From Netflix to Apple TV+, HBO to FX, every streaming platform and channel has culled shows that didn’t pass muster, even if they looked like they had an interesting path ahead of them.
Newsweek looks back at 10 shows that were canceled in 2021.
1. Cowboy Bebop
Cowboy Bebop is probably the most high-profile loss of the year; it was canceled after just one season.
Despite the hype and advertising push, the Netflix show simply didn’t get the viewing figures other hits had at the outset.
Starring John Cho, Daniella Pineda and Mustafa Shakir, the show was a live-action adaptation of Shinichiro Watanabe’s iconic anime series.
But it seemed the original’s legacy hindered the new version’s chances, even if the creators made some interesting changes to the storyline.
2. Jupiter’s Legacy
Netflix made a number of surprising cancelations, and one of those was Jupiter’s Legacy, which it cut after one season, just a month after it was released.
The superhero series starred Josh Duhamel and Leslie Bibb as the super-powered husband and wife Sheldon and Grace Sampson.
While Jupiter’s Legacy was canceled, the show will technically return in another form with the show Supercrooks, which focuses on the original’s villains.
3. American Gods
The adaptation of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s Good Omens might have been given a surprise second season, and Gaiman’s The Sandman is set to come out in 2022, but the adaptation of his book American Gods wasn’t so lucky.
Starz chose to pull the plug on the show after its third season, which followed lead Shadow Moon (Ricky Whittle) going into hiding after he was thrown into the war between the Old Gods and the New.
For those wondering how Shadow’s story ends they need look no further than the original source material.
4. Lost in Space
Lost in Space had a strong run on Netflix, and according to the streaming service’s website it attracted respectable numbers for its final season.
Despite fans’ love for the show, when it was renewed for a third season in 2020 it was confirmed by Netflix that it would be the final one.
According to showrunner Zack Estrin, he had always intended the program to have a three-season long storyline, so at least it was given a fitting send off.
5. Mr. Corman
Joseph Gordon-Levitt may have created, produced and starred in Mr. Corman, but his star power wasn’t enough to save the show on Apple TV+.
The dark comedy followed Gordon-Levitt’s lead character Josh Corman and his life as a public school teacher.
6. Julie and the Phantoms
Julie and the Phantoms also had a short run on Netflix, as it was canceled after just one season on the streaming platform.
The musical comedy followed teen Julie Molina (Madison Reyes), who summons the ghosts of a dead band accidentally, and then proceeds to become the lead singer of the group.
7. Brooklyn 99
Shockingly, Brooklyn 99 came to an end in 2021 after it was announced its eighth season would be the last.
The NBC comedy about a group of police officers may be beloved by fans, but the cast and crew felt it was time for the show to end, especially in the wake of George Floyd’s death in 2020.
8. The Irregulars
The Irregulars followed a group of plucky teens who lived on the street and helped solve Sherlock Holmes and Dr John Watson’s cases.
Unfortunately, despite this link to the famous Arthur Conan Doyle sleuth, the show was unable to draw enough viewers and Netflix canceled it after one season.
9. Lovecraft Country
HBO’s Lovecraft Country followed Jonathan Major’s Atticus “Tic” Freeman as he went in search of his missing father in 1950s America, all while dealing with Lovecraftian monsters and rampant racism.
A second season, titled Lovecraft Country: Supremacy, was in production after the first season until HBO suddenly announced in July 2021 that the show had been canceled instead.
10. Y: The Last Man
FX show Y: The Last Man was also canceled after just one season, with the announcement coming just a month after it premiered on the channel.
The show was based on the comic book of the same name by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra and it followed Yorick Brown, the only person with a Y chromosome left alive after a mysterious event led to the deaths of every mammal who had it.
