There’s no denying it’s been a bloodbath both on network and streaming this year.
So many shows had so much potential but failed to pull the viewership numbers to be deemed successful.
With so much content and so many channels and platforms, some shows never even stood a chance.
For some, it was a lack of promotion; for others, there was simply too much competition. Now we are left with threads dangling and no hope of closure!
Let’s take a look at some of the year’s most unjust cancellations.
Nancy Drew (The CW)
Unfortunately, 2022 will go down as the year we learned that the quirky and creative Nancy Drew was caught up in the carnage at The CW.
Nancy and the Drew Crew will have one more season to wrap up their criminal, supernatural, and romantic mysteries before the series concludes.
The showrunners promised fans of the iconic teenage sleuth that “Season 4 will be a worthy and resonant payoff for their continued love and support.”
But as Nancy and her crew inspired such passion in their fans, no end will quite make up for a beloved series being cut short in its prime.
The Baby-Sitters Club (Netflix)
While it aired in 2021, it was canceled in March 2022, a decision that hurt the series greatly.
The coming-of-age series showed the lives of Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia, Stacey, Dawn, Mallory, and Jessi and how they ran their babysitting business.
It showed female empowerment and real-life stories like juvenile diabetes, dating, divorce, and remarriage.
It was one of the few series directed at tween and teen girls, and we wish Netflix would have renewed it so that they could have filmed a Season 3 before the actors aged out.
DC’s Legends of Tomorrow (The CW)
While it started sub-par, this kooky comedy about superhero outcasts soon became the best (and funniest) show in the Arrowverse.
With Sara lance pregnant with her wife’s baby, the hilarious Donald Falson recently introduced as Booster Gold, and the whole team under arrest, so much was up in the air when DC’s Legends of Tomorrow Season 7 ended.
Yet, Season 8 was not to be, probably because the show is so expensive. It’s unfair! We need closure.
At least they should do a wrap-up movie. Now, Sara Lance will be forever pregnant.
Queer As Folk (Peacock)
All factors considered, the reboot was a good show.
It had captured the spirit and vibrancy of the original Queer As Folk with near perfection.
Like many shows in this list, it suffered because of a lack of promotion from Peacock, with many potential viewers finding out about it after it had been canceled.
It featured an updated look at the modern queer community without reservations. It’s a once-in-a-decade show that might never happen again.
Legacies (The CW)
We had plenty of criticism for the series, but at least it kept The Vampire Diaries universe alive.
It may have been bogged down by too much teen drama and monsters of the week, but the show really found its footing during Legacies Season 4.
On top of that, we got more appearances from franchise veterans than ever, and the ending certainly hinted at a series much more in line with its predecessors.
One more season would have been great!
Saved By The Bell (Peacock)
The revival of the famed Saturday morning sitcom was far from perfect, but damn, was it fun.
The new generation of kids inhabiting the walls of Bayside High were all perfectly cast and had great chemistry together.
The first season showed a lot of potential, and Season 2 was even better in almost every faucet, but it failed to really generate a lot of buzz during its second outing.
Even though the fun was cut short, we should be eternally grateful that we got to see Zack Morris, A.C. Slater, Jessie Spano, Kelly Kapowski, and Lisa Turtle one last time.
The Midnight Club (Netflix)
Mike Flanagan’s adaptation of Christopher Pike’s cult (ha!) classic saw a group of terminally ill teens telling scary stories in a haunted hospice.
Audiences weren’t sure what to expect as it was something of a departure from Flanagan’s previous, more “adult” outings.
Part horror anthology, part teen drama, The Midnight Club deserved more of a chance than it got. There was still so much potential and material to be mined in Pike’s vast body of work!
If it had been a ten-episode miniseries, we could have gotten the closure we needed on these characters — as it is, you can read what Flanagan had planned for Season 2 here.
Los Espookys (HBO)
The brilliant, twisted humor of this (mostly) Spanish-language series was an unsung miracle of existential narrative dressed up as the mishaps of a spunky group of entrepreneurs.
With biting commentary on the nature of politics mixed into the eerie coexistence of water demons and heirs to a chocolate dynasty, the cast delivered brilliant performances that accepted the world is weird and unexplainable at times.
Its abrupt cancellation left fans howling in frustration that they’ll never know what was in Tati’s purse now.
Made for Love (HBO Max)
HBO strikes again!
Made for Love’s second season ended with so many dangling narrative threads.
What will a pregnant Hazel do with Gogol? Could Herb’s consciousness be revived? We’ll never know.
Audiences and critics alike enjoyed the series — it just happened to be another casualty of the WarnerMedia/Discovery merger.
Dangerous Liaisons (Starz)
Like a darker, edgier Bridgerton, this steamy prequel series got greenlit for a second season before any episodes had even aired.
Unfortunately, the series suffered from low ratings, and the renewal was revoked.
It’s a shame because everything about Dangerous Liaisons Season 1 was first-rate — the direction, the score, the costumes, the acting, and the off-the-charts chemistry of Camille (Alice Englert) and Valmont (Nicholas Denton).
Even if we don’t get closure on some of the new plotlines, we do know how the characters end up thanks to the 1988 original — but it sure would have been fun to see more of how they got there!
Warrior Nun (Netflix)
Warrior Nun was Netflix’s hidden gem and underrated cult hit. It’s a shame that the series got abruptly canceled when things were just hitting new highs!
Season 2 was a big improvement as the action and special effects picked up, the characters became more confident, and the main overarching story was gearing up for an intense holy war.
And we can’t forget about the romance that finally came to be between Ava and Beatrice; their ‘ship was ripped out from under us!
It’s a sight to see when a TV series breaks through the sophomore slump and continues its strong momentum. Warrior Nun had plenty of stories left to tell; the series shouldn’t have ended when it did.
Batwoman (The CW)
This adaptation of a lesser-known DC Comics character deserved better.
It survived the unceremonious departure of original star Ruby Rose as Javicia Leslie smoothly filled Batwoman’s cowl for its final two seasons.
The series also had an enjoyable supporting cast of Rachel Skarsten, Meagan Tandy, Nicole Kang, and Camrus Johnson.
But just as the show was gaining traction while mining some of Batman’s memorable characters, it was purged with way too many others listed in this feature as CW slashed costs for an upcoming sale.
The Bastard Son and The Devil Himself (Netflix)
This was one YA adaptation that should have been a smash hit for Netflix if only they had set more than a dollar to promote the show.
The show was funny, bloody, and explosive. It featured a great storyline with good performances and a diverse cast. It is not common to see shows with Black bisexual male leads anywhere.
Like many others in this list, the show had a lot to explore more, with the first season setting up an interesting television universe that viewers could get invested in.
The Wilds (Prime Video)
Like Yellowjackets, The Wilds was a riveting exploration of young women in an unparalleled experience.
The controversial choice to add young men into the equation made sense for the sake of a twisted experiment.
And things were just getting more gripping than ever when the groups learned that they instead of a rescue, they entered a new phase of the experiment. There was so much story left to tell!
DC’s Stargirl (The CW)
One of the last remaining remnants of the quickly dying down Arrowverse, DC’s Stargirl was an underdog series but proved its worth.
Even though it only aired three seasons before getting canceled, Brec Bassinger and co greatly showcased their talents as the JSA and kept it going until the very last fight.
Unlike some shows that had abrupt cancellations for 2022, the cast was able to film two different endings depending on the news, and things wrapped up like a nice Christmas bow.
Fans got much closure at the end, which left the door open for a possible return in the future.
Raised By Wolves (HBO Max)
Raised by Wolves Season two upped the ante for many of the characters, and Mother’s journey took many different turns.
Sadly, HBO Max often gave this show the short end of the stick, either by not advertising enough or pushing the release date.
Not only had HBO Max canceled the series after a stellar second outing, but they’ve also announced that they are removing it entirely from the platform.
We’re sad that we won’t get to know the rest of the story and wish that the show could go out on its own terms.
There are so many more; this is just the tip of the iceberg!
What shows will you miss the most? Have we left out any of your favorites?
Share your thoughts in the comments!
Mary Littlejohn is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.
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