Best TV Shows That Were Canceled After One Season

This animated sitcom adapted a recurring sketch from the series “TripTank” and aired on Comedy Central. In search of Earth’s most average human, three aliens shack up with a dude named Jeff. Positive reviews and a small but loyal following wasn’t enough to keep the show alive for a second season.

Fledgling artist Wendy Watson (Natalie Morales) is recruited to become the next crime-fighting superhero in this sci-fi action comedy series. Creator Javier Grillo-Marxuach adapted the story from his own co-authored graphic novel. It ran on ABC Family for 12 episodes.

Before breaking out in 2009’s “The Hangover,” Bradley Cooper starred in this comedic adaptation of Anthony Bourdain’s best-selling book. It takes place behind the scenes of an upscale New York restaurant and follows chef Jack Bourdain (Cooper) as he mounts a career comeback. “This spirited series combines poignant moments and lots of laughs to create a special blend of TV fun,” wrote critic Melissa Camacho for Common Sense Media.

This hour-long action comedy series came to viewers from Matt Nix, creator of the hit show “Burn Notice.” Playing with the buddy cop paradigm, it partners a snarky but straitlaced detective (Colin Hanks) with a washed-up veteran (Bradley Whitford). Their ongoing friction is at once a personality clash but also the result of generational differences.

The creative duo of Michelle and Robert King followed their hit drama “The Good Wife” with this biting blend of political satire and science fiction. Mary Elizabeth Winstead plays a documentarian turned government staffer, who discovers that alien insects have taken over the brains of various politicians.

Adapted from a popular book series, this noirish thriller goes down in 1972 Memphis and tells the story of Mac Conway (Logan Marshall-Green). Upon his unwelcome return from Vietnam, Conway becomes a contract killer. Creator Michael D. Fuller attributed the show’s premature cancellation to several factors, including “a regime change at HBO and a re-(re?)-branding at Cinemax.”

This Amazon series, which draws from real-life events, takes place in the 1960s at a Newsweek-style magazine. As three female employees fight for equal rights, they end up changing America’s workforce culture at large. Vogue critic Patricia Garcia wrote that it “picks up right where Don Draper left off, providing plenty of nostalgia for viewers addicted to period dramas.”

Actor Ian McShane followed the HBO cult series “Deadwood” with this NBC drama, playing King Silas Benjamin in a modern-day retelling of the story of David and Goliath. Set in a fictional monarchy, it follows a young soldier (Christopher Egan) as he ascends to the throne.

“Family above all,” read the tagline for this NBC gangster drama series from co-creator Paul Haggis. It sends four Irish-American brothers into New York’s criminal underworld, where their loyalties are put to the test. Pulled from the air after eight episodes, its entire first season became available on DVD.

This drama series welcomes viewers to the remote Mount Horizon High School, where troubled teens navigate their adolescence. It debuted on Fox Family to positive reviews and respectable ratings, but was canceled as the result of a network sale. Star Hayden Christensen went on to play the role of Anakin Skywalker in two of the “Star Wars” prequels.

Alexander McCall Smith’s beloved book series laid the groundwork for this comedic crime drama, in which Mma Precious Ramotswe (Jill Scott) opens a female detective agency. It was backed by major Hollywood producers and filmed on location in the country of Botswana. Two intended film follow-ups never made it past the development phase.

Before “The X-Files” and “Stranger Things” there came this sci-fi horror dramedy series about a team of teenage investigators. It yielded a short-lived 1998 spin-off called “Eerie, Indiana: The Other Dimension” as well as a paperback book series. Among its loyal legion of fans is “Gravity Falls” creator Alex Hirsch, who cites it as a direct influence.

From “The Lego Movie” directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller and “Ted Lasso” creator Bill Lawrence came this short-lived animated sitcom. It takes place in a high school occupied by the clones of famous historical figures. As if low ratings weren’t bad enough, its controversial depiction of Gandhi provoked a hunger strike in India.

This animated sci-fi series makes up part of the TRON universe and takes place between the films “Tron” and “Tron: Legacy.” It blended 2D animation with CGI and aired on the Disney XD channel. Elijah Wood provides the voice of Beck, a young program who launches a revolution from within the computer world.

Filmmaker Baz Luhrmann collaborated with iconic figures such as MC Nas and Grandmaster Flash when co-creating this musical drama series. It takes place in the late 1970s Bronx and channels the rise of hip-hop through the story of various youth. Rotten Tomatoes breaks the show down into two seasons, but it’s actually one season divided into two parts.

Part fantasy and part procedural, this ABC drama tells the story of 200-year-old medical examiner Henry Morgan (Ioan Gruffudd). Through the investigation of various murder cases, Morgan hopes to unlock the secrets of his own immortality. Each episode flashes back to points in the protagonist’s past, spanning multiple historical eras in the process.

Multi-hyphenate Bo Burnham co-created and stars in this MTV sitcom, which follows the title character (Burnham) on his quest for overnight celebrity status. Determined to make it in spite of having no actual talent, Stone hires a documentary crew to trail his every move. “It’s clear that the writers (and Zach) are so knowledgeable of this particular world that the end result is smarter than you’d expect the average reality show send-up to be,” wrote critic Pilot Viruet for The AV Club.

Set in the early 1990s, this single-camera comedy finds a former military man (Christopher Meloni) taking on parental duties while his wife attends law school. It comes from co-creator Justin Halpern, who incorporated his personal experiences into both this series and the 2010 sitcom “$#*! My Dad Says.”

This off-kilter Fox series injects Western genre tropes with elements of comedy and sci-fi. Bruce Campbell plays ex-lawyer turned bounty hunter Brisco County, who uses futuristic technology when tracking down bad guys. It was canceled due to low ratings.

Heeding the cryptic call of animal figurines, a souvenir-shop employee (Caroline Dhavernas) embarks on life-changing missions in this hourlong dramedy. Like a number of short-lived TV shows from (co)creator Bryan Fuller, it retains a loyal cult following.

Hollywood veteran Aaron Sorkin takes viewers behind the scenes at a sketch-comedy show (à  la “Saturday Night Live”) in this NBC dramedy. It debuted the same year as network peer “30 Rock,” which took a far more comedic approach to a similar premise and lasted much longer.

An ex-cop (Donal Logue) and a former criminal (Michael Raymond-James) open a private investigation business in this dramedy series. It was nominated for Outstanding New Program by the Television Critics Association and named the “Best New Series of 2010” by IGN. When those accolades didn’t equate to tenable ratings, FX gave it the ax.

This comedy action series debuted on YouTube Premium and racked up over 10 million views with its first episode. The story follows noble teen rebel Wayne McCullough (Mark McKenna) and his crush Del (Ciara Bravo) as they embark on an action-packed road trip. Re-airings on Amazon Prime sparked rumors of a second season, but the show has yet to be renewed.

A grounded counterpunch to hit shows like “Beverly Hills 90210,” this seminal drama garnered serious acclaim for its authentic depiction of teenage angst. It features breakthrough performances from Claire Danes and Jared Leto, whose characters come of age in a high school setting. Fans launched a major campaign to save it from cancellation but to no avail.

A prequel to Jim Henson’s 1982 cult classic “The Dark Crystal,” this fantasy series welcomes viewers back to the world of Thra. Advanced puppetry and sparing use of CGI bring each episode to life. Despite positive reviews and a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Children’s Program, it was canceled after one season.