Cancelled TV Shows

It's that special time of the year that every actor on a Fox show fears as stations announce which shows will not be returning in the Fall. Interestingly Fox got one-upped on their reputation as the trigger happy network by NBC who cut over twice as many shows as Fox this year. The term "cancelled" I use a little lightly, as I know some of the shows listed below (such as "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno") decided to end their series for reasons other than actually be cancelled by the network themselves. Let's take a look at some of the shows we'll be saying good bye to.

FOX

It's always fun to poke fun at the fact that Fox cancels shows prematurely. I think they often find shows with great concepts (such as Reunion - I wish I had seen that before it got cancelled), and sometimes things just don't pan out, it's all a ratings game and Fox is a strict enforcer. Maybe thats why they have the top 2 most watched shows on TV now and often fill up 4 to 5 of the top ten shows in the ratings. I think we can all appreciate that Fox very well knows when it makes a critical mistake and does right to make up for it by bringing back Family Guy. And, if you're still pissed off about FireFly, you got a major movie out of the deal and the show went out on a high note, rather than making Willow a lesbian or killing off a major likeable sidekick character in the first season.

Again, while I don't know the full details on why some of these shows will not be returning, I think it's especially bizarre that both King of the Hill and Prison Break will both not be returning while DollHouse remains on the air. I've seen a couple of episodes of DollHouse and I'm convinced the only reason this show is on the air in the first place is Fox apologizing to Joss Whedon for that whole FireFly fiasco. And from what I've read, that's the only reason it's being kept around. Fox has stated "This is a big bet on Joss Whedon" regarding DollHouse not being cancelled this season.

Mike Judge won't be going home empty handed, as he jumps down the dial to ABC with his new animated show "The Goode Family". And to fill that Animation Domination, the Seth MacFarlane empire continues to expand and cast a shadow over the Simpsons as "The Cleveland Show" premieres next Fall. Matt Groening is probably praying for a Family Guy Resurrection type miracle to happen with Futurama before the Simpsons gets a boot to make way for more MacFarlane voices.

There's a lot I could say about Fox cancelling Prison Break. TV died a little when the cancellation was first announced, but all that can be said is that Prison Break was an incredible show. It captured audiences and ratings for 2 solid and great seasons. It may have been the writers strike short season or the pure nature of a show focused around an event that can only happen so many times, but the show definitely made a mark on those who watched it and pushed the envelope for all shows about prison and evading the law to a new level. R.I.P. Scofield

FOX's Cancelled Shows
Do Not Disturb
Hole in the Wall
King of the Hill
MADtv
Prison Break
Sit Down, Shut Up
TalkShow With Spike Feresten
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

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ABC

Oh, ABC. I sometimes wonder if I would ever even flip by your channel if you didn't have LOST. I do know that you have a following with Greys which continues to amaze me everytime I happen to see it and I've heard good things about Pushing Daisies and do like the general concept of the show, but you just seem to not really have anything to offer me other than everyone's favorite mystery show.

I've honestly not heard of most of the shows ABC has decided to cut this season, but I do know that Boston Legal had a good run. Eli Stone seemed to go so young, but there definitely was something missing there. It wasn't a bad show, but there was something missing. Can't put my finger on it. And Pushing Daisies was an innovative and fun concept for a show, I can only hope the network decides to try more ideas like this one and avoid the Cop-Drama fever that CBS has.

ABC's Cancelled Shows
According to Jim
Boston Legal
Dirty Sexy Money
Eli Stone
Homeland Security USA
Life on Mars
Opportunity Knocks
Pushing Daisies

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CBS

Wow. That is a short list of cancelled shows for CBS. I don't really have much to work with there. I haven't seen CSI since Grissom left but hopefully Lawrence Fishburn is filling in nicely. The last time I checked, CBS was still the number one watched network, despite Fox having so many shows in the top 10 for ratings. Keep up the good work CBS.

Special Note: Jerry Bruckheimer produces many many shows on CBS, none of which were cancelled. All hail the Bruck!

CBS's Cancelled Shows
The Ex List
Swingtown

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NBC

A couple NBC shows, we knew were ending such as ER. If you've watched anything on NBC lately, you can't miss a commercial for "The Final Season of ER" that they've been airing the entire season. It's really unfortunate that creator Michael Criton didn't get to see the show come to an end. Criton was an incredible author and will be missed from the literary, film, and television industry.

Everyone who watched American Gladiators knew it wouldn't last long. After Ninja Warrior began airing on G4TV, it's hard to compare aged people being shot by nerf guns. I could have guessed My Own Worst Enemy would be cancelled by watching the previews for it. I think the only shocker from the NBC cancel list is Life. I have a couple of friends who speak highly of it, but maybe America is finally getting tired of Cop Dramas.

NBC's Cancelled Shows
America's Toughest Jobs
American Gladiators
The Baby Borrowers
Celebrity Circus
Celebrity Family Feud
The Chopping Block
Crusoe
ER
Fear Itself
Last Comic Standing
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Life
Lipstick Jungle
Momma's Boys
Most Outrageous Moments
My Own Worst Enemy
Nashville Star
The Tonight Show With Jay Leno

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Non-Network

It is amazing Mind of Mencia is just now being cancelled and wasn't cancelled right in the middle of its second episode.

Never seen either but still surprised to see The L Word and The Shield on the list. Wondering if, like Battlestar Galactica, they just decided it's time to end it before we go downhill.

Guess its safe to say neither Will nor Grace will have much luck outside of their token roles, as both of their new series have been cancelled (The Starter Wife, Trust Me)

The Suite Life of Zack and Cody was actually a pretty watchable show for the Disney Channel, but I imagine you can only have a show like that for so long til the kids are too old for it. I'm sure Ashley Tisdale has better things to do now anyways.

And TRL has been cancelled. The one show on MTV that still showed music videos (or at least partial clips of them). The Carson Daly legacy is dead.

Non-Network Cancelled Shows
13 - Fear Is Real
4REAL
Battlestar Galactica
Charlie Jade
Chocolate News
D.L. Hughley Breaks the News
Easy Money
Flip That House
Frank TV
In Harm's Way
Kyle XY
Mind of Mencia
Roommates
Stargate Atlantis
Stylista
The Emperor's New School
The L Word
The Middleman
The Shield
The Starter Wife
The Suite Life of Zack and Cody
Trading Spaces
TRL (Total Request Live)
Trust Me
Valentine

But with every show cancelled, a new time slot is open and a whole new batch of new shows will soon be hitting the air. Keep your fingers crossed that we continue to see more scripted shows and less reality television.