As we close out the first ten years of this millennium, it’s amazing how many great TV shows have been cancelled. Big as that list is, there are some that stand out more than others — mostly because they left us hanging. Here’s a list of 10 that deserved at least one more episode to wrap things up.
The 4400 — This show and The Dead Zone ran successfully for many years on USA. The ongoing mysteries of both shows kept viewers coming back for more each week. Unfortunately, the cable channel decided to be done with them in 2007. The shows and their viewers were left with unresolved cliffhangers. Of the the shows, 4400 seems a bit more tragic as it wasn’t on for as many seasons and Dead Zone fans have a freaky Christopher Walken movie.
Deadwood — It doesn’t matter whose fault it was — HBO’s or creator David Milch’s — this hard-talking Western remains one of the highlights of the pay-for-view channel’s history. For it to end without a finale is #$%^&$% unforgivable.
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Invasion — Following the instant success of ABC’s Lost in the 2004-05 season, the networks thought that sci-fi was the key to success and brought us shows like Surface and Invasion. None of them caught on and Invasion left viewers hanging with a particularly frustrating set of cliffhangers.
Kyle XY — Sure, the show about the incredible kid without a memory or a bellybutton had lost some steam in the ratings but it didn’t deserve to go out with big cliffhangers. Considering that the series had one of the biggest premieres in ABC Family’s history, the show and its fans deserved one more episode to properly close the show.
Las Vegas — It’s one thing for a show to be cut off during its first season but it’s really annoying when a long-running show is denied a resolution. Should it have been cancelled? In its fifth and final season, Vegas attracted almost as many viewers as fellow Friday night occupant Ghost Whisperer; a series that’s still running on CBS. Bet NBC wishes they had Vegas’ ratings now.
My Name is Earl — You have to wonder if NBC’s current troubles doesn’t have to do with a little bad karma. In its heyday, NBC promoted the heck out of Earl but, when the ratings dwindled too low, they cut it off. Did Earl ever complete his list? We’ll likely never know.
My Own Worst Enemy — NBC pulled the plug on the Christian Slater series so that the last episode ended with a murder and a lot of unfinished business. Couldn’t they have made one more episode to tie things up or at least recut the ending?
Reunion — You probably don’t remember this FOX series. It was a drama about six high school friends and one is murdered at a 20 year reunion. While the mystery is investigated in the present, episodes flash back to the past to see how the characters changed over the years. It was an ambitious series but apparently no one considered the possibility that it could be cancelled before the end of the season. FOX pulled it after nine episodes aired and the loyal viewing audience was left hanging (sort of).
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles — It was no surprise that this series was cancelled but it still ended on a big cliffhanger — with John Connor travelling to a future that’s never heard of him. Couldn’t the story have been resolved somehow? Series creator Josh Friedman once conceded that the third season would have been the show’s best. Judging by the last episode, it appears he was right.
Vanished — Just one of many series from the 2006-07 season that revolved around ongoing sorylines and mysteries. This series, like The Nine, Six Degrees, Runaway, Drive, and The Black Donnellys, was cut off way too prematurely. We did learn kidnapped Sara Collins’ fate but so many other mysteries were left to the imagination. There was talk of revisiting some of the characters on an episode of Bones but it never happened.
What do you think? Are there other frustrating last episodes that you’d add to the list?
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Tru Calling (2004) …It got axed only 5 episodes into season 2! Everything was left completely unresolved just when it was getting really good! (Of course that’s FOX for you, they always cancel shows when they start to get good…Dollhouse is a prime example of this…at least they will have a proper ending!)
Stop cancelling great shows without creating an ending!
Since I’m probably the only person who actually remembers it, my vote goes to CBS’s 2000 remake of ‘The Fugitive’.
Someone got shot in the very last episode. But unfortunately, we never found out who.
The Fugitive is one of those shows that requires an ending, no matter how poor the show performed in the ratings.
I now it wasn’t canceled but the last episode of the sopranos has got to be #1 on every-bodies list for most frustrating ending to a show ever…
The Unit ended like that. Everything up in the air after we all followed the show for 4 seasons and POOF!!! It is canceled. CBS at the least should have given us a season finale. I mean that was the only reason to watch CBS for action unless you wanted the usual murder, investigate, & solve.
The Pretender. This year marks the 10th year since season 4 ended. Since then there were two “movies”, Pretender 2001 and then Isle of the Haunted that helped extend the series and the story line. There was still unanswered questions and the reuniting of the families
John From Cincinnati!
FIREFLY
Yup, the networks need to get a heart and let the producers finish their visions, even if it includes only one more show.
On the Crossing Jordan storyline, you must not have watched it carefully enough.. they ALL get rescued, as they hear a helicopter close by right before the “fade to black”….
Surprised no one’s mentioned “Dark Angel” yet. Show ended apruptly after season two with many storylines left unresolved. They had actually been told they would be renewed only to find out in the papers a few days later the were cancelled. Still, any show created by James Cameron, and starring Jessica Alba and Michael Weatherley from “NCIS” would seem to be a perfect candidate for a follow up movie. Even without unresolved storylines, you’d attract James Cameron fans, Jessica Alba’s fans, and “NCIS” fans curious about it. 8 years later though, we’re still left wanting…
does anyone know if Three Rivers is coming back for a 2nd season?????
i read on another site it was cancelled
october road was the show i would have liked to see the ending i hated the way they left it when it was cancelled
How about Crossing Jordan? Who was rescued after the crash?
Las Vegas should have had a final episode.
Also add Jericho to the list.
Gravity! I loved that show – it had a heart and a brain!
I was really upset that Pushing Daisies was canceled. A great show that ended too soon.
Now all we get is more reality TV crap. Oh how I yonder for the years of TV yesteryear.