Recently released shows like Netflix's First Kill and The CW's The 4400 have found themselves canceled before making it to their second season, forcing fans to use their imagination as they are left with questions about what happens next. Many of the shows end after their first season because of low viewership or things happening behind the scenes with the network.
However, there are some shows that manage to make it to their second season and still end up canceled down the line. From Carnivale to Dollhouse, these are series that were set to have multiple seasons before they were ultimately canceled at the end of their second.
The HBO series Carnivale hit the small screen in 2003 as a period drama and mystery set in the 1930s. The series follows Ben Hawkins, a teenage fugitive, during the Great Depression as he travels with a carnival while discovering his long dormant supernatural powers. As Ben is immersed in this new world, he will discover that he plays a larger part in the battle between Darkness and Light.
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After the series' release on HBO and premiering to rave reviews and praise from the at home audience, it was slated for a six-season run on the streaming giant. The series even received five Emmys in 2004, but after not being able to sustain the views in the series second season, Carnivale was canceled before making it to its third.
A series that could have lasted longer than it did, Dollhouse faced many problems behind the scenes that caused the show to end before it truly got its footing. The science fiction series followed Echo, a doll that is a part of a government facility hired out for romantic and/or criminal scenarios.
The series was released on Fox in early 2009 with Joss Whedon directing and starring Eliza Dushku, Harry Lenix, Tahmoh Penikett, Fran Kranz, and Dichen Lachman. But even with a star-studded cast, the series couldn't get it's footing with behind the scenes interference and a few other secrets behind Dollhouse that fans had no idea about. Because of this, the series only lasted a total of two seasons before being canceled in the fall of 2010.
V was a series born during an era in which ABC was pushing out apocalyptic and futuristic shows. It was a series focused on an extraterrestrial race called the Visitors as they come to Earth with many skeptical of their appearance, while others see them as signs of hope.
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The series premiered in 2009 on the ABC network as a re-imagining of the 1980s miniseries by the same name. With a star-studded cast including Morris Chestnut, Laura Vandervoort, Elizabeth Mitchell, and Morena Baccarin, it lasted for two seasons before being canceled due to low viewership.
This was a historical drama set in the 1850s that followed slaves in Georgia who are looking to find a way out of their bondage and seek freedom by any means necessary. The series was created by Misha Green and Joe Pokaski and starred Jurnee Smollet-Bell, Aldis Hodge, Jessica De Gouw, Christopher Meloni and many more.
Although the series received good reviews across the first and second season, behind the scenes, politics ended the show before it got its third. It's a great watch and one of the best dramatic series similar to The Underground Railroad.
Timeless was a sci-fi drama from NBC that followed three individuals that must save the world when individuals try to alter the past by time traveling. The series, starring Matt Lanter and Abigail Spencer, was released in 2016 and initially canceled after one season.
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However, after negotiations with Sony Pictures, the series was picked back up three days after its cancelation was announced. NBC canceled the series again in 2018, but gave fans a two part finale to say their goodbyes to the show.
An original witch series from the Lifetime network, Witches Of East End was released in 2013 with high expectations. Starring a star-studded cast from Jenna Dewan, Eric Winter, Mädchen Amick, to Rachel Boston and Julia Ormond, the series received amazing ratings in the first season.
With supernatural TV shows on the rise during this time, Witches Of East End had a great possibility of succeeding. Not new to releasing original shows, there are some highly popular shows on the Lifetime network. However, with a drop in ratings during its second season, Witches Of East End was canceled in 2014.
Inspired by the life and true story of Isaac Wright Jr., For Life follows an imprisoned man who becomes a lawyer looking to litigate cases of other inmates while also trying to overturn his life sentence. Released in February 2020, the ABC crime drama starred the brilliant Nicholas Pinnock in the role of Aaron Wallace.
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Although the series received rave reviews on social media, the audience viewership just wasn't there. So, after a two season run, ABC decided to cancel the show in 2021, as it was considered ABC's lowest rated drama at the time.
A series that seemed to have it all, from witches, vampires, angels and the devil, Midnight, Texas pulled no punches when it was released in 2017 on NBC. Based on a book series by the same name, the show followed the lives of the strange inhabitants of a small town in the middle of nowhere called Midnight, Texas.
NBC is known for having some of the best sitcoms that last for years, and with a supernatural take to it, Midnight, Texas seemed to be on this track after opening to great viewership numbers. However, it couldn't keep these views coming in. Because of this, NBC announced in 2018 the cancelation of the series. Universal then announced that they would shop it around to other networks, but there were no takers and the series officially ended with two seasons.
A Prime Video original, The Wilds follows a group of teenage girls who become stranded on an island after their plane crashes. As they fend for their lives, they discover that all might not be what it seems, and must uncover the mystery of their predicament.
The series was released in 2020 and gained record viewership from the audience. A series not only for young adults, but anyone, The Wilds received their second season release earlier this year in May 2022. However, three months after the second season ended, Prime announced that the survival series would not be returning for a third.
Starring the incredibly talented and funny Kristin Chenoweth and Anna Friel, Pushing Daisies was a comedy drama about a man with the rare ability to revive the dead. However, when he revives his childhood crush, things take a complicated turn.
The series was released in 2007 on the ABC network, receiving critical acclaim for not only the actors but also the writing and visual style of the series. Although the series received 12 Emmy nominations for its first season, it was canceled due to the 2007-2008 writers strike, leaving no room for a third season to take flight.
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