Imagine that a new drama or comedy series is premiering on your favorite network. You’ve seen the trailers and you’re already excited. The show finally airs and you’re obsessed: the characters are amazing, the plot line got you hooked from the beginning, and you’ve already started watching the show religiously. It’s become your new favorite program and you’ve been recommending it to everyone.
But then, all of a sudden, BAM-another show has taken its place. Without any warning, your program has disappeared from the network, which usually ends up leading to one conclusion: the show was canceled. Cue the sound of your heart shattering into a million little pieces, and the overwhelming frustration of never being able to finish the series. How are you going to ever find out what happens next?
The answer is unfortunately plain and simple: you don’t. Now, maybe you can get lucky and receive a second chance through a streaming service if they pick up your canceled series and continue it for a few more seasons, but most shows aren’t offered that luxury. Most remain forgotten, their unresolved plotlines and major cliffhangers left unanswered.
I don’t know about you, but this is one of the things that frustrate me most about the entertainment industry. Since I’m also a screenwriter, my self-esteem lowers each time different shows–especially the ones you know would have become popular if given time–are immediately left in the gutters as the network continues to refuse to try again.
If it were up to me, I’d find a way to continue the show for at least another season (just to see if it truly picks up). Maybe I’ll even prove the network wrong and by then the show would have doubled in viewership, thus earning the network a ton of money. The only way for networks to truly know for sure if a show is great is to offer it enough time to grow and gain memento, and if that doesn’t work, then they can cancel the show.
Shows with great ratings and a rising fanbase shouldn’t be the ones getting the boot due to a flimsy reason made up by the network. An easy solution would be to cancel the shows that have been on the air for far too long. I already can think of plenty of television series that have lost their charm and therefore my interest due to their prolonged continuation. This is the time to end them with the little dignity they have left and open up the space to television shows with actual potential. I’m sick and tired of canceled shows leaving me hungry for more. The solution is right in front of us, and all we have to do is embrace it.