The television industry can be a tough one to thrive in. Even if you have the most creative premise of all time and great writing and acting to go along with it, sometimes a show just does not find the ratings it needs to survive. At least not until its natural endpoint. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve fallen in love with a show, only for it to end on an unsatisfying cliffhanger.
Even so, some of my most rewatched shows are ones that never really got the proper ending they deserved. Do I still hope for a resolution someday? Of course. Even without one, though, these are series that I could not imagine missing out on just because they were canceled before their time.
GLOW
Watch GLOW on Netflix
There will always be a part of me angry at both Netflix and the pandemic for ensuring none of us got a proper ending to GLOW. Originally renewed for a fourth and final season, Netflix revoked the renewal status months later due to the effects of COVID shutting down production and the budget concerns that went along with it. So, unless Netflix ever decides to give us that wrap-up season or even a movie of some kind, GLOW ends on something of a dour cliffhanger.
But those first three seasons are still brilliant television, perfectly capturing the ’80s era of women’s wrestling. With a cast like Alison Brie, Betty Gilpin, and Marc Maron, you’ll never wonder where all the star power is, either. And if you squint really hard, you can imagine that the third season is a proper ending, even if it leaves a lot of plot lines unresolved.
Pushing Daisies
Watch Pushing Daisies on HBO Max
I could probably make this entire list of Bryan Fuller shows, and trust me, I was tempted to. From the artistic horror machinations of Hannibal to the fantastical weirdness of Wonderfalls, Fuller seems to create shows that a small subset of viewers absolutely adore, but they never really get a lot of love from a wide audience. And while I’m still mad that Hannibal didn’t get to complete its arc, I think Pushing Daisies truly got the short end of the stick.
Focused on pie maker Ned (Lee Pace), who has the ability to bring people back from the dead with a touch, Pushing Daisies is quirky and heartfelt in all the right ways. Thanks to the writers’ strike of 2007-08, the first season was cut short. After that, ratings plummeted in the second season, and it was promptly canceled. There is something of an ending, but it’s clear that Fuller had a lot more story left to tell. I do an annual viewing of the series, and it’s satisfying, but I still long for more to this day.
Patriot
Watch Patriot on Amazon Prime Video
Cool. Pretty good. Patriot is a series that absolutely should not work, given all of its seemingly disparate tones and genre combinations. Yet it’s easily one of the best shows I have ever seen. Telling the story of John Lakeman (Michael Dorman), a depressed spy who goes undercover as an industrial engineer, Patriot is almost Wes Anderson-like in its style, though with its own unique quality.
I knew when I was watching the first season that Patriot would not last, so I was surprised when it was actually renewed for a second season. So, I suppose I should be grateful that we were even gifted that, but I strongly believe this is a show that could have easily lasted two or three more seasons while maintaining a high level of quality. Patriot is a hilarious comedy that deserves way more attention than it ever got.
Warrior
Watch Warrior on HBO Max
A martial arts crime drama with a brain and an ensemble cast of fantastic characters, Warrior never really found the audience I thought it would. Based on a concept originally created by the legendary Bruce Lee, Warrior tells the story of a Chinese immigrant named Ah Sahm (Andrew Koji) as he navigates the various gangs of San Francisco in the 1870s.
Featuring breathtaking stunt work and surprisingly intricate plotting, I could have watched Warrior for at least another three or four seasons. It’s one of those shows where you never really know where it’s going to go next, and you find yourself rooting for nearly everyone, even the more villainous characters. Unfortunately, it was canned after three seasons, and I managed to fall in love with yet another doomed series.
Doom Patrol
Watch Doom Patrol on HBO Max
Speaking of doomed, man, I really miss Doom Patrol. In an era where a lot of superhero media all sort of blend together, Doom Patrol was a breath of fresh air. And look, I enjoyed the ending we did get. It was satisfying and sent the characters off in a way that didn’t betray the premise of the series. I just wish we had gotten more of it before that finale came along.
To me, there seemed to be more story to tell, and its finale felt studio-mandated rather than arriving at the natural conclusion of its story arc. But either way, Doom Patrol had me hooked right from its great pilot episode all the way to its ending. I guess I’m just greedy and want more of these wonderful, flawed characters.
The era of great canceled shows is by no means over
I’ve noticed that with the rise of streaming services, an increasing number of shows seem to be canceled every year. And, look, some of them will by no means be missed. But I think that a lot of streamers fall into the same trap as networks do, by never giving their series enough time and life to find a proper audience. As you can see from this list, however, cancellations have been happening for a long, long time. If you’re in the market for shows that do have an ending, though, these thrillers on Netflix are worth a binge.
