There is a certain sort of magicto watching network TV.It’s essentially thetelevisionequivalent of going to the movies. Fans get to sit down at the same time every week and find out what’s going to happen next in their favorite shows, and it turns watching TV into an irreplaceable experience. Even for casual viewers, there is a lot to get out of network TV, from surprising plot twists, to characters that they can get attached to after just one episode.
This is why it is so disappointing when a beloved network show gets cancelled. A television cancellation is always a true heartbreak, especially for the show’s most loyal fans. When that show is no longer on weekly, though, that void is felt even more significantly. There are so many truly excellent network TV shows that have been cancelled over the years, due to factors like low views, or the unstable nature of network television. Many of these shows still have what it takes to be revived, especially if moved tostreaming. These are 7 cancelled network TV shows that need to be revived on streaming.
7’Life Sentence' (2018)
Original Network: The CW
Life Sentencefollows Stella Abbott (Lucy Hale), a young woman who was diagnosed with terminal cancer eight years earlier. She has spent this time checking off items on her bucket list and living her life to the fullest. After a trip to Paris, she even married Wes (Elliot Knight), whom she fell in love with at first sight and rushed into a committed relationship with. Now, Stella learns that she is officially cancer-free, but the happy news comes with a lot of difficult truths and some significant growing pains.
Now that she’s not dying anymore,Stella learns that her husband and family have been tiptoeing around her.She deals with her parents' sudden separation, her complicated relationships with her siblings who have felt overshadowed by her, and a marriage that was never supposed to last for very long.Life Sentencewould be a perfect show to pick back up on streaming,where family-focused dramedieslikeSweet MagnoliasandShrinkingare very popular.
Life Sentence
6’Happy Endings' (2011–2013)
Original Network: ABC
With a similar sense of humor to long-running sitcoms likeIt’s Always Sunny in PhiladelphiaandCurb Your Enthusiasm,Happy Endingshad all of the makings to go on for a number of seasons, but was sadly cancelled after only three. The series follows a tight-knit group of friends: Jane (Eliza Coupe), Brad (Damon Wayans Jr.), Max (Adam Pally), Penny (Casey Wilson), Dave (Zachary Knighton), and Alex (Elisha Cuthbert). When Alex leaves Dave at the altar, the friend group has to deal with the messy fallout.
Happy Endingshas done really well on streaming, especially at a time when fans are craving sitcoms with more than eight episodes per season. It is such a fun show withwildly funny running gags, intense and complicated group rituals,andsome truly phenomenal episodes.The show could easily be revived now, even over a decade since it ended, and everything would probably feel pretty much the same.
Happy Endings
5’Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist' (2020–2021)
Original Network: NBC
Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlistis another dramedythat was prematurely canceledbut would likely do very well if it got a revival on a streaming service. The series follows Zoey Clarke (Jane Levy), a coder who struggles with work-life balance. When her father (Peter Gallagher) is diagnosed with with a neurological disease, Zoey gets an MRI to see if she might have it as well. Her life changes forever when there’s an earthquake while she’s in the MRI machine.
Zoey leaves what should have been a routine medical testwith a new superpower: she can see and hear people performing songs that reveal their true feelings.Zoey uses this power to connect with others, building new friendships and relationships while also helping people through their personal struggles. Musical TV shows tend to be more popular among viewers on streaming than on network TV, and this one would likely do well if it returned that way.
Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist
4’Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23' (2012–2014)
Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23is a hilariousyet sadly short-livedsitcom about two roommates, June (Dreama Walker) and Chloe (Krysten Ritter), who are polar opposites. June is an optimist who moves to New York City for her dream job, to live in her dream apartment, where she will later be joined by her fiancé, Steven (Tate Ellington). When all of this falls apart, she ends up living with party girl and conwoman Chloe.
In spite of their many differences,June and Chloe are surprisingly perfect as roommates.June’s attempts to keep Chloe in line always end with her wrapped up in her roommate’s latest scheme, and it is wildly funny every time.Don’t Trust the B—-in Apartment 23is one of those underrated sitcoms that has already gained more viewers through streaming, and would likely gain many more if it got a revival.
Don’t Trust The B—- in Apartment 23
3’Hannibal' (2013–2015)
Now a decade after it was sadly cancelled after only three seasons,Hannibalis still very popular, and certainly has the fanbase to warrant a revival. The series follows Will Graham (Hugh Dancy), a criminal profiler who consults with the FBIon particularly disturbing murders.Will starts working with psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen), and they develop a complicated relationship, all while Hannibal hides the fact that he is a serial killer and a cannibal.
Hannibalis exactly the sort of thriller with a complicated central relationship that would do really well if it were revived on streaming. The series already has a devoted fanbase, and it would only grow on streaming.Hannibalended with a literal cliffhangerand with a number of storylines open, and it should finally get the chance to properly explore them, even many years after its original run.
2’Galavant' (2015–2016)
Galavantwas a bold and inventive show that was always self-aware of the fact that it could be cancelled at any moment. In spite of this, the show went on for two seasons, but it could easily be revived for more nearly a decade later.The fantasy comedy seriesfollows Galavant (Joshua Sasse), a once-successful knight who has since lost everything after a painful heartbreak. Galavant gets tricked into going on a quest to save his former love, Madalena (Mallory Jansen), but her husband, King Richard (Timothy Omundson), is waiting to kill him.
At the time that it aired,Galavanthad a number of very devoted fans, but it was unable to gain widespread appeal. Now, it is likely that the show would do really well if it were revived on streaming. Itswacky musical numbers, meta humor, and unique characterswould likely gain a lot of love for the series. Additionally, while the show got a satisfying ending, there are still some loose ends and ways that it could be brought back.
1’Pushing Daisies' (2007–2009)
Pushing Daisiesis the secondBryan Fullershow on this list that was cancelled far too soon. It follows Ned (Lee Pace), a piemaker who can bring the dead back to life with a single touch. He uses this power to help Private Investigator Emerson Cod (Chi McBride) solve murders. When the latest murder victim is Ned’s childhood sweetheart, Chuck (Anna Friel), he is unable to send her back to being dead.
What follows is a heartfelt, silly, and wildly fun journey, as Chuck has to hide the fact that she died, and Ned has to hide his powers. All the while, they can’t touch, or she will go back to being dead forever.Pushing Daisies' unique aesthetic, forbidden romance, and over-the-top humor are perfect for the age of streaming.The show ended with a number of storylines unresolved, and a revival would be absolutely perfect for this series.
Pushing Daisies
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