Already by the end of 2021, several TV shows that demonstrated significant promise were canceled with no plans to return in 2022. Among them included Y: The Last Man on Hulu and FX, Generation on HBO Max, Peacock’s Punky Brewster reboot, and ABC’s Rebel.
- As the year continues on, more and more shows are becoming part of the canceled shows 2022 roster and getting the ax from linear networks and streaming services. While some have been long-running series, others seemed to have been canceled quickly after they debuted. Some had a lot of promise and even a loyal legion of viewers disappointed with the news. Nonetheless, while some shows made the cut for the 2022/2023 season, others were not so lucky.
It’s par for the course for TV shows to be canceled each season: with renewals and new shows, there simply isn’t enough room in a linear network’s primetime line-up for everything. Meanwhile, for reasons varying from low ratings or viewership numbers to production costs or other cuts, streaming services cut shows, too. When it comes to canceled TV shows in 2022, some relatively new series have already been canned, and some of them might come as a surprise.
The Wilds had a great Lost meets Lord of the Flies feel to it, but with a group of teenage young women stranded on a deserted island, left to fend for themselves. Each with very unique personalities and upbringings, the episodes delved both into what was happening on the island as well as the backstories of each character. In season 2, once the twist was revealed that the plane crash might not have been an accident at all but part of a larger social experiment, a group of teenage boys was introduced.
The show had tons of promise, a compelling storyline, and fabulous characters. But in the end, it seemed the story had run its course and there were only so many directions it could go. This left fans disappointed considering season 2 ended on a cliffhanger.
The Time Traveler’s Wife (HBO)
A sci-fi romantic drama, The Time Traveler’s Wife was based on the Audrey Niffenegger novel of the same name. Following the premiere in July 2022, however, the show was not well received.
It was about the relationship between a man with a genetic disorder that caused him to travel through time and a woman who met an older version of him when she was just a young girl, who learned she marries him in the future. There were only six episodes, and though critics were not impressed, fans have been lobbying for another streaming service to pick up the show to no avail. Indeed, it’s one of the shows canceled in 2022 that deserves another season, according to Reddit at least.
First Kill (Netflix)
It came as a surprise when Netflix canceled this supernatural teen drama in August 2022 after just one season. One of many teen dramas focusing on the story of vampires, First Kill had an LGBTQ twist: Juliette was the descendant of a family of vampires tasked with making her first kill. When she meets the new girl in town, Calliope, she believes her to be the perfect candidate. But the situation gets murky when Juliette begins to fall for her.
Twists continue as it turns out Calliope is no stranger to vampires: she is actually a monster hunter. It was part love story, part drama, and viewers were bummed to see it cut so short.
Rutherford Falls (Peacock)
With Ed Helms heading up the cast of this sitcom, there were high hopes that Rutherford Falls could become the next The Office or Parks and Recreation. But the show just didn’t stick. It did last for two seasons but was canceled in early September 2022.
Helms played Nathan, a man who fights to keep a statue of his ancestor erected in his small town, despite the mayor’s push to have it removed. Oddly, the show was well received by critics, so the cancelation may have been the result of low viewership numbers.
Pivoting (Fox)
This comedy featured a talented cast and a compelling storyline about three women in their late 30s mourning the untimely death of their fourth best friend. Navigating each of their lives and how they dealt with their grief and being faced with their own mortality, one decided to quit her career as a doctor to work at a grocery store, one decided to work less and spend more time with her kids, and the other began a torrid affair with her fitness instructor as a way to deal with her unhappy marriage and awful husband.
The show was funny and had its moments. It was also one of a few centered around a mostly female cast. But it was canceled in May 2022 after one season.
Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. (Hulu)
It appears that not every Marvel project turns to gold, as this animated series with a star-studded voice cast didn’t make the cut and was canceled in May 2022 after a single season. It came as a surprise since Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. was widely praised for everything from its storyline to the animation and writing.
At the center of the story was M.O.D.O.K., a supervillain who loses his company after failing to take over the world and now must deal with his family and his own mid-life crisis. For fans who will miss the series, check out some of the best shows like Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K.
Dynasty (The CW)
Corny, unrealistic, and silly at times, the primetime soap paid truthful homage to the original, taking similar storylines and characters from the 1980s original and creating a more modern storyline. Centered around the obscenely wealthy Carrington family, there was a lot of drama, backstabbing, and excess as the family members worked to create their own legacy and fend off detractors and enemies.
Dynasty aired for five seasons, but it came as a surprise when the fifth season, ending September, 2022, would be the last. Fans felt they hadn’t really seen the story reach its peak.
Charmed (WB)
The reboot of Charmed got a lot of push-back initially, but as the first season began airing in 2018, fans got right into it. They loved the concept that featured three young women of color and healthy LGBTQ+ representation. The ladies at the center were new witches who discovered they were the new Charmed Ones.
The show did have a healthy run, but fans had expected it to go on longer. It was confirmed in May 2022, however, that season 4, which would end June 10, 2022, would be the final.
Kenan (NBC)
Despite Kenan Thompson earning a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for his role in this sitcom which he also executive produced, Kenan was canceled after just two seasons in May 2022.
The Saturday Night Live cast member starred as Kenan, a widowed father trying to balance his life as a single dad and a morning show host. While he tries to move on with his life, his former father-in-law and brother aren’t willing to let him.
Dollface (Hulu)
Dollface is one of those shows that flew under the radar but for those who watched, had plenty of relatable laughs. The main character Jules is forced to re-evaluate her life and priorities when her long-time boyfriend breaks up with her. She suddenly shows up at her best friends’ doorsteps, trying to re-ignite the spark with the people she all but abandoned once she was partnered up.
As the show progressed, the theme shifted more around four young female friends pushing 30 and trying to figure out their lives, careers, and relationships together. After season 2, however, Hulu decided to cancel the series, announcing the news in May 2022.
Queens (ABC)
There was initially intrigue in this musical drama, which took a similar premise to Peacock’s Girls5eva but with a more dramatic twist. In Queens, four women in their 40s who once found fame in the hip hop music world in the ’90s find themselves looking to reunite and release a new album. But the music industry has changed, and so have they.
With a cast that featured real-life ’90s musicians like Eve and Brandy Norwood who played extremely likable characters on Queens, there were high hopes that the show would do well. But it only lasted a single season before being canceled.
Saved By The Bell (Peacock)
Considering how well the Saved by the Bell revival was received by fans, particularly for its focus on LGBTQ+ themes and characters, it came as a surprise when NBC’s Peacock confirmed that the sitcom would not return for a third season.
Centered around a new cast of kids at Bayside High, including students from a lower-income neighborhood who were moved to the school due to the closure of a school in their district, the show also featured appearances from the original cast. Some were supporting characters while others made frequent cameos. It was silly, good-hearted fun, but Saved by the Bell will not continue as part of the streaming service’s lineup.
Batwoman (The CW)
There was a shake-up on Batwoman when Ruby Rose decided to depart the project after the first season, replaced by Javicia Leslie who joined as a new character who assumed the Batwoman persona. Kate Kane, cousin to Bruce Wayne, was initially at the center of the show. But with Rose’s departure, the character was killed and a homeless ex-con named Ryan finds the batsuit and decides to use it to avenge her mother’s death.
The show lasted another two seasons, but in April 2022, it was confirmed that it had been canceled making it one of many The CW shows canceled in 2022.
Space Force (Netflix)
Steve Carrell headed up this workplace comedy for two seasons, but it did not enjoy the same success as The Office. In Space Force, he starred as General Mark Naird, a man who is tasked with heading up a new Space Force division of the United States Armed Forces. But all he knows is that his goal is to get “boots on the moon” by 2024. Beyond that, he has no idea what his job is nor what anyone should be doing (or why).
The first season garnered mixed reviews and the second positive, so a renewal was up in the air. Nonetheless, by April 2022, Netflix confirmed it would be pulling the plug on the show.
Raising Dion
The premise of Raising Dion, a superhero drama, was interesting. The title character is a young boy who appears to have magical powers and superhero-like abilities. Following the death of his father and the discovery of this marvel, Dion’s mother Nicole must try and keep her son protected and his gifts a secret. But she must also find people she can trust to figure out how these powers came to be and what they mean.
The series, which premiered in 2019 and is based on the 2015 Dennis Liu comic book and short film of the same name, lasted two seasons. But in April 2022, it was canceled. Check out other shows like Raising Dion to fill the hole given its absence.
