10 Canceled TV Shows That Could Still Realistically Return

Summary

• The cancellation of beloved TV shows like The OA and Mindhunter can leave fans with unanswered questions and disappointment.
• Fans’ support through campaigns and demonstrations can sometimes save a show from being canceled due to strong audience interest.
• Reboots and revivals of canceled TV shows like Hannibal and Gossip Girl are possible if actors, writers, and showrunners are willing to return.

When a TV show is canceled, it’s normal for audience members and the show’s creators to hold out hope that it might return. While some series reach their natural conclusion or have always planned to have a limited number of seasons, others are cut short before their time, leaving unanswered questions and unfinished character arcs. This can be immensely disappointing, especially if audiences have spent years becoming invested in the story, only to never discover how it ends. Fortunately, the last few years have seen an increase in the number of reboots and revivals on television.

The actors, writers, and showrunners must all be willing and excited to return so that there isn’t a dip in quality and another inevitable cancelation.

There have been many instances when fans saved TV shows from being canceled because of massive online campaigns and demonstrations of support for the series. These attempts to save a series can work because it shows producers and networks that there is an audience base that will watch the program, and the publicity stunt usually drums up ratings in all areas. However, it takes more than fans to bring a TV series back to life. The actors, writers, and showrunners must all be willing and excited to return so that there isn’t a dip in quality and another inevitable cancelation.

10 The OA (2016–2019)

Netflix’s sci-fi thriller left too many unanswered questions.

The OA‘s ending is one of the Netflix cancelations that hurt the most because fans were so dedicated to reviving the series for so many years. However, with sci-fi shows, this type of cancelation can occur because there are so many moving pieces within the narrative that require a larger budget. However, it was especially confusing that The OA was canceled after season 2 as the critical and audience reception only seemed to have increased with the latest installment.

Prairie, also known as The OA, was just getting started when the series was cut short, and the meta references and incredible use of alternate dimensions make the tone and themes of the show more relevant than ever.

Brit Marling led the show as Prairie Johnson, the young woman who seems to hold all the answers and the key to harnessing the higher powers at work. Prairie, also known as The OA, was just getting started when the series was cut short, and the meta references and incredible use of alternate dimensions make the tone and themes of the show more relevant than ever. Despite being canceled five years ago, support and interest in The OA has never faltered, and the creative team behind the project has expressed interest in returning (via Screenrant).

9 The Expanse (2015–2022)

Since The Expanse has jumped networks before, it could do it again.

Originally, The Expanse aired on the Syfy network for the first three seasons, and when the viewer response to its cancelation was overwhelming, it jumped ship and got picked up by Amazon Prime. This is a common trajectory for recently canceled shows, but usually, for a new streamer or network to acquire a series, it must happen relatively quickly after its conclusion. However, sci-fi television has only become more popular as time has gone on, and it would make sense if Prime green-lit a revival.

The show is based on the book series by Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, who write under the pen name James S.A. Corey. So far, the books include ten total volumes and encapsulate a variety of stories that the series could continue to draw from to inspire episodes and season arcs. The Expanse did take liberties with the source material. However, it could easily pick back up and use the novels to start up the character’s journey once again.

8 Hannibal (2013–2015)

Each season of Hannibal helped the show grow and change into the brilliant show it’s known as today.

If a
Hannibal
reboot could maintain the quality of the original and push the initial concept even further, it would be a hit.

The question of whether or not Hannibal season 4 will happen has been on many people’s lips since the final episode of season 3 was released in 2015. Mads Mikkelsen and Hugh Dancy star as Hannibal Lecter and FBI profiler Will Graham in this modernized take on the classic tale of the notorious fictional serial killer. However, what started as a police procedural with a twist soon evolved into a thrilling psychological game of cat and mouse that took on philosophical questions about the nature of good and evil.

One of the driving forces behind the popularity of Hannibal was the chemistry between Mikkelsen and Dancy, which resulted in the writers and showrunners developing a new facet of the Hannibal-Graham relationship. It’s well-known that Mikkelsen and Dancy have expressed interest in returning and wrapping up their character’s arcs, and now that it’s been almost ten years since the initial cancelation, the timing couldn’t be better. If a Hannibal reboot could maintain the quality of the original and push the initial concept even further, it would be a hit.

7 Mindhunter (2017–2019)

David Fincher’s foray into television resulted in one of the best crime dramas of all time.

There is a litany of crime dramas and police procedurals that have to do with criminal profiling on television today, but Mindhunter was something different from the start. Mindhunter was created by David Fincher, a well-known director who has made some of the best thriller movies of the 21st century. The series unpacks how the field of criminal profiling was created by the FBI in the late 1970s. Jonathan Groff plays Holden Ford, a character inspired by the real agent John E. Douglas, who interviewed real serial killers.

Though it only ran for two seasons, the cultural impact that Mindhunter had on its audience was monumental, and it’s just as rewatchable today as it was in 2019. One of the biggest obstacles that has prevented Mindhunter from returning is the fact that Fincher and the creative team diverged from Netflix on how best to keep the show going. Maintaining the budget required to ensure the quality and content of the show was a difficult pitch. If Mindhunter were to return, it would be a waste without the essential elements that made the show what it was.

6 Gossip Girl (2021–2023)

Though already a reboot, there was still more that the new iteration of Gossip Girl could do.

In 2021, Max brought the iconic teen drama back to life with modern twists and updated scandals to thrill a new generation of audience members. Plenty of viewers were still nostalgic for the original Gossip Girl, and the 2021 iteration was the perfect opportunity to make up for some of the pitfalls that the original faced. However, after just two short seasons, the ratings and critical reception made its cancelation inevitable. Despite this, the popularity and success of the first Gossip Girl are too strong for the story to be put to bed forever.

Max bringing back
Gossip Girl
could be an exciting answer to the recent flood of interest in its other properties, like
Sex and the City
and
Girls
.

One of the essential problems with the Gossip Girl reboot was that, though it had the wealth and opulence that made its characters both aspirational and repugnant, it lacked the messy and trashy aspects to balance this. Max bringing back Gossip Girl could be an exciting answer to the recent flood of interest in its other properties, like Sex and the City and Girls. There’s a clear path forward for the show, but it can’t fall victim to the polished and contrived plotting of the reboot’s first outing.

5 Our Flag Means Death (2022–2023)

Though it wasn’t Taika Waititi’s most successful TV series, Our Flag Means Death had the most heart.

Taika Waititi has created and produced some successful TV series in the past few years, including What We Do In The Shadows and the canceled-too-soon Reservation Dogs. However, though it’s unlikely Reservation Dogs will come back anytime soon, it’s possible that Waititi’s project that he also starred in, Our Flag Means Death, could make a comeback. After its initial cancelation on Max, the series was shopped to a few other streamers, but none picked it up at the time. However, the door is open for this possibility in the future.

Our Flag Means Death is one of the best period romance TV shows of the 2020s, alongside iconic series like Bridgerton and The Great. Waititi’s show stood out among the rest because of how dedicated it was to creating positive and relatable LGBTQ+ representation that was seamlessly worked into the story. There is more interest in shows like Our Flag Means Death every day, and if Waititi’s latest project, Time Bandits, is a success, it could mean Our Flag Means Death could be reevaluated for additional seasons.

4 Shadow And Bone (2021–2023)

The original Shadow and Bone trilogy aren’t the only books for the series to draw from.

While
Shadow and Bone
was the trilogy that started it all, Bardugo’s second series in the Grishaverse is considered the superior installment of the franchise.

The Shadow and Bone series made the wise choice to include the characters and story from Leigh Bardugo’s duology set in the same world as Shadow and Bone, Six of Crows. While Shadow and Bone was the trilogy that started it all, Bardugo’s second series in the Grishaverse is considered the superior installment of the franchise. However, Netflix chose to simultaneously adapt both stories and fit them into the same series. While this made sense on paper, it ended up slowing the show down and ruining the story’s pacing.

Audiences were devastated when Netflix canceled Shadow and Bone, and there was a significant movement to save the series, even if it ultimately came to nothing. However, though the Crows have already been introduced in Shadow and Bone, it’s likely that viewers would be just as willing to watch a spinoff or revival that only focuses on the plots of Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom. This would be a great way to draw audiences in without going back to the original story.

3 Outer Range (2022–2024)

Genre-bending and well-acted, Outer Range never got the chance to find its footing.

Thanks to the popularity of Yellowstone and its main spinoffs, the neo-Western genre has never been more popular, but Outer Range is not merely a weak copy of the well-known show. Outer Range does much more than explore the trappings of the Old West in modern society. Transcending genre and audience expectations, Outer Range is more a sci-fi series than anything else, as it reveals in season 1 that time travel and multiple timelines are enormous parts of the narrative.

Josh Brolin plays the patriarch of the central family in Outer Range, but he’s hiding a dark secret, and his domestic problems are only heightened by the fact that there’s a murder and a time portal to contend with. Though season 2 only recently came out, Amazon Prime didn’t renew it for a third season, and this leaves the audience with many unanswered questions. However, it’s not too late for another streamer to swoop in and save Outer Range, as it was just finding its footing as a series.

2 Schmigadoon! (2021–2023)

The musical-comedy series needed to find its niche with audiences to continue.

Keegan-Michael Key and Cecily Strong play the hilarious leads in Schmigadoon!, the satirical musical-comedy show that appeals directly to fans of musical theater. Unfortunately, this isn’t the broadest audience base, but given time, it’s likely that Schmigadoon! could have been a crossover hit thanks to its hilarious dialogue and amazing guest stars. Though many of the elements of the show were fantastical and unrealistic, the protagonists’ entrance to the world of Schmigadoon! from the real world kept it grounded with an element of realism.

If there’s a way forward for
Schmigadoon!
in the future, it could occur in the form of a reboot after the planned stage adaptation of the show in 2025.

Schmigadoon! was gaining traction after season 2, as the critical reception increased and the change in setting to a more upbeat and commercially popular musical style drew in larger audiences. However, the series remained an underrated hit and never had quite enough of a following to justify its budget. If there’s a way forward for Schmigadoon! in the future, it could occur in the form of a reboot after the planned stage adaptation of the show in 2025.

1 GLOW (2017–2019)

Though season 4 was green-lit, GLOW’s narrative arc was cut short.

It was a shame when Netflix canceled GLOW, as TV series that feature women in leading roles both on and off camera are important projects for the industry and audience members. Alison Brie stars as Ruth, an actress who gets caught up in the world of women’s wrestling in the 1980s. While GLOW already stood out thanks to its period piece setting and fun costumes, the series also asked deeper questions about the exploitation of women onscreen and the struggle for equality in the decade following the rise of second-wave feminism.

Initially, GLOW was renewed for a fourth season, but because of the pandemic, the production was shut down, and viewers never saw the next installment of the story. However, this likely means that there is a script for season 4, and there’s a future where the characters come back together for one last run around the ring. There’s more to say and explore in GLOW, and while Netflix might have moved on from the series, audiences certainly haven’t.