The biggest TV shows cancelled in 2021

Welcome to the TV graveyard, where we're cataloguing the most notable casualties of the 2021 season because we're helpful (and morbid) like that.

Here's the current rundown.

Hanna – three seasons

Based on the 2011 movie, Amazon Prime's Hanna has followed teenage Hanna (Esme Creed-Miles) for three seasons as she tried to bring down shady government program UTRAX and the people behind it who had trained girls to be super-soldiers and killers.

By the end of season two, Hanna had formed an allegiance with her former enemies, CIA agents Marissa Wiegler (Mireille Enos) and Carmichael (Dermot Mulroney), and their objective in season three was to bring down UTRAX and new bad guy Gordon Evans (Ray Liotta).

The six-episode third season, which arrived on Amazon Prime on November 24, was always intended to be the last according to showrunner David Farr, and therefore features a proper ending for the teen assassin.

"That was always the intention, to be honest," Farr told EW. "If you look back at when I was talking about the second season, I talked about how it needed the 'third act'. I come from theatre originally, and I always have full act structure in my head to how a piece of drama plays out. And in this case, I felt that there was this very clear arc."

For Life – two seasons

The ABC and Sky legal drama For Life, inspired by the real-life story of Isaac Wright who trained to be a lawyer while in prison himself, has been cancelled after two seasons.

Nicholas Pinnock, who starred as Aaron Wallace in the show, exclusively told Digital Spy that the cast and crew didn’t know the series was going to be cancelled when they were filming season two.

"We planned for the possibility that there may not have been one, but we didn't know at all, no," he said. "I think there's more of the story that could have been told. I'm a great believer that if there's an appetite for something... if people want it, I believe that we should do what we can to give it to them. But if there is a demand for it and people want it then they need to campaign and try to bring it back.”

It was reported by TV Line that ratings fell between seasons one and two and unfortunately, For Life failed to find a new home for a third season after it was cancelled by ABC.

"Sadly, the live audience numbers didn't reflect and equal the social media attention… the catch-up numbers were really good, but that doesn't fit the model of a network show," Pinnock tweeted when the cancellation was announced earlier this year.

Lost In Space – three seasons

The 2018 reimagining of the classic 1965 TV series (which itself was a reimagining of the novel The Swiss Family Robinson) has run for three seasons, with the third and final one arriving on Netflix on December 1.

Set 30 years in the future, the show followed the Robinson family as they set off in space to colonise a new planet but end up crash-landing on a completely different rock than they intended.

Starring Molly Parker, Toby Stephens, Maxwell Jenkins and Ignacio Serricchio, the show experienced a two-year gap between seasons two and three, which may have contributed to the cancellation decision.

However, showrunner Zack Estrin did reveal to Variety that a three-season journey for the Robinson family had always been the plan.

"From the beginning, we've always viewed this particular story of The Robinsons as a trilogy," he said. "A three-part epic family adventure with a clear beginning, middle and end. It's also worth noting that, with what these characters go through just trying to survive each episode – if anyone deserves to catch their breath before their next mission – it's Will, Penny, Judy, Maureen, John, Don West, Dr Smith… and The Robot. And, of course, Debbie the chicken."

Estrin has signed a deal with Netflix to produce new shows for the streaming service now that Lost In Space has finished.

"While this chapter of Lost In Space is coming to a rousing conclusion, I'm excited about continuing to explore new stories with my friends at Netflix, and for all the incredible possibilities that lie ahead."

Lovecraft Country – one season

The first season of Lovecraft Country aired in the winter of 2020, and a second season, entitled Lovecraft Country: Supremacy was in development in early 2021.

However, in July HBO announced that the horror series had been cancelled. The first season did reach a conclusion (which we won't spoil here), so fortunately fans weren't left with too many loose ends.

The unusual drama followed Atticus Freeman (Jonathan Majors), as he teamed up with his friend Letitia (Jurnee Smollett) and Uncle George (Courtney B Vance) to go on a cross-country trip across 1950s Jim Crow America (the segregated areas of the country) in search of his missing father. En route they learned of the dark secrets and scary monsters plaguing the towns, with the creatures based on classic horror writer HP Lovecraft’s creations.

Ambitious and unique, the series was nominated for an impressive 18 Emmy Awards, winning two (for Sound Editing and Courtney B Vance's Guest Actor in a Drama Series performance) – but that didn't save it from cancellation.

HBO's Casey Bloys told Variety: "When you make the decision to not go forward with a show, it's usually a confluence of factors. And that was the case here. It has to be something we think makes sense for us. In this case, we couldn't get there… I don't think it would be fair to point at any one particular thing. I think the work that Misha [Green, the series' creator] did, and the recognition that it got, this doesn't change any of that."

Star Jonathan Majors is now part of the Marvel universe, starring as He Who Remains in Loki (and later – spoiler alert – that character is revealed as Kang the Conqueror in the next Ant-Man and the Wasp movie) while Jurnee Smollett will be returning to her DC Comics role from Birds of Prey in the planned 2023 Black Canary spin-off movie.

Dickinson – three seasons

Apple TV announced in September that the third season of Dickinson would be the last. The story of Emily Dickinson launched in 2019, with Hailee Steinfeld in the title role as the aspiring 19th century poet in love with her best friend Sue (Ella Hunt).

"When I set out to make Dickinson, I envisioned the show as a three-season journey that would tell the origin story of America's greatest female poet in a whole new way, highlighting Emily's relevance and resonance in our society today," creator Alena Smith said in a statement (via Variety).

"In my wildest dreams I could never have imagined how rich and satisfying the experience of making this show would become and the incredible joy it has been to tell Emily's story along with Hailee (Steinfeld) and our brilliant, passionate cast and crew."

Steinfeld, of course, has since gone on to star as Kate Bishop in the Marvel TV series Hawkeye, currently on Disney+.

Narcos: Mexico – three seasons

The final season of Narcos: Mexico dropped on Netflix on November 5, and the producers have confirmed there will be no more new episodes focusing on Mexico's illegal drug trade.

Co-creator Carlo Bernard told The Hollywood Reporter why the third season would be the last for the crime drama series.

"I saw this season as an origin story of the modern world that we live in," he said. "For me, it felt like bringing the show up to that spot where we now recognise, for better or for worse, made sense as a place to stop it. The show has been able to lift the curtains and show you how this thing began, how it evolved."

Both the original Narcos and Narcos: Mexico ran for three seasons, and there is the possibility the team may reunite for a new version set somewhere else in the future. In the meantime, Bernard and his team are working on a new project, a limited series about Colombian drug queen Griselda Blanco, starring Modern Family's Sofia Vergara.

Supergirl – six seasons

Melissa Benoist hung up her Supergirl cape after six seasons with a two-episode finale in November that had Kara trying to defeat Lex Luthor (Jon Cryer) and Nyxly (Peta Sergeant) once and for all.

"I definitely felt a different kind of closure when we wrapped on set, very bittersweet," Benoist told EW in October. "I felt all the emotions you could feel in the last two weeks of shooting that show.

"The last week on set was really intense, really emotional, really joyful and fun. We had a lot of cast come back and playing with those guys again made me really happy."

No official reason for the show's cancellation has been given, but falling ratings were probably to blame – on The CW the series peaked at around three million viewers per episode in the early seasons, but this had dropped to around 1.6 million viewers by season five.

Peaky Blinders – six seasons

The BBC crime drama, which revolves around the exploits of the Shelby family, is bowing out with the upcoming sixth season, despite previous talk of a seventh instalment.

Creator Steven Knight confirmed in January that the cast and crew were back on set after a lengthy delay imposed by COVID, as well as delivering the big news.

But he did say that it isn't strictly the end. "Peaky is back and with a bang. After the enforced production delay due to the COVID pandemic, we find the family in extreme jeopardy and the stakes have never been higher.

"We believe this will be the best series of all and are sure that our amazing fans will love it. While the TV series will be coming to an end, the story will continue in another form."

We'd expect season six to air at the end of 2021 at the very earliest, but 2022 is more likely.

Killing Eve – four seasons

It was confirmed back in March that the upcoming season of Killing Eve will be the show's final outing.

"Killing Eve has been one of my greatest experiences and I look forward to diving back into Eve's remarkable mind soon," said Sandra Oh (via Variety):

Jodie Comer added: "Killing Eve has been the most extraordinary journey and one that I will be forever grateful for." She promised that the last hurrah will be "one to remember".

According to The Hollywood Reporter's sources, the decision to call time on the show was purely a creative one and not connected to the contract that executive producer Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who was showrunner on season one, signed with Amazon in 2019.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine – eight seasons

It's been confirmed that NBC's police procedural Brooklyn Nine-Nine will end with season eight.

"When Mike Schur and I first pitched the pilot episode to [star] Andy [Samberg], he said, 'I'm in, but I think the only way to tell this story is over exactly 153 episodes,' which was crazy because that was exactly the number Mike and I had envisioned," said executive producer Dan Goor said in a statement.

"I feel incredibly lucky to have worked with this amazing cast and crew for eight seasons. They are not only among the most talented people in the business, they are all good human beings who have become a family."

Terry Crews (Terry Jeffords) wrote: "I'm sad it will end, but happy to have had the chance to be a part of something so special."

Melissa Fumero (Amy Santiago on the show) tweeted: "It has been one of the greatest joys and honour of my life to play Amy. I am so grateful to be able to take a victory lap with our beloved cast and crew. To our amazing fans, we love you. No tears for now, we still have a whole season to shoot!"

The show lived on Fox for its first five seasons, before it was axed. But NBC brought it back to life.

Season eight will hit US screens in August, and for UK and Irish fans, season seven is available to watch now on Netflix.

Holby City – 23 seasons

In huge news, the end is nigh for Holby City.

"We are incredibly proud of Holby City but it's with great sadness that we are announcing that after 23 years, the show will end on screen in March of next year," said the BBC in a statement.

"We sometimes have to make difficult decisions to make room for new opportunities and as part of the BBC's commitment to make more programmes across the UK, we have taken the difficult decision to bring the show to a close in order to reshape the BBC's drama slate to better reflect, represent and serve all parts of the country."

We dive into all of the reasons behind its axing here.

The Ellen DeGeneres Show – 19 seasons

The final episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show will air in the US in spring 2022.

The US daytime talk show was flung into the spotlight for all of the wrong reasons last year following allegations from people who had worked behind the scenes of a toxic culture off-camera.

But according to DeGeneres herself, the controversy did not force her into making this decision having only renewed the show for three years back in 2019.

"When you're a creative person, you constantly need to be challenged – and as great as this show is, and as fun as it is, it's just not a challenge anymore," she told The Hollywood Reporter.

"The truth is I've always trusted my instincts. And my instinct told me it's time."

The Ellen DeGeneres Show airs on NBC in the States and ITV2 in the UK.

American Gods – three seasons

Chatting to EW, creator Neil Gaiman said: "If we don't get a season four, we've ended on the single most frustrating, upsetting and maddening place that any season could possibly end."

Clearly, the Amazon execs didn't watch American Gods because they were all too happy to pull the plug after season three. But it's not all doom and gloom. Deadline reported that there is the possibility of an event series or a feature-length film to tie up those loose ends.

As for why the show was cancelled, its viewership began to suffer, with many feeling that the series had declined in quality. There were also issues with previous showrunners relating to budget overspend.

Y: The Last Men – one season

FX on Hulu cancelled the post-apocalyptic series, based on Brian K Vaughan' comic series of the same name, after just one outing, much to the dismay of showrunner Eliza Clark.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the decision was not based on viewing figures, which are the usual culprit. A change in showrunner and the extensive cast shakeup following various scheduling issues, plus further delays imposed by the pandemic, forced FX to shell out more than it wanted to for contract extensions.

But as Clark said in her above tweet, there's always a chance the series will wind up finding a new home.

Jupiter's Legacy – one season

Netflix superhero show Jupiter's Legacy, which centres on the Sampson family, the world's first superheroes who gained their capabilities in the 1930s, has reached the end of the line after just one season.

Clearly, it wasn't the hit the company was hoping it would be, and the reviews, which ranged from middling to scathing, attest to that.

But its creator Mark Millar is working on a live-action adaptation of his Supercrooks comic book series, so here's hoping he has more luck with that.

Pose – three seasons

It's three seasons and out for FX's Pose, a series about 1980s ball culture in New York during the AIDS epidemic.

"It was a very difficult decision for us to make, but this has been an incredible journey and we have told the story that we wanted to tell the way that we wanted to tell it," co-creator Ryan Murphy said in a statement.

Co-creator Steven Canals had previously told The Hollywood Reporter that he envisaged the show running for five chapters: "With that said, could it be a four-season? Could it be a six-season? Sure. It could be more or less. What's really important for all of us – and maybe more specifically for Ryan, Brad [Falchuk] and I – is that we felt we told the story that we intended to tell. Once we've hit that point, we'll know that it's time to end it."

Speaking about why he wanted to make the show in the first place, Canals said: "At the time we weren't seeing very many Black and Latinx characters – that happened to also be LGBTQ+ – populating screens. And so I wrote the first draft of a pilot the 'younger me' deserved.

"Pose was conceived as a love letter to the underground NY ballroom community, to my beloved New York, to my queer and trans family, to myself. I, along with my incredible collaborators, never intended on changing the TV landscape.

"I simply wanted to tell an honest story about family, resilience and love. How fortunate am I to have done that for three seasons."

Pose is available to stream on BBC iPlayer and Netflix in the UK.

Kim's Convenience – five seasons

CBC's Kim's Convenience, a Canadian sitcom which charts the lives of the Kims, a Korean Canadian family who run a suit-all-your-needs store in Toronto, was initially renewed for seasons five and six. But that is no longer the case, with the latter taken off the table while a spinoff called Strays, which revolves around Nicole Power's Shannon, is on its way.

It later emerged that all was not well behind the scenes, with cast members Simu Liu and Jean Yoon publicly discussing the lack of representation in the writers' room, which is nothing new, sadly.

The producers also revealed on Twitter that its co-creators Ins Choi, who wrote the play of the same name on which it's based, and Kevin White were "were moving on to other projects".

Manifest – four seasons

NBC supernatural drama Manifest, which charts the fallout from a group of plane passengers miraculously reappearing five years after they disappeared into thin air, was initially bowing out with season three.

The reason: declining ratings. When the show first premiered, 10.4 million people tuned in and the season average sat at 6.5 million. But season three's average was a substantially lesser 3.1 million.

But in BIG news, Netflix is picking it up for one final hurrah after the show enjoyed a boost on the platform.

Fans can expect a further 20 episodes.

"Since its premiere on Netflix in June, Manifest has proven very popular with our members," said Bela Bajaria, Netflix head of global TV (via EW). "[Creator] Jeff Rake and his team have crafted a beguiling mystery that has viewers around the world on the edge of their seats and believing again in second chances, and we're thrilled that they will bring fans some closure with this final super-sized season."

Cursed – one season

Netflix's Cursed, the re-imagining of King Arthur's legend, proved to be just that when the streamer axed it after just one season.

The response from both critics and viewers was muted, which suggests that the viewing figures weren't anything to shout about.

The Irregulars – one season

YA Sherlock Holmes drama The Irregulars, which follows a group of teens who solve Sherlock and Dr Watson's mysterious crimes for them, has been canned by Netflix after just one outing.

The streamer didn't explain the decision behind the axing, but it's a given that the show didn't perform as well as the company would have liked. Netflix has cited financial strain imposed by the pandemic in the past following other cancellations, which could have been a contributing factor.

Birds of a Feather – 12 seasons

A show source recently told Radio Times that "there are no current plans for a new series" of ITV sitcom Birds of a Feather, which revolves around squabbling sisters Sharon (Quirke) and Tracey (Linda Robson), and their neighbour Dorien (Lesley Joseph).

It might not come as a surprise to fans following Quirke's absence from the 30th anniversary show in 2019 and last year's Christmas special. There have also been rumblings of a feud between Quirke and Robson.

But Robson herself labelled those rumours "codswallop" (via The Sun) and told people to "take no notice" of the reported fallout.

"Pauline just chose not to do Birds Of A Feather," she added. "She wants to concentrate on her acting academy, that's that."

Good Girls – four seasons

NBC comedy-drama Good Girls, which revolves around three friends who become mixed-up in a life of crime to give their bank balances a much-needed boost, made it to season four before it was axed.

The series had experienced a ratings decline – season two's viewer average was 2.3 million, with season four dropping to 1.5 million so far.

The network and the studio were looking at bringing the series back for one more season to "close out the story, but they were unable to make the financials work", according to Deadline. And Universal Television will not be taking it to market, so it really is the end of the road for Good Girls.

The Twilight Zone – two seasons

Jordan Peele's Twilight Zone reboot will not be back for a third season.

Monkeypaw & Genre Films, the production company behind it, said in a statement (via TVLine): "We greatly enjoyed our time working on The Twilight Zone – particularly when the real world around us often felt more and more like another dimension.

"We cherished the opportunity to collaborate with so many talented writers, actors and crew members. After 20 unique episodes, we have told the stories that we wanted to tell, and CBS All Access was gracious in their understanding of our decision.

"It was an honour and a privilege to bring audiences a modern re-imagining of Rod Serling's iconic creation."

Cast members across the two seasons included Jurnee Smollett (Lovecraft Country), Steven Yeun (The Walking Dead), Ginnifer Goodwin (Once Upon a Time) and Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick), to name just a handful.

The series aired on Syfy and Sky One in the UK.

The Circle – three series

Channel 4 has said goodbye to reality series The Circle, hosted by Emma Willis, in which a group of contestants can only communicate via a social media platform on which they can play as themselves, or catfish their fellow competitors.

"The Circle has been a huge hit for young audiences and has grown successively over three seasons on Channel 4, consistently outperforming slot averages," the broadcaster told Digital Spy.

"In much the same way as when we originally commissioned The Circle, Channel 4 has a responsibility to continually look at how we reinvent and create space for new ideas, and so we have decided not to commission the show for a fourth season."

But given that the US version of the show streams on Netflix, Channel 4 has said that a UK version could also live on that platform: "The second season of The Circle US is doing very well on Netflix and we are in talks with Netflix about the future of the show in both America and in the UK."

Grand Army – one season

Netflix's Grand Army will not be getting a second season. The teen drama, which follows the students from the fictional Brooklyn high school of the same name, tackles everything from race to class to sexual assault.

The streaming giant keeps its cards close to its chest in regards to viewing figures, but it's fairly obvious that the show wasn't pulling in strong enough numbers.

The Duchess – one season

Katherine Ryan's The Duchess, in which the comedian plays an artist and single mum living in London who decides to have another baby, will not be getting a second season.

Speaking on Vicky Pattison's The Secret To… podcast, she said: "[Netflix] didn't want to make any more, not enough people watched it. I think something like 10 million people watched it in 28 days and that wasn't enough.

"But also, I'm not terribly sad about it. I feel like it's a whole lot of work, a whole lot of time to make a sitcom. I was so grateful to be able to make it, but I think it speaks for itself. I kind of like the way it ended."

Zoey's Extraordinary playlist – two seasons

It's two seasons and out for musical comedy-drama Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, in which Jane Levy's Zoey Clarke hears people's innermost thoughts as songs.

Its streaming and delayed viewing figures were decent, but it fell down in the traditional ratings department, which would have been a turnoff for those advertising with NBC. And as we all know, money talks.

But its creator is still holding out hope.

Mixed-ish – two seasons

Mixed-ish, the prequel spin-off to Black-ish, won't be back for a third instalment.

The sitcom, set in 1985, stars Arica Himmel as Rainbow Johnson, a young girl figuring out what it means to be biracial in the place and time in which she's living.

According to Deadline, its second season wasn't flying in the ratings department.

Truth Seekers – one season

Cornetto trilogy duo Nick Frost and Simon Pegg were hit with some disappointing news in February when their Amazon comedy, which follows part-time paranormal investigators, was canned.

"Sadly, Truth Seekers will not be returning for a second season," said Frost in a now-deleted Instagram video. "Truth Seekers has not been renewed, which is a massive kick in the willy for me.

"We really put our all into this – our heart and soul, and blood in some cases, so to not come back is really sad for us. It's a shame. I think we had lots of lovely ghost stories to tell – stories that will remain now untold. If you liked the show, thank you. And if you didn't, are you happy now?"

Samson Kayo (Bloods), Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange), Susan Wokoma (Enola Holmes, Chewing Gum) and Julian Barratt (Bloods, The Mighty Boosh) also appeared alongside the pair.

Wynonna Earp – four seasons

The second half of Wynonna Earp's fourth season, which hit Syfy in the States on March 5, is its last hoorah.

Melanie Scrofano, who plays the titular demon hunter, wrote on Twitter: "I'm really proud of what we've accomplished over these four seasons and so excited to get to watch the second half of season 4 together. There will be tears but there will also be laughs. And crop tops. And family."

But it sounds like there could be more stories from this world coming our way in the future.

"I have been honoured to tell Wynonna and her family's story, and along with Seven24, Cineflix and CTV Sci-Fi, are hopeful we can continue to share their inspiring tales in the future," said showrunner Emily Andras (via Entertainment Weekly).

Wynonna Earp airs on 5Spike in the UK.

Year of the Rabbit – one season

After renewing Matt Berry's Year of the Rabbit for a second season, Channel 4 announced that it had reversed its decision due to the impact of the pandemic.

"We're hugely proud of this hilarious and fearless comedy series, but as result of the impact of COVID on our schedules we have made the difficult decision not to enter into a second series with a heavy heart," said a C4 spokesperson.

But Layla Smith, chief executive of producers Objective Media Group, has said that they're working on finding a new partner.

The period sitcom stars Berry as a detective in London, alongside his incompetent partner, played by Freddie Fox (The Pursuit of Love), and Susan Wokoma as the country's first female detective.

Mom – eight seasons

CBS sitcom Mom, which previously starred Anna Faris as single mum and recovering alcoholic Christy Plunkett, will not continue after season eight.

This comes after Faris did not return for the final season.

Her former co-star Allison Janney, who plays her mother Bonnie, said that both the actor and her character are "very missed", adding: "We are just happy she is doing what she wants to do now and we are happy that we are still able to tell these stories about these great women in recovery."

Mom previously aired on ITV2 in the UK, but was eventually dropped. You can purchase the first four seasons on Amazon.

Dad Stop Embarrassing Me! – one season

Netflix family sitcom Dad Stop Embarrassing Me! starring Jamie Foxx will not be returning for round two.

Like we said, Netflix is very secretive when it comes to its data, but we can safely assume that the numbers weren't anything to shout about.

Foxx has two upcoming films with the platform – They Cloned Tyrone and Day Shift – so he's got plenty to be getting on with.

Prodigal Son – two seasons

Fox serial killer drama Prodigal Son will not be getting a third outing.

It starred Tom Payne (The Walking Dead) as FBI profiler Malcolm Bright, Michael Sheen (Quiz) as Malcolm's father and serial killer Martin Whitly, and Catherine Zeta-Jones (Feud: Bette and Joan) as a doctor working at a psychiatric hospital, among others.

"Wow. Gutted. Didn't see that one coming," said Lou Diamond Phillips, who plays NYC police lieutenant Gil Arroyo, on Twitter. "Might be taking a few days away from the platform #Prodigies.

"Just know that you have been the most wonderful, entertaining, brilliant fan base I have ever encountered. Much Love. #GilArroyo #ProdigalSon."

Season one aired in the UK on Sky One.

You Might Also Like

• Animal Crossing New Horizons is finally announced on Nintendo Switch

• How to watch Amazon Prime on your TV, smartphone and tablet – and enjoy Good Omens online

• Nintendo to release two new Switch consoles this year