From 'Twin Peaks' to 'My So-Called Life': 10 ABC Shows That Were Canceled Too Early (And We're Still Not Over It)

One of the “Big Three” of American television networks, ABC has been home to some of the medium’s longest-running series, from General Hospital (with more than 15,600 episodes and counting) to Grey’s Anatomy(at 464 episodes) to The Goldbergs (229 episodes).

However, the alphabet network has unfortunately also played host to many programs that were cancelled far too soon, shows that were full of promise and potential but never got the chance to really build an audience or wrap up their storylines. Some of these series — such as Twin Peaks and My So-Called Life — have still managed to cultivate classic-TV status over the years, despite their far-too-early exits.

Unlike series that overstay their welcome, we could have done with a way longer visit from these 10 great ABC shows that were cancelled too soon.

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10 ABC Shows that Were Cancelled Too Soon

Selfie

Having just one season to your name means that a show is only just getting its sea leg when the network docks it forever — such was the case with the 2014 ABC sitcomSelfie, about a wannabe social-media influencer (played by Karen Gillan) who wants to revamp her image after an embarrassing video goes viral.

The comedy, which also starred John Cho and Da’Vine Joy Randolph, was axed midseason after just six episodes, which was especially a shame given that the show’s quality started cruising smoothly after that admittedly bumpy pilot episode. “Selfie remains the best turnaround of the decade, that we started to appreciate too late,” Megan Vick wrote for TV Guide.

Fans tried to erect a #SaveSelfie campaign to keep the Emily Kapnek-created series alive but alas, it was for nought and Selfie remains a show that could have been great if it were only given the chance.

Related: 40 Brilliant One-Season TV Shows That Deserved Better

Don’t Trust the B in Apartment 23

Krysten Ritter is Chloe, an irresponsible party girl and the titular “Bitch in Apartment 23,” in this edgy 2010s sitcom from Nahnatchka Khan. Chloe usually scares off her revolving-door roommates with her wild behavior but manages to find one that sticks in June Colburn (Dreama Walker), with the odd-couple duo striking up an unlikely friendship.

Add in a standout supporting turn from the late James Van Der Beek, who played a hilarious fictionalized version of himself and a close friend of Chloe’s, Don’t Trust the B in Apartment 23 was well-liked for its snarky dialogue and strong acting. However, ABC opted not to renew the comedy for a third season, following a TV term messily marked by timeslot moves and even entire episodes aired out of order.

Happy Endings

Compared to other short-lived sitcoms on this list, Happy Endings was lucky to get three seasons on ABC (from April 13, 2011, to May 3, 2013). But if you ask fans of the beloved ensemble comedy, 57 episodes wasn’t nearly enough time to hang out with dysfunctional Chicago besties Brad (Damon Wayans, Jr.), Jane (Eliza Coupe), Alex (Elisha Cuthbert), Dave (Zachary Knighton), Max (Adam Pally) and Penny (Casey Wilson).

The David Caspe-created single-cam comedy was cancelled due to low ratings and an erratic broadcast schedule, despite widespread love from fans and critics alike. For Rolling Stone, Katy Kroll declared Happy Endings “the most underrated, under-watched series on TV, that may also be the funniest.”

Related: This Cult-Favorite ABC Comedy Was So Mishandled That Two Episodes Never Even Aired

FlashForward

Adapted from the 1999 novel by Canadian writer Robert J. Sawyer, the 2009 sci-fi series FlashForward revolves around a mysterious event that caused nearly everyone on Planet Earth to simultaneously lose consciousness for 137 seconds; during that mental blackout, people experienced a global “flashforward,” seeing what appears to be a vision of their own life approximately six months in the future.

It’s certainly an interesting concept, especially coupled with an intriguing cast led byJoseph Fiennes, John Cho and Courtney B. Vance, but that high-stakes apocalyptic premise couldn’t convince ABC to continue the series past a single 22-episode season. Even worse, things ended on a bit of a cliffhanger, as the season finale teased (spoiler alert!) yet another flashforward event happening more than 20 years in the future. 

Pushing Daisies

The fan devotion aimed at Pushing Daisies hasn’t ebbed in the nearly two decades since the “forensic fairytale” was cancelled after a two-season run on ABC back in 2009. Luckily for those dedicated viewers, a long-awaited third season of the cult-favorite dramedy is in development, according to series creator Bryan Fuller, with original cast members Lee Pace, Anna Friel, Chi McBride and Kristin Chenoweth all expected to return.

Starring Pace as Ned, a pie-maker with the ability to bring dead things back to life with his touch, the Emmy-winning show garnered wide critical acclaim during its swift tenure: On Rotten Tomatoes, where the series has an excellent 96% approval rating, the site’s critical consensus praises Pushing Daisies‘ “oddball charms,” which are “brought to life with warmth and whimsy in large part thanks to the chemistry of its charismatic leads.”

Related: 12 Famous TV Reboots That Were Quietly Killed Before Hitting Screens

Stumptown

Cobie Smulderscertainly knows about long-running TV shows, having starred as Robin Scherbatsky in the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother for nine seasons from 2005 to 2014. Sadly, the Canadian actress couldn’t replicate that longevity with her various follow-up series, including Stumptown — the 2019 crime drama was initially picked up for a second season, a renewal that was sadly reversed due to COVID-related production delays.

Based on the graphic novel series of the same name, Stumptown sees Smulders play Dex Parios, a sharp-witted military veteran struggling with PTSD from her time in Afghanistan as well as heavy gambling debts and financial instability. To help offset those money issues, Dex becomes a private investigator to solve problems where the police aren’t getting involved. 

My So-Called Life

The social and cultural impact of My So-Called Life has stretched way further than its mere 19-episode single season back in 1995 — heck, TIME magazine ranked the beloved high-school drama as one of the greatest TV shows of all time, citing its “sympathetic and appropriate” depiction of “a fully realized TV teen.”

Speaking of, the Winnie Holzman-created teen drama centers on the adolescent trials and tribulations of 15-year-old Angela Chase (a star-marking, Golden Globe-winning turn by a young Claire Danes) and her fellow angsty schoolmates (played Wilson Cuz, Devon Gummersall, A.J. Langer and, of course, Jared Leto as Liberty High heartthrob Jordan Catalano.

My So-Called Life didn’t last long on ABC, but it did inspire countless teen titles in the decades since its airing, with showrunners such as 13 Reasons Why‘s Brian Yorkey and Gossip Girl‘s Stephanie Savage citing its influence.

Related: 1999 Canceled Show Only Lasted One Season — Now Fans Call It ‘Near Perfect’

Townies

Just look at that cast: Molly Ringwald, Lauren Graham, Ron Livingston, Bill Burrand Jenna Elfman all starred together in the short-lived 1996 ABC sitcom Townies, which was created by Matthew Carlson (Malcolm in the Middle, The Wonder Years) and followed a group of twentysomething friends living and working in the fishing town of Gloucester, Massachusetts — think Friends but a little more New England-y.

Despite being packed with now-household names and some genuinely funny moments, Townies only managed to air 10 episodes before ABC cut the comedy from its broadcast schedule due to low ratings.

Related: Travel Back in Time With Our List of the 57 Most Iconic ’90s TV Shows

The Addams Family

It might seem surprising given its lasting cultural impact more than a half-century after the show’s initial release, influencing everything from The Munsters to the Beetlejuice franchise, but the classic Gothic sitcom The Addams Family actually only aired for two seasons and 64 episodes on ABC, from September 1964 to April 1966.

Based on Charles Addams‘s New Yorkercartoons, the darkly funny comedy revolves around the odd but loving eponymous family — led by the wealthy Gomez Addams (John Astin) and his beloved bride Morticia (Carolyn Jones) who harbor macabre interests and supernatural abilities that put them delightfully at odds with the sunny suburbia in which they live.

We might not have gotten much time to spend with Uncle Fester (Jackie Coogan), little Wednesday (Lisa Loring), Lurch (Ted Cassidy) and the rest of the Addams crew, but it was a memorably morbid stay all the same.

Twin Peaks

Nowadays, it’s considered the “most groundbreaking TV drama” of all time, but that lasting legacy couldn’t save Twin Peaks (the surrealist 1990s small-town thriller co-created by David Lynch and Mark Frost) from cancellation after two seasons in 1991.

Despite garnering critical acclaim, the atmospheric mystery — which centers on Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan), a cherry pie-loving FBI Special Agent tasked with tracking down the killer of teenaged homecoming queen Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee) — had to navigate timeslot changes, creative differences between its creators and the problem of its central whodunnit wrapping up by the end of season two, all of which contributed to its cancellation.

Of course, the classic mystery would eventually be rebooted for a third season, Twin Peaks: The Return, on Showtime, albeit after a very long 25-year wait.

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