11 Shows That Were Un-Renewed: ‘Uncoupled,’ ‘Bupkis’ & More
If you think renewals mean Bupkis these days, you, too, might be frustrated by how many television shows become Uncoupled from their networks after getting approved for another season.
TV fans found out on the same day this month that Bupkis and Uncoupled wouldn’t be coming back for their previously-promised second seasons, and those shows are just two of many that have been un-renewed recently. (Other shows, meanwhile, get canceled even after filming new episodes.)
Here are nearly a dozen shows that have fallen victim to this trend.
Uncoupled
Showtime rescued this comedy — in which Neil Patrick Harris played a man adjusting to single life after getting dumped by his longtime partner — less than a month after its January 2023 cancellation at Netflix. But in March 2024, Showtime gave the show the boot, mere weeks before Season 2 was to start filming, per Deadline.
Bupkis
Peacock gave a second-season order to Pete Davidson’s semi-autobiographical comedy in June 2023, but Davidson announced in March 2024 — for reasons not totally explained — that Season 2 was a no-go. “Of all the work I’ve ever done, Bupkis is by far what I’m most proud of,” the comedian said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “I do also feel that this part of my life is finished.”
Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin
The music stopped for this small-screen continuation of the Pitch Perfect film series in September 2023, when Peacock went back on its January 2023 renewal of the TV show. Deadline attributed the cancellation to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes that were ongoing in Hollywood at the time.
A League of Their Own
This sports comedy-drama struck out with Prime Video in August 2023, getting canceled after the streamer OK’d a shortened second and final season. Sources told Variety the show was a casualty of the strikes, but co-creator Abbi Jacobson wrote on Instagram at the time that blaming the cancellation on the work stoppages was “bulls—t and cowardly.”
The Peripheral
News of this sci-fi drama’s demise came on the same day as that of A League of Their Own’s. Prime Video had renewed the show — an adaptation of a William Gibson novel, starring Chloë Grace Moretz as a gamer who realizes that a VR simulation has real-world implications — for a second season in February 2023.
Soulmates
AMC was once high on this sci-fi anthology — a series of stories about technology that could identify one’s soulmate — as the network ordered Season 2 in August 2020, two months before Season 1’s debut. But in February 2023, fans found out that AMC had changed its mind amid disappointing Season 1 ratings and co-creator Brett Goldstein’s busy schedule, per The Hollywood Reporter.
Inside Job
This conspiracy-parodying animated series, boasting the voices of Lizzy Caplan and Christian Slater, got a June 2022 second-season renewal that Netflix took back the following January. “Over the years, these characters have become real people to me, and I am devastated not to be able to watch them grow up,” creator Shion Takeuchi wrote on X at the time.
Moonhaven
As part of the same AMC Networks write-downs that canceled 61st Street and Pantheon, the streamer AMC+ pulled the plug on this dystopian sci-fi drama — which featured Dominic Monaghan and Emma McDonald as lunar dwellers — in December 2022 after giving the go-ahead for a Season 2 that July.
Dangerous Liaisons
In one of the faster backtracks on this list, Starz axed this Pierre Choderlos de Laclos adaptation in December 2022 after renewing it for Season 2 the prior month. Sources told Variety that Starz execs had faith in the series but canceled it when it became clear the show wasn’t finding an audience.
Why Women Kill
Paramount+ hasn’t said why it killed Why Women Kill in July 2022 after renewing the dark comedy anthology series in December 2021. The streaming platform only said in a statement to Variety it was a “difficult decision not to move forward with Season 3” and thanked creator Marc Cherry, and the show’s production companies, writers, cast, and crew.
Perpetual Grace, LTD
In January 2020, back when MGM+ was still called Epix, the news broke that the network was planning a limited-run follow-up for this neo-noir series, which starred Ben Kingsley as a less-than-holy pastor. But creator Steve Conrad said in an X post at the time that Season 2 was “never going to happen” under those terms, and TVLine confirmed in February 2022 that that the show wouldn’t be returning at all.
Conversation6 Comments
Please read the TV Insider Community Guidelines.
Register or sign in to join the conversation.
-
B
Uncoupled was great tv..witty, great acting. Sad it will not be back. There was definitely an audience for it.
-
O
Never even heard of them.
-
O
Same
-
-
M
I enjoyed that show very much
-
R
The first show this happened to in my knowledge was Eureka. Should have had an eight season! The joy of its renewal was only matched by the shock of its cancellation. It made me loose faith in networks, renewal notices, and especially Syfy. Have only watched repeats on that channel since then—nothing new. But all streamers seem susceptible to the renewal—oops we meant cancellation syndrome these days. It stinks. It’s worse than straight up cancellation, often involves shows that we’re doing ok in ratings and is a complete surprise. Really hate the business of tv these days—doesn’t even pretend that views matter.
-
P
Our Flag Means Death should also be on this list. There was never an official announcement from Max about season 3, but it was already in development, and inexplicably axed.
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