7 Shows at Risk of Cancellation That I Don’t Want To Lose
This is an excellent time for television, with drama series like Severance and Paradise, and comedies like Abbott Elementary and Hacks. These are the shows that everyone can’t stop talking about, and rightfully so. There are so many phenomenal shows that are currently airing and being released for streaming, though, that many don’t get the attention that they deserve.
An underrated series is nothing new, but nowadays more than ever, this can put a show at risk of cancellation. It is always such a disappointment when a beloved show gets cancelled, especially before it ever gets the opportunity to tell its story in the way that is planned. There are a number of recent cancellations that have broken my heart, including How to Die Alone, The Sex Lives of College Girls, and now Mythic Quest. Many of the shows I’m currently enjoying have fates that are up in the air right now, and these are 7 of them.
7
‘Heartstopper’
3 Seasons
Based on Alice Oseman‘s successful graphic novels that have more than enough content for more seasons, Heartstopper should be a no-brainer when it comes to being renewed for another season. The series follows the love story of Charlie Spring (Joe Locke) and Nick Nelson (Kit Connor), two high school students who become friends and gradually fall in love after getting assigned to sit next to each other in a shared class.
With the success of its previous seasons, it is more than a little concerning that it has been almost six months since the release of Season 3, and it has still not been renewed. At this point, if Heartstopper does get a fourth season, it will likely be its last. The online comic is still ongoing, which will mean the release of more graphic novels, but the bulk of this story can be wrapped up with one more season. It does need another season, though, to touch on the events of Oseman’s Radio Silence, and to properly conclude all of the main characters’ storylines.
6
‘Pulse’
1 Season
Pulse has only just been released, so it’s difficult to determine whether it has a chance of being renewed. The problem is, Netflix shows don’t typically get a lot of time to prove themselves before getting cancelled, and its first season was a mixed bag. In order to try to stand out apart from other medical dramas, the show made the baffling decision to center on the fallout of a romantic relationship that ended in a report to HR.
There would have been a way to touch on this with nuance, but instead, Pulse seems to be still trying to make Danny (Willa Fitzgerald) and Xander (Colin Woodell) work as a romance. It has a compelling hospital setting, though, and some really likable side characters. The show also has great side romances: the forbidden romance between Tom (Jack Bannon) and Nia (Ash Santos), and the budding slowburn between Sophie (Chelsea Muirhead) and Camila (Daniela Nieves). Pulse‘s side romances are much better than its main one, and they deserve time to grow.
5
‘Doctor Odyssey’
1 Season
At this point, Doctor Odyssey is the only one of ABC’s network dramas that has not yet been renewed, and I’m getting pretty worried about its future. The show has all of the makings to be a long-lasting medical drama. It follows Max (Joshua Jackson), a successful doctor who decides to take a job on a cruise ship after a near-death experience. He works alongside nurses Avery (Phillipa Soo) and Tristan (Sean Teale), and the ship’s captain, Robert (Don Johnson).
Doctor Odyssey‘s biggest problem is its pacing. It rushed way too quickly into the romantic storylines between Max, Avery, and Tristan, then threw in a random pregnancy storyline way too early. The show has since retconned the storyline by revealing that what seemed to be a pregnancy was actually a cyst, but it’s going to be hard for the show to come back from that. The love triangle at the center of the show needs to be shaken up more if Doctor Odyssey wants to go on longer, but I’d like to see it have the chance to find its sea legs (pun intended).
4
‘Geek Girl’
1 Season
Geek Girl‘s fate has me especially nervous, because it has been out for almost a year now, and it still hasn’t been renewed for another season. It hasn’t been cancelled either, but with Netflix shows, no news is typically bad news. Based on the series of novels by Holly Smale, the series follows Harriet Manners (Emily Carey), a neurodivergent teenage girl who is very enthusiastic and creative, but has trouble fitting in at school.
While on a class field trip to London Fashion Week, Harriet’s life is forever changed when she’s scouted by modeling agent Wilbur Evans (Emmanuel Imani). Geek Girl is such a fun show, giving Harriet a classic Cinderella story as she turns out to be a great model, and develops a sweet romance with fellow model Nick Park (Liam Woodrum). The book series already has enough content for more seasons, and I’d love to see more from Geek Girl.
3
‘Yellowjackets’
3 Seasons
With its first two seasons, there was never a doubt that Yellowjackets would be renewed. The drama series is one of the most creative shows on TV right now, balancing between a wilderness survival story in the past, and a messy story about the past coming back to haunt the girls in the present. The show made some seriously questionable choices for the adult timeline this season, though, killing off two beloved characters in really odd and disappointing ways.
With the mixed reception to Yellowjackets adult timeline storylines this season, there is a significant chance that it will be cancelled, but that would be a mistake. The Season 3 finale has set up Season 4 to be the last season, if it is renewed. In the past, Nat (Sophie Thatcher) has made contact with civilization, but there are still deaths left that we haven’t seen yet. In the present, Tai (Tawny Cypress) and Misty (Christina Ricci) seem to be ready to try to take down Shauna (Melanie Lynskey), who has just reconnected with her wilderness self.
2
‘Laid’
1 Season
Based on the Australian series of the same name, Laid is a rom-com with a fantastical twist. The series Ruby Yao (Stephanie Hsu), a hopeless romantic who is unlucky in love, primarily due to her selfish and self-sabotaging choices. When all of Ruby’s exes start dying in chronological order, she realizes that there is some sort of curse affecting her, and tries to stop it before anybody else dies.
Laid is such a fun show that has set up a really compelling central mystery, as Ruby still doesn’t know what has caused this curse, but she does know that there is a much more complex story behind it than she initially thought. Ruby is also caught in the middle of a love triangle between her ex, Richie (Michael Angarano), and her new love interest, Isaac (Tommy Martinez). The season ended with too many loose ends for it to be cancelled now, but it’s been months and Peacock still hasn’t renewed it.
1
‘Based on a True Story’
2 Seasons
Based on a True Story is the darker, more unhinged cousin of Only Murders in the Building. In this sitcom, though, the main characters, Ava (Kaley Cuoco) and Nathan (Chris Messina), find out the identity of serial killer Matt Pierce (Tom Bateman) in the show’s pilot. Motivated by their need for money and Ava’s love of the true crime genre, they blackmail Matt into anonymously making a podcast with them where he talks about all of his kills.
In a rare and impressive feat, Based on a True Story improved on an already strong first season with an absolutely phenomenal second season. It heightens everything, with more shocking twists, sharper commentary on the issues with true crime podcasts, and much messier looks into the nuances of its characters. Based on a True Story is one of the most creative series on TV right now, but it still hasn’t been renewed, and I need at least one more season of it.
