21 Shows We Lost in 2021
There’s something for everyone in the Superstore that is the television landscape, whether you’re an elder in your Home & Family or a TV viewer from a Generation that’s Younger.
But the economics of showbiz Pose a threat to even the most beloved TV series. And the number of shows that ended this year—or were canceled by Shameless network execs—has all of us TV buffs feeling a little Insecure.
See Also Save Our Shows! 10 Times Fans Stopped Their Favorites From Being Canceled
OK, we’re out of wordplay, so let’s just round up 21 of the TV shows that ended (or are ending) in 2021. At least we’ll always have reruns, right?
Superstore
The NBC comedy capped off its six-season run on March 25, with the Cloud 9 crew closing up shop for good (but not before paying tribute to the workplace that brought them together).
Wynonna Earp
Syfy’s fantasy drama ended after four seasons on April 9—with Wynonna (Melanie Scrofano) and Doc (Tim Rozon) expressing their feelings for one another, and Waverly (Dominique Provost-Chalkley) and Nicole Haught (Katherine Barrell) trading vows.
Shameless
The Gallagher family said goodbye to their patriarch in the Showtime comedy’s April 11 finale. As the show wrapped up its 11-season run, Frank (William H. Macy) passes away alone in a hospital bed. “Time’s precious,” he tells his kids in a farewell letter. “Don’t f—king waste it.”
Mom
In its May 13 finale, the CBS sitcom wrapped up an eight-season run by having Jill (Jaime Pressly) get married, revealing that Adam (William Fichtner) has cancer, and showing Bonnie (Allison Janney) singing the praises of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Last Man Standing
NCIS: New Orleans
CBS’ second NCIS spinoff ended on May 23, following seven seasons on air. In that finale, Pride (Scott Bakula) gets hitched to Rita (Chelsea Field, Bakula’s real-life wife), and Quentin (Charles Michael Davis) gives up a job to stay with Hannah (Necar Zadegan).
Black Lightning
The superhero show, a retroactive addition to The CW’s Arrowverse, left the airwaves after four seasons on May 24. In the finale, the titular hero (Cress Williams) survives being buried alive and gets the upper hand on villain Tobias Whale (Marvin “Krondon” Jones III), saving Freeland in the process.
Pose
The groundbreaking FX drama about New York’s ballroom scene ended after three seasons on June 6, with Pray Tell (Billy Porter) sacrificing his life so that boyfriend Ricky (Dyllón Burnside) could get life-saving HIV meds.
Younger
After seven seasons o TV Land and Paramount+, Younger went off-air on June 10. In the finale, Liza (Sutton Foster) gets the keys to Empirical Press and ends her on-off relationship with Charles (Peter Hermann) for good.
Keeping Up With the Kardashians
E!’s flagship reality show ended its 20-season run on June 20, with the final episode showing the Kardashian family memorializing the moment by burying meaningful objects in a time capsule. (Don’t worry: The family will be back soon on Hulu.)
Bosch
The June 25 finale of this Amazon Prime Video drama saw the titular detective (Titus Welliver) hand in his LAPD badge—after seven TV seasons on the beat—and apply for a private investigator’s license, setting the stage for the show’s IMDb TV spinoff.
Generation
Canceled two months after its July 8 first-season finale, this HBO Max drama won’t get to resolve its cliffhangers—including the identity of the mystery person Chester (Justice Smith) is surprised to run into on a rooftop.
Good Girls
Another canceled series, this NBC crime dramedy closed out its four-season run on July 22, with Beth (Christina Hendricks) taking charge of her criminal enterprise, Ruby (Retta) getting an ultimatum from Stan (Reno Wilson), and Annie (Mae Whitman) ending up in handcuffs.
Judge Judy
Judith Sheindlin banged the gavel on her long-running court show for the last time on July 23, ending the syndicated series after nearly a quarter-century on air. Not to worry, though: She’s already back with a similar show on IMDb TV.
Home & Family
Another show that launched in 1996, this Hallmark Channel daytime chat fest began its run as The Home and Family Show on The Family Channel and ended August 4, with Debbie Matenopoulos and Cameron Mathison serving as its final hosts.
Lucifer
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
This cop comedy, which aired on Fox and then NBC for eight seasons, wrapped up on September 16. In the final installment, Holt (Andre Braugher) and Amy (Melissa Fumero) leave the Nine-Nine to head up a police reform program—after one more heist with their soon-to-be former colleagues.
Supergirl
This CW Arrowverse series ended its six-season run on Nov. 9. After one last battle royale—with Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) and her superhero friends on one side and Lex (Jon Cryer) and Nyxly (Peta Sergeant) on the other—Kara gets a promotion to editor-in-chief and goes public with her caped alter-ego.
Lost in Space
The third and final season of this Netflix sci-fi show started streaming on Dec. 3, and in the series finale, the Robinsons and their robot allies save the planet Alpha Centuari from SAR’s forces, and Will (Maxwell Jenkins) and Robot (Brian Steele) venture off together for destinations unknown.
Pen15
Hulu’s Y2K-set middle-school comedy ended with the release of the second part of Season 2 on Decmber 3, with Maya (Maya Erskine) and Anna (Anna Konkle) solidifying their BFF status—and imagining moments in their future friendship—after ups and downs in their first romances.
Insecure
How will it all end up for Issa (Issa Rae), Molly (Yvonne Orji), and their friends and love interests? We’ll find it soon: The HBO comedy is ending with its fifth-season finale, scheduled for December 26.
