20 TV Shows Canceled Too Soon and 10 That Overstayed Their Welcome (2009-2019 Edition)

20 TV Shows Canceled Too Soon and 10 That Overstayed Their Welcome (continued):

11. Party Down (2009-2010)

Party Down is essentially a who’s who of comedic greats. Adam Scott! Kristen Bell! Jennifer Coolidge! Ryan Hansen! Lizzy Caplan! Ken Marino! Jane Lynch! Megan Mullally! (And that’s only people who appeared regularly; the guest star list includes at least one Oscar winner, a future Disney icon/Broadway star, and a major stand up comic).

Each Party Down episode focused on a new party, and the comedy sprung as much from the absurdity of some of the events as it did from the exchanges between the ragtag cater-waiter crew.

Its caustic humor holds up years later, but like creator Rob Thomas’ other much-loved vehicle, Veronica Mars, it struggled to find an audience when it originally aired.

However, it’s worth a watch (and is available on Hulu), so sit back and enjoy all the future star-spotting.

12. Pitch (2016)

Pitch though, at its core, was about defying the odds, centering on the first woman to play Major League Baseball, and its sole season is, forgive the pun, an absolute home run.

Adeptly balancing drama and warmth without ever becoming overly cheesy or sentimental, Pitch wasn’t the flashiest broadcast drama to debut in 2016, but it might have been the smartest. 

It managed to make baseball accessible, giving viewers an understanding of what it was like on the inside but also went beyond the inherent drama of sports to shed light on the complex personal lives of players and coaches.

While it struck out with the masses, it’s essentially the Friday Night Lights of baseball — a hidden gem.

13. Pushing Daisies (2007-2009)

Pushing Daisies was many things; it blended mystery, fantasy, comedy, drama, and romance.

The show’s about a pie maker who could bring people back to life with a simple touch and featured an intriguing premise and a distinct and colorful aesthetic. It wasn’t like anything else on TV.

While Pushing Daisies‘ sense of whimsy was endearing and in so many ways, the show felt like a macabre fairy tale. It dared to be optimistic at a time when cynicism reigned supreme on TV, and it was as comforting as home-baked pie.

Plus, Kristin Chenoweth, a master of so many different mediums, does some of her career’s best work as lovelorn Olive Snook (she won an Emmy, after all!).

Pushing Daisies’ cancellation was both sad and abrupt, cutting the shows legs off as its storytelling was turning important corners. Many plot points were left dangling without firm, clear resolution.

Fortunately, showrunners added a hastily produced coda to the finale to sketch out the future adventures of the Pie Hole gang but there are still so many lingering questions.

14. Selfie (2014)

This charming Pygmalion/My Fair Lady adaptation suffered from audiences judging a book but its cover, er, title.

Starring the ever enchanting John Cho and Karen Gillan, this romantic comedy had more heart than it generally got credit for from audiences and critics alike.

Premiering during a season flush with romantic comedy sitcoms, Selfie easily got written off as inane and empty, and a bumpy pilot didn’t help matters. However, Selfie took advantage of palpable chemistry between leads Cho and Gillan and course-corrected within a matter of episodes.

Sadly, it was already too late because ABC cut the episode order, but this only galvanized and strengthened the show. Rather than obnoxiously stretching out the will-they-or-won’t-they dynamic, the show leaned into romance and let the relationship between its leads progress.

While it didn’t end with Eliza and Henry finally getting together, it hinted at their future enough for audiences to leave satisfied.

15. Sense8 (2015-2017)

Sense8, featured multiple international locations and compelling effects, but its appeal went far beyond that.

Sense8 was unique in multiple respects. It defied genre expectations, mixing conventions of sci-fi with romance, fantasy, drama, and action. Despite its spectacle, it was really a show about the best and worst of humanity.

It also had the most diverse set of characters on television. Characters hailed from the United States, Iceland, India, Kenya, Korea, Germany, and Mexico, and the show reflected each of these distinct cultures extensively.

On top of that, it featured significant LGBTQ representation, never resorting to stereotypes or relegating its LGBTQ characters to secondary status.

In a league of its own in so many respects, Sense8 built a deeply engaging and layered world over the course of its run and its celebration of diversity and compassion felt like a bright light amidst the divisiveness so present in society today.

16. Sweet/Vicious (2016-2017)

MTV isn’t always known for the quality of its programming, but dark comedy Sweet/Vicious was an exception.

A far cry from some of MTV’s more vacuous titles, Sweet/Vicious had heft and was about two female students who team up as vigilantes, combatting sexual predators on their college campus.

The show shares similar DNA as Veronica Mars and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Acerbic wit, a search for catharsis, and the very real, everyday problems of young adulthood are hallmarks of all three, but Sweet/Vicious is more political.

The show was deeply feminist and shed much-needed light on both assault and weaknesses in our justice system.

The show’s cancellation felt doubly painful because it not only ended a high-quality show, but it also took away a vital platform to discuss combating sexual violence.

17. Terriers (2010)

FX’s Terriers was many things and could not be easily categorized.

It followed best friends and antiheroes, Hank (Donal Logue), an ex-cop, and Britt (Michael Raymond-James), an ex-con, as they work as private investigators. While it did have a procedural crime focus, it was never really a crime-of-the week type show.

Terriers was deeply funny, and the comedy was often rooted in Hank and Britt making each other laugh rather than the show trying to incorporate obvious jokes.

This made the friendship between Hank and Britt feel real and kept the show from getting too dark while the two investigated numerous crimes and dealt with their own personal demons.

This kind of genre-bending is more commonplace now; you can see it in shows like True Detective and Fargo, but Terriers did it first.

18. Timeless (2016-2018)

Timeless is an outlier on this list in so many ways. It cheated death not once, but twice, and was brought back for a special finale movie after fan outcry following its second cancellation.

It makes sense why Timeless inspired such passionate fans. While the show featured sweeping romance and the frenetic fun of time travel, it was also deeply smart, helping illuminate history in an engaging way.

It incorporated multiple characters well known to the general populace like Al Capone and Abraham Lincoln, weaving real-life events into plotlines.

Over the course of its run, Timeless upped the ante, and it consistently included lesser-known historical figures, particularly women or people of color, shedding light on their contributions (suffragette Alice Paul and NASCAR driver Wendell Scott are just two history makers who get much-deserved spotlight).

The history we are taught in schools is overwhelmingly about white men, but Timeless instinctively understood the importance of exploring other experiences.

There is almost limitless potential for the stories and historical figures it could have followed in future seasons. 

19. Trophy Wife (2013-2014)

Similar to Selfie, Trophy Wife suffered from a terrible title that took away from its overall quality.

A fresh take on the family sitcom, the show featured winning performances from Malin Akerman, Michaela Watkins, and Marcia Gay Harden, daring to make all three fully fleshed out, complex women, a far cry from the mother and wife characters we often see in sitcoms.

The show took turns giving them all a moment to shine and never resorted to traditional tropes of evil ex-wives or dumb young wives.

The ensemble of children was equally impressive, and the show consistently passed the Bechdel Test (especially impressive given that the thing that ties the main female characters is a man).

Nevertheless, Trophy Wife floundered in its timeslot and failed to gain traction and attract the audiences it deserved. Its cancellation robbed us of a unique take on the modern, blended family.

20. Whiskey Cavalier (2019)

This one’s fresh. There was a lot to love about Whiskey Cavalier. It blended office politics, friendship, and romance all amidst the heightened world of espionage.

Its leads Lauren Cohan and Scott Foley had good chemistry to boot, and most importantly, the show was fun.

Echoing shades of Castle and Moonlighting, Whiskey Cavalier was fueled by interesting mysteries, heavy sexual tension, and a dose of silliness.

It did not necessarily break new ground but it filled an important void for those looking for a procedural with a sense of humor.

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Click through to the next page for the shows who were on the air well past their expiration date!

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