In the last few months, some of our favorite new shows have been cruelly cancelled by TV bosses, leaving fans devastated and threatening to cancel their many, many subscriptions.
Kaos, on Netflix, is one of the latest casualties, meaning the world won’t get another look at Jeff Goldblum’s efforts as Zeus anytime soon, while the Brothers Sun, Dead Boy Detectives, The Witcher and Squid Game are among those already axed.
Upset viewers have complained in their droves on social media, questioning why they bothered putting their time and effort into a show for it to end on a cliffhanger, while some less successful shows seem to go on forever.
Yes, we are still hugely bitter that the Society was canceled out of absolutely nowhere after the season finale bombshell.
In light of the latest round of cuts, we decided to take a look at some of the programs that should have ended way sooner than they actually did.
The OC – 2003 – 2007
Teen drama the OC first hit our screens in 2003, following troubled teenager Ryan Atwood (Ben McKenzie) as he’s taken in by Sandy and Kirsten Cohen (Peter Gallagher and Kelly Rowan), and ruffles feathers with the privileged locals in Newport.
The series ran for four years and took viewers on a journey, showing the character changing his bad boy ways as his relationship with neighbor Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton) grew, as well as giving us the bromance of dreams between Ryan and Seth Cohen (Adam Brody)
Don’t get us wrong, the OC was so much fun and introduced us to Sandy’s legendary eyebrows, but there are some who have argued that it could’ve just stopped after that first batch of episodes.
Reddit user Honey_toes vowed: ‘I loved the OC so so much and I will die on the hill that if it ended in the pilot it would have won awards (I am alone on this hill). But each season after was sadder and more ridiculous.
‘Had it been canceled after the season 1 finale we would still be lauding it as a seminal work of aughts teen culture, unjustly canceled before it reached it’s potential. But it’s kind of a goober, now.’
‘The OC was never as good as season 1 (which is a HIGH bar for any show to clear tbh) but I think there’s a lot of good stuff in season 2 and season 4,’ Craphole-Island insisted. ‘Season 3 was a real slog but I thought they ended well with season 4.
‘I don’t want to live in a world without Marissa shooting Trey to Hide and Seek.’
Side note: Ending the OC before season two would’ve meant no Olivia Wilde as purple-streaked Alex Kelly, which would have been a crime!
Riverdale – 2017 – 2023
Riverdale was hailed by many when it first premiered on the CW in 2017, with many celebrating the Archies Comic adaptation as ‘campy, beautiful and delightful – but the first series quickly gave way to impromptu musical episodes, bizarre organ-harvesting cults, an alternate universe and a homemade rocket.
Almost every cast member, including Camila Mendes, Lili Reinhart, KJ Apa, Cole Sprouse and Madelaine Petsche, made shady digs at the program before it finally came to a close last year.
Unpacking the wild ride viewers went through, HellaWavy penned: ‘It ended so disgracefully it’s almost funny. They get sent back in time and become completely different characters than the characters we got to know over the years.
‘It almost makes look Sabrina like a completely sane show.’
ElegantDaisy wrote: ‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen a show spiral as bad as Riverdale. Every season it just got so much worse in the weirdest way.’
Ddrummond88 vowed: ‘Riverdale is my favourite show of all time. That being said, it’s truly awful and I couldn’t honestly recommend anyone to watch it.’
Killing Eve – 2018 – 2022
Jodie Comer and Sandra Oh left jaws on the floor around the world with their efforts in cat-and-mouse thriller Killing Eve, following investigator Eve Polastri (Sandra) as she’s tasked with capturing assassin Villanelle (Jodie).
As the chase intensified, the pair became obsessed with one another, leading to sparks flying all over the place.
When Killing Eve first premiered in 2018, it was genuinely all anyone could talk about – Jodie shot to superstardom as Villanelle became a style icon, while Sandra also won praise for her efforts and collected a string of awards.
Over the run, the series was nominated for 14 Emmys, eight Baftas and five Golden Globes, but the fourth and final season was largely panned by critics, who said its climatic build to an explosive end fell flat.
While there has been chatter of a possible spin-off series featuring Fiona Shaw’s character, Carolyn Martens, fans have decided that it should have ended much earlier…
‘Even though the second season was still good, after that ending and the general decline in quality in the last two seasons… I would’ve just taken one excellently done one,’ AlternativeFar901 suggested.
‘DeusVictor replied: ‘Sad to say but I agree. Jodie and Sandra had such an amazing chemistry it was a bummer Phoebe left after season 1. I know if she would have continued it would be way better than what we got.’
‘Man that show went off the freaking rails,’ Dizney-mountain quipped. ‘It’s one of those that I felt really awful for all those talented actors.’
Revenge – 2011 – 2015
Marvel icon Emily VanCamp ruffled feathers when she rocked up to the Hamptons in the premiere of 2011 series, Revenge, and secretly plotted to bring locals down for the part they played in her father being imprisoned for life for a crime he didn’t commit.
Madeleine Stowe totally stole the show as Victoria Grayson, the matriarch of the wealthy Grayson family, who was responsible for betraying Emily’s dad.
In the first season, every episode focused on the protagonist extracting her revenge on an unsuspecting Hamptons resident, but things quickly started to unravel in later instalments, as twists and turns became more bizarre – leading to a severe drop in ratings, before it was finally canceled by ABC in 2015.
Looking back on Revenge, Pongopigmayus explained: [It] felt like they just kept reaching for twists. S1 was great.’
‘The first season when she was doing a “revenge of the week” was so much better,’ Nowtoreddir recalled.
Flowersandpen agreed: ‘It got weigh down with subplots and when it didn’t really focus on Emily getting her revenge anymore, it got boring. I ditched it somewhere around late season 2 or very early season 3 [sic].’
Euphoria – 2019 – present
Sam Levinson’s teen drama boasts a star-studded cast including Zendaya, Jacob Elordi, Sydney Sweeney, Maude Apatow and Colman Domingo, and focuses on high school students battling their daily lives, mixed with drugs, sex and addiction.
The HBO series was praised by many when it first hit the small screen, but critics suggested the second season ‘struggled to move forward’, with Shirley Li of the Atlantic branding it ‘aimless’.
Euphoria has rarely been out of the headlines in the last few months as fans not-so-patiently wait for any morsel of information on the elusive third season – but some are convinced the whole thing could have ended after it premiered.
Unpacking the drama surrounding Euphoria on social media, SHDO333 wrote on Reddit: ‘I think it would have been perfect as just one season. They ruined the characters in the second season.’
‘You can tell Sam Levinson really cared about season 1 and it feels like he didn’t expect to have a second season,’ Dadfathert0n predicted.
Summer_wine94 reasoned: ‘I think if the storyline’s had proper continuity and made sense and the style was same as season 1, it wouldn’t been better. It got too art filmsy pretentious in the second one [sic].’
Stranger Things – 2016 – present
The first season of Stranger Things was an instant hit when it premiered on Netflix in 2016, transforming the young cast – including Millie Bobbie Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Joe Keery, Caleb McLaughlin and Gaten Matarazzo – into household names.
The sci-fi drama focused on the residents of Hawkins as they battled against terrifying creatures from the ‘Upside Down’, but as the wait for the fifth and final season continues, many have suggested that it could have been a one-and-done hit.
‘I might be in the minority here, but Stranger Things season one was perfect,’ Deanorep suggested on Reddit. ‘Every subsequent season has gotten more goofy and further from what made that show so special.
Cbbuntz followed suit, insisting: ‘It was a lot cooler when we had no idea what was going on. The more it explains, the less interesting it gets.’
‘It fell into this rut of telling us WAY too much about the monsters and the supernatural elements. Once we know what the monster is, it’s not scary anymore. Also the recent seasons feel more like fanfiction than a cohesive story,’ Mayfleur commented.
Prison Break – 2005 – 2017
Prison Break made a huge splash when it appeared on our screens in the 00s, showing structural engineer Michael Schofield (Wentworth Miller) being sent to jail in a bid to free his brother Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell) – by quite literally breaking him out.
He happened to have the blueprints of the prison tattooed on his body in an intricate design, and used this to help free them all, as well as a number of other prisoners.
Yes, it took a level of disbelief from viewers but those first batch of episodes are as gripping as they are ridiculous. Unfortunately, things seemed to fall apart the second they left jail at the end of the first season, with pointless plots across the remaining four seasons.
Unpacking the drama on Reddit, TictacTyler shared: ‘I followed the entire series but season 1 was easily the best season. I wish it was one season with some elements of 2 because the post-escape is important.
‘I get the escape being the most important part but ending up needing to escape multiple jails is just overkill and suspends believability.’
A now-deleted poster said: ‘A lot of people seem to like season 2 or think it was important in some way, but IMO that show really should have ended after they broke out. Maybe sprinkling in a bit more about what happens outside as an epilogue at most.
‘I like season 2 enough to say it should be included,’ JBrundy argued. ‘Season 1 ended with them just getting out but being on the run and evading the cops is obviously an important part of escaping prison.
‘Mahone was an amazing character and rival for Michael. They should’ve changed the ending of season 2 to finish the series there in my opinion.’
Homeland – 2011 – 2020
Espionage thriller Homeland was universally praised when it first debuted in October, 2011, with Claire Danes and Damian Lewis landing Emmy awards for their roles as Carrie Mathison and Nicholas Brody respectively, while supporting cast members Mandy Patinkin, Rupert Friend and Morena Baccarin were also nominated.
The drama followed Marine Sergeant Nicholas returning home as a war hero after being rescued from a terrorist compound, years after being reported missing in action.
However, CIA officer Carrie suspects that he was turned while on duty and is secretly planning a terror attack against the US, and goes above and beyond to foil is efforts.
Homeland received huge acclaim at the time, with TV Guide hailing it as the best show of 2011 – the first season has an extremely rare, perfect score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, while the subsequent offerings have been given much lower ratings.
Discussing the demise on Reddit, a user whose account has since been removed said: ‘Homeland, if they stuck to the original ending where Brody dies.’
‘A hundred million percent agree. If they have Brody successfully go through with the bombing at the end of the season, it’s an all-timer,’ Ranger_Prick pleaded.
TaskForceD00mer shared: ‘Going to agree strongly here. Just stick with that ending and 1 season would have been more than enough.’
True Detective – 2014 – present
Anthology crime drama True Detective was created by author Nic Pizzolatto, and premiered in 2014. It focused on mismatched officers, family man Marty Hart (Woody Harrelson) and loner Rust Cohle (Matthew McConaughey), exploring their investigations into a brutal murder that spans decades.
The first season was hailed as a masterpiece by critics and fans alike, with millions tuning in to watch the investigation unfold – On Rotten Tomatoes, Martin Carr from CBR insisted that ‘season one isn’t just the series’ best season, but it’s also one of the best detective shows ever aired on TV’.
Sarah Hughes from the Independent insisted that the ‘only response is to gasp in pleasure and applaud’.
While each outing features a self-contained story with new casts and separate investigations, sadly the following three seasons haven’t quite matched up to the success of Marty and Rust, with the most recent series – airing earlier this year – landing an audience score of just 56%.
Shedding light on what went wrong, SvenHudson posted on Reddit: ‘It’s an anthology series. Each season has a new cast, a new setting, and a disconnected story. The other ones just lack what worked about the first as a result. Other shows have done this without failing, don’t get me wrong, but it’s a risky play and it didn’t pay off here.’
One deleted user commented: ‘Season 1 just felt so well developed and raw. Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson had this on screen magic together.
‘The next two seasons had great casting (Colin Farrell,Vince Vaughn, Mahershala Ali) but they just couldn’t make it work quite as well.’
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