Some of TV’s most heartbreaking cancellations remain painful for their fanbases today, with one of the most famous being the sci-fi Western Firefly. While Firefly fans eventually received closure and answers with the movie Serenity, many masterpiece TV shows ended with frustrating unsolved cliffhangers, leaving viewers without any resolution, such as Santa Clarita Diet.
Cancellations that end on cliffhangers can become a self-fulfilling prophecy, as new viewers may hesitate to start a show with a frustrating ending, which lowers its chances of being saved. However, a great way to gauge whether a show has staying power or might gain cult status over time is by examining the reaction to its cancellation. Fan campaigns have rescued major TV shows, while others have been saved by streaming platforms that recognized their potential, allowing these series to conclude and attract more fans over time.
The Expanse
Based on the book by James S. A. Corey, the six-season epic The Expanse is one of the greatest sci-fi TV masterpieces of all time. However, when Syfy canceled the show in May 2018, it could have ended after the third season, leaving viewers with a cliffhanger and no iconic moments like Naomi’s heart-stopping leap of faith. The immense “#SaveTheExpanse” fan campaign that followed was supported by celebrities like Wil Wheaton and George R. R. Martin.
Within a month, Amazon picked up the show for a fourth season, and The Expanse was renewed two more times, announcing its continuation shortly before each season aired. The show officially concluded with season 6, but the book’s authors told Polygon that while they had planned a six-part arc, they view this as a pause rather than the story’s conclusion.
Lucifer
Lucifer is arguably one of the most controversial TV shows to air on mainstream television. The casting of Biblical figures like Lucifer as antiheroes prompted boycotts and protests, but the show was canceled for more mundane reasons related to declining viewership. Showrunner Joe Henderson attempted to persuade the network to reconsider using a diabolical strategy by ending season 3 on a major cliffhanger, which led to the #SaveLucifer fan campaign attracting Netflix’s attention.
Netflix revived Lucifer and improved its final seasons, completing the six-season arc of the show, which has become one of the best urban fantasy series on television. At that time, network television was generally slightly less violent than streaming platforms, but Netflix embraced Lucifer‘s darker elements. While the show was never graphically gory, it became darker in its final seasons while shifting its focus to character development rather than casework.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
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