We’re only a few months into the year, but some shows that seemed destined to come back for new seasons have already been canceled. While we still wait for official word on shows like She-Hulk: Attorney at Law on Disney+ (it hasn’t been officially canceled but so far, the outlook isn’t good), other shows have been confirmed to be ending. In mid-December 2023, for example, FX/Hulu confirmed that What We Do In The Shadows would be ending after its upcoming sixth season.
Some of the shows that were canceled didn’t come as a surprise, but a few had fans disappointed, shocked, and saddened that they won’t see the stories continue. The six shows that are already surprisingly canceled in 2024 include series from various streaming services, but many of them are on Max (formerly HBO Max).
The Flight Attendant (2020-2022)
It’s not totally surprising that The Flight Attendant has been canceled. The series was initially presented as a story that was, and should have been, wrapped up in a single season. But because of its popularity, the series continued with a second season. Kaley Cuoco plays Cassie, a reckless flight attendant who wakes up one morning in Bangkok beside a man she met on the plane the night prior. He’s dead and she can’t remember what happened. So begins her panicked efforts to try and cover up her whereabouts while also trying to piece together the events that led to that moment.
Once the mystery was solved, the story continued in season 2 and became even more unbelievable, with Cassie now working as an undercover asset for the CIA. While The Flight Attendant’s second season ended in such a way that suggested there could be more story to tell, Max ultimately decided that the show had run its course. The streaming service did not give a reason for the cancellation.
Stream The Flight Attendant on Max.
Rap Sh!t (2022-2023)
While Issa Rae hit one out of the park with her hit series Insecure, she didn’t experience the same success with Rap Sh!t, a comedy she created about two Miami-based female rappers. Decades after going their separate ways following a high school friendship, the two women reunite when one is desperate for a sitter for her daughter. The ladies record and post a rap video for fun and it happens to go viral. So, they decide to try and pursue a career in rap music.
The first two seasons of Rap Sh!t were met with positive reviews, with critics calling it “razor-sharp” and a “raucous chronicle of female camaraderie and youthful ambition.” Max, once again, did not give a concrete reason for the cancellation.
Stream Rap Sh!t on Max.
Schmigadoon! (2021-2023)
Fans were devastated when this feel-good musical comedy was canceled after its second season. Cecily Strong and Keegan-Michael Key star as a couple who, desperate to repair their fractured relationship, decide to go on a backpacking trip. The next thing they know, they end up in a magical town called Schmigadoon that’s like a mish-mash of musicals from the 1940s and ’50s come to life. They won’t be able to leave until they find true love.
Delivered as a pastiche of various songs and styles and serving as both an homage to the time and genre as well as a satire, Schmigadoon! is a unique series. It sports a fabulous supporting cast that includes Fred Armisen, Dove Cameron, Kristin Chenoweth, Alan Cumming, Ariana DeBose, Jane Krakowski, Martin Short, and others. The show’s creator Cinco Paul, who is also behind the three Despicable Me movies, Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, and The Secret Life of Pets, has noted that the third season is already written, complete with 25 new songs. That’s an unfortunate tease for fans who won’t get to see it.
Stream Schmigadoon! on Apple TV+.
Julia (2022-2023)
Julia Child is a legendary chef known for her pioneering cooking show, her cookbooks, and her infectious personality and style. Sarah Lancashire beautifully captures the essence of Child in this comedy-drama, which streamed for two seasons. David Hyde Pierce stars as Julia’s husband Paul Child and Bebe Neuwirth plays Avis DeVoto, her close friend.
Critics love how Julia doesn’t only center around Child’s influence in the cooking show genre, but also on everything she did to move television production forward in general. The cancellation is puzzling given that Julia has a 96% critic score on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes and a 90% audience score. Nonetheless, Julia won’t be returning for a season 3.
Stream Julia on Max.
Our Flag Means Death (2022-2023)
Set during the Golden Age of Piracy, Our Flag Means Death centers around Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby) and his crew as they try to make names for themselves as pirates. Through their travels on the ship called Revenge, they encounter Blackbeard (Taika Waititi). The show is loosely based on the real life of Bonnet, who was known as the “Gentleman Pirate.”
Our Flag Means Death has all the makings to become a cult classic now that it was canceled too soon. The period romantic comedy series had fans laughing and praising the LGBTQ+ representation, cast, and writing. When Our Flag Means Death was canceled, there was understandable outcry. Creator David Jenkins has said in interviews that he believes the story could be told in a three-season run, but also alluded to Waititi’s busy schedule as being a potential reason for making filming a challenge. Fans have reportedly raised money for a Times Square billboard and have been petitioning for another streaming service to pick up the show. So, it’s entirely possible that we may not have seen the end of Our Flag Means Death just yet.
Stream Our Flag Means Death on Max.
Ratched (2020)
While Ratched initially received a two-season order, the series was canceled after its first season. Both Netflix and star Sarah Paulson confirmed in February 2024 that a second would not proceed as planned. The psychological thriller developed by Ryan Murphy stars Paulson as Nurse Mildred Ratched, the same character from the 1975 movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. The setting depicts her life prior to the events that occur in the film. She’s a nurse who works in an asylum, but while she purports to be helping patients, there’s a darkness behind her that slowly reveals itself.
Despite high hopes for Ratched, the series received lukewarm reviews, and was criticized for plot holes and “cartoonish characterizations.” Netflix did not indicate a reason for the cancellation of the series, which earned Emmy nominations for costumes and styling. Some speculate it could be due to the high cost of the series balanced against reviews and viewer numbers.
Stream Ratched on Netflix.
