7 Canceled TV Shows That Left Us Wanting More
As much as we’d love it if every one of our favorite shows could end with everything wrapped up neatly in a bow, that can’t be the case. Sometimes, a show is canceled suddenly and fans just don’t get any closure.
The 2019-2020 season was no different, especially for freshman series, as you’ll see in the list below. From major cliffhangers (like The Society and Emergence) to characters’ stories we’d fallen in love with (like God Friended Me and Council of Dads), we’re recapping the biggest loose ends that will never be resolved from last year before the next TV season.
The Baker and the Beauty (ABC)
After watching the baker (Victor Rasuk’s Daniel) and superstar and fashion mogul (Nathalie Kelley’s Noa) meet and fall in love throughout the first season, fans were treated to a finale-ending engagement. Showrunner Dean Georgaris had promised that was “just the beginning” of their love story, one of four that would have played out over Season 2.
Council of Dads (NBC)
Fans watched the Perry family cope with losing the patriarch Scott (Tom Everett Scott) throughout the first season and come together, with the help of the titular council he’d established with his friends before his death. But in the finale, one of those Dads was close to falling off the wagon after learning about the plans for the land of the Crab Shack. It’s too bad we won’t see what would’ve happened next and gotten to see more of the family as more time passed since Scott’s death.
Emergence (ABC)
We may have found out the truth about A.I. Piper (Alexa Swinton) ahead of the finale, but that episode ended up leaving us with a bigger question about her: Is she really all Piper at the end after her consciousness was transferred into Helen’s (Rowena King) shell?
God Friended Me (CBS)
At the end of the Season 3 finale, which became the series finale after the drama was canceled only a couple weeks earlier, we saw Miles (Brandon Micheal Hall) heading to meet the “she” behind the God Account sending him friend suggestions to help. And because they weren’t able to film an alternate ending, what would’ve come next for the characters, including a reunion for Miles and Cara (Violett Beane) was done as a voiceover. These are storylines we would’ve loved to see play out over a season or two.
Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector (NBC)
Lincoln (Russell Hornsby) and his team successfully stopped the Bone Collector in the Season 1 finale … only for them to open a package with a clue to the next case: a woman’s body falling onto a car outside the bar in front of them. All our questions about that will never be answered.
The Society (Netflix)
The entire first season followed a group of teens who returned from a field trip to find their town empty, only for the finale to show that they did indeed appear to be in a parallel universe version of their town. Their parents were alive and well and still in West Ham … where they considered the kids the ones who were missing. The Netflix original had been renewed for a second season but was canceled due to pandemic-related circumstances, leaving us still wanting to know exactly what was going on, including answers about the dog that was seen in both towns.
Stumptown (ABC)
Fans thought they were going to get a second season of the dramedy following private investigator Dex Parios (Cobie Smulders), only for the network to reverse its renewal — after it had teased what was to come in Season 2 at Comic-Con@Home in July. Now, we’ll never know who would have played Dex’s mother (who’d abandoned Dex’s brother Ansel), how that would’ve shaken up everything, if we would’ve gotten any resolution to the not-quite love triangle with Dex, Grey (Jake Johnson), and Miles (Michael Ealy), and so much more.
Conversation61 Comments
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B
Honestly, I figured some of these shows wouldn't make it but Stumptown & God friended Me were awesome! Who are these geniuses making decisions to cancel such great shows? Give shows a chance to find an audience.
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G
God Friended Me, The Baker And The Beauty, and Lincoln Rhyme were all great shows. These fools at the networks would rather renew shows that have smaller ratings, or continue to produce cheaper reality shows that are such garbage.
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G
I agree! Bring back The Beauty and The Baker, Emergence, God Befriend Me. Or some other network PLEASE pick it up. They are not too many good shows to watch and My daughter and I watch them faithfully. We need something good to come out of this Pandemic!
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O
I loved Lincoln Rhyme. , also, loved Bluff City Blues. Both were great shows and deserved more than one season. Both had such great cast. I mean the are bringing back the Weakest Link, why not bring back more of the great shows we loved. The InBetween was another one of my favorites.
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G
The InBetween was fantastic! I was so disappointed that they cancelled it!!
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R
Faithfully watched Stumptown and Emergence. Can't say I will miss the others, but occasionally watched God Friended Me.
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B
I loved them both.
😥
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C
Seems like everything I really like is off the air. The ones I can't stand live on!😡
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R
I totally agree
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R
Bone Collector and Emergence were great, and God friended me that was a shock
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O
I really like Bone Collector and slump town I think that was messed up to cancel those two shows
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R
I'm so disappointed.. watched & enjoyed most of these! Great escapes and kept me intrigued, so sad.
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G
We knew from the start that Emergence was only supposed to be a "limited series," but they sure set it up to flow nicely into a second season. Major disappointment! The biggest shocks were Stumptown and God Friended Me. What the heck??? There was so much left to do in those two shows. Also, Carol's Second Act had a great season finale that really set it up well for season two...but... cancelled. Sigh.
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O
God Friended Me, The Baker And The Beauty, and Lincoln Rhyme were all great shows. These fools at the networks would rather renew shows with less ratings, or continue to produce reality shows that are just garbage.
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R
I loved stumptown and emergence I wish ABC would bring them back. And I wish NBC would bring back Timeless.
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O
All of the shows mentioned were great shows. They deserve another season. Council of Dads was great, finally a family with heart instead of the kids being nasty and taking control of the situations. The others mentioned had good story lines but are being replaced with more crime stories and reality shows that really who cares, not everyone does. We need more family shows like Dads and the Beauty, etc. I don't watch the replacements.
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A
I too am disappointed with these particular TV shows that were canceled! Five of them were my top picks for best shows! I recommended them to other people, they became avid followers and they wondered how those shows could be cut, leaving a dearth of good programming to take their place. I don’t know who made those decisions, but they should be questioned!
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R
I'm so disappointed.. watched & enjoyed most of these! Great escapes and kept me intrigued, so sad.
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G
I loved Stumptown I hope somebody else picks it up also God friended me was kind of interesting.
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B
I thought Stumptown was a great show and so did other friends..Such a shame!!
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O
Stumptown was a decent show. Networks don't know something good when they have it, but let crap like American Housewife, Black-ish and Dancing with the Stars stay on television. Smh. This is why everyone streams now.
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G
Hubby and I watched Lincoln Rymes every Friday . We were both anxiously waiting for its return. Gotta find something new now . Booo
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R
The two I'll miss the most...God Friended Me (I thought the Finale was stupid)...and...Emergence (was ready for many more Seasons)...
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O
Council of dads was stuppppidddd!!!!! Glad it was canceled. Now stumptown I liked that one!!
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G
I love Lincoln Rhyme it was the only good program on Friday nights 🙂
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G
I would have surely liked to seen the ending of "God Friended Me". Not just them talking about it. That was my favorite show on tv and I know of others that felt that way.
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G
That the networks seem to have forgotten that the audience should have a say.ABC cancelled two great shows @NBC did the same.the winklest link?
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R
God Friended Me and The Baker And The Beauty were the only shows that I didn't want to be on the list
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P
I was waiting on stumptown to start it's season 2. That is my 2 favorite TV show on ABC. This sucks!
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O
I was looking forward to Stumptown. I hope there is a change of heart and they bring it back.
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P
I loved stump town and Emergenc and not to mention Lincoln Rhymes. Just to be let down cause they are cancelled. WTH
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G
Why do networks takeoff decent shows like God friended me these are all so family oriented we have enough junk out there right now all these reality shows which are so immature bring that God friended me I thought the show was awesome it was a dirty language wasn’t bad he could sit there and have a good laugh cry and just enjoy the show I mean in the scenes from New York City Were awesome this is this is so bad with the networks are doing to people that love to enjoy good shows specially for our shut ends a lot of them love the soap operas but the reality shows are ridiculous anyway
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G
Everyone!
I met someone who worked for a major network, & was a member of the team that decided what shows would be cancelled. I was told that renewals depended on the 19-49 age group, because their opinions were the most important when it came to the companies buying tv ads. I refuted their line of thinking because most 19-26 yr. olds still live at home & their parents buy various household products. Not the “youngsters”. It was explained that they eventually age out of the home, & will remember to purchase the items they watched in the commercials! I considered this to be the most stupid reasoning going. But, who knows what goes on with these networks!
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O
I am so sad about Bluff City Blues AND Stumptown, both well done and interesting shows. But Walking Dead! was renewed again?? I know it won't happen but more consideration needs to be given to these shows that had just one season - they needed time to grow a little - writers needed time to get to know the characters better. We have lost so many potentially great shows to some of the riff-raff that got renewed and renewed and renewed...
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O
I cant believe they reverend their decision and canceled Stumptown, that is crazy it was a great show and no ow u will but something stupid in its place or another reality show like we don't have enough of those . Thanks alot, stupid upset!!!
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G
Stumptown was an awesome show!! I really don't understand why fhey canceled it. It was fresh and different. I hate that we won't know the end of the cliffhanger. Who was Dex's mother? I wish another network would pick it up.
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C
Sumptown and The Baker were great shows...This was a huge mistake...Really should bring them back...
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O
Now I'm pissed. I knew emergence got cancelled but stumptown was awesome. ABC just lost my attention
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O
I love watching God Friended me. Please continue.
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C
I'm still pissed about the cancellation of HOMEFRONT [thankfully, Kyle Chandler & John Slattery have rebounded nicely] but I loved that show & I miss it to this day.
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G
Sad. So sad. Some of the best shows on tv. The beauty and the baker, emergence, the bone collector, the council, and God friended me were the best shows!! I'm not interested in the bachelor, bachelorette, love island....so many reality shows of people looking for love. Its getting ridiculous. I'm not against finding love but does it have to be several different kinds of the same show all week? Come on.
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O
Wth... I don't even like tv but my 2 fav. Shows ... Emergence and God Friended me both cancelled... grrrr!
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O
I love many more those especially Rhe Baker and Beauty, Stumptown, Council of Dads and Emergence. Sad that the Networks would rather have stupid reality shows instead quality shows
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C
I would say I love god freinded me. I love the characters I love the story, mystry so i want the conclusion of story. its like story incomplete or story with no ending
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G
I am completely heartbroken that they cancelled Siren! They left us with so many questions unanswered and the show was fantastic! The third season the writers went a little off the rails with that whole Russian arc, however, it left a lot of food for thought for the future. I used to really like The Bold Type too, but Free Form is off my watch list for any future viewing. They keep letting too many great shows go before they give them a chance to grow so I'm boycotting them. They won't care but I honestly do.
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C
They keep bringing on new shows only to cancel after season 1. I'm tired of this! I don't watch new shows because I know they will just cancel. So irritating!
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O
Loved Beautyand the Baker, Bone Collector why do they always take off the good one’s!!!!
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O
I can say that I have never heard of any of these shows. I have not watched broadcast TV for 10 years. Thank god.
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O
lets bring back Passions on NBC
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P
Another show was The Village I was so sad it got canceled. It was really good
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O
I miss God Friended Me it was awesome and gave much needed weekly feel good ending. Really could use that in 2020, with all its stresses.
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R
Only watched or heard of two of these.
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B
I’d add Reunion on Fox in 2005. Never found out the killer.
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P
I loved the in between and Evil too.... Why do television stations do this to us
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O
Thanks stump town for putting 300 people out of work!!!.... Great timing glad your all living of your nice residuals........
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P
I loved Counsel of Dads. I watch probablt too much tv but I'm disabled so I have an excuse. Of all the cancelled shows Counsel was the only one I really got hooked on. Sad that it's not coming nack as it had a lot more story to be told.
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P
I don't like those other TV shows that was cancelled.
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B
FlashForward!!!!!!
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B
All white shows. Smh
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O
Never heard of any of these shows.
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B
I am so disappointed. Loved The Bone Collector, loved Stumptown. So much better with shows that are on now.😡
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