The cancelation of TV shows can spark a variety of reactions, and while some are expected to happen for different reasons, some cancelation announcements feel so undeserving that fans forces to save their favorite TV shows – and in many cases, they succeeded. The era of streaming has made the cancelation of TV shows not that surprising anymore, as there are platforms like Netflix which tend to cancel TV series after three seasons, while the not-so-good quality of other shows makes a cancelation quite predictable.
However, there are many other cases where the cancelation of a TV show came as a big surprise, mostly due to the popularity of the show. Whatever reason given by the network (or not given at all, as is the case with Netflix) isn’t enough to make fans accept the cancelation of a TV show, so they use their voices and online presence to campaign for the show to be saved. Fan campaigns have been successful on various occasions, and here are 10 TV shows that were saved by fans from being canceled.
10 Nashville
Nashville is a musical drama TV series created by Callie Khouri. Nashville premiered on ABC in 2012, and it followed the lives of fictitious country music singers in Nashville, Tennessee. ABC was Nashville’s home for four seasons before the network canceled the series in May 2016 after a season of flagging ratings. To add to the shock of the cancelation, ABC had recently named new showrunners, and Lionsgate was so confident about finding a new home for Nashville that they went with a cliffhanger ending for season 4 instead of the happily-ever-after ending they had planned.
Fans decided to do their best to save Nashville and gathered over 171,000 signatures on a #BringBakcNashville petition (via Washington Post). In June 2016, it was announced that a deal had been made with CMT and Hulu, with the former airing a full season and the latter ing them to stream the next day. Nashville officially ended after its sixth season, as CMT moved to all unscripted programming.
9 Friday Night Lights
Friday Night Lights is a sports drama TV series developed by Peter Berg and inspired by the 1990 nonfiction book Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream by H.G. Bissinger. It follows a high school football team in the fictional town of Dillon in rural West Texas, addressing social issues like racism, substance use, lack of economic opportunities, and more. Friday Night Lights premiered in 2006 on NBC, but after its second season, which was shortened due to the 2007-2008 writers’ strike, it was in danger of cancelation due to low ratings. Fans put together various campaigns to save the show, including one that raised money to send footballs and contributions to charity foundations related to the show (via Buddy TV).
Other fans opted for a more direct and somewhat aggressive approach, sending NBC’s Entertainment head Ben Silverman broken light bulbs with the words “Light On” written on the side (via Vulture). All these efforts paid off and Friday Night Lights was saved thanks to a deal between NBC and DirecTV to co-produce three more seasons. Friday Night Lights ended in 2011 after five seasons.
8 Arrested Development
Arrested Development is a sitcom created by Mitchell Hurwitz, which followed the formerly wealthy and very dysfunctional family the Bluths after their father was arrested and imprisoned. Arrested Development premiered on Fox in 2003, and after receiving low ratings and viewership, the network canceled the series after three seasons. The fanbase of Arrested Development grew after its cancelation, with fans creating websites dedicated to the series and even mailing banana crates to Fox’s executives (via TV Insider). It took some time, but Netflix was the one who brought Arrested Development back in 2013 for two more seasons, coming to an end in 2019 after a total of five seasons.
7 Veronica Mars
Veronica Mars is a teen mystery drama TV series created by Rob Thomas (the screenwriter). Set in the fictional town of Neptune, California, Veronica Mars follows the title character (played by Kristen Bell), a high school student who is also a private investigator. Veronica Mars premiered on UPN in 2004, and it was canceled in 2007 after three seasons. In 2013, Thomas and Bell launched a Kickstarter fundraiser to make a Veronica Mars movie happen, and with the help of fans, they sured their goal. If that wasn’t enough, Hulu revived Veronica Mars for a fourth and final season in 2019.
6 Lucifer
Lucifer is a fantasy TV series developed by Tom Kapinos and based on the DC Comics character created by Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth, and Mike Dringenberg. Lucifer followed Lucifer Morningstar (Tom Ellis), who abandoned Hell and moved to Los Angeles, where he ran his own nightclub and became a consultant to the Los Angeles Police Department. Lucifer premiered on Fox in 2016 and was canceled in 2018 after three seasons, with co-showrunner Joe Henderson sharing that season 3’s finale would have a “huge cliffhanger” in order to encourage fans to make noise with the hashtag #SaveLucifer and discourage Fox from canceling the series (via EW).
The hashtag #PickUpLucifer also emerged along with an online petition, and in June 2018, Netflix officially picked up the series for a fourth season. Lucifer stayed at Netflix for three seasons, coming to an end with its sixth season in 2021.
5 The Expanse
The Expanse is a sci-fi TV series developed by Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby, and based on the series of novels of the same name by James S. A. Corey. Set in a future where humanity has colonized the Solar System, The Expanse follows a disparate group formed by a member of the United Nations Security Council, a police detective, and a ship’s officer and his crew as they unraveled a conspiracy that threatened the system’s state of cold war. The Expanse premiered on Syfy in 2015 and was canceled after three seasons in 2018. Fans ed forces to save the series and gathered over 100,000 signatures in an online petition, lobbied Amazon Studios and Netflix to pick up the series, and even paid through crowdfunding for a plane to fly a “#SaveTheExpanse” banner around Amazon Studios (via Newsweek).
The fan campaigns to save The Expanse were ed by celebrities as well, among them Patton Oswalt, George R. R. Martin, and Wil Wheaton (via Independent). All these efforts paid off and Amazon Prime Video rescued The Expanse, picking it up for a fourth season and later renewing it for two more. The Expanse came to an end in 2021 after six seasons.
4 Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek: The Original Series was created by Gene Roddenberry and introduced viewers to the crew of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), led by Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), First Officer and Science Officer Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and Chief Medical Officer Leonard H. "Bones" McCoy (DeForest Kelley). Star Trek: The Original Series premiered on NBC in 1966, but it was canceled after two seasons due to low Nielsen ratings. However, fans weren’t going to let Star Trek die, and they wrote letters to the network urging them to bring it back (via Vox). Star Trek: The Original Series returned for a third and final season, coming to an end in 1969, but the ion and dedication of fans made way for a successful franchise.
3 Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a police procedural comedy TV series created by Dan Goor and Michael Schur. Set in the fictional 99th Precinct of the NYPD in Brooklyn, Brooklyn Nine-Nine follows a team of detectives who are adjusting to working with their new commanding officer. Brooklyn Nine-Nine premiered on Fox in 2013, and the network decided to cancel the series in 2018 after five seasons. Fans of the series wasted no time in launching a campaign on social media to save the series with the hashtag #SaveBrooklyn99. Brooklyn Nine-Nine was picked up by NBC, where it lived for three more seasons, coming to an end in 2021.
2 Family Guy
Family Guy is an animated TV series created by Seth MacFarlane. Family Guy follows the daily adventures of the dysfunctional family the Griffins, formed by parents Peter and Lois, their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie, and their anthropomorphic dog Brian. Family Guy premiered on Fox in 1999, but the network canceled it in 2000 at the end of season 2. Two months later, Fox ordered 13 additional episodes to form a third season, returning in 2001, and the show was officially canceled shortly after. Family Guy’s popularity skyrocketed after its cancelation, and thanks to its high DVD sales, Fox revived the series. At the time of writing, Family Guy is preparing for its 22nd season.
1 Futurama
Futurama is a sci-fi sitcom created by Matt Groening. It follows the adventures of Philip J. Fry (voiced by Billy West), an immature pizza delivery boy who is accidentally cryogenically preserved for 1000 years and revived on December 31, 2999. Futurama premiered on Fox in 1999 and stayed there for four years before being canceled. Fans didn’t take the cancelation well, but they managed to get the network to revive Futurama as four direct-to-video movies. Later, Comedy Central became Futurama’s new home for two more seasons before being canceled again in 2013, but luckily for fans, Hulu revived the series, set to premiere on July 24, 2023.
Sources: Washington Post, Buddy TV, Vulture, TV Insider, EW, Newsweek, Independent, Vox
