Unusual Reasons Why Films And TV Shows Were Canceled
At times, our favorite television shows disappear from the air, with no clear answer as to why. While typically, the reasons are obvious such as the show is concluded or it was a bad show, to begin with, that's not always the case. Sometimes, programs end prematurely for reasons that nobody would believe-- such as having the set accidentally bulldozed to the ground, or networks thinking jokes were too fast for audiences to catch. These are the shows that were canceled for bizarre reasons.
The Batman Set Was Literally Crushed
Unsurprisingly, the 1966 television series Batman was a major hit, which appealed to both children and adult viewers. At one point, it became so popular that it had two episodes a week and was on the top 10 most-watched list for the 1965-66 television season.
Although the series was on air for two years, ABC decided to end the show halfway through the third season due to production costs. While producers hoped a new network picked up the show, NBC did. Then, unbelievably, the set was accidentally bulldozed before NBC could take over, killing the show entirely.
Luck Didn't Hold Up To Its Name
In 2012, HBO released its series Luck, starring Dustin Hoffman and Nick Nolte, about horse racing. When considering how many real horses the show planned to use, it was only a matter of time before disaster struck.
According to CNN, two horses died during the first season, and a third had to be euthanized after the second. Since ratings were already down and pressure from animal advocacy organizations was only getting worse, HBO decided to cancel the show altogether.
Firefly Almost Seemed Destined To Fail
Unfortunately, for fans of Firefly, this science fiction series met its demise in 2002 due to many strange reasons that almost seemed intentional. Something that can't be ignored is that the show was marketed as a "wacky genre comedy," which it definitely wasn't, also placing it in what is known as the "Friday night death slot".
As if that wasn't bad enough, the episodes were aired out of order, with the show's pilot being shown last. Even though fans of the story continued to show their forgiveness, Fox could not justify its poor ratings, and it was canceled.
Tower Prep Had Too Many Female Characters
Supposedly, the Cartoon Network show Tower Prep was canceled because it had "too many girls" both on the show and those who watched it.
Not only that, but they had asked for the writer Paul Dini to leave out most female characters, and the ones that were in the show were to be "one step behind the boys, not as smart as the boys, not as interesting as the boys." So, when Dini ignored this advice and developed some interesting female characters, the show was canceled.
Harry's Law Had Too Old Of An Audience Base
Surprisingly, during the 2011-2012 television season, Harry's Law was NBC's second most-watched drama behind Smash. As it turns out, however, is that out of the 8.8 million people that frequently watched the show, the majority of them were far into their elderly years.
The show met its downfall when advertisers didn't think that they would be able to sell products to the demographic that the show had garnered. According to one NBC network executive, "Its audience skewed very old, and it's hard to monetize that," so the show was pulled.
The Jokes In Police Squad! Were Too Fast For Casual Viewers
Before the 1988 film Naked Gun, there was the police parody show Police Squad! starring Leslie Nielsen as Detective Frank Drebin. Although it had much of the same humor as the new-iconic film, apparently, the fast-paced humor and visual jokes didn't translate well to television.
When the show was canceled in 1982, network executive Tony Thomopoulos explained that it was canceled because "you had to watch it to appreciate it," meaning that only fans of the show would be able to keep up with the jokes and understand what was happening. TV Guide commented that it was one of "the most stupid reasons a network ever gave for ending a series."
It Was All A Dream In Dallas
At the end of Dallas' ninth season during its 1985-1986 run, the season concluded with everything turning out to be a dream. The writers allowed for this underwhelming plot twist because, during the eighth season, Patrick Duffy decided that he was too big to continue with Dallas. Hence, the showrunners wrote him off by killing his character.
However, Duffy changed his mind, so they brought the character back by explaining that everything that happened was someone else's dream. Safe to say, the show never recovered from this blunder.
Who Wants To Marry A Multi-Millionaire? Follow-Up Show
In the early 2000s, Fox was on a roll with its reality television show such as When Animals Attack, World's Most Shocking Moments Caught on Tape, and of course Who Wants To Marry A Multi-Millionaire?
However, when a follow-up series to the show was in production, it was quickly shut down regarding allegations concerning the show's star, Rick Rockwell. Supposedly, he had physically abused his ex-girlfriend, lied about places that he was a motivational speaker, and didn't live the extravagant life that he claimed. Unsurprisingly, the lucky woman divorced him just seven weeks after they were married.
Networks No Longer Thought Audiences Found Green Acres Interesting
In the early 1970s, rural television shows were a major hit, such as Petticoat Junction, The Beverly Hillbillies, and, of course, Green Acres. Although these styles of shows had their heyday, it didn't take long for networks to assume that people were growing disinterested in this style of shows and were yearning for programs about people living in cities.
So, the "rural purge" began, and all of these once-popular shows were replaced by the likes of All in the Family, Sonny and Cher, Maude, and more. And that was the end of Green Acres.
Bridget Loves Bernies Crossed The Line For Some Audiences
In 1972, CBS came out with the show Bridget Loves Bernie, which was considered to be revolutionary at the time because it chronicled the relationship between a Catholic woman that married a Jewish man.
However, this didn't sit well with some people at all. People ranging from average viewers to those that felt the show went "too far." Ultimately, the show was then canceled in 1973, making it the highest-rated show in history to be canceled after just one season.
Adventure Time Had Too Mixed Of An Audience
Released on Cartoon Network, Adventure Time was surprisingly successful for a cartoon about a boy and his dog in a fantasy land. Interestingly, the show turned out to be a success not only for the kids that it was intended for but also for adult audiences.
However, this proved to be a problem for Cartoon Network because it aims for kids between 2 and 14. Basically, Adventure Time was essentially canceled for being too popular and having the wrong audience.
Megan Wants A Millionaire Really Worked Out For Megan
Megan Wants A Millionaire stars Megan Hauserman, an attractive young woman who is pursued by millionaires, then she selects one to be her husband. However, the show really got interesting when it was revealed that the contestant, Ryan Jenkins, had been accused of killing his wife and hiding her body.
What's even worse is that Ryan was actually one of the final contestants! Jenkins managed to evade capture for eight days, and the show was canceled not long after.
Angel Was Cancelled After The Fifth Season
This Buffy the Vampire Slayer spin-off was canceled after just five seasons, with the fifth season being the most successful. Even Josh Whedon, the show's creator, was surprised that Angel was as successful as it was.
However, the reason why the show was really canceled was supposedly that WB was not good at keeping the writers in the loop as to which actors would be returning for the next season. Overall, it seems like an unnecessary reason to cancel a show.
Clone High Made The Mistake Of Showing Gandhi
Unfortunately, Clone High got into some trouble after showing a depiction of Gandhi getting beaten up as part of a workout scene in the show. Unsurprisingly, this annoyed many viewers in India that couldn't believe that what they had seen despite the fact that the show never aired in India.
Furthermore, MTV executives were touring India at the time and threatened to have their broadcasting license revoked in the country. This led MTV to cancel the show after giving a formal apology.
Profit Was Too Much For Some People
Profit was a corporate drama series that filmed eight episodes but only aired four on Fox. Shockingly, people thought that the show's protagonist, Jim Profit, was too evil of a person.
Furthermore, the character supposedly gave a bad name to people in business, with many finging him too unappealing to watch. What's strange is how many people disliked the character of Profit, when initial screen tests were done to make sure that wasn't the case.
Freaks And Geeks Was Cut Far Too Short
Although 18 episodes were filmed, only 12 of Freaks and Geeks ever aired. As it turns out, this teen comedy was eventually canceled because executive producer Judd Apatow didn't think that NBC understood the characters or the show's sense of humor.
So, this came as a shock when audiences were expecting a Season 2 that never came. To this day, people still talk about how they wish there are more episodes of Freaks and Geeks than only the few we were given.
Deadwood Was A Hit For Some Time
Although Deadwood wasn't exactly canceled, it wasn't picked up for a fourth season. This was mostly because of the producer David Milch, who wanted a 12-episode final season, but HBO insisted that he focus his attention on John From Cincinnati.
Furthermore, the show eventually ended because HBO was trying to focus on premiere television, and Deadwood was more of a slow-paced Western. Even though the show had a lot of frequent watchers, HBO didn't think it was worth the investment anymore.
Veronica Mars Didn't Stick With A Genre
Although the show was successful and had a large fan base, Veronica Mars was ultimately canceled because it didn't fall into one genre. The show didn't belong to any specific category of programming, which made it uninteresting to some viewers.
However, even though the show was canceled, fans were lucky because the show did get a revival in 2019. Clearly, the show was good enough that people still wanted to keep watching it years later. Nevertheless, maybe the show wouldn't have been canceled if it had a bit more direction.
Ellen Lasted Four Seasons Before DeGeneres Went On To Become A Star
To this day, Ellen DeGeneres remains one of the biggest names on television. However, before her current show, Ellen had her own sitcom that lasted an impressive four seasons. However, the show was canceled after Ellen had come out about her sexuality during Season 4.
Of course, the show was then hammered by anti-gay companies, organizations and forced to add a parental advisory, eventually leading to its cancellation. Ellen DeGeneres got the last laugh anyway.
Netflix Didn't Think The Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina Was Worth Continuing
Considering the success of the comic book series of the same name, it's no surprise that the new Netflix series The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina had a lot of talk surrounding it. Nevertheless, the show was canceled after its fourth season because of Netflix's program strategy.
Typically, their shows end in three series or less because they believe people will eventually lose interest and it's not worth the effort to continue a show. So, they dropped the show entirely to work on something new.