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6 Dumbest Reasons Why TV Shows Were Canceled
Discover the silly reasons why popular shows such as The Critic, Clone High, and OK K.O.! were cut short, even though they were successful.
We all have a list of TV shows that are just comfortable to watch anytime. We love it when our favorite series gets new seasons. But sometimes we get to see the downside which is when a show gets canceled for revenue, ratings, or recognition. But there are a handful of shows that were discontinued because of avoidable or even frivolous reasons. We have rounded up six of those TV series that never got their perfect ending:
6) An Unhappy Executive For The Critic
The show's ABC schedule caused a sharp decrease in ratings, which drove apart its viewers and led to its first cancellation in 1994. Despite this decline in viewership, The Critic received a second season within a year, which aired on Fox. This season performed well in retaining the show's original audience base.
According to an article by Cracked, the show's co-creator Al Jean pointed out that the reason behind the show's second cancellation was politics. As per Jean, the show was performing very well on Fox that year. Mike Reiss, the other co-creator, agreed with Jean and specifically blamed John Matoian, the President of Fox in 1995.
Reportedly, Matoian hated The Critic. Reiss mentioned that during an all-hands meeting, Matoian expressed that he didn’t find the show funny at all, even though everyone else in the meeting seemed to enjoy it. Due to this dissatisfied president, the show did not continue after season 2.
5) Gandhi Didn't Get Justice In Clone High
The MTV cartoon Clone High aired back in 2002. Created by Christopher Miller, Bill Lawrence, and Phil Lord, the show’s main characters were teenage cartoon versions of famous historical leaders. The Gandhi character was portrayed as a party lover who didn’t live up to being one of history's greatest figureheads.
Clone High was never released in India; however, details about the character from MTV’s website triggered a massive hunger strike, which included Gandhi’s real grandson, in front of MTV India’s office.
At that time, the show's creators wanted to continue the series either without the Gandhi character or with some alterations to his portrayal. However, the production company rejected the idea, and for 20 years, the show did not return. It wasn’t until 2023 that Clone High made its comeback. Seasons 2 and 3 aired on Max in 2023 and 2024, respectively, without the Gandhi character.
4) HBO Max’s Change In Mind About Shows Like Gordita Chronicles
Released in the summer of 2022 on HBO Max, this 1980s-themed sitcom was canceled just a month after its premiere. The show started on good terms and was receiving love from the audience.
According to a statement from HBO Max, given to Today regarding the show's cancellation, the streaming service changed its strategy and decided that family sitcoms would no longer be part of their future programming lineup.
The show’s creator, Brigitte Muñoz-Liebowitz, expressed her frustration in an interview with Rolling Stone, stating that the decision felt very unreasonable. "It didn’t matter that our show was beloved; it didn’t matter that we had good audience numbers. It didn’t matter that we were writing about content that was important for underrepresented communities. None of that mattered."
3) Donald Trump’s Interference With OK K.O.!
Cartoon Network’s OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes' third season was brought to an early end, despite the original plan. According to the show’s creator, Ian Jones-Quartey, the decision this time didn’t come from the network; instead, it was influenced by former U.S. President Donald Trump.
The show was supposed to premiere on the streaming service formed through the merger of Warner Bros. and AT&T, which is now known as Max. However, Trump opposed Warner Bros., and his administration hindered the merger's progress, Jones-Quartey explained in an interview with Creative Talent Network.
Due to the merger's delay, OK K.O.! had to conclude its run on Cartoon Network much earlier than intended, before HBO Max debuted. This financial setback ultimately led to the show's regrettable cancellation.
2) Longmire Was Only Loved By Old People
Longmire was one of the most-watched shows on cable TV, earning high ratings from viewers. The story follows the life of a Wyoming sheriff, played by Robert Taylor, in a modern-day setting, while also addressing various social issues.
In 2014, A&E discontinued the show after three seasons. The unfortunate reason for the cancellation was the show’s audience base being primarily over 50 years old. TV networks typically target the 18-49 demographic, as they are seen as more likely to purchase products advertised during commercial breaks.
After turning 50, people tend to develop buying habits and pay less attention to advertisements, which is critical for traditional TV revenue. Fortunately, streaming service Netflix picked up Longmire, as it does not rely on ads for its business model.
1) The Owl House Did Not Scream Disney
Unlike the rest of the shows on this list, The Owl House did get to see a proper ending. However, instead of a full third season, the audience only received three hour-long specials. Despite having a large fanbase and good ratings, why didn’t the show get the originally planned third season?
In a Reddit post, the creator Dana Terrace explained, "At the end of the day, there are a few business people who oversee what fits into the Disney brand, and one day one of those guys decided The Owl House didn’t fit that 'brand.'" While the show is serialized, she also mentioned this as one of the reasons for its early conclusion.
Interestingly, many shows on Disney+ are serialized and not exclusively made for kids. Initially, Terrace was hesitant to believe that the show’s queer representation could have been a reason for its cancellation. However, she became less confident in her statement after learning that Disney had made donations to politicians who supported the "Don’t Say Gay" bill.
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