In Memoriam: 25 TV Shows We Lost in 2017
2 Broke Girls (CBS)
The broad, buddy-comedy starring Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs ended after 6 seasons.
24: Legacy (FOX)
Despite starring The Walking Dead’s Corey Hawkins, people didn’t want to waste a minute on this Jack Bauer-less reincarnation and it was cancelled after 12 episodes.
American Crime (ABC)
The critically-lauded anthology series from John Ridley ended after 3 seasons. It may have been too brutally honest and on-on-the-nose for some viewers.
Barstool Van Talk (ESPN 2)
ESPN’s take on the satirical men’s blog Barstool Sports and podcast Pardon My Takefeatured original digital shorts, guest interviews and comedy sketches as well as the series’ popular “exit interview” which was taped in the back of a 1993 conversion van. The bro-sentric sports series, starring Barstool’s Dan “Big Cat” Katz and PFT Commenter aired on ESPN 2 at 1 am ET and was cancelled after 1 episode.
The Blacklist: Redemption (NBC)
NBC’s failed Blacklist spinoff starring Ryan Eggold and Famke Janssen ended after 8 episodes. And to add insult to injury, Eggold’s character Tom Keen was killed off the mothership too.
Chicago Justice (NBC)
This courtroom drama starring Philip Winchester and Carl Weathers was supposed to be a complimentary component in NBC’s powerful Chicago universe. But instead, it was a rare flop for TV super-producer Dick Wolf.
Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders (CBS)
This Gary Sinise-led spinoff of Criminal Minds lasted only 2 seasons.
Difficult People (Hulu)
The sage of struggling comics was cancelled after 3 seasons. But in light of the Hollywood sex scandals that have flooded the media, go back and re-watch this series with woke eyes and gain new appreciation for the bravery of Julie Klausner and Billy Eichner.
Doubt (CBS)
Katherine Heigl has proven once again that she’s not the TV star that she thinks she is.
Downward Dog (ABC)
There can’t be enough said about this charming series and the sadness that we feel at its cancellation. Hopefully, Martin the dog will be rescued and find a new life on a streaming service.
Dr. Ken (ABC)
Doctor-turned-comedic actor Ken Jeong played the titular character in this sitcom about a physician with a questionable bedside manner. The series ended in March after 2 seasons.
The Get Down (Netflix)
Baz Luhrman’s hip hop drama was set in the South Bronx section of New York City in the late 1970s. The ambitions series was among Netflix’s most expensive shows — the 12-episode first season cost about $120 million — but it didn’t get a second season.
Great American Baking Show(ABC)
This holiday-themed rip-off of the BBC hit, The Great British Bake Off, featured original BBCO host Paul Hollywood and American chef Johnny Iuzzini judging the holiday goodies of home bakers. Ayesha Curry and Anthony “Spice” Williams were the series’ wooden hosts, but event their uninspired antics weren’t the series’ biggest crime. When allegations of sexual misconduct made against Iuzzini by at least four former employees, came to light, ABC quickly pulled the plug on the wintertime series.
The Great Indoors (CBS)
The Joel McHale comedy about an adventure reporter who becomes the boss of a bunch of millennials failed to find an audience. It was hard for viewers to decide if we were supposed to side with McHale’s character who viewed the millennials as slackers, or the millennials who viewers McHale’s character as stodgy. In the end, viewers didn’t care for either.
Imaginary Mary (ABC)
Jenna Elfman starred as a woman in her 30’s whose childhood imaginary friend — voiced by Rachel Dratch — comes back into her life. This was a fine sub-plot in Inside Out, and even works in SyFy’s dark comedy Happy!, but whoever green-lit this series at ABC should be put into time out.
Last Man Standing (ABC)
Fans were outraged when ABC cancelled the well-performing comedy after six seasons. Some attribute the cancellation to comments made by Allen, a noted conservative, during a March 2017 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! where Allen likened being a Republican in Hollywood to living in Nazi Germany in the 1930s. Allen said, “You gotta be real careful around here, you know. You’ll get beat up if you don’t believe what everybody believes.”
The Leftovers (HBO)
The drama, based on Tom Perralta’s book, was about the people left behind after 2% of the world’s population suddenly vanished in the “Sudden Departure.” The series ended after three seasons, although viewers would have watched the smart drama starring Justin Theroux, Christopher Eccleston and Carrie Coon forever.
No Tomorrow (The CW)
The end of the world dramedy starred hottie Joshua Sasse and Tori Anderson as star-crossed (actually, giant, humanity-killing meteor-crossed) lovers trying to cross items off of their apocalyst before the end of humanity. Although the series ended after one season, don’t feel bad for Anderson: she’s currently part of a juicy plotline on NBC’s Blindspot. As for Sasse, he can take comfort in sporting the world’s most perfect beard, and being utterly charming to boot.
Pitch (FOX)
The glass-ceiling smashing series got buzz thanks to an endorsement from MLB, but it was a strikeout with fans and was cancelled after its rookie season.
Pretty Little Liars (Freeform)
The juicy young adult series ended after 7 seasons, and in 2018, a spinoff series, The Perfectionists will find Sasha Pieterse and Janel Parrish reprising their PLL roles.
Sense8 (Netflix)
The steamy sci-fi drama from The Wachowskis (The Matrix franchise) was cancelled after 2 seasons and will have a wrap-up movie in 2018.
Sleepy Hollow (FOX)
The supernatural cop-drama was cancelled after 4 seasons and never recovered after female lead Nicole Beharie’s character was killed off in the Season 3 finale.
Training Day (CBS)
This series, based on the 2001 film of the same name, follows Officer Kyle Craig (Justin Cornwell) as he infiltrates the LAPD’s Special Investigation Section by becoming partner with morally ambiguous Detective Frank Roarke (Bill Paxton). The ratings were average, but the sudden death of Paxton in Feb. 2017 led to the series’ end after 1 season.
Underground (WGN America)
The award-winning Civil War-set series, along with the Appalachian-set Outsiders, were collateral damage when WGN decided to move away from producing original programming and focus on importing lower-cost international series.
The Vampire Diaries (The CW)
The sexy vampire series ended after 8 seasons with Nina Dobrev reprising her role alongside Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder. The Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson series even launched a successful spinoff, The Originals, which will end its run in 2018.
The ending of a beloved television show can be an emotional ordeal. And whether a series ends with a sudden cancellation, or after a drawn-out finale, the end of a show can be a difficult process.
We at TV Insider feel your losses, and in recognition of a few favorites who left our televisions too soon (and a few shows that we couldn’t believe survived that long), we pause to remember the programming “deaths” of 2017.
Original episodes may have ended and the cast and crew may have moved on to new projects, but they will live forever in our memories…and DVRs…and in syndication…and on streaming services as the programs that we loved and lost. Click through the gallery above to remember some of the notable shows that left us in 2017.
