In the Blink Of An Eye
We’ve all groaned when a favorite show gets the axe after a season or two. But what about the unlucky few that didn’t even survive their first season—or their very first episode? These blink-and-you-missed-them series disappeared faster than Monica Geller could scrub a coffee table.
Hank (2009)
Kelsey Grammer experienced unparalleled success when playing the character of Frasier Crane. From Cheers through Frasier, he saw almost two decades of commercial and critical acclaim. However, any time he's tried playing any other character, the results have been less stellar.
Which brings us to 2009's Hank, in which Grammer played a New York CEO who, after a financial failure, has to move the family to his wife's hometown—where hilarity and hijinks ensue. Except they didn't and the show was canceled after five episodes.
Ironside (2013)
Blair Underwood was a police detective who continued to work his job after being paralyzed from the waist down. The representation of disabilities on network TV was a good thing and the premier actually got some good reviews. However, the show never hit it off with the audience and it was gone after four episodes.
Do No Harm (2013)
A man with dissociative identity disorder is a doctor by day and by night, his alter ego goes about destroying his personal and professional life. This take on Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde was canceled after two episodes—before it could do any more harm on the low ratings.
Connecting (2020)
Filmed during the Covid pandemic, Connecting was an interesting idea. A show that featured the characters in video conversations with each other, maybe it hit home a little too hard for everyone stuck in their homes, or maybe it wasn't very good. Either way, it was canceled after just four episodes.
Drive (2007)
Not to be confused with the brilliant Ryan Gosling film that would debut four years later, this short-lived series had its own Canadian star: Nathan Fillion. The show centered on a high-stakes cross-country race loaded with big prizes and bigger mysteries—mysteries that were left hanging when the series sputtered out after just two episodes.
Head Cases (2005)
Remember that legal dramedy starring Chris O'Donnell and Adam Goldberg about two lawyers with psychological issues? No? Well, that's probably because FOX canceled it after two episodes.
Doubt (2017)
Katherine Heigl was the first breakout star of Grey's Anatomy and she parlayed that into some pretty big rom-com success. But the success was short-lived and she has spent most of her post-Anatomy career trying to recapture that TV and box office success.
Doubt (2017)
One such attempt was 2017's Doubt, about a defense attorney who gets involved with her client–who might, or might not be guilty of a rather awful crime. Did he do it? We didn't find out in the first two episodes and that's all CBS ever gave us.
The Fifth Corner (1992)
Talk about an intriguing premise: A man wakes up next to a dead woman with no memory of what happened. But wait, there's more. Once home, he finds clues that might indicate he is an undercover spy. What?! Crazy, right? Well, maybe it was too crazy for '90s audiences because after two episodes, it was gone.
Four Corners (1998)
Apparently, slapping the word “corners” in your title during the ’90s was a kiss of death. Four Corners tried to serve up a steamy primetime soap, even boasting the legendary Ann-Margret, Sônia Braga, Raymond J. Barry, and a pre–Grey’s Anatomy Justin Chambers. What was it about? Honestly, who cares—the network pulled the plug after just two episodes.
On The Air (1992)
1992 was apparently a good year for fast cancellations because joining The Fifth Corner in the land of no more was On the Air (canceled after 3 episodes)—a sitcom about the BTS happenings at a 1950s TV network. If that sounds interesting, wait until we tell you that David Lynch and Mark Frost were the show's creators. How badly do we want to watch those three episodes?
Heil Honey, I'm Home! (1990)
This flop was a satirical comedy that placed Hitler and Eve Braun as a suburban couple living next to Jewish neighbors. Yes, this was a real show that made it onto television in Britain. As you might've imagined, it was canceled pretty quickly. One episode was all it got.
BSB, Heil Honey I'm Home! (1990)
The Beautiful Life (2009)
If all it took were beautiful people to make a TV show successful, then The Beautiful Life would still be on the air today. The series, about a bunch of models living together in New York, starred Mischa Barton and Elle Macpherson and was executive produced by Ashton Kutcher.
The CW, The Beautiful Life (2009)
The Beautiful Life (2009)
Well, it obviously takes more than just attractive people to make a show work because The CW canceled the series after just two episodes had aired. They had already produced six episodes and were working on the seventh when the news came. Eventually, the first five episodes were streamed on YouTube.
The CW, The Beautiful Life (2009)
Beyond Westworld (1980)
Believe it or not, HBO’s Westworld (2016) wasn’t the first attempt to bring Michael Crichton’s 1973 film to TV. Back in 1980, CBS rolled out Beyond Westworld, hoping to capture the same sci-fi magic. Instead, it fizzled fast—canceled after just three episodes in the U.S. (though all five produced episodes managed to air across the pond in the UK).
Coach Sequel (2015)
The original Coach television series starring Craig T Nelson as Hayden Fox ran on ABC for nine seasons between 1989 and 1997. In 2015, NBC had the brilliant idea of rebooting the franchise with a sequel TV show that would focus on Hayden Fox's son coaching at a small college. They filmed a pilot. They watched the pilot and showed that pilot to test audiences. Then, they canceled the series before airing a single episode.
Day One (2010)
The original order by NBC for this post-catastrophe sci-fi show was 13 episodes. That was eventually reduced to four with the idea that the show would now be a mini-series. Then, NBC changed their minds again and the series pilot was just going to be presented as a TV movie. Here we are, over a decade later, and nothing has ever aired (and it never will).
Emily's Reasons Why Not (2006)
Heather Graham starred in this watered-down Sex and the City clone about a self-help book editor who keeps failing at relationships. Emily's Reasons Why Not was ordered to series by ABC before they'd even seen a script. Well, the gamble didn't pay off.
ABC, Emily's Reasons Why Not (2006)
Emily's Reasons Why Not (2006)
Heavily promoted by the network, the first episode got decent ratings. However, the reaction was negative and the network bosses knew it was bad and that "it was not going to get better". So, it was canceled after that one episode—even though six had already been filmed (all six aired in Spain).
ABC, Emily's Reasons Why Not (2006)
Hieroglyph (2014)
Set in Ancient Egypt, Hieroglyph looked like it was destined for greatness when Fox handed it a coveted straight-to-series order in 2013. That’s usually a major vote of confidence—and production even got as far as filming the pilot in early 2014. But just a few months later, Fox pulled the plug citing “creative differences,” and the show was buried without a single episode ever making it to air.
The IT Crowd (2007)
There have been a whole lot of American remakes of great British television shows. And while some have been very successful (The Office), others have not been as good—and still others have had pilots filmed but the series never made it on the air. It is that latter situation that describes the American version of The IT Crowd. Not once, but twice.
The IT Crowd (2007)
Yup, it wasn't just the attempt in 2007 (starring Joel McHale and Jessica St Clair) that saw a pilot filmed and then the whole thing canceled when it "didn't quite spark". In this case, the show was even ordered to series prior to it all being nixed. There was another attempt in 2014 that had Bill Lawrence in the producer chair. But once again, the pilot just didn't hit the mark and nothing made it to air (there was no series order this time).
Lawless (1997)
Former NFL linebacker Brian Bosworth took top-billing on this show about an ex member of the special forces who's become a private investigator. One critic called it "a show that made The A-Team look sophisticated". It was canceled after one episode.
Lone Star (2010)
Almost a decade before FOX had 9-1-1: Lone Star, they had Lone Star—a completely different show with the same name. This Lone Star was about a conman leading a double life with a wife in one city, a girlfriend in another, and a plan to take over the oil business from his father-in-law. So many secrets, so many lies, and only 2 episodes.
Made In Jersey (2012)
If next trivia night you get the question "what legal drama was the first canceled series of the 2012–13 television season?" Impress your friends by yelling out Made in Jersey.
Manchester Prep (1999)
Manchester Prep was pitched as a TV sequel to Cruel Intentions—and even featured a young Amy Adams. But star power wasn’t enough to save it, and the show never made it to air. Still, all was not lost: the unused footage was stitched together and released in 2000 as the direct-to-video Cruel Intentions 2.
Columbia, Cruel Intentions 2 (2000),
Of Kings and Prophets (2016)
In 2015, ABC thought that the Biblical Books of Samuel were ripe for a television series. However, after some changes to the series, Of Kings and Prophets didn't actually hit the airwaves until 2016...although, it then left the airwaves quickly, after airing only two episodes. If you're curious, you can find all nine produced episodes for purchase online.
ABC, Of Kings and Prophets (2016)
The Paul Reiser Show (2010)
Paul Reiser saw huge success in the '90s with Mad About You. But after the show ended, he kinda faded away from the spotlight. Then in 2010, he came back with The Paul Reiser Show, about a former TV star who faded away from the spotlight but is now looking for his next thing. The semi-autobiographical sitcom got super low ratings, was compared unfavorably to Curb Your Enthusiasm and was canceled after airing just two episodes.
NBC, The Paul Reiser Show (2010)
The Playboy Club (2011)
Amber Heard starred in this period drama centered around the once popular Playboy Club and the bunnies that worked there. The ratings started off low and just got lower—until the series was pulled after three episodes.
Public Morals (1996)
Steven Bochco was one of the greatest television show creators and producers of the '80s and '90s, with shows like Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, and NYPD Blue on his resume. However, he also has shows like Public Morals on his resume. A vice squad sitcom that was canceled after airing only one episode.
Secret Talents Of The Stars (2008)
Apparently, none of the D-list celebs on this reality talent show had the “talent” to keep it alive—it was axed right after its very first episode.
CBS, Secret Talents of the Stars (2008)
Smith (2006)
A caper drama starring Ray Liotta, Simon Baker, Amy Smart, and Jonny Lee Miller—how could that go wrong? Well, it did. By episode three, the ratings were so low, the network decided that CSI reruns were a better use of the time-slot.
Viva Laughlin (2007)
This musical drama set in a casino with a cast that included Hugh Jackman and Melanie Griffith was described by The New York Times as possibly “the worst show in the history of television". It was canceled after two episodes.
Work It (2012)
Believing that it's easier for females to get jobs, two men dress up like women and head out into the workforce. Everything about this show was oh so wrong. Thankfully, ABC put everyone out of their misery (including the audience) quickly—the series only aired two episodes.
