ManyTV showshave lived up to their potential and hype, others have surprised the audience despite different challenges, but others were supposed to succeed and ended up failing for different reasons. Most shows are hyped by their networks or streaming platforms in order to attract an audience before their release – the problem is when the shows don’t live up to that hype.
There are many reasons a TV show can fail, but it’s worse when there were strong reasons for it to succeed before the show came out. Big budgets, interesting concepts, well-known directors and producers, and a strong cast are some reasons why a show can be predicted to succeed before its release.
These reasons end up not meaning much when the production costs get out of hand, the story and characters aren’t well written, or critics are too harsh, leading to low ratings that end up setting the show up for failure. Although some of these shows were better received after their endings or cancellations, their initial failure is what makes them qualify for this list.
10Girlboss
Girlboss Was Released In 2017
Netflix began producing its own TV shows in the 2010s, so there was a lot of hype and curiosity around the shows with the “Netflix original” label. Among them wasGirlboss, developed by Kay Cannon and based on Sophia Amoruso’s autobiography of the same name. Amoruso was the founder of the fashion brand Nasty Gal, so expectations were high for the show.
Girlbosswas negatively received by critics, who found Sophia to be an unlikable, self-centered character and the message to be toxic.
Girlbossfollowed Sophia Marlowe (Britt Robertson), a misfit with a passion for fashionwho became a businesswoman as she started her own brand – however, with that also came the challenge of being her own boss. Unfortunately,Girlbosswas negatively received by critics, who found Sophia to be an unlikable, self-centered character and the message to be toxic.
The bad critical reception, failure to find an audience, and Nasty Gal going through financial trouble in real life led to Netflix cancelingGirlbossafter just one season of 13 episodes, leaving the story unfinished and the audience, especially those who hoped for something better, disappointed.
One of thefirst Netflix original serieswasHemlock Grove, and it didn’t do well. Based on the 2012 novel of the same name by Brian McGreevy,Hemlock Grovewas set in the fictional title town in Pennsylvania, run by the town’s wealthiest family, the Godfreys. Leading the Godfrey family was the mysterious Olivia (Famke Janssen) and her brother-in-law Norman Godfrey (Dougray Scott).
The arrival of Romani teenager Peter Rumancek (Landon Liboiron) coincided with some horrible murders, leading some town residents to believe Peter was a werewolf. Peter befriended Olivia’s teenage son, Roman (Bill Skarsgård), who carried a dark secret he was unaware of: he, like Olivia, was an upir, a type of vampire.
It’s not only that the concept ofHemlock Grovewas promising, butEli Roth serving as executive producer (and director of the first episode) added to the anticipationand the possible high quality of the show. Unfortunately, while the performances were good, the story was messy, and it got worse in the next two seasons.
Created by Kelly Marcel and Craig Silverstein,Terra Novapremiered on Fox in 2011. Set in 2149, in a world where overpopulation and bad air quality threaten life on Earth,Terra Novafollowsthe Shannon family, who were chosen to establish a colony 85 million years in the Earth’s past. Surely, it’s already a convoluted premise, but Steven Spielberg was an executive producer.
However, the high production costs (because there’s no way a show like that could have been a low-budget production) and low ratings led toTerra Nova’s cancellationafter just one season. In addition to that,Terra Novadidn’t quite deliver on its exciting premise of humans and dinosaurs coexisting, and the main characters were boring and underdeveloped.
Terra Novawas a very ambitious project, which, had it been done well, could have appealed to the wide audience ofJurassic Parkand similar sci-fi worlds, but even with Steven Spielberg on board,Terra Novawas ultimately underwhelming and disappointing.
Four years after the release of the sci-fi thriller movieLimitless, it got a sequel TV show, but with a big twist. Instead of following Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper) after the events of the movie,theLimitlessTV show followed 28-year-old struggling writer Brian Finch(Jake McDorman). His first approach to the NZT drug was pretty much like Morra’s, but there was a twist.
Brian started working with the FBI, who supplied him with NZT so he would help them solve crimes.
Morra heard of Brian using NZT and provided him with an immunity shot so he wouldn’t go through the side effects, but under the condition that he said nothing to the FBI. Meanwhile, Brian started working with the FBI, who supplied him with NZT so he would help them solve crimes.Limitlesswas funnier than the movie, but it couldn’t find an audience.
The concept ofLimitlessis intriguing, and watching Brian help the FBI solve crimes, always with his peculiar sense of humor, was fun, butLimitlesswas, well, limited by the small audience of the movie it was based on. As a result,Limitlessonly stayed for one season.
Vinylwas a period drama TV show created by Mick Jagger, Martin Scorsese, Rich Cohen, and Terence Winter – and that’s enough to see why there was so much hype and potential around it. Set in the 1970s, in New York,Vinylexplored the music scene as rock ‘n’ roll was pushed aside by punk, hip-hop, and disco.
Vinylwas renewed for a second season, but HBO reversed the decision and canceled the show.
Vinylfollowed Richie Finestra (Bobby Cannavale), a record executive whose company is on the verge of being sold, while his confidence in discovering talent has faded. However, a life-altering event gives Richie new hope, but it might deeply impact his personal life.Vinylwas renewed for a second season, but HBO reversed the decision and canceled the show.
Unfortunately, despite having Jagger and Scorsese as co-creators and a talented cast,Vinylwas uneven, with some critics calling it “formulaic”, “boring”, and “slow.”Vinylis only 10 episodes long, and, sadly, it has become one of the most forgettable shows of the decade.
Disney has become known in recent years for trying to expand as many movies, TV shows, and franchises as possible, though not always with good results. Among them was the 1988 fantasy movieWillow, which is now considered a classic of the decade, but perhaps not one that viewers would expect to return as a TV show.
Still, Disney brought the TV seriesWillowin 2022, which served as a sequel to the movie and brought Warwick Davis back as the title character. The show, then, sawWillow leading a party to rescue the twin brother of Princess Kit Tanthalos. However, the group had to face their inner demons and defeat the Gales.
Willow was removed from Disney+ during a Disney+ and Hulu content purge.
AlthoughWillowwas well-received by critics, what set the show up for failure was Disney. In orderto reduce costs for streaming content, Willow and other shows were canceledand later removed from Disney+ during a Disney+ and Hulu content purge, meaning thatWillowis now nowhere to be streamed.
AlthoughFreaks and Geeksis now widely regarded as one ofthe best TV shows of all time, it should have been a success when it aired. Created by Paul Feig,Freaks and Geekswas a comedy-drama show set in a suburban high school near Detroit in the early 1980s.
Freaks and Geeksfollowedsiblings Lindsay (Linda Cardellini) and Sam Weir (John Frances Delay), who joined different groups in high school:Lindsay joined the “freaks”, while Sam joined the “geeks.”Freaks and Geeksfollowed their efforts to fit in but also find their own identities, all while surviving high school.
The creative directors of the show and NBC had clashing visions for the show.
Freaks and Geekswas canceled after one seasondue to its inability to find its audience, which has been attributed to bad scheduling rather than the show’s quality. In addition to that, the creative directors of the show and NBC had clashing visions for the show, and soFreaks and Geeksdidn’t get the chance to succeed as it should have from the beginning.
In 2021, Netflix gave the beloved anime TV showCowboy Bebopthe live-action treatment – unfortunately, it didn’t live up to the hype.Cowboy Beboptook viewers to the year 2071 to follow a ragtag group of bounty hunterschasing criminals across the Solar System.
This group was formed by Spike (John Cho), known for his violent ways; Faye (Daniella Pineda), who had no memories after being revived from cryosleep; and Jet Black (Mustafa Shakir), Spike’s partner and a former detective who spent five years in prison over a wrongful conviction.
Cowboy Bebopcouldn’t recreate the style and tone of the anime, and even the original series’ director criticized the live-action version for not being loyal to the source material.Netflix canceledCowboy Bebopless than a month after its release, citing low viewership numbers.
My So-Called Lifeis now a cult classic, but likeFreaks and Geeks, it should have succeeded when it was released. Created by Winnie Holzman,My So-Called Lifewas a teen drama TV series that aired on ABC.My So-Called Lifewas set in the fictional Liberty High School in the equally fictional suburb of Three Rivers.
My So-Called Lifefollowed 15-year-old Angela Chase (Claire Danes), who lived with her mother and her younger sister.Each episode was narrated by Angela, and it followed her ups and downs in her personal lifeand in school, alongside her friends Rickie (Wilson Cruz), Rayanne (A.J. Langer), and her crush Jordan (Jared Leto).
My So-Called Lifewas a critical success, but it didn’t gather the numbers it neededdespite having a loyal fanbase that campaigned to save the show. This, along with the network being unsure about the show’s target audience and Danes wanting to pursue other projects, led toMy So-Called Lifebeing canceled way too soon, thus not letting it succeed when it should have.
Another early Netflix original series that failed wasMarco Polo. Created by John Fusco,Marco Poloexplored the title character’s (played by Lorenzo Richelmy) early years in the court of Kublai Khan (Benedict Wong), the founder of the Yuan dynasty.
Marco Polowas quite promising, in large part due to its big budget, which gave hope for an interesting and exciting historical drama. Unfortunately,Marco Polodidn’t live up to the hype and its own potential, disappointing viewers and critics, and even worse, leading to financial loss for Netflix.
Despite making it to a second season (and even getting a Christmas special),Marco Polowas ultimately canceled due to production costsand low viewership numbers. In addition to that,Marco Polowasn’t historically accurate, the performances weren’t good, the writing was all over the place, and the overall production looked cheap.
