There’s arguably no story more tragic thana story that’s been left unfinished, nor are there too many feelings that can hit quite as hard as nostalgia. It’s perhaps for this reason that so many canceled television series end up getting revived somewhere further down the road, much to the delight of their long-suffering fans. Unfortunately, however, things don’t always go to plan.
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For everyDexter: New BloodandTwin PeaksSeason 3there are countless examples of shows that would have been much better off remaining dead. Like badly reanimated corpses twitching awkwardly on the operating table, these newly revived series lack both the heart and the soul that made them popular in their heydays.
Scrubs
To many,Scrubswas one ofthe best comedy sitcoms of the early twentieth century. Not only was it incredibly funny, but it also managed to pack in its fair share of serious moments too. Perhaps most impressive was the ease with which it was able to transition between the two, with the show’s writers and talented cast capable of completely changing the tone of an episode with nothing more than a well-delivered line of dialogue.
Sadly, due to dwindling ratings, NBC opted against renewing the show for a seventh season, which led to ABC picking up the series instead. The resulting eighth season was actually pretty good and featured a fantastic series finale that wrapped everything up nicely. Had it ended there,Scrubs' revival would have been incredibly successful, but a ninth season soon followed andcompletely destroyed the show’s reputationdue to the absence of several key cast members.
24
24was one ofthe most exciting shows on televisionwhen it first premiered in 2001. Its unique format and fantastic writing made it must-watch television during the early days. Although the quality did dwindle a little in subsequent years, the show ran for eight long seasons before eventually being canceled in 2010. In the years that followed,24was revived not once but twice, with varying degrees of success.
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Though24: Live Another Daywas not quite as enjoyable as some of the show’s earlier seasons, it was arguably just as good as some of the later ones. It was also nice to seeKiefer Sutherland returning as Jack Bauer. A few years later, however, Fox rolled out24: Legacy, a half-baked spin-off that was canceled after just 12 episodes. It lacked the heart and substance of the original series and would perhaps have been a better show had it not been branded with the24name.
Arrested Development
There’s an argument to be made thatArrested Developmentwas a few years ahead of its time. Its unique brand of humor never really landed with viewers while the show was first airing, leading to its cancellation after only three seasons. However, in the years that followed,Arrested Developmentbecame a cult classic, leading to calls for the show to be revived. Rather than the show’s original producer Fox, however, it was Netflix that decided to take a chance.
Unfortunately, the fourth season ofArrested Developmentwas a bit of a mess from day one. Due to the busy schedules of the cast, producers struggled to get everyone together in one place, which led to many episodes feeling disjointed and hollow. This wasn’t as much of an issue when the show’s fifth season premiered some five years later, but, by that point, interest in the series had dwindled and, perhaps ironically,its signature style of humorhad actually begun to feel a little dated.
Community
The phrase “six seasons and a movie” was repeated many times throughoutCommunity, which is part of the reason why fans were so disappointed when the series was canceled after only five seasons. Just as things were starting to look bleak, however, help arrived in the unlikely form of Yahoo Screen: a brand-new streaming service from the once popular web services provider Yahoo!
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Unfortunately, not all of the show’s main cast would return for the final season, withTroy, Shirley, and Pierce all absent for various reasons. To be fair, Season 6 ofCommunitywasn’t terrible. In fact, some might even argue that it was better than Season 4, which lacked the creative flair of showrunner and series creator Dan Harmon. Even so, without the three missing characters, it never quite felt the same.
Heroes
Before the rise of Netflix, the MCU, andDisney Plus, superhero shows were something of a mixed bag. There was the occasional good one, but most struggled to captivate viewers due to their modest budgets.Heroeswas one of the better examples thanks to its interesting premise and fantastic special effects. This was reflected in the show’s ratings too, with the show’s first season averaging a huge 14.3 million viewers across its 23 episodes.
Unfortunately, however, like many of its peers,Heroesbegan to run out of steam after its first few seasons. By its fourth, it had lost more than 50% of its viewers, leading to its premature cancellation in 2010. Most fans accepted the show’s fate but others held out hope thatHeroesmight one day return. Somewhat surprisingly, it did some five years later in the form ofHeroes Reborn, but without Peter or Sylar and their intense rivalry, it too wascanceled after just a solitary season.
