As the currentnetwork televisionseason winds down into the summer, multiple shows have announced renewals, including all of NBC’sLaw & Orderfranchise series, while others have naturally exited stage left, including ABC’sThe Connersendingafter seven seasons.With every renewal announcement comes a slew of cancellations, some of which are more surprising than others, especially when some are critically acclaimed and ratings drivers.
A host of television shows were canceled in this round of season finales, bringing a nicely tied-up conclusion to some, cliffhangers for others, andsome truly head-scratching endings in some cases. As the networks start their summer vacations, we’re ranking the network television shows that were canceled in 2025, from the least surprising to the most heartbreaking.
17S.W.A.T.
CBS - Canceled After 8 Seasons
A stalwart on the CBS schedule since 2017,S.W.A.T.was set in the same universe as FX’s critically acclaimed dramaThe Shieldand starred Shemar Moore and Jay Harrington. After surviving its initial cancellation after season 6,it was revived with a first and final run for season 7, only to be renewed again, only to be canceled after season 8.
It’s hard to be shocked at the news thatS.W.A.T.was canceled for goodafter its 8th season, specifically as it was saved twice before by CBS for more adventures for Sgt. Hondo and Twenty Squad.
Even asHondo’s adventures will continue in the spin-offS.W.A.T. Exiles, sometimes it’s best to let things end naturally, and the ending ofS.W.A.T.felt more like a necessity than a surprise.
16Doctor Odyssey
ABC - Canceled After 1 Season
The reports ofDoctor Odyssey’scancellation may or may not have been greatly exaggerated. The show appears to have been conceived as a limited series with the story of Avery (Phillippa Soo) and her relationship with two coworkers on board a cruise ship as the main throughline of the season.
Though the cancellation of the series has been reported by multiple outlets, ABC isnot officially giving word on the end ofDoctor Odyssey. Instead,it’s only official that the cast members have been released from their contracts. There has been speculation that the series could still live on at a later date.
That’s why the “cancellation” ofDoctor Odysseyis not as heartbreaking as some of the other shows that got the axe this season.ABC could revisit the series as an anthology or renegotiate with cast membersat a later date.
Whether the network is able to do so is down to showrunner Ryan Murphy, who is busy with other projects.
15Lopez vs. Lopez
NBC - Canceled After 3 Seasons
When you think about television sitcoms from the early aughts, George Lopez’s self-titled ABC sitcom ranks among the most popular and most successful of these,so it was no surprise to find him back on TV, this time on NBC with a new program,Lopez vs. Lopez.
His third attempt at sitcom magic sinceLopezwent off the air in 2007, it saw him return to the same familial setting comedy show formula, moving in with his daughter, played by his real-life daughter, Mayan Lopez, after bankruptcy forced him out of his home.
The show sat on the bubble for weeks waiting for a decision on renewal, with NBC ultimately opting not to bring the Lopez family back for season 4.
Although the success ofGeorge Lopezmade him a household name,he’s struggled to recapture the magic of the original series and what made it connect with the fans, and even as the show was celebrated for itsdepiction of the Latino experience, it wasn’t enough to save it from the axe.
14Alert: Missing Persons Unit
Fox - Canceled After 3 Seasons
Alert: Missing Persons Unitbegan with a general idea for a procedural: following a law enforcement unit tasked with finding missing people. It was compounded by two of the law enforcement personnel happening to be exes whose child had been kidnapped years earlier.
The show, however, went through a lot of changes in its three seasons and had begun to shift into more of a buddy cop story. It also had been steadily dropping viewers as it went on, sothe cancellation is not entirely a surprising one.
It is an unfortunate one, however, sinceAlert: Missing Persons Unitprepared a big story thread for the fourth season. The season 3 finale revealed that one character was not who they appeared to be, and fans will be forever wondering.
13Night Court
One of the many revival shows hitting the airwaves over the past few years,Night Courtwas brought back to NBC after its predecessor, a popular program and nominated for multiple Emmy Awards in its day, went off the air for good in 1992.
Night Court’s third season ended on a cliffhanger,including a “To Be Continued” graphic at the end of the episode, as Judge Abby Stone (Melissa Rauch) gets a surprise appearance from her past as Jake (Ryan Hansen) plans to propose.
With nostalgia levels at an all-time high, and the return of original cast member John Larroquette as public defender Dan Fielding, the show came out of the gate with high expectations. Unlike some of its contemporaries in the reboot department, like ABC’sThe Connersand CBS’Hawaii Five-O,Night Courtnever seemed to capture the attention of viewers the way the original did.
While NBC opted to move on from its past successes,Rauch is hopeful to see the show picked up elsewhere, at the very least for a proper send off to its cliffhanger ending in season 3.
12Frasier
CBS/Paramount+ - Canceled After 2 Seasons
Much likeNight Court,Frasierarrived with major fanfare and aired its first two episodes on CBS before moving to its permanent home on Paramount+.Kelsey Grammer returned as Dr. Frasier Crane, reuniting with his son, Frederick (Jack Cutmore-Scott) in Boston after a successful and lucrative Dr. Phil-style television career.
If its season 2 finale becomes its permanent series finale, there’s nothing wrong with ending on a holiday high note that captures the essence of the original.
Although the new cast provided a different dynamic for an older and wiser Frasier Crane,fans felt the show was missing its heart and soul without its other principal cast members, including David Hyde Pierce, who declined to join the reboot as Dr. Niles Crane, and the show struggled to find the sweet spot that made 1993’sFrasierso beloved.
Grammer remains hopeful thatFrasierwill continueon another platform or network, but if its season 2 finale becomes its permanent series finale, there’s nothing wrong with ending on a holiday high note that captures the essence of the original.
11Suits LA
NBC - Canceled After 1 Season
Perhaps no show in this round of premieres had as much fanfare and network backing asSuits LA, the spinoff of the sleeper USA Network showSuits, which saw a surge of popularity on Netflix,as well as a renewed interest in seeing Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, in a starring television role.
With originalSuitscast members returning for guest roles and a heavy-hitting cast led by Stephen Amell, the show was teed up to capitalize on the original’s popularity, this time on a major network.
The show failed to live up to its hype in terms of creative direction, with mostSuits LAreviewsresoundingly panning the effort, and it currently sits with a 36% rating onRotten Tomatoes.
Along with its critical reception, and despite NBC’s best efforts to make the show a success, viewers never materialized for the program, and the network opted to move on from the franchise quickly, unsurprisingly ending it after just one season.
10The Cleaning Lady
Fox - Canceled After 4 Seasons
With a fascinating and unique premise, Fox’sThe Cleaning Ladywas the story of Thony (Élodie Yung), a mother desperate to save her son’s life with a rare treatment available only in Las Vegas, only to witness a murder that changes everything. Through four seasons, Thony sinks farther into the underworld and plays both sides of the law to return to her normal life.
Élodie Yung is known for playing Elektra Nachios in Netflix’sDaredevilandThe Defenders.
The Cleaning Lady’s season 4 finalesaw multiple story arcs and character angles tied up neatly after a chaotic season, but the show never seemed to regain its footing from a creative perspective after the death of main cast member Adan Canto after season 2.
The void left by Canto’s death, along with ratings that were often hit-and-miss,Fox felt it was time to pull the plug on its most unique show, ending Thony’s journey just as she became an associate of Sin Cara.
9Poppa’s House
CBS - Canceled After 1 Season
In what seemed to be another exciting entry into the Wayans' creative world,Poppa’s Housesaw Damon Wayans and Damon Wayans, Jr. starring opposite of each other as father and son navigating life. \
Wayans, a veteran player in television and sitcoms after his successful run on ABC’sMy Wife and Kids, mirrored the approach of George Lopez,working to recapture the magic of their popular franchise from the early aughts.
AlthoughPoppa’s Households an 86% rating on Rotten Tomatoes,the show failed to find its footing among a crowded and bloated CBS television schedule.With the struggles CBS has faced in finding its own place in the network television landscape,Poppa’s Housefound itself the victim of a network restructuring process, one that saw other popular franchise entries cut.
8The Irrational
NBC - Canceled After 2 Seasons
A promising show,The Irrationalstarred Jesse L. Martin as Professor Alec Mercer, a behavioral analyst who used his skill set to assist the FBI and other governmental agencies. Loosely based on the life of Professor Dan Ariely, the show debuted to strong ratings and stronger reviews
It certainly seemed likeThe Irrationalwas around for the long haul, providing Martin with another successful television venture in his post-Law & Ordercareer.
Theseason 2 finale ofThe Irrationalsaw Mercer coming to terms with a surprising revelation while also leaving the door open for season 3 and continuing its semi-procedural approach into syndication territory.Sharp declines in ratings throughout the season, however, proved to be too much for NBC, and it surprisingly pulled the plug on the show after 2 seasons.
