Top 20 TV Shows That Were Canceled After the First Episode

We open our list with a bit of a fudge, as this 2010 reality show actually aired back-to-back episodes during its premiere, before getting the axe. "The Hasselhoffs" was an attempt by A&E to create a reality hit following former "Knight Rider" star David Hasselhoff and his family. Only 718,000 viewers tuned in to watch the pilot, however, while the subsequent episode dropped the numbers down even further, to just over five hundred thousand. The series was canceled, and David Hasselhoff never did anything again. We're kidding, obviously, as The Hoff continues to appear in just about any aspect of pop culture that will have him.

Even for fans of “The Osbournes”, “Osbournes Reloaded” was NOT a welcome return. In fact, it wasn’t even really a reality show, but rather a... "variety" show? It combined taped skits with live comedy routines and musical performances a la a really terrible version of "Saturday Night Live." Want to hear how bad Fox thought it was? The one and only aired episode was supposed to be an hour long. But after it was edited down to almost half that length, an episode of “American Idol” was actually made longer to fill in the rest of the time slot. Yikes!

Former Toronto mayor Rob Ford made intentional headlines when footage surfaced of him using illegal substances and acting erratically. Sounds like a perfect candidate to host an off-the-cuff talk show, right? Well, someone thought "Ford Nation" was a great idea, because that's exactly what happened in 2013. The show, which was hosted by Ford and his brother Doug, aired on November 13th to a decent amount of viewers. However, not even the morbidly curious could save "Ford Nation" from being canceled less than a day after it hit the airwaves. The high production costs and Ford's...let's call it an "advertiser un-friendly" persona led to its doom. Although the host tried to continue his series on YouTube, the revival was short-lived.

If you're going to produce a post-game analysis show, be sure to staff your panel with actual sports journalists. That seems like a no-brainer. Spanish-language sports show "Ahora, la Mundial" seemed to miss this all-important step when they debuted their first and only episode in 2018. The show intended to offer deep commentary on Spain's progress in that year's FIFA World Cup. But instead of hiring sportswriters, "Ahora, la Mundial" employed gossip columnists and entertainment journalists. This caused the show to face swift backlash from critics and coaches almost immediately. The show was canceled by its parent channel Telecinco after only one episode.

For those who were lucky, or is that unlucky, enough to have caught this failed pilot, it may have seemed like a fever dream. But don’t worry, you’re not crazy. A "Bubsy" cartoon DID indeed air its only episode on November 28th, 1993. The show was an attempt to spin off the fledgling video game franchise into the animated world and was bizarrely sponsored by Taco Bell. Information is scarce as to why "Bubsy" never aired again. But we do know that Bubsy creator Michael Berlyn liked the show’s take on the characters. Judging on the pilot’s relative obscurity, he was one of the few.

Just because a celebrity finds success in multiple mediums, it doesn't necessarily mean they’ll be good at everything. Case in point? Rosie O'Donnell. By 2008, she had a solid standup comedy career, had received acclaim for movies like "A League of Their Own”, and had a strong talk show run with "The Rosie O'Donnell Show." But when she tried to revive the variety show genre with “Rosie Live", the results were disastrous. Despite featuring guests like Alanis Morissette and Liza Minnelli, the show couldn't sing or dance its way into the hearts of audiences or critics. An extremely negative response resulted in "Rosie Live" being axed after its one and only episode on November 26th, 2008.

It seems like a slam dunk, right? If the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" were a hit, why not adapt another popular video game into a Saturday Morning cartoon? Well, it seems like not even a major ad campaign in magazines like GamePro could save "Battletoads." It only managed to muster a single pilot episode that aired over the 1992 Thanksgiving holiday. This syndicated debut was poorly received by viewers at the time. And honestly, it doesn't seem to have aged well, either. However, if you just have to scratch that itch of morbid curiosity, it is available...on VHS.

Sometimes, it's fairly easy to figure out exactly why a particular television series was canceled. A TV show called "The Melting Pot" had an obvious casting problem. The lead character, who's supposed to be a Pakistani immigrant, is played by British-Irish actor Spike Milligan in brownface. Although six episodes of "The Melting Pot" were filmed, the BBC series was canceled after airing its pilot on June 11th, 1975 due to poor reception over its content. Not even a major cast overhaul could convince execs to air the remaining episodes of "The Melting Pot.” We certainly can’t say we blame the network.

It's easy to see why a network would want to spin-off a successful T.V. series. "M*A*S*H'' was one of those select few that received not one, not two, but THREE different spinoffs. While "After MASH" and "Trapper John, M.D." managed to find audiences, the third series only managed to squeak out a single episode. Gary Burghoff reprises his role as Corporal Walter "Radar" O'Reilly. The plot revolves around…how depressing his life is? At one point, Radar plans to misuse pills before he has a meet-cute with future "SNL" star Victoria Jackson at the drugstore. He then decides to...join the police force. Uh, remind us why this wasn't picked up, again?

Some TV shows become bombs for the ages. A Belgian show titled "Pak de Poen: De Show Van 1 Miljoen," or "Take The Cash: The Show of 1 Million" is a prime example. It debuted shortly after the government allowed commercial television on the airwaves. While contestants tried to win the million Belgian francs on the line, nothing seemed to work the way it was supposed to. The show had failing lights, dysfunctional technology, hilariously wooden hosts, and a finale that was an absolute disaster. The show didn't make it to episode two. Even a retooled version titled "The Pak de Poen Show” only managed two more episodes before cancellation.

Ever seen a movie where a bunch of sleazy relatives are competing and conspiring against one another to win a huge inheritance? Ever wanted to see that scenario in a reality show setting? No? Neither do we. That's probably why "The Will" was such a notorious bomb when it debuted in 2005. The show centered around a group of people vying to inherit a Kansas ranch from "The Benefactor." The usual backstabbing and drama ensued, only this time marinated in the sort of bad taste one might expect from a premise this stupid. Thankfully, "The Will" qualified for our list, though some of its banked episodes later aired.

"Secret Talents of the Stars" was an attempt at replicating the runaway success of the celebrity competition show "Dancing with the Stars" . . . but ended up a disaster. The show was set up in a similar fashion to its touchstone, with celebrities competing against each other in a talent show of sorts. Each week, viewers at home would have been able to vote forward their favorites, while three judges would add in their own commentary as to who should stay and who should go. "Secret Talents of the Stars" was the one to go, however, and didn't even get to air another episode before getting the axe.

Millions of dollars reportedly went into the promotion of "Emily's Reasons Why Not," a hopeful hit which hinged upon its star, Heather Graham; and which molded itself as the network’s take on HBO's popular "Sex and the City" franchise. Unfortunately, the pilot episode, which was chock-a-block with gay stereotypes and stale humor, bombed in the ratings department, and was canceled, you guessed it, after airing just one episode. "Emily's Reasons Why Not" did live on afterwards, however, as all seven of the show's filmed episodes were eventually aired in other countries, and released on DVD in 2012.

Glenn Frey was a part-time actor, but a full-time musician, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a founding member of The Eagles. But forget “fame”, "shame" is perhaps a better word to describe Frey's 1993 series "South of Sunset," which only mustered up one episode before cancellation. To be fair, audiences on the West Coast didn't even get a chance to see much of the show, as its debut was largely preempted by news coverage of the Malibu wildfires. This didn't stop "South of Sunset's" fate, however, leaving the four other filmed episodes unseen, until they were broadcast, years later, on VH1.

Our next entry proves that sometimes, you just gotta roll with the punches and make lemonade out of some damn lemons. "You're in the Picture" was a disastrous attempt at a game show hosted by "The Honeymooners" star Jackie Gleason, which was axed after its first episode. Gleason owned up to it, though, and appeared in the following week's time slot with a half hour apology, complete with live commercials. Strangely enough, the apology received better ratings, and Gleason was allowed to replace "You're in the Picture" with "The Jackie Gleason Show," an interview program which filled out his contractual obligations for the network.

Steven Bochco was one of those great television writers who was often ahead of the curve and a trendsetter. The man's work as co-creator on "Hill Street Blues" and "N.Y.P.D. Blue" revolutionized the police procedural. However, nobody’s perfect. "Public Morals" was a different Bochco production that attempted to mix the NYPD Vice Squad with situation comedy. But its strong language and offensive humor got the show tons of negative press. After it made its debut on October 30th, 1996, it was canceled. A full season of "Public Morals" was actually produced. But we'll never know if the series was actually ahead of its time...or just as bad as Bochco’s "Cop Rock".

The NFL career of Brian Bosworth may have been something of a bust, but that didn't stop the former All-American from trying his hand at acting. "The Boz" scored something of a cult hit with the 1991 action flick "Stone Cold," but still couldn't resonate with the mainstream. "Lawless" was an attempt at rectifying this, and featured Bosworth as a special forces op who solves crimes and rides a Harley on South Beach. If this premise sounds flimsy and generic, that's because it is, and "Lawless" only got its pilot episode out the door before its demise. "The Boz" continues to act, though, so don't feel too bad for him!

This sitcom’s concept was an all-girls college going co-ed, and was a bald-faced attempt at replicating the big-screen success of "National Lampoon's Animal House" for a television audience. Thing is, it barely had a chance to get out of the starting gate. It aired its sole episode, "Pepperoni Passion," as a special preview on February 4th, 1979, but was then canceled even before it could start airing on its scheduled night. "Co-Ed Fever" was eventually put to good use, though, as its dorm set was eventually adapted for "The Facts of Life."

This one was ahead of its time. "Turn-On" was a surreal sketch comedy show that made history by being the only series to be canceled partway into its pilot episode. Yeah, you heard right. The show was created by the folks behind "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In," but was yanked due to its psychedelic approach, wild synthesizer music and bawdy sexual humor. Today, it's known as one of the biggest critical and commercial bombs in history, although its blink-and-you-missed-it existence serves as a tantalizing example of what could have been for fans of transgressive comedy.

Before we name our number one pick, here are a few honorable mentions!

"Mesmerized" (2015)
Look Deep Into Our Eyes...You'll Never Watch This Again

"Dot Comedy" (2000)
A Show Focused on Internet Humor Was Way Too Ahead of Its Time

File this one under: what the HELL were they thinking? Well, the intention behind the British "Heil Honey I'm Home!" was to satirize what the creators saw as stupid and stock clichés of the typical American sitcom. The results, however, featured Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun as a "Desi and Lucy" sort of couple, who live next door to a Jewish family, The Goldensteins. Complaints were swift, with many accusing the show of trivializing Hitler and the Holocaust, despite the existence of other World War II parodies, like "Hogan's Heroes." The show was immediately canceled, although it's been reported that other filmed episodes do exist, somewhere out in the mist of bad taste.