It’s never fun when a TV show you love gets canceled, but it can be downright heartbreaking when the series in question isn’t given the opportunity to write a proper ending. The number of titles that gained loyal followings but then didn’t last long enough to finish their story is endless, and fans made their complaints heard on Reddit. There are some truly great examples of unresolved cliffhangers, but I know which one specifically still gets to me the most.
Over the course of one day, more than 14,000 comments were made on a Reddit post that asked which TV show that got canceled on a massive cliffhanger still frustrates people to this day. Old wounds were ripped open as fans recalled the series they still miss. For example, many joked that it truly was a Shawshank Redemption when they found out The Last Man on Earth was ending.
Fox canceled the Will Forte comedy in 2018 after four seasons, ending it on a frustrating cliffhanger that showed a group of survivors in gas masks emerging from a bunker. Eight years later fans are still in mourning over the loss of Tandy, Carol and the rest, as they wrote:
- This one really hurts me. I miss Tandy and the gang so much! – Furgy_Krueger
- This is the one I'm still saltiest about. It was such a great show with such a fun premise! – DtchGrl
- The only right answer! I need CLOSURE! – yookhan
- I am still so butt hurt – RitaPoonismysister
There’s a lot of disappointment surrounding the comedy’s ending for sure, but it doesn’t quite stand up to the anger that TV lovers have over Netflix’s cancellation of 1899. The Season 1 finale — which ended up being the series finale — included a key twist that set up what could have been a wild second season, and people are adamant it shouldn’t have been canceled after one season. They said:
- 1899. That cliffhanger still feels like a personal attack. 😭 – Aromatic-Guide588
- What a fumble by Netflix. How do you get the creators of Dark, a show that needed 3 seasons to successfully wrap up its story, and then cancel their new show after only 1 season. Unforgivable. – GGunner723
- I have never been as pissed about a cliffhanger as I was with 1899. Recently rewatched it and it just made me feel even more insulted. – soaker
- Absolutely! I thought 1899 had so much potential, I was looking forward to future series, and then… – CeaselessWatcher00
For fans of Quantum Leap, it was insult added to injury when the Scott Bakula series ended in 1993. Fans lamented the series-ending title card, writing:
- Quantum Leap had a frustrating ending. Fade to black..."and Sam never returned home." Motherfucker WHAT – U2hansolo
- It was actually worse. It said, "Dr. Sam Becket never returned home". That's right, they spelled the main character's name wrong. It was Beckett with two Ts. – CM_MOJO
Ouch. It already feels like a slap in the face to fans who tuned in to see if Sam ever leaped home, but then to misspell the character’s name just drives home the network’s presumed apathy.
It definitely feels personal when your favorite shows end like this, and unfortunately that’s a phenomenon that seems to happen a lot to those with Netflix subscriptions. As I scrolled through the Reddit complaints, past shows like Reaper, Mindhunter, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Pushing Daisies, there was one series that jumped out to me: Santa Clarita Diet.
Talk about a Netflix show canceled way too soon. Not only did the horror comedy have the best cast (Drew Barrymore, Timothy Olyphant, Liv Hewson and Skyler Gisondo, not to mention dozens of others as supporting characters), it was unique and hilarious and always unexpected. And Netflix just ended it after three seasons with so much left unresolved?! How will we ever recover? Well, it’s been seven years, so maybe we won’t. Redditor allis_in_chains wrote:
I will be upset over this until the day I die, and then I’ll probably continue to be upset about it after death.
Not to be dramatic, but same. Fans aimed their vitriol at Netflix over the unsatisfying ending, as they wrote:
- Netflix is still trying to understand why people don't pick up their originals anymore. Because you'll break my heart again you monsters. – caffeinated_wizard
- I still bring this one up! This one was the turning point for me and Netflix. I stopped watching new shows after this unless I knew it had an ending... which means I stopped watching all of their shows. – jpbraxto342154
- This is why I cancelled my subscription. If they're not going to finish shows why should I pay them? I bought the WHOLE product, not as much as you FEEL like making. Fuck them. – MyCatLaughsAtMe
I actually love the argument that a subscription to a streaming site should guarantee a complete product in return. Unfortunately that’s not how things work. It’s still nice (and somewhat cathartic) to think back to all of the shows that we lost too soon — even if it does hurt us all over again.
