2008's Canceled Prime-Time TV Shows

Did Your Show Make the Cut?

For dedicated TV fans, it is always hard to say goodbye to a show you enjoyed. Granted, the complicated ratings, advertising and demographic scales make it difficult for us average people to understand why a decent show we know other people watch gets the ax. Perhaps each network desires to have that wildly popular break out hit, such as ABC has had with Lost, Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy. Maybe these shows have made relative success seem like failure.

However it is justified, here are the shows that are gone for good.

Fox has eliminated The Return of Jezebel, Anchorwoman, Canterbury's Law and Back to You. It is difficult to understand how Canterbury's Law, starring Julianne Margulies and Aidan Quinn, wasn't a hit. Ditto for Back to You, with Kelsey Grammar and Patricia Heaton, who are both big names in the sitcom world (though perhaps the constant advertising for the show grew to be an annoyance, who knows?).

Fox also removed K-ville, Unhitched, Nashville, The Next Great American Band and New Amsterdam.

CBS appeared to be pretty generous, or at least satisfied with the great programs they do have. Viva Laughlin ended nearly before it began. Kid Nation had buzz, but fizzled out. Moonlight, Shark, Cane and Welcome to the Captain will not be returning. Cane seemed to have a good chance, and Welcome to the Captain seemed quirky enough to be possible.

Let us not forget Jericho. Even after a fan campaign that resulted in massive amounts of peanuts being delivered to CBS, they merely humored fans with a handful of episodes to provide somewhat adequate closure. Apparently millions of fans can be wrong.

NBC gave up on Bionic Woman, as well as a handful of some shows you may never have heard of! Clash of the Choirs, My Dad is Better Than Your Dad, Phenomenon, Las Vegas, 1 vs 100, The Singing Bee and Amne$ia. Apparently not all reality shows, or game shows, are hits. Networks would do well to remember this.