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?
Images courtesy ABC Family & HBO.
John Doe was a great show that ended way-y-y-y-y too soon.
Dead Zone. Proof positive that some men are more attractive at 40 than 20. Anthony Michael Hall was at the top of his game in that one.
Kyle’s Rules !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! KYLE XY rocks !!!!
Eli stone
Hex, they should never have cancelled it, one of the best shows ever!
*Traveler
*Vanished
*Mental
*Day Break (although it was released on DVD so you got to find out what happened)
*the forgotten (rumored)
*Kidnapped
*Justice
*Men In Trees
*October Road
*Standoff
*Three Rivers
Just to name a few 🙂
The most emotional sudden endings for me in recent years for shows I was obsessed with were:
Witchblade, Pretender, Profiler, Dark Angel, John Doe, Firefly… pretty much any show on Fox that isn’t a reality show ends early. I even attempted to boycott Fox after last year… but it was sadly a limited boycott… I’d still watch Simpsons. Soon I realized I can’t even boycott with that limit… so I decided no more allowing myself to get obsessed with Fox TV shows… they just disappear or are replaced by crappy reality shows.
I think that Stargate Atlantis ended badly. I think they should have made a happier ending, and I know it went on for 5 seasons, but Stargate the original lasted longer and they made a happy ending. Plus, now they have Stargate Universe, what about ATLANTIS?
‘The traveler’ was indeed one of the best tv show series that ended abruptly, leaving the biggest cliffhanger ive ever witnessed. Damn it. It was so good
I am angry that my name is earl was canceled… i loved that show, im so sad it ended
i miss kyle xy that was a disaster es ending for a great TV show i hate you ABC Family
I would have loved to have seen at least a second season of the series Carnavale, that was so brilliant on HBO a few years ago. It was I believe a Joss Weedon series. Such great unresolved storylines and a setting (a traveling carnival in the great dustbowl, pre World War II) that could have gone on for many seasons.
Joss wasn’t involved but Carnivale did have 2 seasons. It did end on a monumental cliffhanger.
Mental – one of the last shows that the late David Carradine appeared in – was really good, left without a word. Someone mentioned October Road, if you buy (or rent) the 3rd season DVD they have tied up all of the loose ends in an extension of the last episode.
The Unit. It was the best military out there.
I don’t know why they do make ending to these shows.
It’s easier to sell in syndication.
Life was one of those shoes that should have never been canceled. I don’t understand how stupid reality shows and dumb sitcoms can stay on the air for years and good show like Life are canceled as soon as they get a good fan base.