‘The Late Show’ & 15 More Shocking TV Cancellations of 2025
When it comes to television, cancellations are an inevitable fact of life, but that doesn’t make them any less painful or sad. This is especially true when they impact fan-favorite shows seemingly out of nowhere, and 2025 has been no exception to this harsh reality.
Whether it was network mainstays or initial streaming hits, there are plenty of titles that have gotten axed prematurely in the eyes of viewers and fans alike. In 2025, that includes a couple of FBI offshoots, a long-running favorite like The Sex Lives of College Girls, a revival, and even some seasoned network titles like The Late Show, as well as a freshman series that was previously promised a second season.
And as we’re only just halfway through the year, with more cancellations and painful losses surely looming on the horizon. As we gear up for the potential losses around the corner, we’re rounding up just a few of the most shocking TV cancellations in 2025 so far. But when it comes to viewers, opinions and feelings can definitely differ, so weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section below.
The Sex Lives of College Girls
Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble‘s HBO Max comedy was unceremoniously axed following its third season, which continued the stories of Essex students, Kimberly (Pauline Chalamet), Bela (Amrit Kaur), and Whitney (Alyah Chanelle Scott) who bid their roommate Leighton (Reneé Rapp) adieu to welcome some new faces into the mix. While Rapp’s departure certainly shook things up, it was still surprising to see a show that survived the Warner Bros. Discovery merger meet such an unfortunate end in 2025.
FBI: Most Wanted & FBI: International
These offshoots of CBS‘s franchise flagship series FBI, were among a solid three-hour programming block from Dick Wolf, but that wasn’t seemingly enough to save them from blindsiding cancelations. While FBI: Most Wanted debuted back in 2020 as the first spinoff, FBI: International wasn’t far behind, debuting in 2021. Overall, the two shows had been mainstays on CBS for several years, with Most Wanted delivering six seasons overall and International delivering four. To say no one saw these cancellations coming would be an understatement.
The Irrational
Jesse L. Martin solving mysteries on NBC sounds like a surefire win. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to save The Irrational from cancellation at NBC. The show followed Martin’s science professor, Alec Mercer, as he used his expertise to help unravel high-stakes cases involving governments, law enforcement, and corporations. Sadly for fans, NBC closed the door on the idea of a third season.
Found
The riveting drama Found, led by Shanola Hampton and Mark-Paul Gosselaar, followed her character, Gabi Mosley, as she headed up an agency that searched for missing people. A victim of kidnapping herself, Gabi had a vested interest in each case, but had an unusual method to help solve them as she held her former kidnapper, Sir (Gosselaar), captive in her basement when the series originally debuted in 2023. This fascinating premise was strong enough to keep viewers tuning in for two seasons, but apparently not enough for NBC to renew the drama.
The Equalizer
CBS’s Queen Latifah-led drama followed her role as Roby McCall, a woman with a mysterious background who uses her skills to help people who have nowhere else to turn. The series debuted back in 2021 and was relatively popular with viewers, making its recent cancellation quite shocking.
Poppa's House
A series led by real-life father-son duo Damon Wayans and Daymon Wayans Jr., this CBS comedy was poised for greatness when it debuted in fall 2024. Unfortunately, CBS didn’t seem to believe the show had found a strong enough audience, leading the title to bid viewers adieu after a single season at the network.
S.W.A.T.
While S.W.A.T. was canceled twice before, it feels like this third time might stick for good, which is slightly shocking after the series was previously uncanceled twice, first, after Season 6 and again after Season 7. The show followed Shemar Moore‘s Hondo, the lieutenant of the Los Angeles S.W.A.T. team, as he and his crew worked to help make the public safe in scary situations.
The Recruit
Netflix‘s global dramedy thriller starring Noah Centineo was a massive hit when it debuted on the streamer in 2022, but after three years off air, it seems like the excitement faded to a point that Season 2’s arrival didn’t have nearly the same impact. Hailing from The Rookie showrunner Alexi Hawley, the show maintained its fun tone and overall coolness onscreen, but it feels like time was the ultimate downfall of this former hit, which was shockingly canceled quite quickly after Season 2 dropped.
Based on a True Story
Peacock‘s comedy, Based on a True Story, was a breakout hit for the streamer when Season 1 debuted in 2023, and Season 2 continued to entertain, but not enough for the platform to greenlight a third season despite a major cliffhanger. The show followed Ava (Kaley Cuoco) and Nathan (Chris Messina), a couple whose lives became entangled with a serial killer named Matt (Tom Bateman).
Frasier
While revivals always have hit or miss results, Frasier managed to run for two solid seasons at Paramount+ before the streamer decided to cancel the series. Along with Kelsey Grammer and other legacy performers, the latest iteration of the comedy certainly delivered on nostalgia, making its early 2025 cancellation perplexing.
Mythic Quest
One of Apple TV+‘s flagship series, Mythic Quest, was a relative hit in its first three seasons, so much so that the streamer greenlit a spinoff and a special over the course of the show’s run. Unfortunately, that former popularity wasn’t enough to keep it going for a fifth season as Apple TV+ canceled Mythic Quest shortly after Season 4 concluded. Luckily for fans, Rob McElhenney and his fellow creatives behind this video game workplace comedy previously taped an alternate ending as a means to close out the show, allowing for some sense of closure. Still, it doesn’t make cancellation hurt any less.
Suits LA
Sure, Suits LA may not have the same vibe that the flagship show had when it originally aired on USA Network, but the setting and opportunity for guest appearances made this new series a definite draw. Sadly for diehard fans, the draw wasn’t strong enough to save the Stephen Amell-led series about lawyers operating out of the titular city from a premature cancellation.
The Wheel of Time
Another Prime Video offering, The Wheel of Time, delivered an exciting fantasy adventure for viewers to enjoy across three seasons, but the streamer ended up canceling the show. Without a fourth season to carry on Moiraine’s (Rosamund Pike) story, fans are left to imagine what might have happened next in the show based on Robert Jordan’s book series. For those less familiar with the fantasy series, Moiraine is a member of a magical organization who takes five young people on a journey as she believes that one of them might be the reincarnation of the Dragon, an individual prophesied to either save the world or destroy it.
Étoile
Prime Video‘s past hit The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel led the streamer to give creatives Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino a two-season order for their ballet drama
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
In a shocking turn that no one saw coming, CBS unceremoniously pulled the plug on The Late Show, revealing that the series would conclude with the 2025-2026 TV season. And this isn’t just the end of Stephen Colbert‘s hosting gig, it’s the end of the show overall, meaning the end of a TV era, as Colbert will hang up his hat one final time on the Ed Sullivan Theater stage.
Conversation19 Comments
Please read the TV Insider Community Guidelines.
Register or sign in to join the conversation.
-
G
So sick and tired of networks canceling shows and replacing them with crappy reality crapp! They say it’s to save money but it’s just as costly for reality shows as to put on decent programming. Running people around the world is extremely costly, building stupid play sets where people can get hurt or die is very costly. Paying stars to go around the country to find future singers is very costly not to mention there’s already same shows on already on all other channels! 🤮 Mindless crap is overrated stop messing with my programming!!
-
G
It is unfortunate that interesting shows get cancelled and the crappy ‘reality’ shows never go away. Sigh. Good thing we have lots of streaming choices now so will find some new shows to watch.
-
B
Networks quality shows cancelled for crappy ones. More and more streaming for me.
-
G
Same old story over and over
-
O
I am a big fan of the serial, weekly shows, I.e, the Chicagos, the FBI’s, the Law & Orders, The Rookies (even though this one is close to losing me with their recent boring interviews and bad story lines), so I’ve shuffled off my tv and am reading some good books for the summer. We’ll see what the fall brings. Tv just isn’t entertaining me anymore. I dislike the “reality” shows! Ugh!
-
R
Bummer NBC cancelling Found & the Irrational - two shows with very different types of storylines from all the others!! Can only hope some other business is smart enough to pick them up.
And Stop unfair cancellation of Stephen Colbert. Is this “president”;the only one not governed in speech by current administration???
-
C
Keeping crappy reality shows and canceling good ones is absurd. Please keep FBI International, FBI Most wanted, Found, The Equalizer and Swat.
-
B
SAVESWAT
-
G
If a show ended with a cliffhanger, the least you could do is have one final show to tell us the what happened.
-
G
Love Dick love FBI. Didn’t care for international or most wanted. Looking forward to CIA
-
G
Dick Wolf
-
-
C
I will miss the FBIs and Found and mostly the Irrational. Suits LA never had me, it was a poorly done spinoff. I’m surprised Poppa’s House made it through the season. We watched but the acting wasn’t great. I liked The Equalizer but their time spot on Sundays was bad because of sports running over. SWAT got too much about Shemar Moore when it was ensemble show. I don’t blame the other actors for being upset. The premise of the new show doesn’t make me want to watch. Don’t get rid of Dick Wolf shows. The man has created many dynasties. I wish someone would pick up Found, The Irrational and FBI International. The plots are different from other crime shows which made them good.
-
O
From NCIS: LA to Blue Bloods, Equalizer, FBI’s International/Most Wanted the Networks are pulling Tried and True Shows with reality/game show garbage or trying to build a cheaper retread in Boston Blue which reads as a CHEAP Blue Bloods knock- off because it would cost less in Boston to Film than it does in NY. So sorry but I have decided to go old school and read Books like I used to (very avid reader minimum of 5 a week) instead of investing in zone nauseating junk TV viewing.
-
D
Another liberal blaming everyone else
-
G
I miss when late night comedy was FUNNY not POLITICAL. The last truly funny late night show was Johny Carson.
-
O
This country is aging and many of the aging population have disposable incomes. And many of our young are drowning in college debt or struggling to keep a roof over their heads. Regardless, these companies are short sighted to write off more mature audiences, putting so many eggs in reality tv's baskets. Why not court youbg abd older audiences?
No wonder networks are losing the race against more flexible and inclusive forms of entertainment. The Irrational, Found, and other intelligent series are not expendable to make room for one more brain dead reality tv series.
-
A
While I'm glad Colbert called his network's settlement with that president a "bribe", what if he had avoided that topic all together. As Arsenio Hall says, "Things that make you go hmmmm...."
-
T
I miss my Remy on FBI Most Wanted, SWAT, and The Equalizer. I did not see the cancellation of these shows coming and wish they bring them back. CBS what are you doing? You hardly have anything left that I want to see.
-
B
I am most upset about the FBI Most Wanted and International
Watchlist Easy access to only the shows you care about — all in one simple place
Alerts Only important notifications — when a show is returning, when it becomes available to stream, and more.
Special Offers Exclusive products we release related to your favorite shows and streaming services