Top 10 Shows We Secretly Wish Would Be Cancelled

Short for Naval Criminal Investigative Service, this procedural investigation show follows, as its name states, a group of investigators who look into crimes related to the United States Navy. Contrary to what you might think, the creators have so far managed to stretch this setup across over 14 years and into several spin-offs, to the point where there have probably been more Naval crimes committed on TV than in the same number of years in real life. Along with the increasingly incredulous premise, many prominent cast members have departed. And while the chemistry between the characters remains fine, it’s nowhere near what it once was.

After 10 seasons in, it’s not a stretch to think that this long-running Nickelodeon cartoon about a young boy and his mischievous fairy godparents has likely lost some of its magic. Fans are divided on exactly when the quality began to turn, but most agree that the show is not as good as it used to be, thanks to extraneous characters and a drop-off in the degree of zaniness. Funnily enough, the show was originally meant to end in 2006, but returned after a hiatus less than 2 years later. With about a decade since its return, many are wishing that the Fairly OddParents hadn’t overstayed their welcome.

While “Modern Family” began as a fresh, contemporary take on modern extended families, this mockumentary sitcom has had fans feuding over its merits in later seasons. As the show has gone on, it’s been criticized for trying to do too much in its episodes, as well as for having shallow character development, trite dialogue, and just spinning its wheels creatively. Overall, plenty of viewers are hoping that the Pritchett-Dunphy-Tucker clan’s story can wrap up sooner, rather than later. If nothing else, that way we might finally learn who’s behind the camera!

Are we still lucky there’s a “Family Guy?” Many argue that the long-running adult animated sitcom has seen better days. While its reliance on cutaway gags has always been polarizing, some argue that the show as a whole has become formulaic, with its characters becoming pale imitations of themselves with few redeeming traits, or else behaving in whatever way the plot needs them to. Others feel the series’ humor has become too politicized to be enjoyable. “Family Guy” was rescued from cancellation once before, but given its apparent decline in quality, who knows if fans would fight as hard were it to happen again.

With over 200 episodes and running even longer than “The Fairly OddParents” as of 2017, this show about an anthropomorphic sponge and his sea creature friends who live at the bottom of the sea has experienced what many consider a significant decline over the years. Most agree that following its first movie and the departure of the show’s creator, Stephen Hillenburg in the mid-2000s, the characters seem to become defined by a single trait. They were basically turned into exaggerated versions of themselves, some to the point of being rather unlikeable or outright awful. Although Hillenburg has since returned, it might be too little too late.

This show may have become one of American TV’s top comedies, but it’s far from being universally beloved. “The Big Bang Theory” follows a group of nerdy scientists and their various love interests and friends. Despite the show’s apparently strong nerd cred, many younger viewers have accused the show of pandering, while also reinforcing stereotypes about geek culture. The humor, or lack thereof, has also drawn significant criticism, with many clips popping up online with the laugh track removed to demonstrate how unfunny it is. Given all that, it’s not too difficult to “unravel the mystery” of why some might want to see “The Big Bang Theory” cancelled.

Not everyone wants this wayward son to carry on. “Supernatural” is a fantasy action horror show about two brothers and their travels across America battling supernatural forces of every conceivable variety. While the show is still entertaining, most viewers agree that the series peaked in Season 5 with an apocalyptic showdown that was reportedly meant to be the show’s conclusion. The departure of creator Eric Kripke as showrunner following this season didn’t help, and since then the show has felt like it’s been mining familiar territory, trying to recapture the same kind of emotional and narrative stakes it once had.

After the success of the original “Teen Titans,” a show that blended teen comedy with superhero action, many were eager for a continuation. However, this spinoff was not what many fans expected, or wanted. “Teen Titans Go!” lacks any continuity with its progenitor, despite sporting the same cast, and is now an ostensibly comedic series. The characters themselves also bear little resemblance to their prior versions, and are instead more like parodies of themselves, with their worst or most annoying traits played up for “laughs.” Although viewers would probably prefer the show never existed in the first place, now we’re sure they’d settle for it just being gone instead.

This long-running primetime soap op-… uh… medical drama is officially on life support. Like other similar shows about doctors that have come before it, “Grey’s Anatomy” has featured a high turnover rate among its cast, so much so that few of the original characters remain. In addition, a number of viewers and critics have become weary of the show’s tendency to use overly dramatic or emotionally manipulative storylines in a ploy to garner ratings, to the point where threatening to stop watching is a running gag in the fan community. Overall, the prognosis doesn’t look good for this once buzzworthy show.


Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable, or in this case dishonorable, mentions:

“Criminal Minds” (2005-)


“Homeland” (2011-)


“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (1999-)

Yeah, is anyone really surprised by this one? “The Simpsons” is an iconic animated sitcom and with nearly 30 years on the air, so it’s basically a television institution. In spite of its storied history, huge swaths of viewers feel that the show is not as funny or fresh as it used to be, with some believing that it began a downward spiral as early as the 10th season ago. Although the show’s general lack of continuity makes it accessible to casual viewers, it has made it difficult for longtime fans to remain invested. Bottom-line – we all love “The Simpsons,” but not all of us love it as it is now.