10 Recently Ended TV Shows That Are Unlikely To Ever Be Revived

Summary

• Reviving popular series after a definitive ending may harm the original narrative and emotional impact.
• Some shows should be left alone as continuations might not offer meaningful story progression.
• Many successful shows have reached their natural conclusion, making revivals unnecessary and unlikely due to definitive endings.

It’s natural for fans to want more episodes after TV finales, but many popular series are unlikely to ever be revived. There’s a tendency to want additional closure after a beloved series comes to a close, but continuations don’t always work out. Whether it’s because there’s nowhere left to take a story, its characters have all perished, or the writers and actors have moved on, revivals aren’t always possible.

In many cases, revivals aren’t beneficial either. Sometimes, returning to a series can hurt the original narrative, as it will undo the emotional impact of its ending. In other cases, it would be outright ridiculous to continue a story after what happens in its finale. These things are true of many recently ended shows, although fans want more. Streaming platforms have given more options for places where shows can find a second life, but these shows are better to leave alone.

10 Better Call Saul (2015-2022)

There’s No One Left To Follow

Better Call Saul masterfully continued the story told in Breaking Bad, digging into the background of the infamous Saul Goodman and using that narrative to reveal what happened after the original show. Sadly, Saul Goodman’s fate after the events of Breaking Bad is bleak. Although he gets away with working at Cinnabon under a new identity for a little while, he’s eventually caught. Better Call Saul season 6 confirms that its lead will spend his life in prison, owning up to the mistakes he made and accepting the punishment.

Jimmy McGill aka Saul Goodman has an interesting opposing arc to Walter White’s journey in Breaking Bad. Jimmy is someone who the audience knows to be crooked and untrustworthy at the beginning of the story only for him to reach a place in the end where he is willing to pay the price. Leaving Jimmy in prison is necessary for completing this arc, and while it might be tempting to see him work his typical con artist methods behind bars, it is also important that he puts those things behind him as well.

Not only is a Better Call Saul continuation not likely, but it seems that the Breaking Bad universe of shows has come to an end as well. Vince Gilligan said as much in an interview with Variety:

“We probably pushed it doing a spinoff of ‘Breaking Bad.’ I could not be more happy with the results, and then I did ‘El Camino’ [a ‘Breaking Bad’ sequel film], and I’m very proud of that, but… you better know when to leave the party.”

Saul Goodman was originally going to die in
Breaking Bad
‘s final season.

9 Succession (2018-2023)

Jesse Armstrong Isn’t Interested

Succession is another show that ended on its own terms and in a decisive enough way that it doesn’t need to return. The Succession endinganswered the question that was posed from the very beginning of the series in revealing who would be the new CEO of Waystar Royco. In a perfect twist, it ended up not being any of Logan Roy’s children, but rather the seemingly disposable Tom Wambsgans. It is a pitch-perfect ending to a show that was so good at subverting expectations.

Succession’s eccentric characters are fascinating to follow and it is tempting to want to follow them through their next stage of life. However, the point is that it doesn’t matter what they do next because the one thing they want has been taken from them. For the character of Kendall, it is especially true that his story should not be added to because the final image of him looking out to the water is perfect. This is a man who has wealth and access many could only dream of, but he feels he has nothing.

Given how acclaimed the ending of the series was, it is not surprising that creator Jesse Armstrong is not interested in a Succession revival and HBO executive Casey Bloys supports that decision:

The chances of that are pretty unlikely. Unless Jesse all of a sudden said, “Oh my God, I have the greatest idea. This is what I want to do.” I would take that very seriously. But I think that he told the story he wanted to tell. It doesn’t seem to be something that he wants to visit again, and I totally get that. I’m excited with what he’s going to do next.

8 Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013-2021)

The 99th Precinct Won’t Be The Same

Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a show that already made an impressive TV comeback. The sitcom was canceled by Fox following its fifth season, only to be swiftly picked up for a sixth season by NBC. The change proved to work for Brooklyn Nine-Nine as it continued on until its eighth season, given the chance to end on its own terms. This was a bittersweet ending as it saw many of the characters moving on from the 99th precinct but still maintaining a close connection.

Indeed, it was the cast of Brooklyn Nine-Nine that made it so special which is part of the reason a revival would not work. Sadly, in the years since the show ended, Andre Braugher, who played Captain Raymond Holt, passed away. While the show was very much an ensemble, Holt was a huge part of the story and Braugher’s performance was always a highlight. To have the show return without him would feel odd and like it was missing a key ingredient.

The finale of Brooklyn Nine-Nine had the team promising they would always reunite every Halloween for the famous Halloween Heist. While it might be fun to see a Brooklyn Nine-Nine Halloween special that shows this, it would also feel wrong without Holt as his wild competitive nature often delivered the biggest laughs in Brooklyn Nine-Nine‘s Halloween Heist episodes.

7 Lucifer (2016-2021)

Tom Ellis Needs A Reason To Return (& There Isn’t One)

Lucifer was canceled and brought back twice before ending in 2021. However, it seems unnecessary for the show to come back from the dead again as Lucifer season 6 gives the characters a proper and definitive send-off. The series finale reveals the titular devil’s fate — giving therapy to those in Hell so they can escape their Hell loops — and separates him from Chloe Decker and their child for the remainder of her mortal life.

It was a bittersweet and emotional ending, and reviving the show would undo its impact. It is the kind of ending that presents a new reality that the characters will exist in but doesn’t leave the audience desperate to explore it any further. Lucifer’s new life in Hell might have some interesting adventures, but they are not likely to be as satisfying as where the story decided to end things. Even Tom Ellis recently admitted he wouldn’t want to do a revival unless there was a good reason for it:

Because I feel like one of the weird things certainly about working over here is there’s so much like, when you’re somebody successful, people just want more and more and more and more and more. Whereas, where I’m from, you know, leave them wanting more is the motto.

6 Killing Eve (2018-2022)

The Show’s Ending Upset Fans & Made A Revival Impossible

Killing Eve was a series that was very good at keeping the audience guessing, especially in terms of the central relationship. With Eve and Villanelle in a constant game of cat and mouse, they would alternate between being on the edge of a romance and trying to kill each other. The surprises kept coming right to the end of the series, but not everyone was happy with how it ended with Villanelle being killed just as the couple seemed to be finding their happy ending.

The death of Villanelle was particularly controversial as many fans felt that it was feeding into the problematic “bury your gays” trope, turning LGBTQ+ characters into tragic victims. The backlash was enough that the show might consider reviving it to deliver a better conclusion, similar to the attempt made by Dexter: New Blood. However, with the choice to kill Villanelle, the show took away that option as few fans would be interested in seeing the show return without that character.

Villanelle is the only character to appear in every episode.

5 Barry (2018-2023)

The HBO Series’ Finale Makes A Revival Impossible

Barry is another TV series that ends in death, as its 2023 finale brings Bill Hader’s title character to a place it’s impossible to come back from. The finale saw Barry finally being punished for the many lives he took in cold blood, as his former acting teacher, Gene, kills him. In a darkly hilarious twist, Barry’s story is made into a movie that depicts him as a hero. It is a fitting end that sticks to the tone of the show while leaving little room to go elsewhere.

It’s hard to envision a revival without the lead character present.

It’s hard to envision a revival without the lead character present, even if there are supporting characters that could carry its legacy. The show ends with Barry’s teenage son, John, watching the movie about his father and getting a distorted version of what this very flawed man was like. While it might be interesting to follow him, and maybe have him meet up with Barry’s mentor Fuches, it also seems right that John would never really know the truth.

4 The 100 (2014-2020)

Would Have To Retcon Season 7

The 100 is a series that was initially supposed to get a spinoff, but Second Dawn never came to fruition. The 100 prequel was canceled, and both the original series and its failed spinoff haven’t received much attention as of late. Given that The CW didn’t want to focus on continuing the show through spinoffs, it’s unlikely it would revisit the first series. That’s not to mention that most of The 100 cast have moved on, and the show had a definitive ending. Most of humanity transcended, while Clarke and her friends lived the rest of their years on Earth.

Sticking a satisfying landing on a show is a difficult enough task that many shows would not jump at the chance to undo a successful finale. Indeed, The 100 left things on a high note and there would be no way to continue the story without undoing a lot of that original ending and making it pointless. There would have to be a truly great continuation to make that decision worthwhile. Also, a continuation would ruin the fact that The 100 ended with a fitting 100 episodes.

3 This Is Us (2016-2022)

There’s Nothing Left To Cover

This Is Us season 6 brought the bittersweet story of the Pearson family to a close in a way befitting the unique storytelling of the series. The show covers multiple timelines, showcasing the early romance of Jack and Rebecca, the years after they had kids, and the future timeline during which Rebecca is dying. The final episodes see Rebecca finally moving on, and they offer satisfying conclusions for each of the Pearson kids.

It would simply be a collection of individual episodes that don’t add up to much.

The multiple timelines seem to lend themselves well to the story of this family being able to carry on. Certainly, there are likely many other stories within the different generations of characters that would be worth exploring and providing some new stories. However, This is Us ended in a way that was able to bring the timelines to a conclusion that made sense together.

A continuation could add new stories to that, but it is not likely to build to anything special as the audience already knows so much of what plays out. It would simply be a collection of individual episodes that don’t add up to much.

2 Schitt’s Creek (2015-2020)

The Rose Family Can’t Take The Same Journey Twice

Schitt’s Creek is another show with an almost perfect conclusion, and a revival just wouldn’t be able to capture the magic of the original six seasons. The comedy series sees the once-wealthy Rose family moving into a motel in the small town of Schitt’s Creek after losing all their money — and despite a rocky start, they grow to love the place before finally moving on.

Their growth leading up to the final season would make a Schitt’s Creek revival less interesting, as they wouldn’t be able to go on the same journey twice. While a quick reunion or holiday episode could potentially work, a full-on revival just wouldn’t. There were originally plans to follow Annie Murphy’s character of Alexis on her own adventures on a spinoff show, but it was wisely abandoned. Just like the other characters, Alexis has grown so that she might not be as fun to follow in a new story.

Abby Elliott played Alexis in
Schitt’s Creek
‘s original pilot.

1 Attack On Titan (2013-2023)

The Anime Has A Definitive Ending

Anime hit Attack on Titan ended in 2023 with the finale giving all of the main characters definitive endings and offering a glimpse into their futures. With that in mind and with their fates already put in place, there’s no way to return to the original Attack on Titan characters. The show could do a sequel, as the credits imply that the cycle of violence will continue. However, even this would feel stale, as it would simply repeat the story told in the original show.

With no source material to draw from and few original places to go, it is hard to imagine coming up with a worthwhile way to continue and say something new. The deaths of the likes of Eren in the finale were tragic and communicated the message of violence quite clearly. Any sequel would only be left to reiterate these points without as much of an emotional impact.