TV cancellations are always disappointing, whether they’re a long time coming or feel totally out of the blue. The streaming era has been an especially ruthless time for television fans, as many series that have the potential to become great don’t make it past a season or two. Even shows with moderate followings can get the ax, as the costs don’t always justify the viewership numbers.
This has led to some devastating cancellations in the past couple of decades, ones that often hit harder than they did with older network TV shows. In the past, series typically had time to iron out their flaws, and their ratings often showed the writing on the wall. Now ending a show feels quicker and less transparent, leading to unpleasant surprises, including the 2020s' most disappointing cancellations.
10The Wheel Of Time
Canceled In 2025 After 3 Seasons
Given the massive popularity of Robert Jordan’sWheel of Timebooks,Prime Video’s adaptation should have reached the heights of a fantasy show likeGame of Thrones. And Prime Video certainly appeared committed to this duringWoT’s early seasons. This sparked hope that it would continue as long as necessary to adapt the entirety of the source material.
However, the first two seasons ofThe Wheel of Timedidn’t live up to expectations, with many diehard fans of the source material becoming disappointed in the show.The Wheel of Timeseason 3 turned things around, but it proved too little, too late.The Wheel of Timewas canceled, just as it was getting good — a fact that made its premature ending one of the most tragic of the 2020s.
The fact that Jordan’s books offered so much potential made the show’s fate doubly disappointing. It could have joined the greatest fantasy film and TV franchises of all time, if only it had delivered a stronger start — or been given the opportunity to capitalize on season 3’s successes.
9Shadow And Bone
Canceled In 2023 After 2 Seasons
It’s been a rough few years for fantasy lovers, asThe Wheel of Timewasn’t the only series with huge potential to receive the ax.Netflix’sShadow and Bonehad an equally disappointing fate, despite the streamer investing quite a bit of time and resources to ensure its success.Shadow and Bonehad a reported budget of $3-5 million per episode (viaCBR), which should have signaled commitment.
However,Netflix decided against renewing the series after season 2, seemingly determining that the sprawling fantasy series wasn’t worth the cost.Shadow and Bone’s cancellationwas a huge blow to fans ofLeigh Bardugo’s books, especially those who’d hoped to seeSix of Crowsadapted next.
The potential forShadow and Boneto become a full-fledged fantasy franchise made its fate one of the most disappointing of the 2020s. Season 2’s ending cliffhanger, which deviated from the books, also ensured that fans would be left with questions that would never get answers.
8Our Flag Means Death
Our Flag Means Deathwas a series unlike any other, and it’s no surprise the romantic pirate comedy accumulated a cult following during its two-season run. Not only didOur Flag Means Deathtake viewers on entertaining swashbuckling adventures, but it featured an LGBTQ+ love story that will go down as one of television’s greatest.
Of course, this madeOur Flag Means Deathbeing canceledafter season 2 — just as Ed and Stede reunited — so much sadder. Although the couple technically got a happy ending, viewers wanted more time with these characters, and to see them working through their issues on-screen.
Our Flag Means Death’s cancellation was among the 2020s' most disappointing for that alone, but it also continued afrustrating trend for LGBTQ+ shows on streaming. It deserved at least one more outing to properly wrap things up, but even fan outrage didn’t sway HBO Max’s decision.
7The Acolyte
Canceled In 2024 After 1 Season
The Acolytewas probably the most divisiveStar Warsshow to arrive on Disney+, butit gave the franchise something fresh and different— precisely what many fans had been asking for. It took a refreshing approach to the Jedi vs. Sith conflict, brought exciting new players to the franchise, and had great action sequences. Sadly, all of this was shortlived.
The Acolytewas canceledafter just one season on Disney+, leaving viewers to wonder what would become of Amandla Stenberg’s Osha and Manny Jacinto’s Qmir after the finale. Given how the show had picked up during its later episodes, it was incredibly frustrating that it wouldn’t get the chance to further find its footing.
WhileStar Warsstill had shows likeAndorandThe Mandalorianto pave the franchise’s future,The Acolyteoffered something unique that viewers likely won’t see again. This made it disappointing that the show didn’t get to continue, and it also may have signaled that similar fare wouldn’t perform — a double whammy for those who wanted more of it.
6The Winchesters
Canceled In 2023 After 1 Season
The Winchesters' cancellationwasn’t a huge surprise after season 1’s missteps, but it still stung. After all, even with15 seasons ofSupernaturalin the books, fans of the show were eager for more stories in this world.It was disappointing that the first attempt to expand theSupernaturaluniverse failedso badly, especially as it signaled that future spinoffs could be risky.
There was a lot thatwent wrong withThe Winchesters, from its questionable approach to canon to its lackluster production quality and writing. However, its premise had the potential to live up to its predecessor’s legacy, which made its failure so much worse.
For all intents and purposes,The Winchestersshould have become one of The CW’s next big hits, as it had the franchise recognition to be much bigger. The fact that this didn’t happen — and thatSupernatural’s spinoff didn’t even get a chance to turn things around — was easily one of the biggest TV disappointments of the past five years.
5Suits LA
Canceled In 2025 After 1 Season
Speaking of shows that didn’t live up to their predecessors,Suits LAalso proved disappointing and shortlived, despite all the hypesurrounding the spinoff. Even withArrow’s Stephen Amell in the lead role,Suits LAdidn’t take off as well as fans of the original series — and NBC — had hoped.
As forwhat went wrong withSuits LA, its failure to launch could be attributed to its inability to replicate the original show’s tone, lackluster cases, and slower start. Sadly,Suits LAseason 2 probably could have addressed some of these problems, as even spinoffs need some time to find their footing.
Unfortunately,Suits LAwas canceled after just one season, so it will never get the chance. Given the popularity of the original show and the high expectations for this one, its fate will go down among the 2020s' most disappointing. Thankfully, thebest episodes ofSuitsare still worth a rewatch.
4My Lady Jane
My Lady Janedidn’t get the attention of some of the other fantasy shows on this list, and perhaps that was its biggest problem. Despite the series' great production quality and gripping story, Prime Video didn’t market it nearly as much as it should have. This resulted in a quiet premiere, followed byMy Lady Janebeing canceled ahead of season 2.
This was especially disappointing, asMy Lady Janeprobably only needed one more season to complete its story — and its adaptation of the book it was based on. Among those who did tune in for the series,My Lady Janereceived an overwhelmingly positive response. It snagged a 95% critic score onRotten Tomatoes, as well as a 90% audience rating.
EvenASOIAFauthor George R.R. Martin expressed his disappointmentwith the series being cut short, a testament to its potential. Prime Video really should have given this fantasy romance show a greater chance, as it was a breath of fresh air among all the epic fantasies attempting to be the nextGame of Thrones.
3The Expanse
Canceled In 2022 After 6 Seasons
LikeThe Wheel of Time,The Expansedebuted with an established audience, all of whom were excited for the adaptation based on the source material. And although it only aired for three seasons on SyFy before it was canceled the first time, Prime Video saved the show. This suggested the streamer saw its potential and was willing to put in the effort to see it through.
To the streamer’s credit,The Expansegot another three outings on the platform, with the sci-fi series boasting an even better production quality than before. Indeed,The Expansebecame one of the best sci-fi shows of all time, which made its cancellation after season 6 that much more of a bummer.
Given that therewere three moreExpansebooks to adapt, the show’s early end came as a huge disappointment to those hoping to see the story brought to life fully. The sci-fi series also had the potential to becomeGame of Thrones' true successor, so it’s tragic that it didn’t get a full run — even if its ending could be considered a decent stopping point.
2Evil
Canceled In 2024 After 4 Seasons
Evilwas one of thebest horror shows to come out in the last decade, masterfully blending genres to deliver a compelling narrative wrought with compelling religious commentary. In a genre where tropes are often repeated and reboots tend to flourish,Evilstood out. This ensured it developed a cult following, allowing it to continue for four seasons before it was axed.
Evilwas canceled after season 4, despite the series continuing to gain followers over time. Theshow’s creator had a plan forEvilseason 5, which was poised to bring in exciting new stars, take some interesting turns, and wrap up prior outings' storylines. Knowing what could have been made a disappointing cancellation even more so.
AndEvilwas easily one of the most tragic horror cancellations of the decade. Most other canceled horror series don’t make it this far or have understandable reasons for ending, butEvil’s inability to close out its narrative felt like a slap in the face after four seasons.
1Westworld
Canceled In 2022 After 4 Seasons
By the time word ofWestworld’s cancellation arrived, it wasn’t a shocking development, since theHBO series had begun to flounder years earlier. However,Westworld’s $25 million pilot(and the entire first season) was a masterpiece, and the confirmation that it would never live up to its potential stung. After all,Westworldcould have been great.
Unfortunately, many thingswent wrong with Westworld after season 1, with the show moving too far from its original concept and over-complicating its storylines. This caused even interested viewers to fall off, and it took too long for the HBO series to realize this and start setting things straight.
That’s whyWestworldseason 5 never happened, and it will go down as one of the greatest TV disappointments of the 2020s — and potentially the 21st century. Looking back, things could have gone so much better for the sci-fi series.
