The 15 show cancellations that hurt the most in 2023
It's the inevitable truth of being a television fan: At some point, you're going to have to say goodbye to the show you love. (Unless that show is, like, Grey's Anatomy, because that's never ending.) But the biggest question surrounding said goodbye is how you're going to part ways. Will your show get to wrap up on its own terms and deliver a satisfying finale? Will it end somewhat unexpectedly on an episode that sort of works as a finale? Or will its cancellation come out of nowhere and crush your soul, leaving you with a million questions and a million and one feelings?
2023 saw a number of unexpected cancellations, from Kindred to iCarly and every CW show in between. We've rounded up the 15 cancellations that left us in our feelings.
'The Muppets Mayhem' (Disney+)
Ever since Disney acquired The Muppets in 2004, the studio has struggled to find the right tone and projects for the beloved Jim Henson creations. They've tried everything from feature film reboots (The Muppets, Muppets Most Wanted) to a primetime series (The Muppets) to a Halloween special (Muppets Haunted Mansion) with varying degrees of success. With the broader creative freedom of the Disney+ platform, it seemed like The Muppets might finally have the right place to light the lights. Muppets Mayhem, while imperfect, had a lot of elements that have historically made The Muppets great — human actors who generally left the zaniest stuff to the puppets, a litany of buzzy guest stars, original music, and a desire to expand the world and mythology of the felt friends. Focusing in on The Electric Mayhem and their quest to finally record an album, Muppets Mayhem held a lot of promise, from its exploration of beloved side characters to the signature Muppet brand — heaps of heart and earnestness shining through the weird. But similar to The Muppets on ABC, it was canceled before ever really getting a chance to experiment more broadly with the possibilities of these characters in a long-form television world. Maybe Muppets Studios should just go back to adapting classic literature? —Maureen Lee Lenker
'Shadow and Bone' (Netflix)
This is just plain wrong. Not only is the Grishaverse full of incredible material worth adapting, but Shadow and Bone was doing what few shows have done before: Creating an adaptation beloved by both fans of the book series and newbies. The cast was compelling, the story was just getting started, and don't even talk about that cliffhanger! It really felt like we were just getting beginning to get to know this fascinating world, but clearly, Alina Starkov's (Jessie Mei Li) light wasn't bright enough for Netflix to see. —Samantha Highfill
'A League of Their Own' (Prime Video)
Will Graham and Abbi Jacobson’s 1940s baseball series proved to be a total home run — a charming, queer-friendly update on the beloved 1992 Penny Marshall film. So, when Amazon Prime Video announced plans for a shortened final season earlier this year, fans were disappointed but glad that the Rockford Peaches would be getting one last at-bat. That’s why it hurt so much when Amazon later reversed its decision, canceling those previously announced episodes and leaving A League of Their Own as a one-season wonder. There’s no crying in baseball, but Amazon’s decision certainly had us shedding a few tears. —Devan Coggan
'Heels' (Starz)
Everett Collection
Stephen Amell on 'Heels'This was the year of merciless network and studio cost-cutting, as execs dealt with the financial realities of the post-streaming boom and a pair of Hollywood strikes. We prefer to believe that’s why Starz pulled the plug on this woefully underrated wrestling-and-family drama starring Stephen Amell and Alexander Ludwig as Jack and Ace Spade, Georgia brothers trying to make their name in the ring. (The network also canceled Run the World, Blindspotting, and The Venery of Samantha Bird — a drama that hadn’t even aired yet — when it dropped the ax on Heels.) Fans were left hanging by the electrifying finale, which ended with Jack Spade injured and immobilized in the middle of the ring. Still, showrunner Mike O’Malley assured EW that he’s not tapping out yet and is working to find Heels another home. Come on, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, hell, even Peacock — give these wrestlers the comeback they deserve. —Kristen Baldwin
'The Resident' (Fox)
Even Team Jess fans were rooting for Gilmore Girls alum Matt Czuchry on his Fox series The Resident. After five years on air, the fictional Chastain Memorial Hospital closed their doors for good. What made this cancellation hurt the most was the abruptness of it and the storylines that we will never see play out. In the final season, audiences got to witness the start of Conrad (Matt Czuchry) and Billie's (Jessica Lucas) romantic relationship, but it was simply not enough. We could've watched these doctors solve mystery illnesses for at least three more seasons. —Jessica Leon
Almost all of The CW
The CW Network
'Kung Fu'; 'The Winchesters'With the network shifting its overall approach to television, The CW axed a number of exciting series this year, whether we're talking about shows that were a couple seasons in — like Kung Fu or Nancy Drew — or new series that showed a lot of promise — like Walker: Independence or Supernatural spinoff The Winchesters. If this were the CW of 10 years ago, these shows could've thrived. But instead, fans are left to wonder about the fates of some of their favorite characters. —S.H.
'Kindred' (FX)
We should get to see Kevin Franklin (Micah Stock) and Dana James (Mallori Johnson) reunite! Kindred ended with Dana back in the present while Kevin was stuck in the past without a way to travel home, and their love story deserves more! There were so many mysteries left unresolved in the Octavia Butler adaptation, including what it means now that Dana’s mother was suddenly found in the present. Plus, Dana was finally starting to understand what was happening to her. Unfinished storylines aside, Kindred was bold and profound storytelling that brought a classic work of sci-fi literature to life onscreen, and we are all worse off for not seeing what comes next. —Alamin Yohannes
'How I Met Your Father' (Hulu)
Nothing is worse than a show ending with so many open-ended questions still at play! Although people were not happy with the ending of How I Met Your Mother, at least audiences were given the answer to the show's biggest question : Who was the mother? The same can not be said for the spinoff, How I Met Your Father. At the end of the second season, there were multiple options when it came to the identity of the fictional "father." There was still so much story to tell in this series, as well as more opportunities to bring back original HIMYM cast members. Will we ever learn who Sophie (Hilary Duff) decided to marry and have a child with? Probably not. —J.L.
'The Afterparty' (Apple TV+)
Though it was ostensibly a murder-mystery, The Afterparty delivered two seasons of strong ensemble comedy and even stronger stylistic experimentation that’s all too rare in contemporary television. The show provided under-utilized performers like Elizabeth Perkins, Paul Walter Hauser, and John Cho ample opportunities to show off their comedic chops. Each episode presented similar events in wildly different genres: romantic comedy, musical, animation, thriller, and many more. The second season saw the show’s creators challenge themselves with more specific genres that often bordered on parodies of individual filmmakers: We saw episodes pay tribute to Wes Anderson, Alfred Hitchcock, and Steven Soderbergh. How many more delightful genre riffs did the creative team have up its sleeves for future seasons? It’s easy (and saddening!) to imagine how lovingly The Afterparty might have poked fun at the disaster movie, the legal thriller, stop-motion animation, or martial arts spectacle. Here’s hoping that another show can take as many stylistic swings as this one did. —Wesley Stenzel
'Reboot' (Hulu)
Oh, the irony. Reboot, Steven Levitan's snarky meta sitcom about a TV series that gets rebooted two decades after its abrupt cancellation, was abruptly canceled. Sure, this could just be an ingenious elaborate scheme for Levitan to reboot Reboot in 2043, but more likely, a really funny sitcom with a world of potential was stolen from us before it’s time. With a stacked cast, including Keegan-Michael Key, Johnny Knoxville, Judy Greer, Paul Reiser, and Rachel Bloom — this show had it all: Sentiment! Satire! Cynicism! And a season finale that ends with a shocking one night stand! While some sitcoms need a full 24-episode order to find their footing, Reboot stuck the landing in eight. The premise was hilariously mined to deliver scathing Hollywood commentary while never losing sight of compelling character drama. Also, I can’t stress this enough, it was so funny. Reboot could’ve been the next long-running uber-rewatchable half-hour comedy. Alas, we’ll just have to keep our fingers crossed for a surprise revival. —Shania Russell
'The Great' (Hulu)
At the end of The Great's third season, Catherine (Elle Fanning) experienced a bit of a rebirth. Unschackled from her now-dead husband, Peter (Nicholas Hoult), and having defeated her enemies (for now), she cut off her flowing locks, headed into the stateroom, and took a page out of Taylor Swift's playbook by quite literally shaking it off, dancing like a maniac to AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long" as the episode came to a close. The implication being that now, finally, she can put "the great" in front of her name, but with the show's cancellation, we'll never get to see the woman she'll become. We won't get to see what a Catherine, ruling free of the burdens of her meddlesome husband, looks like. And that's a royal shame. — Lauren Huff
'Glamorous' (Netflix)
Marco Mejia (Miss Benny) was just getting started. Glamorous was a fun and splashy series about the inner workings of a major beauty brand, but at its core, it was a story about the talented and enthusiastic Marco coming into their own. The season ended with the rising star taking a step forward in their exploration of their gender identity, but unfortunately we will never know what comes next. It’s a shame that television, and LGBTQ viewers of the show specifically, will not get to see the new era Marco was stepping into, both personally and professionally. Plus, we want to more of Kim Cattrall as Madolyn Addison! —A.Y.
'Vampire Academy' (Peacock)
When will this book series get to play out as it was meant to on screen? After a not-very-successful film adaptation in 2014, Vampire Academy fans were so excited to see that Vampire Diaries co-creator Julie Plec was turning it into a show for Peacock. And after a world-building first season, it really felt like the story was about to take off, as the finale saw Lissa (Daniela Nieves) and Rose (Sisi Stringer) about to enter the human world. And now that's where the story ends?! This show delivered a world rich in characters and mythology, and it deserved a chance to tell a complete story. —S.H.
'iCarly' (Paramount+)
Paramount giveth and Paramount taketh away. Fans of the beloved Nickelodeon sitcom iCarly got everything they wanted and more when the grown-up revival series arrived in 2021. This time around, Carly Shay (Miranda Cosgrove) is a neurotic 20-something looking to restart her web show with Freddie (Nathan Kress) and Spencer (Jerry Trainor) back in tow. But let’s be real, the true key ingredient was the addition of bisexual fashionista Harper (Laci Mosley) as Carly’s new BFF, and Millicent (Jaidyn Triplett) as Freddie’s savage adopted daughter, who can’t stop roasting our protagonist. With elements new and familiar, iCarly delivered on the nostalgia bait while earning laughs as a solid sitcom in its own right: clever, cheeky, creative, and cheesy in all the best ways. But tragically, the story was cut short on a huge cliffhanger: the arrival of Carly and Spencer’s never-before-mentioned mom. Carly has a mom?! Yes, Carly has a mom! Which means a truck load of mommy issues were about to be unpacked with Millicent’s snarky commentary! And probably with a super fun guest star as the mysterious Mrs. Shay! Sadly, we’ve been robbed of all those possibilities… but mostly, we’ve been robbed of Harper. —Shania Russell
'Big Sky' (ABC)
Losing the small town charm and criminal hijinks of Big Sky still stings. Jenny Hoyt (Katheryn Winnick) and Cassie Dewell (Kylie Bunbury) are a duo we could have watched for years. The pair of crime fighters delivered heart, comedy, and action on par with any of TV’s current dynamic duos. Not to mention the added bonus of seeing more of Sheriff Beau Arlen (played by Jensen Ackles), who brought incredible energy in the show’s third and now final season. The villains and wonderful bonds of the characters made Big Sky a standout in the busy arena of crime stories on TV. —A.Y.
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