7 most unforgivable TV show cancellations of 2024

We've all been there. We're so heavily invested in a TV show that we look forward to new episodes each and every week (or on one specific day each year in this new modern era of streaming shows), falling in love with the characters and the stories that are told. And then, without warning (and honestly, for no good reason), it is cancelled by the network, bringing about a premature ending to its run.

It's not a good feeling (and it's pretty uncalled for, let's be honest) as it robs a good show of fulfilling its true potential. Most of the times, it's little-shows-that-could that get axed before they ever get the chance to evolve into something bigger, but occasionally there are some high-profile cancellations that come out of absolutely nowhere and are often down to reasons beyond ratings. Some even spawn revival campaigns and some are even successful (Manifest, Young Justice, Neighbours, and Lucifer anyone?).

Nevertheless, as constant and annoying as the cancellation of your favorite TV show is, it continues to happen each year. It used to be mostly focused on the renewal-cancellation window of May and June as broadcast TV networks put together their schedules for the next TV year, but now with streaming shows, cancellations can come at any time of the year.

There have also been plenty this year, too. Some have been expected, others unfortunate, and even some unfathomable. And then there were some that shocked audiences to their core, highlighting that they never should have happened in the first place.

7. Chucky

To say that Chucky was one of the most underappreciated shows in recent memory would be an understatement. Spun out of the classic Child's Play horror franchise, the series was developed for USA Network and Syfy, focusing on the titular serial killer doll, terrorizing the residents of Hackensack, New Jersey. While still enjoyed by the fans of the franchise, it also picked up its own devoted audience and earned praise for its storytelling, and for its portrayal of the queer relationship at the heart of it.

The show premiered in 2021 and it enjoyed a mostly successful run, but its ratings particularly declined in season 3, resulting in its untimely cancellation. Fans were understandably upset for multiple reasons, including the fact that the series' characters didn't get to wrap up their story with a definitive ending, and that it has once again left the future of the Child's Play franchise uncertain.

Needless to say, a franchise as iconic as this one deserved better than that. Even if the show was reaching the end of its run, it should have been renewed for a fourth and final season just to wrap up the story and set the stage for the franchise's next installment.

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