Skip to main content

One-hit wonders: 12 great TV shows that only lasted a single season

Gone, but never forgotten, some television series arrive with a lot of fanfare, only to shockingly end after just a single season. Some have promise, but just don’t deliver. Others are so good, they develop a cult following, even after just a handful of episodes.

Here are some of the best of these one-hit wonders, each of them a great show that, for whatever reason, didn’t make it past its first season.

Recommended Videos

Freaks and Geeks

freaks and geeks
NBC

This cult-classic series set in the ’80s didn’t even get to air its full first season. Only 12 of the 18 episodes of the teen comedy/drama from Paul Feig and Judd Apatow made it to air in 1999-2000 before the series was canceled by NBC. The show helped launch the careers of several stars, including Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, and James Franco, who star as a group of high school misfits. To this day, it remains a puzzle why this series, which ranked 11th on Rolling Stone Magazine’s list of the 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time, never got its due.

Selfie

selfie
ABC

This 2014 romantic comedy was meant to be a modern-day interpretation of My Fair Lady/Pygmalion and starred Karen Gillan as Eliza Dooley, a woman obsessed with becoming famous on social media. John Cho portrays Henry Higgs, a marketing image guru whom Eliza reaches out to for help and who (surprise, surprise) ends up falling for her. ABC canceled the series before the first season even finished, airing only 7 of the 13 total episodes. Hulu picked up the show and streamed the final six episodes. The series had potential to modernize a classic tale, but the ratings just weren’t there.

Kitchen Confidential

FOX

Based on the late Anthony Bourdain’s bestselling book Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, this 2005 sitcom starring one Bradley Cooper had promise. Cooper portrayed an executive chef who makes a comeback after suffering from alcohol and drug addiction. Unfortunately, the MLB playoffs led to Fox putting the show on hiatus after just three episodes, and it never recovered. The fourth episode aired before it got the ax, with the remaining nine never making it to the small screen. A two-disc DVD set was released in 2007, while Cooper got the last laugh when he later enjoyed his breakout role in The Hangover and, most recently, directed and starred in the hit remake of A Star is Born.

The Get Down

the get down
Netflix

The decision to end this musical drama, set in the ‘70s and following a ragtag group of teens in the Bronx involved in the era’s music scene, had more to do with economics than popularity: It reportedly cost Netflix $120 million to produce, making it the streaming service’s most expensive original series. The first season technically aired in two parts, with 6 episodes in 2016, followed by the remaining 5 episodes in 2017. The show wasn’t a massive success for Netflix, but it received good reviews from both critics and audiences.

The Grinder

the grinder
FOX

There were high hopes for this Fox legal comedy starring Rob Lowe as an actor who played a lawyer on TV, then decided to join his family’s hometown law firm, annoying his younger brother (Fred Savage), a legitimate lawyer. It looked like things were going to work when the first season order was expanded to a full 22 episodes, while critics lauded the humor, saying it was “buoyed by Rob Lowe and Fred Savage’s chemistry as a hilarious new odd couple.” But the series never caught on, and it ended before a second season could commence.

Firefly

FOX

There was an outcry when this cult-hit 2002 space Western was prematurely canceled by Fox. Directed and created by Joss Whedon, and featuring an ensemble cast led by Nathan Fillion, it developed an underground following as fans marveled at the adventures of the colorful, outcast crew of the starship Serenity in the year 2517. Only 11 of the 14 episodes aired, but the series did well through DVD sales, and even won a Primetime Emmy Award for its visual effects. The story continued in Whedon’s 2005 film Serenity, and the saga expanded to include tie-in comics and even role-playing games based on the show’s universe.

My So-Called Life

my so called life
ABC/Getty Images

Helping catapult the careers of A-listers like Claire Danes and Jared Leto, this 1994 ABC high school drama was either far too ahead of its time, or couldn’t hack it next to the major success of another teen drama that had already established a loyal following during the same decade, Beverly Hills, 90210. Set in the fictional Liberty High School in Pittsburgh, the series followed a group of teenagers coming into their own and tackled controversial issues like child abuse, homophobia, and school violence. Despite the cancelation, it was heavily praised, though fans were left with a cliffhanger ending that never really gave the series the closure it deserved.

Awake

awake
Jim Fiscus/NBC

The premise of this 2012 NBC police procedural fantasy drama was intriguing. Jason Isaacs plays Los Angeles detective Michael Britten who, following a car accident, finds that he lives in two realities: One where his wife survived but his son perished in a car accident, and another where his son survived but his wife has passed. He flips back and forth, relying on different colored wristbands that indicate which reality he’s in each morning. While trying to figure out the difference between reality and fantasy, Michael finds he’s able to better solve crimes in one reality by knowing what happens in the other. The series was heavily praised, but low ratings led to a cancelation after 11 episodes. Fans created a “Save Awake” campaign to try and save the series, to no avail.

Undeclared

undeclared
FOX

Judd Apatow suffered the same fate with this 2001 sitcom as he did with Freaks and Geeks: No shortage of high praise and a cult following, but a premature cancelation. Telling the story of a group of present-day college freshmen at a fictional California university, the series starred actors who went on to very successful careers, Jay Baruchel and Charlie Hunnam. It also featured a long list of high-profile actors as recurring characters, including Jason Segel, Seth Rogan, Jay Baruchel, Charlie Hunnam, Amy Poehler, Kevin Hart, and Busy Philipps, among other names. How’s that for a cast list?

John Doe

john doe
FOX

Before he was Lincoln Burrows on Prison Break, Dominic Purcell played a man named “John Doe” in this 2002 sci-fi drama on Fox about a man who wakes up in the middle of an island, with no recollection of who he is or how he got there. That would be strange enough, but he seems to have a vast amount of knowledge about pretty much everything, from useful information to useless trivia. He uses his abilities to help the Seattle police department solve crimes, all the while trying to figure out his true identity and escape the nefarious organization hunting him. Interestingly, a current series with a similar premise and a character named Jane Doe, Blindspot, is now airing its fourth season. While John Doe ended on a cliffhanger, producers provided the answers to what would have happened had it gotten a true finale.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
NBC

This Aaron Sorkin comedy-drama for NBC that took a behind-the-scenes look at production on a fictional live sketch comedy could have marked Matthew Perry’s triumphant return to the small screen. However, it became Sorkin’s only TV series not to air beyond an inaugural season, lasting only a single, 22-episode season that premiered in 2006. It could have something to do with the series being up against 30 Rock, which launched at the same time, on the same network, with a very similar premise. That Tina Fey comedy went on to be a quotable classic, if not a ratings monster, running for seven seasons.

Almost Human

almost human
FOX/Getty Images

Premiering in 2013, this Fox sci-fi/crime drama from J.J. Abrams surprised viewers when it bit the dust. Set in 2048, scientific and technological development led to crime rates rising exponentially, requiring human police officers to work alongside lifelike combat androids to help them keep up. Starring Karl Urban, Michael Ealy, and Minka Kelly, the series developed a loyal following. But Fox had other major titles coming up like Gotham, which went on to become a huge success. Compounding the show’s problems, episodes were aired out of sync from what was initially intended, which meant viewers never really latched on. Ratings steadily dropped, and the show — and its promising storyline — was cut short.

Christine Persaud
Christine has decades of experience in trade and consumer journalism. While she started her career writing exclusively about…
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 gets a visual upgrade but stays wonderfully familiar
THPS 3 + 4

The year was 2001, and I was flat on my back in the middle of the street after bailing hard from a failed ollie.

Once I dusted myself off, I decided to try again, but in a safer, more digital aspect. Two decades ago, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 devoured my free time, and now the remake is back and doing the exact same thing. An excellent remake, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 brings two classic titles to a modern audience but adds little to the original experience in a way that leaves the game feeling curiously anachronistic.

Read more
Superman review: DC is back and better than ever!
Superman review: The Man of Steel soars to new heights
Superman readies to fight in Superman.

The new DC Universe made its theatrical debut with the release of James Gunn's Superman. Set three years after he revealed himself to the world as Superman, the film follows Clark Kent (David Corenswet) when he struggles to face threats at home and abroad and come to terms with his Kryptonian heritage, all while Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) tries to turn the public against him with a global conspiracy.

Starting right in the middle of the action, Superman kicks off the DCU with a thrilling blockbuster adventure filled with action, humor, heart, and life. It is easy to forgive the excessive expositional dialogue when the film delivers an exciting and thought-provoking tale that stays true to the comics while putting a new spin on the Man of Steel.

Read more
If you have to watch one Disney+ movie this July 2025, stream this one
The cast of Saving Mr. Banks

Unlike most streaming services, the movies available on Disney+ tend to conform to a fairly standard mold. You've got a lot of big franchise films and a lot of movies aimed at children, and not a whole lot in between.

If you're looking for something a little more robust, or at least aimed at adults, you might want to check out Saving Mr. Banks. The movie tells the story of Walt Disney's quest to adapt Mary Poppins and his various attempts to woo the author of the book series it's based on, P.L. Travers. While the film is undeniably a little hagiographic, here are three reasons you should check it out.

Read more