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Which canceled streaming shows would you bring back?
July 01, 2025
2020 was a bad year. TheCOVID-19 outbreakhas caused millions of deaths worldwide, brought economic hardship to tens of millions, and has forced us into working in a “new normal.” One of the few saving graces of this pandemic is thatvideo streaming servicesgot a huge boost with more people staying at home and binge-watching their favorite shows. However, even with this rise in users, there were still canceled streaming shows in 2020 that didn’t deserve to end so soon.
This week, thedigital SEO agency Ardent Growthreleased the results of a survey of 2,609 people, asking them which of the canceledNetflixshows they were most upset about losing. In the number one spot, somewhat surprisingly, was Luke Cage, one of the five Marvel comic book shows that the service commissioned. Netflix abruptly canceled Luke Cage after just two seasons, way back in 2018, even though scripts were reportedly being written for the third season.
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The number two canceled Netflix show that people in the survey say they were upset got canceled unexpectedly was GLOW. The dramedy about a female wrestling business was a critical and fan favorite, and Netflix announced in 2019 that a fourth and final season would be made in 2020. In fact, production began in February 2020 on the first episode. Then the COVID-19 outbreak caused most TV productions to shut down in March. In October, Netflix announced that therewould not be a fourth season of GLOW after all. One of the reasons that was cited was that, due to the very nature of the show itself, COVID-19 testing and tracing was deemed too expensive for such a large cast.
Other canceled streaming shows of 2020, and even an entire service
It’s been a rather brutal year for Netflix shows that were canceled before their time. My personal favorite of the new shows that didn’t get a second season was Teenage Bounty Hunters. This show had a lot of Buffy The Vampire Slayer vibes for me. Two teenage fraternal twin sisters who live in Atlanta decide to branch out into capturing criminals on the run. It was a very funny series that unfortunately didn’t find an audience.
There were other Netflix showsthat got canceled after just one season, thanks in part to higher COVID-19 costs. They included I Am Not Okay with This, based on the graphic novel about a 17-year old girl who starts to manifest telekinetic powers. The Society, a series about a group of teenagers trapped in what appears to be a parallel universe, had actually been renewed for a second season, but again, increased costs due to COVID-19 caused Netflix to reverse its decision. Other one-and-done shows in 2020 from the streamer include The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, V-Wars, October Faction, and Away. Altered Carbon, the very cool sci-fi action show and a personal favorite, got canceled in 2020 after just two seasons. While it lasted six seasons and had 40 episodes, I was also sorry to see the terrific Peabody Award-winning comedy news show Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj get the ax in 2020 as well.
It wasn’t just Netflix that unexpectedly canceled some promising shows in 2020.Huluclosed the books on its Stephen King anthology series Castle Rock after two seasons, and its Marvel Comics-based horror show Helstrom after just one season.Amazon Prime Videoshut down Utopia after a single season this year.Peacock, the new streaming service from NBCUniversal, launched in July and promoted the heck out of its flagship original show, the sci-fi drama Brave New World. However, it will not be returning for a second season.
Perhaps the biggest streaming cancelation of 2020 was that of an entire service. I’m talking aboutQuibi, which started up in April in the middle of the first COVID-19 wave. It’s business model of only offering short-form videos on smartphones and tablets, and ignoring the vast smart TV audience, seemed doomed from the start. In the end, the company finally released somesmart TV apps on October 20, only to announcea day later, on October 21, thatQuibi would soon shut down completely. On December 1, Quibi vanished and took all of its original programming (over 50 shows) with it.
Sometimes there doesn’t seem to be a real strategy for keeping or canceling shows at Netflix. While I know increased COVID-19 costs were the factor in some shows getting the ax in 2020, it does seem to be a bit random at times.
Which 2020 canceled streaming show would you bring back
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