6 Action TV Shows Canceled Too Soon

Some of the best action TV shows don’t get the opportunity to act on their full potential due to unfortunate network cancelations. What makes a truly compelling action series is the balance between high-stakes and believable action with a substantial narrative. Though many shows achieve this with a first season, carrying it into following seasons isn’t always easy, and before the series can re-route and come back with stronger seasons, they get canceled. The reasons for cancelations vary from show to show, but many are due to low ratings.

It’s not uncommon for TV shows with low ratings to get canceled, but what makes it seem unnecessary is the promising premise within the series that would’ve allowed it to grow into something better in the future. On the other hand, other action TV shows were famously canceled too soon because of budget costs. Cutting down on such costs would’ve diluted the high quality found within the limited number of episodes and a cancelation made the most sense in the end.

6 Dark Angel (2000-2002)

Canceled After 2 Seasons

Throughout his career, James Cameron has worked with plenty of iconic actors, including Jessica Alba. Beginning in 2000, Cameron acted as an executive producer and creator, alongside Charles H. Eglee, of the Fox sci-fi show, Dark Angel, starring Alba as the lead character. Dark Angel season 1 was a success, drawing a lot of attention and receiving praise from critics and audiences. Unfortunately, despite the promising content within the series, it was canceled after two seasons largely due to low ratings.

Dark Angel follows Alba as Max, a genetically enhanced superhuman who is on the run from the government after escaping from a military training facility where she learned her fighting skills. Alba fully embodies the part, gaining attention in what is often referred to as her breakout role. As one would expect from such a character, there are plenty of combat scenes between Max and others.

Before filming began, Alba trained for the role and performed a majority of her stunt scenes. Overall, Dark Angel‘s action sequences are well-choreographed and full of suspense, though some of the editing is dated. The sort of unapologetic physical strength Max exhibits in these scenes helped land the character among other notable strong female TV characters during the time, such as Buffy and Xena. Years later, the characterization of Max remains the largest takeaway from the series.

5 Wayne (2019)

Canceled After 1 Season

In 2019, Wayne was released as a YouTube Original series, but a few months later it was announced the series was canceled after one season. Luckily, for audiences who missed Wayne when it was streaming on YouTube, Amazon Prime earned the streaming rights to the series in 2020, but since then, no news has been announced about Wayne‘s fate. The action comedy series hasn’t been officially axed, but Wayne is no longer a part of the streaming service and is now only available to purchase.

Wayne, starring Mark McKenna as the titular character, and Ciara Bravo as his road trip buddy, Del, is created by Shawn Simmons and executive produced by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. Reese and Wernick are best known for their collaborative writing efforts on the Deadpool movies. Pieces of what pulled audiences into the superhero movies are found in Wayne, including shocking violence and humor. As Wayne and Del travel to Florida to retrieve the car of the former’s deceased father, they come across a variety of characters and find themselves in brutal confrontations.

However, balancing the abundance of action in Wayne is a dark, and oddly endearing, sense of humor and heartwarming scenes between the main characters. Sometimes, characters in an action series can be written as caricatures of the genre, coming off as empty characters audiences can’t connect with. That’s not the case with Wayne. Throughout the series’ 10 episodes, the characters are fleshed out and full, making it easy for audiences to root for them.

4 Human Target (2010-2011)

Canceled After 2 Seasons

The DC comic book character of the same name, also known as Christopher Chance, acts as the inspiration for the 2010 Fox series, Human Target. Christopher is played by Mark Valley in the second TV show adaptation following the 1992 series in which Rick Springfield played the character. Human Target follows Christopher as a private investigator who helps out others targeted by dangerous criminals. Human Target lasted for two seasons before ultimately getting canceled.

As the name would imply, there is no shortage of action in Human Target. Whether it’s using gunfire or hand-to-hand combat, Christopher is frequently seen fighting off various characters throughout the series’ two seasons. These action sequences are quickly paced, leaving audiences on the edge of their seats as they are unsure of what will happen next. The action is also supported by a memorable set of scored music by composer Bear McCreary. As the composer for the first season, McCreary utilized a live orchestra to play the character’s theme. For many audiences, the music was one of the best parts of the series.

Admittedly, the characters aren’t as well-written as others have been within the action genre. Therefore, Christopher’s fighting skills and signature theme music were what stuck in the audience’s minds. That’s why the replacement of McCreary in season 2 left many disappointed. The absence of McCreary’s score and the unwelcomed addition of new characters left only the action within Human Target. It wasn’t enough to make audiences care about the characters or keep the show growing into what could have been a successful comic book TV show.

3 Rome (2005-2007)

Canceled After 2 Seasons

Unlike some TV shows that were canceled due to a less-than-spectacular sophomore season and a decline in ratings, the plans for HBO’s Rome were cut short due to budget costs. Rome is set in Ancient Rome and primarily follows the lives of two Roman soldiers, Lucius Vorenus, played by Kevin McKidd, and Ray Stevenson’s Titus Pullo. Though Rome‘s ending came sooner than many would have preferred, the drama’s two seasons earned much critical acclaim.

The large budget of Rome allowed for grand battle sequences. While these battles had the suspense and intense physical action expected in such a show, the scale of these scenes was what truly impressed. The large number of actors as soldiers placed within impressive set pieces helps fully immerse audiences in the ancient setting. In addition to the series’ set design, the plot and character details were written with higher levels of authenticity than other historical dramas have been. These factors led to both audiences and critics applauding Rome as a standout series.

The unfortunate part of Rome‘s cancelation is the plans for future seasons that had to be abandoned. Rome‘s co-creator Bruno Heller has mentioned that his plans for the series included the death of Brutus by the end of season 2 and the following seasons taking place in Egypt and Palestine (via Reuters). Seeing how well done Rome managed to be in a short amount of time, there’s no doubt that had the show been able to continue, it would’ve remained on its path of greatness.

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2 The Punisher (2017-2019)

Canceled After 2 Seasons

Jon Bernthal is the latest and most fitting actor who played the Punisher. Unlike the actors before him, Bernthal has been given more room to explore the character’s background due to his appearance in Daredevil and getting to lead a series based on the character, The Punisher. After streaming on Netflix for two seasons, The Punisher was canceled, enacting a momentary pause in the antiheroes’ plans for revenge.

As mentioned, Bernthal’s portrayal of Frank Castle is widely considered to be the most authentic to what’s depicted in the comics. Part of this is attributed to the levels of violence on screen. Bernthal holds his own as the hardened character and convincingly takes on the Punisher’s various enemies. However, there is purpose and emotional hurt that leads to his path of violence and, because of the TV show structure, Bernthal can explore the emotional motives of the character.

Though The Punisher isn’t the best Marvel TV show from Netflix, its action and characterization of Frank were compelling enough for fans to wish for more seasons. The cancelation of The Punisher left a few unanswered questions that, until recently, fans were left to wonder if they’d ever get the answer. Luckily, Bernthal is reprising his famous role in the upcoming series Daredevil: Born Again and audiences will be brought up to date about where Frank has been since the end of season 2.

1 Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008-2009)

Canceled After 2 Seasons

Taking place after the events of Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles follows the titular character (Lena Headey) and her son John (Thomas Dekker) as they attempt to stop the creation of Skynet. Unfortunately for the show, the fanfare surrounding the Terminator movies was starting to die down. During its two-season run, Terminator: TSCC received its fair share of mixed reviews due to its inability to live up to the spectacle of the franchise’s early films.

Just as the movies do, Terminator: TSCC has plenty of compelling action scenes. The action scenes, especially combined with the series’ overall quick pace, were engaging enough for casual viewers who weren’t completely caught up in the backstory provided by the Terminator movies. However, that’s not to say Terminator: TSCC is without a substantial narrative. The episodic storytelling allowed the series’ writers to explore the characters more than any of the films were able to.

Considering the events of Terminator: TSCC doesn’t align with the following movies in the franchise, the series had the potential to carry on as a separate thing. Unfortunately, low ratings and the show’s growing budget prevented this from happening. Still, Terminator: TSCC is remembered best for Headey’s performance as Sarah Connor and as an ambitious spin-off series that just might’ve worked better a few years later.