Television history is littered with baffling decisions, but few hurt quite like the moment a truly great show gets cancelled. Sometimes the ratings never matched the ambition. Sometimes the network panicked. Sometimes the audience showed up a little too late. Whatever the reason, these series left behind unfinished arcs, devoted fans, and a lingering sense that something special slipped through the cracks. Below are 21 shows that proved brilliance doesn’t always guarantee survival—and why their cancellations still sting.

Discover the 25 greatest streaming miniseries you can watch in a weekend, from gripping true crime and prestige dramas to mind-bending sci-fi and emotional character studies. Perfect for binge-watching, these limited series deliver unforgettable stories without a long-term commitment.

Baby boomers had limited channels and unlimited commitment. If a show came on at 8 p.m., you were on the couch at 7:59. Some of these shows felt edgy. A few even felt important. Others were just there—every single week. These are the shows boomers swore by…and now swear they barely remember watching.

Relive the most emotional moments in television history with this powerful list of TV episodes that made audiences everywhere cry, featuring unforgettable scenes from beloved dramas, comedies, and animated series.

Social media has become a major way fans learned TV updates in real time, and yes, occasionally actors have discovered their own cancellations from Twitter before anyone contacted them professionally.