Many TV shows have lived up to their potential and hype, others have surprised the audience despite different challenges, but others were supposed to succeed and ended up failing for different reasons. Most shows are hyped by their networks or streaming platforms in order to attract an audience before their release – the problem is when the shows don’t live up to that hype.
There are many reasons a TV show can fail, but it’s worse when there were strong reasons for it to succeed before the show came out. Big budgets, interesting concepts, well-known directors and producers, and a strong cast are some reasons why a show can be predicted to succeed before its release.
These reasons end up not meaning much when the production costs get out of hand, the story and characters aren’t well written, or critics are too harsh, leading to low ratings that end up setting the show up for failure. Although some of these shows were better received after their endings or cancellations, their initial failure is what makes them qualify for this list.
10 Girlboss
Girlboss Was Released In 2017
Netflix began producing its own TV shows in the 2010s, so there was a lot of hype and curiosity around the shows with the “Netflix original” label. Among them was Girlboss, developed by Kay Cannon and based on Sophia Amoruso’s autobiography of the same name. Amoruso was the founder of the fashion brand Nasty Gal, so expectations were high for the show.
Girlboss followed Sophia Marlowe (Britt Robertson), a misfit with a passion for fashion who became a businesswoman as she started her own brand – however, with that also came the challenge of being her own boss. Unfortunately, Girlboss was negatively received by critics, who found Sophia to be an unlikable, self-centered character and the message to be toxic.
The bad critical reception, failure to find an audience, and Nasty Gal going through financial trouble in real life led to Netflix canceling Girlboss after just one season of 13 episodes, leaving the story unfinished and the audience, especially those who hoped for something better, disappointed.
9 Hemlock Grove
Hemlock Grove Ran From 2013 To 2015
One of the first Netflix original series was Hemlock Grove, and it didn’t do well. Based on the 2012 novel of the same name by Brian McGreevy, Hemlock Grove was set in the fictional title town in Pennsylvania, run by the town’s wealthiest family, the Godfreys. Leading the Godfrey family was the mysterious Olivia (Famke Janssen) and her brother-in-law Norman Godfrey (Dougray Scott).
It’s not only that the concept of Hemlock Grove was promising, but Eli Roth serving as executive producer (and director of the first episode) added to the anticipation and the possible high quality of the show. Unfortunately, while the performances were good, the story was messy, and it got worse in the next two seasons.
8 Terra Nova
Terra Nova Was Released In 2011
Created by Kelly Marcel and Craig Silverstein, Terra Nova premiered on Fox in 2011. Set in 2149, in a world where overpopulation and bad air quality threaten life on Earth, Terra Nova follows the Shannon family, who were chosen to establish a colony 85 million years in the Earth’s past. Surely, it’s already a convoluted premise, but Steven Spielberg was an executive producer.
Terra Nova was a very ambitious project, which, had it been done well, could have appealed to the wide audience of Jurassic Park and similar sci-fi worlds, but even with Steven Spielberg on board, Terra Nova was ultimately underwhelming and disappointing.
7 Limitless
Limitless Was Released In 2015
Four years after the release of the sci-fi thriller movie Limitless, it got a sequel TV show, but with a big twist. Instead of following Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper) after the events of the movie, the Limitless TV show followed 28-year-old struggling writer Brian Finch (Jake McDorman). His first approach to the NZT drug was pretty much like Morra’s, but there was a twist.
Morra heard of Brian using NZT and provided him with an immunity shot so he wouldn’t go through the side effects, but under the condition that he said nothing to the FBI. Meanwhile, Brian started working with the FBI, who supplied him with NZT so he would help them solve crimes. Limitless was funnier than the movie, but it couldn’t find an audience.
The concept of Limitless is intriguing, and watching Brian help the FBI solve crimes, always with his peculiar sense of humor, was fun, but Limitless was, well, limited by the small audience of the movie it was based on. As a result, Limitless only stayed for one season.
6 Vinyl
Vinyl Ran Was Released In 2016
Vinyl was a period drama TV show created by Mick Jagger, Martin Scorsese, Rich Cohen, and Terence Winter – and that’s enough to see why there was so much hype and potential around it. Set in the 1970s, in New York, Vinyl explored the music scene as rock ‘n’ roll was pushed aside by punk, hip-hop, and disco.
Vinyl followed Richie Finestra (Bobby Cannavale), a record executive whose company is on the verge of being sold, while his confidence in discovering talent has faded. However, a life-altering event gives Richie new hope, but it might deeply impact his personal life. Vinyl was renewed for a second season, but HBO reversed the decision and canceled the show.
Unfortunately, despite having Jagger and Scorsese as co-creators and a talented cast, Vinyl was uneven, with some critics calling it “formulaic”, “boring”, and “slow.” Vinyl is only 10 episodes long, and, sadly, it has become one of the most forgettable shows of the decade.
5 Willow
Willow Ran Was Released In 2022
Disney has become known in recent years for trying to expand as many movies, TV shows, and franchises as possible, though not always with good results. Among them was the 1988 fantasy movie Willow, which is now considered a classic of the decade, but perhaps not one that viewers would expect to return as a TV show.
Still, Disney brought the TV series Willow in 2022, which served as a sequel to the movie and brought Warwick Davis back as the title character. The show, then, saw Willow leading a party to rescue the twin brother of Princess Kit Tanthalos. However, the group had to face their inner demons and defeat the Gales.
Although Willow was well-received by critics, what set the show up for failure was Disney. In order to reduce costs for streaming content, Willow and other shows were canceled and later removed from Disney+ during a Disney+ and Hulu content purge, meaning that Willow is now nowhere to be streamed.
4 Freaks and Geeks
Freaks and Geeks Was Released In 1999
Although Freaks and Geeks is now widely regarded as one of the best TV shows of all time, it should have been a success when it aired. Created by Paul Feig, Freaks and Geeks was a comedy-drama show set in a suburban high school near Detroit in the early 1980s.
Freaks and Geeks followed siblings Lindsay (Linda Cardellini) and Sam Weir (John Frances Delay), who joined different groups in high school: Lindsay joined the “freaks”, while Sam joined the “geeks.” Freaks and Geeks followed their efforts to fit in but also find their own identities, all while surviving high school.
Freaks and Geeks was canceled after one season due to its inability to find its audience, which has been attributed to bad scheduling rather than the show’s quality. In addition to that, the creative directors of the show and NBC had clashing visions for the show, and so Freaks and Geeks didn’t get the chance to succeed as it should have from the beginning.
3 Cowboy Bebop
Cowboy Bebop Was Released In 2021
In 2021, Netflix gave the beloved anime TV show Cowboy Bebop the live-action treatment – unfortunately, it didn’t live up to the hype. Cowboy Bebop took viewers to the year 2071 to follow a ragtag group of bounty hunters chasing criminals across the Solar System.
This group was formed by Spike (John Cho), known for his violent ways; Faye (Daniella Pineda), who had no memories after being revived from cryosleep; and Jet Black (Mustafa Shakir), Spike’s partner and a former detective who spent five years in prison over a wrongful conviction.
Cowboy Bebop couldn’t recreate the style and tone of the anime, and even the original series’ director criticized the live-action version for not being loyal to the source material. Netflix canceled Cowboy Bebop less than a month after its release, citing low viewership numbers.
2 My So-Called Life
My So-Called Life Was Released In 1994
My So-Called Life is now a cult classic, but like Freaks and Geeks, it should have succeeded when it was released. Created by Winnie Holzman, My So-Called Life was a teen drama TV series that aired on ABC. My So-Called Life was set in the fictional Liberty High School in the equally fictional suburb of Three Rivers.
My So-Called Life followed 15-year-old Angela Chase (Claire Danes), who lived with her mother and her younger sister. Each episode was narrated by Angela, and it followed her ups and downs in her personal life and in school, alongside her friends Rickie (Wilson Cruz), Rayanne (A.J. Langer), and her crush Jordan (Jared Leto).
My So-Called Life was a critical success, but it didn’t gather the numbers it needed despite having a loyal fanbase that campaigned to save the show. This, along with the network being unsure about the show’s target audience and Danes wanting to pursue other projects, led to My So-Called Life being canceled way too soon, thus not letting it succeed when it should have.
1 Marco Polo
Marco Polo Ran From 2014 To 2016
Another early Netflix original series that failed was Marco Polo. Created by John Fusco, Marco Polo explored the title character’s (played by Lorenzo Richelmy) early years in the court of Kublai Khan (Benedict Wong), the founder of the Yuan dynasty.
Marco Polo was quite promising, in large part due to its big budget, which gave hope for an interesting and exciting historical drama. Unfortunately, Marco Polo didn’t live up to the hype and its own potential, disappointing viewers and critics, and even worse, leading to financial loss for Netflix.
Despite making it to a second season (and even getting a Christmas special), Marco Polo was ultimately canceled due to production costs and low viewership numbers. In addition to that, Marco Polo wasn’t historically accurate, the performances weren’t good, the writing was all over the place, and the overall production looked cheap.
