26 TV Shows We Lost in 2018 (And 6 That Were Saved)
26 TV Shows We Lost in 2018 (And 6 That Were Saved) (continued)
25. The Last Ship
The TNT drama The Last Ship came to an end with its fifth season. After being renewed for Season 4 in July 2016 with a Season 5 renewal quickly following in September the two final seasons were shot back to back with each consisting of ten episodes.
Though the cancellation wasn’t official many suspected that it could be the end for The Last Ship, and TNT announced that the show would officially end with Season 5 in May of this year.
26. The Royals
When The Royals started it was exactly what you’d expect from an E! Scripted Series. It was a very guilty pleasure sure about a fictional royal family starring the wonderful Elizabeth Hurley as the Queen of England. She was magnificent. She starred alongside Narnia’s William Moseley, Home and Away’s Alexandra Park, and Tom Austen.
We got a peek behind the curtain at the Henstridge Monarchy. The Queen and her machinations, Moselely’s Prince Liam reaction to suddenly being the heir to the throne, his twin Eleanor’s reliance on drugs and alcohol and Austen’s take on a conman turned Bodyguard.
Because of the network and the campy nature, not many gave the show a chance. What they didn’t know was that it actually found its stride in season 2. From that point, it thrived giving us an intriguing plot and even more intriguing characters. Alliances were formed and broken within the palace walls. It continued upping the stakes season after season.
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Not every canceled show meant the end for the series. There were a few shows lucky enough to get canceled by the network they called home to be revived for another season.
Here are six shows that got a second chance in 2018.
1. The Expanse
Fans were distraught when Syfy canceled The Expanse in May ahead of its Season 3 finale. Fortunately, Amazon stepped in to revive the series for a fourth season citing outcry from fans.
The series is set two centuries into the future in a colonized solar system. The destruction of an ice-hauling ship sets off the plot and uncovers a vast conspiracy that exploits the political between Earth, Mars, and the inhabitants of the asteroid belt.
The Expanse Season 3 brought the system to war and has opened up a host of new storylines for the fourth season.
2. Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Fox canceled the cop drama, but Brooklyn Nine-Nine but it quickly found a new home.
Fans were upset by the cancellation and took to Twitter to express their outrage, quickly turning to Hulu, Amazon Prime, and Netflix to save the show. However, NBC stepped in 24-hours later and picked up the series.
Never let it be said that fans can’t get stuff done.
3. Lucifer
After airing the third season of Lucifer, Fox decided to cancel the series. Much like Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Lucifer quickly became the Number 1 trending topic on Twitter and found a new home when Netflix decided to pick up the show for a fourth season.
Just in time too, Deadline reports that the decision came the day the cast contracts were set to expire.
4. Designated Survivor
KIEFER SUTHERLAND
After the series went through several showrunners, ABC let go of Keifer Sutherland led political drama Designated Survivor in May.
However, Netflix stepped in and ordered another ten episodes in September. Production on the new episodes will begin in 2019. Entertainment Weekly reports that President Kirkman will have to face the political reality of campaigning in the new season.
5. Timeless
You might be sitting here wondering, “What? How is Timeless in the saved shows section? Didn’t the series just air a finale movie?” That’s because Timeless technically was saved.
NBC canceled the series after Season 2, and it was later given the chance to close out the story with two bonus episodes called “The Miracle of Christmas” which aired on December 20th.
While no new Timeless is on the horizon, the fan campaign is still hard at work trying to show other platforms that the show has support and could continue should another platform want to open the door.
6. Roseanne/The Conners
Roseanne is no more, but the series lives in the form of The Conners.
After a tweet sparked controversy ABC canceled the revived sitcom, but later decided to rebrand it as The Conners. In the first episode of the new series, it’s revealed that Roseanne dies of an opioid overdose.
There was some speculation as to if the series could survive without the title character, but the rebranded series received an additional episode order in October.
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How did your favorite TV show fare during 2018? Did it end on a good note? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
*Additional contributions by Cristina Iskander, Maii Trueba de Buen, Lacey Baugher, and Esme Mazzeo.
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Lauren Busser
Lauren Busser is an Associate Editor at Tell-Tale TV. She is a writer of fiction and nonfiction whose work has appeared in Bitch Media, Popshot Quarterly, Brain Mill Press Voices, and The Hartford Courant.