7 TV Shows Axed Just When They Were Getting Good - Digital Spy

Is there anything more devastating than persevering with a TV show's shaky, uninspiring start, only to have it ripped away from you when all of the pieces finally fall into place?

No, friends. No there is not.

But that's exactly what happened with the following five shows. There was so much left to explore, but the powers that be dropped the axe and we're still not over it.

1. Gotham

Had the big dogs over at Fox decided to call time on Gotham after the first or even second season, there would have been some gripes from the show's faithful, but most would have understood the decision and accepted its fate because it wasn't the slickest of productions.

The series, which charts Bruce Wayne's Batman journey, initially felt like a procedural rather than a narrative in which each episode seamlessly fed into the next, as James Gordon and Harvey Bullock fought to police the mean streets of Gotham.

The show was peppered with numerous characters who no one really cared about, who essentially clogged up airtime and roadblocked the real story: the rise of Batman and the emergence of the Joker.

But the show has really found its feet during the past couple of seasons, no longer taking itself as seriously as it once did and committing wholeheartedly to the central narrative rather than irrelevant distractions, which makes the news that the current fifth season is to be its last a grand disappointment.

After sticking with Gotham through all of the bad times, we're just not ready to say goodbye.

2. Quarry

Based on Max Allan Collins' novels of the same name, Quarry was a crime drama series that could be found on Cinemax back in 2016. The narrative followed Mac Conway, a former US marine sniper who returns home to Memphis following the Vietnam War and becomes entangled in a web of killing and corruption.

But it was only given a one-season outing, which is a colossal shame because you really felt there was so much more to explore, particularly when you consider that there are 14 Quarry books to adapt and explore.

"We are immensely proud of the work by all of the talented individuals who contributed to Quarry," said Cinemax in a statement. "After evaluating ideas for continuing the story in the context of our future plans for Cinemax, we decided that it was best for all involved to end the narrative with Mac swimming across the Mississippi."

Show co-creator Michael D. Fuller cited (via The Hollywood Reporter) "a regime change at HBO" and "re-branding at Cinemax" as reasons for the cancellation, going on to say that "by virtually every metric (ratings, critical response) the show succeeded in all the ways a show needs to for a second season".

Fuller revealed that in the second season that never was, Mac would have become fully immersed in The Broker’s network, something that a number of the show's fans bemoaned never being given the chance to see on the small screen.

There was also a plan to introduce Hall Prewitt, Mac and Arthur's "war buddy", which would undoubtedly have brought a whole load of trouble their way, not to mention how the Watergate scandal would have affected the narrative.

Despite continuing to evolve, with so much promise for future seasons, Quarry was simply not given the space to complete its story.

3. Terra Nova

It can take some shows a little while to warm up, and that was certainly the case for Fox science fiction drama Terra Nova.

The series, which was exec-produced by Steven Spielberg, followed the Shannons, a family from the year 2149 (where Earth is dying), who are transported back 85 million years. It's there that they join the Terra Nova colony and together, they must work to save the world from becoming overpopulated and hyper-polluted.

But it was only given one season to flex its muscles before the network said, "No more!"

Despite its misgivings, however, which included cheesy dialogue and too many heartfelt family moments, something that viewers definitely weren't tuning into the show for, there was scope for a continuation.

We certainly wanted to know more about the mysterious ship discovered by Mira and the season finale, in which Hope Plaza was destroyed, was incredibly visually impressive.

Had a second season been given the green light, there would have been a whole lot more where that came from.

Speaking at a TCA panel back in 2012 before the show was cancelled (via Deadline), former Fox entertainment president Kevin Reilly said: "If this is all we make (of Terra Nova), we made money on it, the studio made money on it, and it seems to have resonated with the family audience.

"There is a show, which if we are to bring back, there’s an audience there. But creatively, the show was hunting (for its identity). If we had more holes in our network, we’d be thrilled to lock that right in."

What could have been, eh?

4. The Mick

The Fox comedy series lasted just two seasons before it was eventually canned.

It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia‘s Kaitlin Olson played the role of Mickey Molng, a somewhat irresponsible woman who suddenly had to become very responsible after she was landed with her niece and nephews following the arrest of her wealthy sister and her husband for fraud and tax evasion.

The show did start out fairly strongly with several hilarious and heartfelt moments, but it really came into its own during the second season. The comedic material was better than ever and we were genuinely invested in each of the central characters. And then there was that wonderful season finale in which Sabrina lied about being accepted into Yale, resulting in that emotional heart-to-heart with Mickey, followed by that epic lighting strike.

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And that's where it ends. Finito. There was so much left to squeeze out of the characters and their respective arcs in a show that really did have it all, particularly the season two conclusion, but now we'll never know.

Shame.

5. Everything Sucks

By the time Everything Sucks wrapped up its season one finale, those that took the time to watch the Netflix comedy-drama had become so utterly captivated by the characters and their respective stories that they were totally blindsided by its cancellation.

The show followed students attending Boring High School, a fictional establishment, in Boring, Oregon, a real-life town, back in 1996. But despite a seemingly breezy exterior, the show delved into some complex and weighty subjects, such as sexuality, identity and mental health.

Our initial reaction to Everything Sucks was half-hearted, but as the episodes wore on and it really carved out its identity, that feeling rapidly morphed into something wholly positive.

The show was a grower, gaining momentum as your love for and knowledge of Luke, Kate, Emaline and the rest of the gang continued to evolve and grow – and we were left with so many questions, like what the future holds for Emaline and Kate, and Luke's complicated relationship with his estranged father Leroy, who turns up at his door at the end of the final episode.

This show had legs, but it simply came down to the fact that not enough people tuned in, and fans of the series agree that it was a missed opportunity.

6. Selfie

Starring Doctor Who's Karen Gillan as Eliza Dooley, a pharmaceutical representative desperate to become a social-media personality, and John Cho as Henry Higgs, a "marketing image guru", the ABC rom-com series based on My Fair Lady was cruelly snatched away from viewers at the very moment it began to settle into its rhythm. Typical.

The pilot was admittedly poor (pity the fool who sticks a really grotesque vomiting incident in their show's very first episode), but following that initial disappointment, it did steadily improve over the course of its remaining 12 episodes. The ratings, however, did not, starting off at 5 million viewers before rapidly dropping to 3 million for the remainder of its run.

The fact that such vast numbers of people were turned off is a shame because Eliza switches from a seriously irritating, unlikeable character into someone you actually grow a soft spot for (sort of) as you get to know her, and both Gillan and Cho made a great team, bouncing off one another as they each learn something new about themselves from the other's teachings, not to mention the unlikely romance (we love one of those) that slowly evolves.

And then there was the excellent supporting cast, which featured Veep's Brian Huskey and Homeland's David Harewood, to name but two.

"We were absolutely crushed," writer Brian Rubenstein told The AV Club following the show's cancellation. "I’ve been on several shows that got cancelled, but this was the most depressing atmosphere.

"We were all so close and knew we were doing something cool with the show; we were so bummed out over the missed opportunity, not getting to do more."

Oh the places this could have gone with a little more patience.

7. Dollhouse

Josh Whedon's Dollhouse was only on our screens for two seasons before it was banished to the TV graveyard.

The Fox science fiction series followed individuals, living in laboratory-style residences referred to as Dollhouses, who were tasked with carrying out different missions or "engagements", before having their memories erased on completion – not the easiest concept to explain or digest.

That's something that Whedon spoke to the Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan about: "Basically, the show didn't really get off the ground because the network pretty much wanted to back away from the concept five minutes after they bought it.

"And then ultimately, the show itself is also kind of odd and difficult to market... it's just not a slam-dunk concept."

But despite his reservations, Whedon did write on Whedonesque.com that he felt the show was "getting better pretty much every week".

Unfortunately, his positivity wasn't enough to save it from the slaughter, despite what is, if you really tune in, a fascinating concept with many avenues for exploration, such as sex and human rights, and the social and moral implications surrounding both of those subjects.

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