Top 10 TV Shows That Gave Us Zero Closure
#10: “Flashforward” (2009-10)
This show had a pretty exciting premise. The entire population passes out and while in a dream state gets a flash of themselves 6 months in the future. This was enough to get the show a pretty impressive number of viewers for its debut. Unfortunately, the mystery and intrigue weren’t enough to keep the audience interested for the long haul. Ratings kept plummeting after that first episode, and the show just wasn’t able to recover. It was cancelled after just one season and we never found out what the future really did hold. Major bummer.
#9: “Constantine” (2014-15)
NBC probably should have known better than to try and produce a show based on a DC comic book. That’s kind of the CW’s thing. It’s really become a niche for the network. Not so much on other channels, and “Constantine” was cancelled after only 13 episodes. Thankfully, it wasn’t the end for everyone’s favorite demon hunter. The character did live on in a few brief appearances in the shows of the Arrowverse. We still wish we could have seen more of his standalone story. The character was obviously loved enough to bring back occasionally, so maybe the series should have gotten another chance with a second season.
#8: “My So-Called Life” (1994-95)
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This show, like many cancelled before its time, has become a cult classic. Though viewership was never quite the best, there was a small group of loyal and dedicated fans. Unfortunately, even those fans couldn’t save it, despite their best efforts. Fans launched Operation Life Support, which was the first ever internet fan campaign organized to save a show. But ultimately the low ratings outweighed the devotion of the audience. The show got the axe after the first season and we never got to see who Angela picked in the love triangle. How could ABC leave us hanging like that?
#7: “Moesha” (1996-2001)
This is a bit of an odd one. Most of the shows on this list are one and done burnouts, or shows that powered through their weak viewership for a couple of seasons until it finally caught up with them. But this was a very popular show for a long time. It was on the air for 5 seasons before it faced its fatal dip in ratings in season 6. The season ended with a huge pregnancy cliffhanger. Is it Moesha? Neicy? Maybe it’s Alicia who’s with child. Guess we’ll never know. Supposedly, it was meant to be resolved in the show “The Parkers,” but it was never brought up again.
#6: “Pitch” (2016-17)
This was a great show following the day to day life of the first modern female major league baseball player. It had such a great premise and a lot of star power with Kylie Bunbury, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, and Ali Larter as the main characters. It also managed to strongly portray feminism without feeling contrived or gimmicky. Every episode delved into Ginny’s struggles, not just as a woman trying to break into a man’s sport, but also in trying to balance the weight of being every little girl’s role model with simply being herself. And yet it was cancelled after one season. The finale ended on a huge cliffhanger with Ginny injuring her arm in the middle of pitching a no hitter.
#5: “My Name is Earl” (2005-09)
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Much like Moesha, this show was quite successful for several seasons before its untimely cancellation. This story follows Earl Hickey, a man who has pretty much wasted his life being a bad person, as he tries to right all the wrongs he's done by checking good deeds off of a very comprehensive list. The series was a bit up and down for 4 seasons, but just when it looked like the show was really hitting its stride it got cancelled without us ever getting to see Earl finish his list. The creator did give us a bit of insight into Earl’s future, revealing that eventually he would cross paths with someone he’d inspired to make their own list. Guess we’ll just have to live off that.
#4: “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures Of Superman” (1993-97)
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How could they cancel Superman? He’s Superman! And ending on such a big cliffhanger. It honestly felt kind of disrespectful to fans. Superman has transcended media. Comics, movies, TV shows, you name it, the Man of Steel has been there. In this incarnation we see not only Clark and Lois save the world one villain at a time, but we see their personal adventures as well. The show ends with a baby being randomly left on Lois and Clark's doorstep. They have no idea who's baby it is or where it came from. And then we just never got any answers. We need to know. What happens next time on Superman?!
#3: “Hannibal” (2013-15)
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Suspense is usually great for a horror-thriller tv show, but not when you’re anticipating another great season of television that just never comes. This show about Hannibal Lecter was intensely riveting, and kept its small but devoted audience compelled episode after episode. In addition to fan support, this show earned a plethora of awards for its performances and even won several different Best Television Series awards. Sometimes people don’t know what they’re missing though. It seems absurd that a show frequently regarded as one of the greatest TV series of all time was cancelled because of low viewership.
#2: “Freaks and Geeks” (1999-2000)
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This series was one of the first ever to tell the story from the point of view of the underdog. Most shows around this time were focused on the popular kid, the good student, the jock. But “Freaks and Geeks” dared to opt out of wish fulfillment filler and represent a more realistic portrayal of high school for many of us. Unfortunately, the network brass didn’t agree with this approach. Paul Feig and Judd Apatow are on record with their refusal to water down the show to please the studio. What happened to Lindsay and Kim on the Grateful Dead tour? Will Lindsay and Nick ever get back together? The finale clearly intended on a future that we never got to see. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. “ALF” (1986-90) A Regrettable Decision “Southland” (2009-13) An Abrupt Ending “The Secret Circle” (2011-12) A Magical Cliffhanger “Reaper” (2007-09) A Devil of a Deal
#1: “Pushing Daisies” (2007-09)
What a beautiful, off-beat wonder of a show. It became an instant cult classic among fans. “Pushing Daisies” was witty and original, and won a litany of awards. Watching Ned and Chuck fall more and more in love each episode, despite Ned’s unfortunate super power to make things dead, was a beautiful tragedy every single week. Though the show had a loyal and dedicated following, it suffered from a heavy drop in viewership and was cancelled after only two seasons. And we never got to see what ultimately happened between Ned and Chuck. Honestly, we’re still rooting for them.
