I try not to be a person of many grudges, as those sorts of feelings don’t exactly get you anywhere. But there’s a special place in my heart that harbors a good number of bad feelings pertaining to the cancellation of TV shows I really happened to dig. So pull up a chair and prepare, as I’m about to rattle off 32 TV cancellations I’m still mad about.

Alcatraz

One 13 episode season in 2012 was all we got of this supernatural mindbender, where prisoners that randomly disappeared from Alcatraz returned decades later. When this show vanished, it left one of its leads in a potentially fatal cliffhanger, and deprived the world of weekly doses of Sam Neill. 

The Last Tycoon

Based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book of the same name, The Last Tycoon entertained Prime Video subscribers in 2017. Nine episodes was all we got of Matt Bomer’s tragically dreamy studio head, in a series that used old Hollywood to scratch the itch that Mad Men left behind. Scripts for Season 2 are sitting somewhere in writer Billy Ray’s office, waiting for someone to call “Action!”

Resident Evil

When your story depends on jumping back and forth between the present and the future, the gap in the middle is where the fun lies. And for Netflix’s Resident Evil, we’ll never get the full story about what the Wesker family went through between pre and post-apocalyptic events. Though with the untimely passing of Lance Reddick, it would have been daunting to find a new Albert to fill his shoes.

Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip

Aaron Sorkin’s dramedy take on the behind the scenes of an SNL clone failed to capture the energy of actually funny sketches. That could have easily been worked on, as Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip was a very effective drama, with Matthew Perry and Bradley Whitford anchoring an amazing ensemble that included Amanda Peet and Sarah Paulson, among others.

Perry Mason

Perry Mason’s Season 2 finale became a series finale, thanks to HBO’s surprise cancellation. Which means Matthew Rhys’ titular detective will be cooling his heels in prison indefinitely, with no updates on how he picks up the pieces in the aftermath of his latest bombshell of a case. Another period-set beauty that’s been yanked too soon.

Westworld

One more season. That’s all Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy needed to close out Westworld properly. I don’t care if Season 4’s finale seems to tie things off, there was one more season of robot madness to be had, and as a Michael Crichton fan I feel cheated.

Lovecraft Country

While there were some serious rumors behind the possible reason for Lovecraft Country's cancellation, I still mourn what was supposed to happen in Season 2. With a radically different United States forming what Blavity reported to be the story behind Lovecraft Country: Supremacy, Mischa Green’s wild visions were too awesome to cancel this early.

Drive

There was a time when Fox was known for its cancel-happy nature, and 2007’s Drive was caught up in that era. An illegal cross-country race had several pairs of contestants racing for glory and survival, with Nathan Fillion, Melanie Lynskey, and Emma Stone among them. Only six episodes were made, with two being aired as online exclusives, and the overall story remaining unfulfilled.

Castle

You know it’s a problem when you’re an eight season show like Castle and your series finale is still a rush job. I still get whiplash when considering Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) and Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion) going from a near fatal shooting to a happily ever after, one scene long time jump, set seven years into the future.

Counterpart

J.K. Simmons learning to live with his parallel universe self, in a Cold War-tinged espionage thriller. That’s all I should have to say when it comes to Starz’s Counterpart, which was cancelled after two seasons. This is the type of show that definitely should have had a longer life, even if it was just a five season wonder like Alias. 

Agent Carter

Somehow, somewhere in the ABC boardrooms, Agent Carter just wasn’t doing well enough to stay on the air. Meanwhile, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. went on for seven seasons. Not to knock that other series, but Hayley Atwell’s Sharon Carter deserved a lengthier run that enriched the MCU.

Human Target

Watching Human Target was, almost literally, a blast of weekly entertainment. Mark Valley, Jackie Earle Haley, and Chi McBride’s DC Comics action/comedy was light, fun, and packed with thrills. Each new assignment for their team was a treat to behold, and the “mission of the week” style varied things up enough that it was exciting to learn what was next.

Dark Angel

here was a mythos in play in James Cameron's Dark Angel, and plans for a third season of Jessica Alba’s genetically engineered hero Max already in the works. Cameron wrote and executive produced on the show, as well as directed what became the series finale for Season 2.

M.A.N.T.I.S.

Legendary actor Carl Lumbly got to be a TV superhero in M.A.N.T.I.S., and the role fit him like the suit that gave Dr. Miles Hawkins the ability to walk again. A superhero/man of science that flies around in a cool stealth ship and fights crime? And he’s played by Carl Lumbly? This two season epic never got its due, with a bummer ending supposedly closing the loop, and that’s an injustice.

Gentefied

I’m sensing the old fashioned Netflix 28-day viewership rule was what canned Gentefied, a glorious dramedy about the Morales family and their ups and downs in California. Celebrating the Latinx experience, while also focusing on the sociopolitical issues the family faced, it was a heartwarming as it was hysterical. 

I Am Not Okay With This

You shouldn’t legally be allowed to end a series like I Am Not Okay With This on a cliffhanger that massive. With Sydney (Sophia Lillis) moving into an uncertain future with her telekinetic powers, and after that shocking departure of a main character, Netflix’s one season wonder still has me wanting to see the next chapter.

Pen15

I got attached to Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle’s awkward adventures through middle school in Pen15. There was still a lot of ground for the girls to cover, and not having them around makes my Hulu subscription a little less funny.

I Love You America, With Sarah Silverman

Sarah Silverman’s I Love You, America was a mix of sketch comedy and discussion that tackled issues of the modern world in 2017. Running for only one season, it was a great compliment to other shows like Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, as it helped us all see the world a bit clearer through laughter.

Free Agents

Remakes of international shows like Free Agents don’t always work. But when they do, it’s usually because of amazing teams like Hank Azaria and Kathryn Hahn. Playing co-workers awkwardly navigating a workplace romance, half of its 8 episodes aired on TV, until its cancellation.

The Tonight Show With Conan O’Brien

The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien ended way too soon, full stop. NBC’s decision to revert the show to its previous host, Jay Leno, was one of the most upsetting late night decisions in history. A little over half a year was all Conan got in the big chair, but wow did he make it work. 

The Tick

Amazon’s attempt at making The Tick into a series was absolutely worth the time and energy given to making its two season run. Peter Serafinowicz and Griffin Newman’s The Tick and Arthur were a match made in comedy heaven, and the constant questioning of reality made it all even more enjoyable to follow. 

The Critic

Even before I became a professional entertainment journalist, The Critic was the type of sarcastic animated comedy I have always dug. Jon Lovitz’ Jay Sherman was bounced around between networks, and even got a short lived run of online shorts. None of it was ever enough, as the sharp writing and movie parodies never missed.

Mr. Mayor

NBC’s Mr. Mayor ended after two seasons, setting up the ultimate cliffhanger with Mayor Neil (Ted Danson) and Deputy Mayor Arpi (Holly Hunter) squaring off in a mayoral race for control of L.A. But at least Jayden (Bobby Moynihan) got some good news to close things out, which left me with one last precious laugh before the curtain. 

The Mick

Fox’s two-season sitcom The Mick was flat out hysterical on its own merit, as Kaitlin Olson’s irresponsible aunt made for a problematic babysitter. However, fan theories that it was secretly the show that It’s Always Sunny’s Sweet Dee imagined herself a part of in “The Gang Saves The Day” episode only makes me miss it that much more.

The Millers

Will Arnett, Beau Bridges, J.B. Smoove, and Margo Martindale formed a solid main bench for CBS’s The Millers, and to the show’s credit it did last two seasons. At the same time, that wasn’t nearly enough for me; and this is coming from someone who’s super picky about their sitcom preferences.

Mr. Sunshine

Matthew Perry running a sports arena sounds like a fun logline. The reality lived up to the potential, as one season of ABC’s Mr. Sunshine banked on Perry’s sarcastic charm. Surrounding him with co-stars like Andrea Anders, Nate Torrence, and Allison Janney only sweetened the pot, but the show didn’t even get to air all 13 episodes produced before cancellation.

A.P. Bio

A.P. Bio always seemed to be fighting to make the grade, even after making the jump from NBC to Peacock. Four seasons saw Glenn Howerton scheming to make his life better, while developing somewhat of a heart over time. Unfortunately, this series has sat down and shut up forever.

The Strain

The Strain was supposed to last for four to five seasons, with FX ultimately ending the series in Season 4. Adapting Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan’s trilogy depicting a vampire apocalypse, the trimmed episode orders and four season run was satisfying to a degree. At the same time, I still wonder what new twists could have happened in that phantom Season 5.

Firefly

Will the cancellation of Firefly ever be forgiven? I certainly don’t think so. Even with the confusing episode order and Fox’s lack of support for the show, the adventures of the Nathan Fillion-led crew of outlaws was pure joy. And no, Serenity didn’t curb my appetite for future chapters; it only made it grow.

The Crazy Ones

Robin Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar as a father/daughter ad exec team was almost like capturing lightning in a bottle. CBS had that lightning with The Crazy Ones, and its single 22-episode season is all the proof one needed. For a sitcom to be this funny, and to have equally funny outtakes to run each week, is nothing short of a miracle.

Dark Shadows (Revival)

It wasn’t NBC’s fault that the Dark Shadows revival happened to debut at the same time the Gulf War was raging in 1991. Ratings were hard to secure, and we only got 12 episodes of Barnabas Collins (Ben Cross) and the supernatural/gothic happenings that surrounded his family. Don't expect the Johnny Depp reboot if you seek this one out, because this revival was closer to the serious tone of the original.

Quantum Leap (OG)

Look, I know we have the new Quantum Leap, and everyone wants the potential return of Dr. Sam Beckett (Scott Bakula). That still doesn’t make up for the final episode of NBC’s original series in 1993 ending with nothing but a title card telling us that Sam never made it home. Ziggy tells me that’s still 100% not cool, and needs to be fixed pronto.

And there you have it: a bushel of TV cancellations that still, to this day, has me wondering "what if..." It'll never stop either, as there's always a new series or an ongoing narrative just waiting to be plucked before its time. Again, while I don't like to hold grudges, it's almost a sure-fire conversation starter if you mention one of these shows while I'm around.

Even in the current age of fame, when seemingly anyone can become a celebrity for a mildly sustainable amount of time, it’s rare for a TV show’s entire cast to hold onto their place in the spotlight. But then, few casts have ever been quite like the Friends sextet, and though none of them will likely ever eclipse those Must See TV glory days in the years after the show finished airing in 2004, it hasn’t stopped anyone from trying.

Here are all the shows that Friends cast members put out in the years after Friends ended, ranked by how good and memorable they all are/were. Only Jennifer Aniston stayed away from any major small screen projects after the NBC hit, but the other five actors are on full display here. And let’s start with the worst one of all, which just so happened to be a Friends spinoff.

11. Joey

One of the reasons Friends worked as well as it did was because each of the central (perk) characters’ personalities worked in combination with everyone else. But put a series-sized microscope on one of them from the equation, in this case Matt LeBlanc’s Joey Tribbiani, and it quickly became obvious that not even one-sixth of the magic could be replicated with the rarely funny Joey. The show centered on the actor’s move to Los Angeles, a concept ripe with potential, but without the Friends creators putting this together behind the scenes, this short-lived sitcom saw its ratings go from fantastic to awful in just two seasons (with some episodes going unaired). Ten years after its cancellation, Joey is mostly memorable for cast members like Drea de Matteo and Jennifer Coolidge, and not for its titular sandwich-lover.

Friends Actors Who Cameoed: None

10. The Odd Couple

Let’s be real here. The world did not need another version of The Odd Couple, as the basic premise already got its best versions on the stage, the big screen and the small screen. (Not to mention the 1980s remake.) There is definite appeal in Matthew Perry and Reno 911’s Thomas Lennon as the polar opposite duo the name refers to, as well as the rest of the talented cast, which includes Yvette Nicole Brown, Wendell Pierce, Lauren Graham and more. But it’s like the jokes and the scenarios were just rejected scripts from the 1970 series, recently removed from a time capsule on the CBS lot. It’s not a great show, but it’s admittedly not the most painful slice of entertainment on TV.

Friends Actors Who Cameoed: None

9. Dirt

Back in 2006, House of Lies creator Matthew Carnahan got together with Courteney Cox and David Arquette to put together a glossed-up sleazefest called Dirt for FX, which centered on a tabloid editor and a problematic photographer as they find the celebrity stories most worth exploiting, all while getting into a fair share of sex, drugs and…more of both of those. It wasn’t quite the magnificently guilty pleasure that it could have been, but the show did find better footing in Season 2, only to have the Writer’s Strike, a sliced episode order and a timeslot change effectively destroy its chances of making it to Season 3.

Friends Actors Who Cameoed: Jennifer Aniston

8. Mr. Sunshine

Not only was Matthew Perry front and center of this short-lived 2011 ABC comedy, but he was also one of the creators, along with The Goldbergs writers Marc Firek and Alex Barnow. In Mr. Sunshine, Perry was the trouble-slammed manager of a lower-tier San Diego sports arena, where all manner of quirky incidents threaten to unravel everything. It was silly and a decent follow-up to the similarly canceled Better Off Ted, but the network didn’t really give it a chance to breathe, axing it due to not-that-low ratings after its 13-episode season. Did they not realize that Allison Janney was Perry’s boss in this? Did they not know that Allison Janney should never be forced off the air under any circumstances?

Friends Actors Who Cameoed: None

7. Web Therapy

Originating as series of web shorts that was expanded into full-length episodes for Showtime, Web Therapy was the brainchild of Lisa Kudrow and Don Roos and offered viewers four seasons to delve into the life and occupation of Kudrow’s Fiona Wallace, a therapist who conceives a computer-based form of therapy with extremely short session times. As you might imagine, that variation leads to uncomfortable situations with both Fiona’s husband Kip (played by one-half of the current Firestorm Victor Garber), her mother (Lily Tomlin) and a whole host of celebrities. The computer screen P.O.V. gimmick worked more often than it didn’t, but was still a limitation more than an advantage, and the comedic beats became pretty familiar as the seasons went on. Still, that many top-notch guest stars is hard to rail against.

Friends Actors Who Cameoed: Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer

6. Go On

Another entry in the “single-season Matthew Perry projects,” NBC’s 2012 comedy Go On was another one of the actor’s projects that was pretty great as is, but could have been can’t-miss TV had it lasted longer. Perry played a sportscaster who is stuck in an emotional rut after his wife dies, and he’s advised to join a support group that happens to be filled with some wildly offbeat personalities. Though Go On would have probably worked a lot better on a cable network where the darker and more cynical sides of the humor could have been inflated, it was still a clever take on humanity’s daily problems that managed to leave you feeling better about yourself. It helps that the cast was filled with hilarious people like Seth Morris, Brett Gelman, Sarah Baker, John Cho, Suzy Nakamura and more.

Friends Actors Who Cameoed: Courteney Cox

5. Episodes

With the Joey years behind him, Matt LeBlanc found a much more successful and suitable vehicle for his talents in the Showtime comedy Episodes, which was co-created by Friends co-creator David Crane. With Season 5 on the way, Episodes has been quite successful, serving as one of the premium cabler’s longest-running comedies. A British/American co-production, Episodes centers on LeBlanc as a heightened version of himself working with two English TV writers on an American remake of their hit series, and all of the problems that can possibly arise from such a situation. It didn’t seem like a concept that could stick around for this long when it premiered in 2011, but the satirical shots at Hollywood just keep on coming. And anytime you get Chris Diamantopoulos acting like a self-important nutjob, you know the laughs are coming.

Friends Actors Who Cameoed: David Schwimmer

4. Cougar Town

The longest-running post-Friends project of them all, Cougar Town brought Courteney Cox back to comedy, and it was absolutely the right place for her to be, although it took a little time to hit its stride. Co-created by Scrubs’ Bill Lawrence, the female-heavy series utilized its talented cast (including Christa Miller, Busy Phillipps and Josh Hopkins) to tell the dysfunctional story of Cox’s divorced mother and her wine-slurping friends as they reflect on getting older and how that is affecting their lives. Though it debuted on ABC in 2009 and earned decent ratings, Cougar Town moved to TBS after Season 3 and kept the snark going until bowing out with Season 6. Unlike some of Matthew Perry’s shows, though, Cougar Town wouldn’t be so highly regarded had it only been one season.

Friends Actors Who Cameoed: Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry

3. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

Matthew Perry’s first show after Friends went off the air, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip was somehow one of two shows debuting on NBC in the fall of 2006 that offered a behind-the-scenes look at a network sketch comedy. The other show, 30 Rock, went on to air for seven seasons, while Studio 60 never even got a sophomore crack at it, even with the Hollywood cache of showrunner Tommy Schlamme and creator Aaron Sorkin, with his signature dialogue style wholly intact. With cast members like Bradley Whitford, Amanda Peet, Sarah Paulson and more, the drama was heady and put forth one of the more interesting and enlightening looks at working in television that wasn’t drowning in self-awareness and cynicism. And it remains arguably the most non-Chandlerish TV role of Perry’s career.

Friends Actors Who Cameoed: None

2. The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story

I will be the first to admit that I followed the initial People v. O.J. Simpson announcement with a low groan that vibrated every window in my house. Lo and behold, this first entry in the Ryan Murphy-produced anthology series ended up being one of the most riveting dramas currently on TV. David Schwimmer surprisingly made this his first TV lead after all those years as Ross Gellar, and he would win the hypothetical Worrywart Award for his winning performance as the Simpson family friend Robert Kardashian. And he’s just one piece of an extremely captivating ensemble that also boasts Cuba Gooding, Jr., John Travolta, Sarah Paulson and Courtney B. Vance, to name a few. The flip side of the recent rise in true crime’s popularity, The People v. O.J. Simpson excels in subjectively dramatizing one of the most notable court cases in U.S. history.

Friends Actors Who Cameoed: None

1. The Comeback

With The Comeback’s optimism-gushing Valerie Cherish, Lisa Kudrow is the only Friends star who managed to – at least in my eyes – develop a character that was easily as memorable as her former sitcom persona, in this case Phoebe Buffet. Created by Kudrow and Michael Patrick King and debuting on HBO in 2005, The Comeback is yet another list entry that satirized the entertainment industry, with reality TV sitting in the crosshairs. A former sitcom star whose promising new role could potentially relaunch her career, Valerie is also building her brand through a docu-series, with cameras following her around everywhere and capturing one endlessly uncomfortable situation after another as she comes to the realization that nobody really sees her as she sees herself. The show was canceled after 13 episodes, but returned to viewers for Season 2 in 2015 with an even sharper and more reflective take on being a modern celebrity. If there was a TV Messiah, he or she would guarantee that Season 3 of The Comeback will happen at some point soon, but we’re not looking a gift cupcake costume in the mouth.

Friends Actors Who Cameoed: None

This poll is no longer available.

While there’s good news for ABC’s Body of Proof, fans of some of ABC’s other dramas and comedies will be disappointed with the latest list of cancellations. There’s also bad news for NBC’s Thursday night comedy Outsourced.

I still maintain that Body of Proof is a terrible name for a series, but apparently people like the drama. I haven’t seen it but I do think Dana Delany’s pretty great, so that could explain the new series early success. ABC’s bringing it back for a second season. ABC also renewed new relationship comedy Happy Endings for Season 2. That’s about the only bit of good news we have to share with you here. The rest is one giant obituary for some of ABC’s other series, and we’re throwing in NBC’s Outsourced into the mix as part of our attempt to rip the bandage off quickly.

Per Deadline the jungle medical drama series Off the Map has been cancelled, as has No Ordinary Family. I gave OTM a few episodes but it lost me after that. I did stick with No Ordinary Family all the way through to the end of Season 1 and I’m truly disappointed that the drama, which starred Michael Chiklis and Julie Benz, has been cancelled. If the series had a fault, it was that it took a little too long to get going after the promising season premiere. Things didn’t really start to develop until around the halfway point in the season, which may have been too late to build any real ratings momentum.

As far as comedies go, ABC cancelled Better With You. The most I can say about that is that I hope ABC puts The Middle back next to Modern Family where it belongs. BWY was a cute comedy but I thought it interrupted the comedic flow wedged between The Middle and Modern Family. Perhaps the series would’ve done better on some other night (or channel).

ABC’s Mr. Sunshine and NBC’s Outsourced were also cancelled. The former, I thought was already cancelled so I’d be lying if I feigned surprise or disappointment. The latter, I wasn’t able to get into, despite watching more than a few episodes and hoping to be charmed by the group of Indian customer service/sales representatives and the American manager attempting to fit in among them. It never happened.

In less than a week, ABC will premiere the comedy series that will mark Friends star Matthew Perry’s return to television. We have some clips from the series premiere, which may give you some idea of what kind of comedy ABC has in store.

Below is the information ABC released on the series synopsis and further down are the clips. From looking at the videos, it seems as though Ben (Perry) is constantly in varying stages of crisis mode while working for a woman with some Sue-Sylvesterish tendencies.

What do you think? I’m on the fence right now. This show could turn out to fit in nicely with ABC’s other comedies (Modern Family, The Middle, etc) or maybe it’ll just be Matthew Perry reprising some slightly modified version of Chandler Bing.

Mr. Sunshine premieres Wednesday, Februray 9, 9:30-10:00 p.m., ET on ABC.

Matthew Perry’s headed back to the small screen with a starring role in ABC’s upcoming new comedy Mr. Sunshine.

The series is set to premiere in midseason 2011. Perry will play the role of Ben Donovan, a man who runs a sports arena and reevaluates his life when he turns forty.

Below is ABC’s full description for the series.

CLICK HERE for more news on the 2010-2011 season!

With pilot season heavily under way, there are lots of series getting picked up, as well as casting on the ones that have already been greenlit. ABC's Matthew Perry pilot, Mr. Sunshine, has snagged Allison Janney to play Perry's boss. The show centers around Perry's San Diego stadium manager realizing it's time to grow up.

Showtime's pilot Shameless also has a prominent recurring role lined up for Janney. In that series, she'll play the love interest of William H. Macy's drunken father of a large family that's been abandoned by their mother. If both series were to get picked up, it remains possible that Janney could stay featured on both, though the latter would be easier to drop out of.

In other pilot news, ABC picked up It Takes a Village, a single-camera comedy formerly known as Family Values. The premise should resonate with many modern families, as it spotlights two parents who are no longer together, but working together with their new significant others to raise a 15-year old teenage boy. NBC is looking to love in their latest comedy pilot. Perfect Couples comes from the pens of Jon Pollack (30 Rock) and Scott Silveri (Friends) and spotlights three different couples who define the perfect relationship in three very different ways.

CBS made a couple of drama pick-ups. Two of the minds behind The Sopranos, Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess, are back with Reagan's Law. The drama takes a look at a multigenerational family of police officers in New York. ER's John Wells has a new angle on the medical drama. The untitled project taps into the current feelings on health care by having a roving team of medical professionals travel the country helping the less fortunate in need.