Below is a list of 19 television series that got canceled before they even had the opportunity to air.
1.
One of the most beloved cartoon series of all time, The Boondocks, was set for a reboot at HBO Max, but Sony ultimately “pulled the plug,” according to Cedric Yarbrough (who voiced Tom DuBois and Colonel H. Stinkmeaner). Later, Gary Anthony Williams (Uncle Ruckus) revealed that the Aaron McGruder-helmed reboot was canceled because it was taking “too long to make.”
2.
Behind-the-scenes controversy surrounding Our Little Genius, a game show created by Mark Burnett, led Fox to cancel it just a week before its scheduled premiere. The show featured child prodigies answering post-secondary-level questions, but concerns over its integrity arose. According to the New York Times, a parent reported that a production team member had reviewed topics with a contestant and their parent, even providing answers to at least four questions, prompting the network to cancel the show before it aired.
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3.
Louis C.K.’s animated series, The Cops, which he co-created and was set to star in, was initially slated to air on TBS. However, the network canceled the show after allegations of the comedian’s history of sexual misconduct became public.
4.
NBC’s Ultimate Slip ‘N Slide, a competition show based on the classic water toy, was set to premiere in 2021. However, a Giardia outbreak on set forced production to shut down and ultimately led the series to be canceled entirely.
5.
HBO’s alt-history drama Confederate reimagined America where the South won the Civil War and slavery still existed. Needless to say, the content alone raised backlash and concern. Created by Game Of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, HBO confirmed in January 2020 that the show was axed.
6.
The unaired reality two-hour special titled Seriously Dude, I’m Gay centered on two heterosexual men attempting to convince those around them that they were gay. The premise sparked significant backlash from LGBTQ+ advocacy groups. Creative consultant Christian McLaughlin suggested to People that pressure from GLAAD led Fox to cancel the show.
7.
Cortes y Moctezuma, a show focusing on Hernán Cortés, was supposed to premiere on Amazon Prime, but due to COVID-19, production halted and the show was canceled. The show starred Javier Bardem with Steven Spielberg among the show’s executive producers.
8.
Hieroglyph was Fox’s attempt to make history sexy, yet things didn’t come together the way they’d hoped. The official description of the show said it focused on a “notorious thief who is plucked from prison to serve the Pharoah, forcing him to navigate palace intrigue, seductive concubines, criminal underbellies and divine sorcerers, as he races to stop the downfall of one of history’s greatest civilizations.” Only one episode was filmed, while the script for a few more episodes was completed. The network eventually decided it wasn’t worth it, per EW.
9.
The Law & Order universe was going to expand with its first-ever prosecution-focused series titled Law & Order: For The Defense. Dick Wolf and NBC scrapped the spin-off idea, with some sources saying it wasn’t meeting what Wolf hoped it would become.
10.
In 2013, the late Shawty Lo was supposed to star in an Oxygen reality show titled All My Babies’ Mamas, focusing on his relationship with the 10 mothers of his 11 children. It ultimately sparked backlash. Color of Change claimed it was an “inaccurate, dehumanizing, and harmful perception of Black families,” and the show was yanked from Oxygen’s programming, per NPR.
11.
An American adaptation of The IT Crowd failed to actually make it to air after several attempts. NBC ordered a full series, but it didn’t even make it to production because the network’s chairman wasn’t necessarily impressed. Then, another attempt was made in 2014 with Bill Lawrence as producer. However, this also failed to materialize. In recent years, there have been talks to revive the US adaptation for a third time, with Graham Lineman reportedly involved.
12.
A reboot of Disney’s Lizzie McGuire unfortunately got pulled in 2024. The show would’ve followed a grown-up version of Hilary Duff’s character. Creative differences led Disney+ to pull the plug, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
13.
The success of 1999’s Cruel Intentions led Fox to commission a spin-off prequel series titled Manchester Prep. However, there appeared to be significant pushback due to the series’ nature. Eventually, it was repackaged as a movie titled Cruel Intentions 2 with Amy Adams in the role of Kathryn Merteuil.
14.
The Star Wars universe would’ve taken an interesting turn with the launch of Star Wars Detours, an animated series that George Lucas worked on alongside Robot Chicken creators Seth Green and Matthew Senreich. Despite having completed 39 episodes, the show was ultimately shelved after Disney bought LucasFilm, and the company put its resources towards other efforts in the franchise, EW reports.
15.
The nostalgia surrounding the Powerpuff Girls in the past decade led the CW to order a live-action series. Unfortunately, in 2023, they decided to cancel the show altogether because it was a “miss.” CW chairman and CEO Mark Pedowitz said the pilot didn’t work and felt too “campy.”
16.
NBC was supposed to revive the ’90s series Coach with Craig T. Nelson reprising the lead role of Coach Hayden Fox nearly two decades after the show ended. According to Variety, NBC nixed the show, citing creative differences.
17.
Chad Ochocinco and Evelyn Lozada landed a reality show based on their relationship titled Ev And Ocho. However, after Ochocinco was charged for assaulting Lozada, VH1 decided against airing the show.
18.
Once upon a time, Adam Sandler was set to debut a show titled The Mayor on The WB, which centered around the adventures of an 18-year-old who ends up becoming the mayor of Colebrook. Unfortunately, network executives weren’t pleased with the show’s creative direction and canceled it.
19.
From the mind of Dane Cook came the comedy series Next Caller, focused on a group of radio jockeys in NYC working together on a call-in show about relationships. However, the four filmed episodes ultimately never aired because of creative differences between NBC and Dane Cook, per the Hollywood Reporter.
