Top 10 LGBTQIA+ Shows That Were Canceled Too Soon
#10: “The Wilds” (2020-22)
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When their plane crashes and strands them on a remote shore, teenage girls must learn to work together if they want to survive. But of course, all is not as it seems. There are conspiracies, danger, and death — but there’s also a slow-burn romance between Toni, an out lesbian, and Shelby, a closeted beauty pageant winner. Their profound and complex connection stands out among the many stories being told on the teen show. Fans were eager to see where their relationship went after the second season. But they’d be left hanging. Although critics called it addictive and praised its young cast, Amazon canceled “The Wilds” in 2022.
#9: “Noah’s Arc” (2005-06)
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While “Queer as Folk” and the original “Queer Eye” got pretty respectable runs, this early Logo offering was a lesser-known boundary breaker in more ways than one. Not only was it the network’s first scripted series, it is credited with being the first scripted series to predominantly feature Black gay men. Over its ridiculously short two-season run, “Noah’s Arc” made viewers fall in love with its cast and their frank conversations about relationships, homophobia, and illness. Fans got a 2008 movie and a 2020 reunion special after its cancellation in 2006, but many still lament the original show’s early and abrupt ending.
#8: “The Society” (2019)
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In this one-season drama from Netflix, a group of teenagers encounter some kind of dimensional slip that leaves their town empty of anyone but themselves. A mix of the survival, sci-fi, and coming of age genres, “The Society” left its audience with a whopper of a cliffhanger in its season one finale. One relationship in particular, between two teenage boys, Sam and Grizz, had a lot of promise going into a possible second season. The show was initially renewed for a second season, but then scrapped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It never got to deliver a satisfying answer to its many mysteries.
#7: “Warrior Nun” (2020-22)
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In late 2022, the abrupt cancellation of this Netflix show sparked a backlash. Not only did it seem ridiculous for the streaming giant to cancel a presumably popular show, but that so many of the shows it was canceling featured queer characters pointed toward a disturbing trend. “Warrior Nun” follows a young woman named Ava who discovers that she’s been chosen as a fighter against demonic forces. Torn between the powers trying to control her, she takes comfort in a fellow warrior, Beatrice. Unfortunately, their journey will have to be explored elsewhere. However, fans were able to take some solace in the show’s end when it was announced that the story would continue in the form of a movie trilogy.
#6: “I Am Not Okay with This” (2020)
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Yet another Netflix show axed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, this graphic novel adaptation only got one season to shine. The dark comedy follows Sydney Novak, a bisexual teenager with telekinetic powers. Bolstered by an impressive lead performance by Sophia Lillis, the “I Am Not Okay with This” showed Sydney learning to master her newfound powers and trying to deal with her crush on her best friend, Dina. What set the show apart was its truly messy and celebratory look at the ugliest parts of adolescence. It takes plenty of sharp turns. After an explosive cliffhanger in its season finale, fans were outraged to learn the show wouldn’t continue.
#5: “Sense8” (2015-18)
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Any fan of the Wachowskis would probably tell you not to get too comfortable with a Netflix show. They found out just how little a devoted fan base means when “Sense8” was canceled in 2017. The globe-spanning story of sexually fluid characters who form a psychic bond across many different dimensions transfixed its fans. However, despite a plan for at least five seasons, it was canceled because of its high production costs. Apparently, viewership was too low to justify continuing the show. Luckily, the creators were given the greenlight to create a movie-length series finale to give it a proper sendoff.
#4: “Legendary” (2020-22)
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HBO’s reality competition show highlighted the best and most audacious artists in the Ballroom scene. The electrifying series featured talented queer artists over several weeks of competition. But unlike many other competition series, “Legendary” didn’t feel like something happening in a boring studio somewhere. Things got rowdy. After its third season, the series was canceled and removed from HBO Max in the wake of the Warner Bros. Discovery merger. Even the show’s iconic regular judge and ballroom legend, Leiomy Maldonado, took to Twitter to voice her displeasure at the company for all but scrubbing the show from existence.
#3: “Gentleman Jack” (2019-22)
This joint BBC One and HBO production is based on the true story of Anne Lister, an English woman whose extensive diaries were partially written in code to disguise her identity as a lesbian. The show follows Lister as she forges her own path as a landowner in a time when women rarely owned property. Her romance with — and eventual marital commitment to — Ann Walker is especially powerful because it’s not an alternate history. It’s an inspirational early example of a same-sex couple going against the grain. But HBO would cancel the show after its second season, leaving the BBC without a producing partner.
#2: “Our Flag Means Death” (2022-23)
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They are the silliest, most incompetent, and arguably, the sweetest pirates TV has ever seen. In “Our Flag Means Death,” the well-to-do Stede Bonnet leaves his entire life behind to sail the high seas. The show highlights several LGBTQIA characters and relationships. And just when you might think the appearance of the legendary Blackbeard would spell trouble, the show takes a turn towards true romance. Bonnet and Blackbeard’s relationship was as sweet and unexpectedly warm as anything else in a show about lovable misfit pirates. But in early 2024, HBO announced the show would not return for a third season.
#1: “One Day at a Time” (2017-20)
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The reimagining of Norman Lear’s classic sitcom not only reinvents itself by centering a Latino family, but it also showcases young Elena’s coming out journey as a lesbian. Elena’s family and peers are largely accepting, although her estranged father presents some problems. But we never doubt Elena’s family is behind her, and her romantic life is treated with respect and humor. But fans of the show were truly put through it behind the scenes. It was actually canceled twice — once after its third season, and then again after it moved from Netflix to Pop. Though the producers attempted to find a new network, they officially pulled the plug in 2020. What LGBTQIA+-themed show do you wish got more seasons? State your case in the comments.
