The past week or so would have been a great time to just stop caring about a whole slew of TV shows, since all the networks have been going crazy handing out cancellations to the series that apparently just haven't done what those in charge were hoping for. Some were surprising, some were predictable, and some probably shouldn't have been on TV to begin with. Below, you'll see 10 of the biggest shows that each of the big networks put on the chopping block in just this week alone. (For a more comprehensive look at the fates of everything else on TV, head to our cancellation/renewal rundowns for both network TV and cable/streaming.)
The Catch - ABC
Most networks cancel shows when they're either early in the run and earning poor ratings, or far after a season is finished, when fans and the show's cast/crew are sick with worry. But not ABC, which decided to pull the plug on the Shondaland crime caper The Catch mere hours before its Season 2 finale aired. And that finale featured all manner of backstabbings and other twists that would have led nicely into a third season. Who was the real backstabber here?
Rosewood - Fox
Never a critical darling, Fox's Rosewood likely squeaked into a Season 2 order on the strength of two things. One was the affability and charisma of its cast, with the gorgeous pairing of Morris Chestnut and Jaina Lee Ortiz leading things. The second confidence-booster Fox had was Bones' lead-in audience and their appreciation for forensics-based crime procedurals. But Rosewood's audience drooped too far, and after Bones said its big farewell, so did Rosewood.
Powerless - NBC
Recent years have provided tones of comic book-sourced programming to cheer for, though almost everything has been dramatic in nature. NBC aimed to change that with the comedy Powerless, which took a super-talented cast (that included Vanessa Hudgens and Alan Tudyk) and stuck them in a vaguely structured show that spouted out jokes that were broader than the lesser-known DC Comics hero Side Of A Barn Man. The series was pulled from NBC's schedule months before it was quietly depowered for real.
American Crime - ABC
If anyone needs the 2017 example of how critical acclaim cannot save a show from its own terrible ratings, look no further than the ABC drama American Crime, which managed to last longer than almost every other show on here. But the John Ridley-created anthology drama, with all of its incredible cast members, couldn't maintain the audience that tuned in for its first two seasons, and its most recent batch of episodes was indeed its last.
Last Man Standing - ABC
Throughout most of the '90s, comedian Tim Allen was an ABC mainstay on the sitcom Home Improvement, and the network once again gave him a home six seasons ago with another multi-camera comedy, Last Man Standing. The Friday night staple won't be living up to its name anymore, though, as it was somewhat surprisingly cancelled, though not before giving audiences quite a few fun Home Improvement reunions to enjoy. Now what will Allen's next show be?
The Blacklist: Redemption - NBC
The Blacklist took an interesting turn in Season 3 when it amped up the serialized storytelling to accompany the week-to-week tales, and it offered NBC a chance to branch out with the spinoff The Blacklist: Redemption. But that show didn't reach the heights of its predecessor's numbers and got cut, and said predecessor is also seeing viewership dips. So while the newer show got cut this year, what happens next season when Red's the only one left to take the fall?
Sleepy Hollow - Fox
If there's something that seems strange about Sleepy Hollow's cancellation, it's that it failed to happen in 2016 after killing off co-lead Abbie Mills, and before irevamping the entire storyline, from setting to characters to everything else. The show's low-end premiere ratings for Season 4 were a good sign of how many fans had lost their heads over all the major changes, and things only got worse on the way to the bonkers finale.
Timeless - NBC
Throw a rock, and you were bound to hit a time machine from one of the last TV season's many shows revolving around time travel. Timeless was arguably the rompiest of the bunch, smarter than the comedies, never as ridiculous as Legends of Tomorrow, and more fun and self-aware than the related dramas. But that doesn't mean it was perfect, and its audience base went from pretty solid to pretty flimsy across its 16-episode run. Timeless, as it were, was not.
Frequency - The CW
You'll rarely find a more hit-or-miss project than a TV show remake of a movie that only achieved marginal success. Sadly, there wasn't much good news to be found for The CW drama Frequency, a half-season show that ended all the way back in January, but only just got cancelled this week. If only there was some way to go back and tell ourselves at the time that there;s no use in hoping for Season 2.
Dr. Ken - ABC
Pop culture can get weird sometimes, and who can't appreciate former doctor Ken Jeong transitioning into comedic acting and eventually using his massive fame to front a sitcom where he played a doctor? ABC appreciated it for two seasons of pretty consistent, if not shockingly fantastic, ratings on the non-enviable Friday night schedule. But now Jeong will have to move onto other projects; perhaps a job teaching acting a community college?
For some good news, rather than a bunch of depressing cancellations, head to our summer TV schedule. And let us know which of these shows you'll miss the most next season.
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