Shows We Said Goodbye to in 2017

There was a lot of shows that we said goodbye to in 2017, some surprising and others deservedly so. What follows is a brief recap and listing of the shows that left us this year, along with commentary on a few shows who’s exits are noteworthy. I’ve excluded discussion on shows that we know have one year remaining however they are listed below for reference.

2 Broke Girls (CBS)

This show was hot out of the gate and back in 2011/12 it was one of the hottest new sitcoms on the market. It skewed to a younger crowd which was something that CBS needed at the time. Unfortunately, it couldn’t sustain high viewership but was still good enough to keep around for six seasons. At the time of cancellation the show was performing average but still did better than other shows picked up by CBS.

24: Legacy (Fox)

Its quite hard to follow in the footsteps of Kiefer Sutherland and to be honest I don’t think anyone ever will. After a strong premiere which saw viewership around 17.5 million, the ratings tanked in subsequent episodes. Fox is still reportedly trying to keep the franchise of 24 alive through an anthology style series but we’ll see if that takes off.

The Carmichael Show (NBC)

If you’ve ever seen Jerrod Carmichael’s stand-up you’ll know that he doesn’t shy away from controversial topics. The same can be said about his show which dealt with a lot of hot button issues like mass shootings, gay marriage and the N-word to name a few. There are few details surrounding the cancellation of the show as executives have remained tight lipped. The ratings were never great but were stable and Carmichael himself has indicated that he is ready to move on.

Duck Dynasty (A&E)

The show that became a pop culture phenomenon overnight was once ranked as the most watched non fiction show in cable TV history. Even during its final season it still remained the top show on A&E among total viewers. Not without its share of controversy, the show was suspended in 2013 after Phil Robertson made inflammatory statements in a GQ interview. The show would continue as it was then a ratings juggernaut. The cancellation was mutual as the Robertson family decided it was time to end the show.

The Get Down (Netflix)

The first show that was cancelled by Netflix after only one season. Before the show even aired it was plagued by behind the scenes troubles. It was was also the most expensive Netflix show at the time costing approximately $120 million to produce. Unfortunately, Baz Luhrmann’s epic tale of the rise of hip hop set in the 70’s just couldn’t quite grab enough viewership and this despite a heavy promotional campaign from various artists such as Nas and generally positive reviews from critics.

The Knick (Cinemax)

Another period drama but this time with very good reviews, The Knick had the dubious fate of being on the wrong network at the wrong time. Critically acclaimed for 2 seasons Cinemax opted to end the shows running citing its intention to return the network to its ‘original primetime series fare of high octane action dramas’. The show was the first foray into television for lead Clive Owen and producer Steven Soderbergh.

Last Man Standing (ABC)

Perhaps the most shocking cancellation of the first half of 2017. LMS had great ratings for a Friday slot and showed no signs of slowing down. ABC said this was a scheduling issue although another factor, though not publicly stated, was that LMS was up for renewal and so contracts needed to be renegotiated which would have meant more costs. Curiously, ABC Entertainment President also mentioned that Tim Allen’s political affiliations were not an issue in their decision (Allen being conservative as well as the main character on the show). A petition to reinstate the show did reach 380,000 signatures but nothing came of it.

Pretty Little Liars (Freeform)

The show that catapulted then ABC-Family into the stratoshphere. It quickly became a pop culture phenomenon for teen audiences and garnered over 14 million Facebook followers, 3.7 million twitter followers and 5.8 million Instagram followers. Through its social media prowess the show was able to connect with fans in a way that hadn’t been done up to that point. With a good mystery and storytelling the show managed to hold up well but by the end it was clear that the show had run its course.

Regular Show (Cartoon Network)

The show that started off as a post-it note ended up being the longest running show on Cartoon Network and represents this lists feel good ending. Critically acclaimed throughout its run with an emmy win and multiple nominations under its belt the show, along with Adventure Time, represents the high-water mark for Cartoon Network programming. Series creator JG Quintel wanted the show to end his way and properly so as to avoid cancellation

The Vampire Diaries  (CW)

Another show that was popular with teens wasn’t quite hot out of the gate the way PLL was. The Vampire Diaries was more like a fine wine, just getting better with age. Critics agreed that after each passing episode the show kept getting better and that the female leads of the show were a particular standout. But after Nina Dobrev left at the end of season 6 people around the show realized that the show was due to wrap up. The show even maintained a successful spinoff with The Originals for five seasons.

Shows either ending or cancelled with one more season left:

12 Monkeys (Syfy), Adventure Time (Cartoon Network), The Americans (FX), Being Mary Jane (BET, final wrap up movie remains), House of Cards (Netflix) Kingdom (DirecTV), The Leftovers (HBO), Major Crimes (TNT), The Middle (ABC), , Nashville (CMT), New Girl (FOX, technically not a cancellation but it was only renewed for one final season), Portlandia (IFC), The Originals (CW), Scandal (ABC, again technically not a cancellation but it was only renewed for one final season), Sense8 (Netflix, final wrap up movie remains), Star Wars: Rebels (DXD), You’re the Worst (FXX), Veep (HBO)

All remaining shows that either ended or got cancelled:

@midnight (Comedy Central), APB (FOX), American Crime (ABC), Any Given Wednesday (HBO), Baby Daddy (Freeform), Bates Motel (A&E), The Blacklist: Redemption (NBC), Black Sails (Starz), Blood Drive (Syfy), Bloodline (Netflix), The Catch (ABC), Chelsea (Netflix), Chicago Justice (NBC), Conviction (ABC), Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders (CBS), Dark Matter (SyFy), Daytime Divas (VH1), Difficult People (Hulu), Doubt (CBS), Downward Dog (ABC), Dr. Ken (ABC), Emerald City (NBC), Eyewitness (USA), Frequency (CW), Girlboss (Netflix), The Great Indoors (CBS), Grimm (NBC), Gypsy (Netflix), Halt and Catch Fire (AMC), Imaginary Mary (ABC), Incorporated (SyFy), The Last Tycoon (Amazon), Making History (FOX), Man Seeking Woman (FXX), Mercy Street (PBS), The Mindy Project (Hulu), The Mist (Spike), The Night Shift (NBC), Notorious (ABC), The Odd Couple (CBS), Odd Mom Out (Bravo), Orphan Black (BBC America), Outsiders (WGN), Pitch (FOX), Playing House (USA), Please Like Me (Hulu), Powerless (NBC), Quarry (Cinemax), Reign (CW), The Real O’Neals (ABC), Rosewood (FOX), Salem (WGN), Scream Queens (Fox), Secrets and Lies (ABC), Sleepy Hollow (FOX), Son of Zorn (FOX), Stitchers (Freeform), Survivor’s Remorse (Starz), Switched at Birth (Freeform), Teen Wolf (MTV), Training Day (CBS) Underground (WGN), Will (TNT), Workaholics (Comedy Central)