10 TV Shows That Would've Been Canceled Early If They'd Premiered Today

There are several great TV shows which took many episodes or even entire seasons to figure out what they wanted to be. Today, networks and streaming services pay close attention to viewing numbers, social-media buzz, and whether viewers are still watching after the first few episodes. A show doesn't necessarily have months or years to prove itself anymore, which could have spelled disaster for certain shows that eventually became cultural phenomena.

Suits (2011-2019)

Number Of Seasons: 9

‎With its premise of a genius who pretends to be a lawyer, Suits easily became one of the most interesting legal dramas on TV. However, as the series went on, it lost its initial spark, particularly because the creators decided to drop its case-of-the-week formula for longer plot arcs, which tended to drag on for too long.

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‎The glue that held Suits' premise was Mike's secret. After it was revealed that he didn't have a license to practice law, there was simply no tension that was good enough to draw from. In today's world, tension and character development are what drive TV shows. Suits lacked those from its fifth season and onwards, which would have resulted in the series being canceled a lot earlier had it premiered recently.

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Breaking Bad (2008-2013)

Number Of Seasons: 5

‎Apart from The Sopranos, Breaking Bad is often cited as the pinnacle of crime drama. While the series deserves all the praise it gets from fans and critics alike, it probably wouldn't have lasted for five seasons if it aired today. Breaking Bad is a slow-burn series. During the time the show premiered, that type of setup was accepted by networks, but that isn't the case in the modern TV landscape.

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‎While Breaking Bad season 1 excels at building Walter and making audiences understand his journey from a chemistry teacher to a crime lord, the pacing wasn't that great. These days, viewers expect shows to be exceptional from their very episode. If they are not critical or audience darlings immediately, there's simply no need to continue investing time and money in them.

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Supernatural (2005-2020)

Number Of Seasons: 15

‎Supernatural is one of the longest-running fantasy television shows, with 15 seasons and 327 episodes to its name. The first 13 installments of Supernatural included 22 to 23 episodes, with the last two seasons having 20 episodes each. While that was common in the aughts and earlier on, it's not the same today. Now, most TV shows have eight to 10 episodes per season to encourage binging culture.

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‎There aren't a lot of people today who are willing to watch a series with 22 episodes in one season, particularly if the story follows the same structure. Supernatural was actually supposed to conclude after 5 seasons, as per Eric Kripke's plan, but it miraculously aired for nine more seasons before ending in 2020. Interestingly enough, The Winchester, Supernatural's spinoff was canceled after one season, which is proof that it's parent series could have easily had the same fate if it aired in today's world where fantasy shows barely have the time to grow.

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Cheers (1982-1993)

Number Of Seasons: 11

‎Cheers is one of the most celebrated comedies to ever grace the small screen, with its season finale taking the crown for the second-highest rated final episode. What some don't know is that Cheers' first season had pretty terrible ratings, ranking 74th out of 77 shows. Although NBC decided to stick with the show despite its reception, it's doubtful that they would have been as patient if the series had been on air today.

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‎We are in the no-patience era where networks and streaming services expect return on investment fast. The kind of ratings that Cheers season 1 had would have resulted in a cancellation even before all of its episodes debuted, even if it was a critical success. Ultimately, what matters these days is viewership numbers. Without those, a TV series is canceled before it finds its footing.

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‎Fringe (2008-2013)

‎Number Of Seasons: 6

‎Science fiction TV shows are famously expensive to create, which is why those, like Firefly, that couldn't have the viewership numbers to justify their existence were canceled so soon after their debut. Surprisingly, Fringe survived for six seasons before eventually being canceled, which was a remarkable feat in itself. The series, though great, didn't have the ratings that are required to thrive in today's TV landscape.

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‎Fringe is an extremely niche TV show, and finding an audience that would be interested in its premise was hard, even during the period it debuted. However, it was given the chance to do so, but it would have been canceled a lot earlier now, especially because of the show's high production costs.

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Parks And Recreation (2009-2015)

Number Of Seasons: 7

‎Parks and Recreation is considered comedy gold, but it didn't start out that way. The show's first season struggled to find its identity as it played out like a different version of The Office. It wasn't until the first season's final episode that the series finally found its footing. In fact, many thought that the show would be axed after the lukewarm reception.

‎Parks and Recreation did end up running for 7 seasons, but networks and streaming platforms now wouldn't have let it go after the show's debut season. There are simply too many series that are vying to be the next big thing that there is no time to wait for a show to figure out what it wants to be about.

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The Magicians (2015-2020)

Number Of Seasons: 5

Fantasy TV shows get canceled more often than not, so the fact that The Magicians was on air for five seasons is a testament to how great the series was. The road to five seasons wasn't an easy one for the series. Even the creators of The Magicians always had the sense that the show could get axed at any point, but it survived.

Fantasy series, particularly those based on books, have a hard time staying on air for more than one season. The Wheel of Time, for instance, was canceled just when it was improving and The Rings of Power has been fighting to stay on air since its debut. Fantasy TV shows are expensive to bring to life. Because of that, they have to be perfect from start to finish, and that's something that is rarely achieved.

The Office (2005-2013)

Number Of Seasons: 9

‎Based on the British series of the same name, The Office US is held in high esteem, even in today's world. When the comedy debuted, it wasn't as highly praised as it is now. The first season had mixed reviews and was often compared to its British counterpart, which didn't help its case. As the show's ratings declined, the creators of the series were convinced that the series wouldn't live to fight for another season.

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‎Some of the jokes in the series tended to go too far, which is something that modern audiences would not appreciate. The fact that there is another series from the UK with the same premise that some consider the better version would have led to The Office's early cancellation — especially because its ratings were already not great.

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‎The Wire (2002-2008)

Number Of Seasons: 5

‎The Wire is a complex series, a fact which was apparent from its first season. The show's storyline was quite dense and a had a lot going on, which could sometimes be hard to keep up with as it required patience. Naturally, the creators of The Wire had to keep fighting for the series to continue, as it was always on the verge of being canceled due to its low ratings, despite HBO backing it up.

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‎Even with the need for more complex TV shows, a series is still supposed to have enough viewers supporting it in order for it to last more than one season. Critical reception is important but is not everything. The numbers needed to match the money that was being put in for production and The Wire was simply not hitting the metrics it should have been, which would have resulted in its immediate cancellation now.

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Lost (2004-2010)

‎Number Of Seasons: 6

‎For audiences who watched Lost when it debuted, the series was a marvel and remains so even to this day. A TV show like Lost simply isn't built for the modern television landscape. Firstly, the number of episodes per season were too long. While the mystery box structure is intriguing, the payoff isn't immediate and most audiences these days want to know what's going on as soon as possible instead of having to wait for a period of time.

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‎While TV shows like Game of Thrones have proven that audiences are willing to wait for weekly episode drops, it would have been a different story for Lost because of how long the show is. Eight episodes is easy to get into compared to 22. If Lost was released today, the possibility is high that audiences would have gotten bored halfway through the show, which would have led to a decline in viewership numbers and eventually cancelation.

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