21 TV shows that found a second wind after they ended
These TV shows found new life after they ended, whether by cancellation or not.
"Friends" was one of Netflix's most popular shows in 2018 - more than 20 years after it premiered.
"Schitt's Creek" wrapped at the height of its popularity, but continued to win prestigious awards.
"Friends" ended 15 years ago but is still popular among its fans. The cast reunited recently to celebrate the anniversary.
Netflix paid $100 million to keep the sitcom until the end of 2019, and it has since been removed from the streaming service.
However, the show is now available to watch on HBO Max. The service also recently released a reunion special that brought the show's main cast members back together to reminisce on its lasting impact and behind-the-scenes stories.
"Friends: The Reunion" is available to stream on HBO Max as of Thursday, May 27.
"The Office" was the most popular show on Netflix in 2018, five years after it ended in 2013.
Michael Scott would be proud. It was the most-watched show on Netflix in 2018, with 52 million minutes streamed, according to Deadline. In 2021, the series was removed from the streaming service and is now available to watch on NBCUniversal's new streaming service, Peacock.
Netflix already has a replacement for "The Office" and "Friends," with the popular sitcom "Seinfeld."
Who knew a show about nothing would prove to be so long-lasting? The 1998 series finale of "Seinfeld" was viewed by 76.3 million people.
The show maintained its cultural presence through syndication, and more recently, through streaming services. While it didn't produce crazy numbers for Hulu, Netflix is hoping for it to be their next powerhouse, paying $500 million for a six-year deal starting in June 2021.
"Parks and Recreation" was the third-most popular show on Netflix three years after its finale.
Often paired with the similarly styled sitcom "The Office," the NBC comedy originally aired from 2009 to 2015. The show accounted for 2.3% of Netflix's total viewership in 2018, though it was frequently on the verge of cancellation while it was on the air.
And "That '70s Show" was No. 7 on the streaming service a decade after its end.
The '70s-based sitcom went off the air in 2006 after showing the characters finally making it to 1980. The show accounted for 1.2% of Netflix's total viewership in 2018. However, it has since been removed from the streaming service.
Canceled after three seasons, "Arrested Development" found a second life on Netflix.
Considered by some to be the greatest comedy of all time, the show had abysmal ratings when it aired on Fox in the early 2000s.
The show found a second wind with strong DVD sales and scenes that became memes online. The growing popularity led Netflix to resurrect the series for two more seasons, though these were less well-received.
"Sex and the City" ended in 2004 but has recently gained a devoted new following, leading to its reboot.
The finale of "Sex and the City" aired over 17 years ago, on February 22, 2004. However, in the over a decade since the show ended, it has seen a resurgence in popularity. Instagram accounts like Every Outfit on Sex and the City and Dan Clay, a drag queen Carrie Bradshaw impersonator, each have hundreds of thousands of followers.
The show is also getting the reboot treatment this year. In January, former "Sex and the City" cast members shared a teaser for "And Just Like That...," a 10-episode continuation of the original series. Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon, Willie Garson, and Chris Noth will all appear in the reboot.
When it first aired on HBO, "The Wire" had lower ratings than its contemporaries, but it continues to find new audiences today.
Everyone has a friend that tells them, "You have to watch 'The Wire'" — and it seems like people are finally listening. According to WarnerMedia, "The Wire" nearly tripled its audience in 2020 when people were home quarantining.
It's frequently called one of the best TV series of all time, though it didn't attract huge audiences. When it was on the air, the show averaged 4 million viewers. In comparison, "The Sopranos" averaged 18.2 million.
The long-running sitcom "Frasier" also found new interest through syndication and Netflix.
The sitcom, a spin-off of "Cheers," followed the exploits of radio host and psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane and his family and friends. The show found new life over a decade after it went off the air, as a soothing binge option on Netflix. In 2018, it accounted for 0.5% of all Netflix views.
"Gilmore Girls" also found a new audience on Netflix.
Going off the air in 2006, the mother-and-daughter show ran for seven seasons. The show found renewed interest on Netflix, where it accounted for 0.77% of all streams in 2018.
The streaming service brought back the show with a revival called "Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life," which had an estimated 5 million viewers.
"Freaks and Geeks" became popular after it ended due to its star-studded cast.
The show is a bit like looking into a celebrity yearbook. It starred plenty of young future stars, like Seth Rogen, Linda Cardellini, James Franco, and Jason Segel.
Canceled after one season, the show found new life on streaming services like Netflix and Hulu and is now considered one of the greatest high school shows of all time.
First airing in 1985, "The Golden Girls" is more popular than ever thanks to repeated syndication.
The adventures of Blanche, Dorothy, Sophia, and Rose continue to captivate younger audiences despite some of them not even being born when the series aired.
According to the Chicago Tribune, the show is popular due to its universal themes. In the past few years, there has been a wave of merchandise for the show, with brands selling everything from T-shirts to Chia pets to Funko "Golden Girls" figurines.
"Family Guy" was canceled in 2002, but proved too popular to stay away for long. It was brought back three years later.
Strong DVD sales and high syndication numbers on Adult Swim led Fox to reconsider the cancellation, and the network brought the show back for a fourth season in 2005. In 2021, "Family Guy" is still on the air.
The finale of "Schitt's Creek" aired in April 2020, and the final season was added to Netflix later that year. The show won two Golden Globe awards in 2021.
After winning awards in all seven major comedy categories at the Emmys last fall, the show won two Golden Globes in February 2021, including the award for Best TV Comedy series.
According to Deadline, while accepting the award, show creator and star Dan Levy thanked CBC and Pop TV, its Canadian network, "for making the active choice to keep this little show on the air and give it the time and space it needed to grow like so many TV shows out there."
Some have wondered why "Schitt's Creek" ended arguably at the height of its popularity. However, thanks to streaming services like Netflix, it's likely to reach new viewers for years to come.
Canceled after one season, "Firefly" finished its storylines in a feature film.
The show became a poster child for a show canceled when it was in its prime — only 14 episodes of the series were produced.
Strong DVD sales and fan campaigns helped showrunner Joss Whedon find the backing to make the 2005 film "Serenity."
Netflix turned "Breaking Bad" into the cultural phenomenon it is today.
After moving the previous seasons of the saga of Walter White to Netflix, the show's final season produced its highest ratings ever, including 10.3 million viewers for the finale.
Since it aired, the show has maintained its popularity through glowing reviews. A sequel movie for Netflix, "El Camino," earned 6.3 million views after its release in 2019.
The 1966 series "Star Trek" spawned a media empire ranging from books, to TV series, to multiple films.
Airing in the 1960s, the series was canceled after only three seasons.
Through syndication, the show found a new audience, which formed conventions and viewing parties around the show. In 1979, the first film based on the series was released — there have been 13 movies and eight TV shows in the "Star Trek" universe, all based on a three-season-long show in the '60s.
Off the air for over 50 years, "The Andy Griffith Show" continues to find new audiences everywhere through syndication.
The show revolved around a small-town sheriff, his deputy, and his son (a young Ron Howard in his first starring role).
According to TV by the Numbers, reruns of the show accounted for 3.6 billion minutes of audience engagement in 2010.
Canceled after two seasons, "Twin Peaks" found new audiences and earned a movie and a television revival along the way.
The original show's cliffhanger left audiences infuriated at their TV screens for 25 years. Since then, the show has taken an almost-mythical status, influencing shows like "Bates Motel" and "Riverdale."
A prequel movie was released in 1992, "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me." Twenty-five years later, Showtime resurrected the property in 2017 with a sequel show called "Twin Peaks: The Return," which proved to be successful for its streaming service.
Thirteen years after it was canceled, "Deadwood" finally got the conclusion that it deserved.
Like many shows before it, the western was canceled on a cliffhanger, but audiences never gave up hope on a conclusion. The show proved popular enough in the 13-year interim that HBO brought it back for one last hurrah with a sequel film, "Deadwood: The Movie," which tied up loose ends.
First going off the air in 1989, "Doctor Who" regenerated itself into a completely new show.
The British show captivated audiences for 26 seasons but was canceled in 1989, but a series of books and audio story spin-offs proved interest for the property was still alive.
In 2005, a revival of the show launched with 10 million viewers tuning in. So far, an additional 12 seasons plus multiple Christmas specials have been produced.
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