19 Shows That Were Canceled Before They Ever Even Aired
It’s no easy feat to land a TV series on a network, and even more difficult to sustain it for more than a season. For example, Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk revealed that the show had been rejected for 10 years by South Korean studios. Once it landed on Netflix, though, it became a phenomenon.
Networks have to take risks to ensure a show’s success, but sometimes, there are early signs that it just won’t work. Then, there’s the creative differences between the networks and the shows’ creators. The vision doesn’t align, and then we see promising TV series getting shelved.
Below is a list of 19 television series that got canceled before they even had the opportunity to air.
1. One of the most beloved cartoon series of all time, The Boondocks, was set for a reboot at HBO Max, but Sony ultimately “pulled the plug,” according to Cedric Yarbrough (who voiced Tom DuBois and Colonel H. Stinkmeaner). Later, Gary Anthony Williams (Uncle Ruckus) revealed that the Aaron McGruder-helmed reboot was canceled because it was taking “too long to make.”
2. Behind-the-scenes controversy surrounding Our Little Genius, a game show created by Mark Burnett, led Fox to cancel it just a week before its scheduled premiere. The show featured child prodigies answering post-secondary-level questions, but concerns over its integrity arose. According to the New York Times, a parent reported that a production team member had reviewed topics with a contestant and their parent, even providing answers to at least four questions, prompting the network to cancel the show before it aired.
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