Blue Bloods’ unjust cancelation is not the first time a beloved show has been canceled by CBS before its time. The network has aired many shows since the mid-20th century, but few have had as lasting an impact as Blue Bloods has. Even so, the admiration for Blue Bloods’ story and the Reagan family were not enough to stop it from being canceled. The news of a Blue Bloods spinoff only furthered the pain of the show’s cancelation.
Although Blue Bloods has reached an astonishing 14-season run, its story is far from over. With Jamie and Eddie expecting a child, Erin and Jack remarrying, and Frank’s impending retirement, Blue Bloods still had several unanswered questions in the finale. Its finale at CBS comes from a long line of premature cancelations within the network. Whether the previous cancelations act as a form of consolation or not, Blue Bloods is not the only show that deserved better.
Jericho follows the small town of Jericho, Kansas in the aftermath of a nuclear explosion. The explosion seems isolated at first but is soon revealed to be a part of a larger series of attacks on American cities. Like Blue Bloods, Jericho also centers on the values of family, as the community in Jericho must come together and use their limited resources to survive the hardship that follows the explosion.
Despite its cancelation, Jericho was a refreshing, original drama and still had many stories to tell.
As the first season of Jericho was met with low ratings, the show was canceled shortly after it finished airing the season 1 finale. Despite its low ratings, Jericho amassed a cult following and a fan-led campaign persuaded the producers to bring the show back for a second season. However, the show was officially and permanently canceled after season 2. Despite its cancelation, Jericho was a refreshing, original drama and still had many stories to tell. Its early cancelation meant that Jericho’s storylines ended prematurely.
Person Of Interest
Former CIA Agent Partners With An Innovative Tech Genius In This Dark Drama
Person Of Interest combines the action that accompanies CIA operatives with a complex surveillance system in a brilliantly written sci-fi drama. The show centers on the unusual pairing between John Reese, a former CIA agent, and Harold Finch, a tech genius who has created “The Machine” as a way to surveil people and determine acts of terrorism and crime before they happen. Person Of Interest ran for five seasons and aired just over 100 episodes. Despite its popularity, Person Of Interest season 6 was canceled.
Similar to Blue Bloods’ cancelation, CBS claimed that Person Of Interest had to end for financial reasons, as the show was not as profitable anymore. A large factor that went into the cancelation had to do with property rights. As Warner Bros. owned Person Of Interest, they received most of the show’s profits, not CBS. Despite its cancelation, the creators of Person Of Interest luckily knew ahead of time that season 5 might be the show’s last, so they were able to write a satisfying closure to the characters with room to expand if the series was renewed.
Extant
An Astronaut Returns Home Pregnant After A 13-Month Solo Mission
Extant follows Molly Woods, an astronaut who has just returned from a 13-month solo mission in space when she discovers that she is pregnant. Her life is complicated by the pregnancy in more ways than one, as she and her husband also have an android child at home named Ethan. The show focuses on Molly’s questions of fertility, possibility, and jealousy as she deals with her changing family.
Despite Extant’s positive reviews, it was canceled after just two seasons. Extant was an exciting show with plot twists and unexpected reveals as early as the premiere. As a show in the sci-fi genre, it was also notably different from the other shows airing around its time. As a result, its short lifespan was surprising given the show’s overall popularity. Like Blue Bloods, Extant still had more stories it could have revealed.
Ghost Whisperer
A Woman Uses Her Powers To Help Spirits Deal With Their Earthly Problems
Ghost Whisperer’s Melinda Gordon can see and speak with ghosts. While she tries to live a normal life as much as possible, she also uses her powers to help ghosts relay messages or solve problems so that they can move on from Earth peacefully. However, problems arise when the ghosts are hostile towards Melinda or when people close to her are skeptical of her powers. Starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, Ghost Whisperer is a sensational supernatural drama that has not been forgotten.
As beloved as it was, CBS canceled Ghost Whisperer after five seasons. The network cited finances as the reason that the show had to end, since ratings had declined, and it was no longer profitable for them to continue. Similar to Blue Bloods and several other CBS shows, Ghost Whisperer had an unsatisfying ending. With so much more potential for stories, Ghost Whisperer unfortunately aired its final episode in 2010 after five years on the air. As the show’s producers were not aware that season 5 would be their last, Ghost Whisper did not receive the ending it deserved.
Chicago Hope
A Medical Drama Set In Chicago
Chicago Hope is a medical drama centered on the lives of the doctors and surgeons at the fictional hospital, Chicago Hope. The show features complex characters and highlights the intersection of the doctors’ personal lives with their professional work environment at Chicago Hope. The medical drama was meant to act as a competitor for NBC’s newest show, ER. Despite the tough competition, Chicago Hope raked in positive reviews over its six-season run.
Despite its popularity and praise from the medical community for its accurate depictions, Chicago Hope was canceled after its sixth season on the air. The show changed its cast several times, with some characters leaving too soon after they had premiered, which led to declining ratings. Chicago Hope also had tough competition for air time as ABC’s Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? generated more views over a short period of time and CBS could not match the demands with Chicago Hope.
NCIS: Hawai’i
A Crime Procedural Set In Beautiful Hawai’i
NCIS: Hawai’i is a spinoff of the NCIS franchise and follows Special Agent Jane Tennant as she and her team deal with crimes connected to naval personnel in Hawai’i. Like other NCIS spinoffs, NCIS: Hawai’i used its location to its advantage by adding elements of Hawaiian culture into its stories. NCIS: Hawai’i is also the first spinoff in the NCIS franchise to feature a woman as the lead character. The show was met with popular reviews and positive feedback, which is why its premature cancelation was so shocking.
NCIS: Hawai’i was officially canceled by CBS after it aired its third season. While hopes for a season 4 remain, NCIS: Hawai’i’s cancelation is another example of a popular CBS show that was canceled too soon. Like Blue Bloods, the NCIS: Hawai’i cast is passionate about their work and fought hard for a final season. However, it too met the same fate as Blue Bloods. Despite its popularity, NCIS: Hawai’i ended on a cliffhanger with no way to continue its story.
So Help Me Todd
An Unlikely Mother-Son Duo
So Help Me Todd is another CBS show that had an unfair ending after a short time on the air. The series follows the talented but directionless private investigator Todd as he joins forces with his mother, Margaret, to work as an investigator at her law firm. So Help Me Todd features unusual pairings, comedy, and intriguing legal dilemmas all in one. Among the character dilemmas was Todd’s interest in bending the rules to solve his cases, much to Margaret’s dismay.
While So Help Me Todd was canceled by CBS after just two seasons, it was an intriguing show that still had so many stories it could tell. The worst thing about the cancelation was that season 2 ended on a cliffhanger. So Help Me Todd’s creator, Scott Prendergast, revealed in an interview with TVLine that “by the time we got the cancellation news, the episode was long finished.” Prendergast’s plan to film a cliffhanger in season 2 was set from the beginning, but at the time, he still had hopes that there would be a third season.
Cold Case
A Team Investigates And Solves Forgotten Cold Cases
Cold Case follows a team of investigators from the Philadelphia Police Department as they investigate forgotten cold cases. Alongside the team’s investigation, Cold Case also features era-accurate music and fashion from the cases the team investigates. The crime drama offers a spin on the typical crime procedural by highlighting the different historical eras of the 20th century and how the political and social influences of the time might have influenced people to commit crimes.
Cold Case was untimely canceled after 7 seasons. As each season ended on a cliffhanger, season 7 was met with the same fate but with no resolution as there was no season 8 to follow. Years later, CBS announced plans for a Cold Case reboot, but it was unfortunately canceled before it even began. While Cold Case was never able to return to CBS, there is some hope that the Blue Bloods characters will be able to return via Danny’s Blue Bloods spinoff. Blue Bloods was prematurely canceled, but that does not mean it is the end for the Reagans.