5 TV Show Revivals We Can’t Believe Were Cancelled

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For the past ten years, movie and TV studios have relied heavily on familiar titles—rebooting old shows and making sequels long after they originally ended. These revivals haven’t always been successful. Some, like Heroes Reborn and the Roseanne continuation, quickly failed or were plagued by problems. Fuller House lasted five seasons but never earned much critical praise. However, other revivals, such as Twin Peaks: The Return and Cobra Kai, were genuinely well-received and even attracted new fans. The recent continuation of Frasier on Paramount+ also proved popular enough to last for two seasons.

As a huge movie and TV fan, I’m noticing revivals are everywhere right now – it feels like more are happening than ever before! We recently got a fantastic new season of Scrubs on ABC, which proves people still get excited about shows they loved. And soon, we’re getting a Malcolm in the Middle reunion on Hulu with Frankie Muniz, Bryan Cranston, and Jane Kaczmarek! Plus, Amazon is starting work on a new Stargate series. But here’s the frustrating part: for every revival that does make it to our screens, so many others fall apart behind the scenes. I’ve heard stories of shows getting fully developed – money spent, episodes filmed, actors hired – only to be cancelled after just one internal viewing. It’s really disappointing when a promising revival everyone was looking forward to suddenly gets scrapped.

5) Coach

The comeback of Coach was unusual. In March 2015, NBC skipped making a pilot episode and immediately ordered a full 13-episode season, before any footage was even filmed. This strong vote of confidence prevented other networks from considering the show and brought back original star Craig T. Nelson alongside Bill Fagerbakke. The sequel was set 18 years after the original ABC sitcom ended its 200-episode run, with Nelson’s character now an assistant coach to his adult son, who was the head coach of a Pennsylvania college football team. However, despite anticipation for its release, early reactions to the single completed episode were negative, with many finding it felt outdated. Ultimately, on August 31, 2015, NBC cancelled the show before it ever aired, but still paid Craig T. Nelson for all 13 episodes as contractually obligated, after only one episode was produced.

4) Thirtysomething(else)

ABC’s plan to create a sequel to Thirtysomething, titled Thirtysomething(else), seemed like a safe bet. The original creators, Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick, were back to write and direct, and four of the original stars – Ken Olin, Mel Harris, Timothy Busfield, and Patricia Wettig – returned to reprise their roles. The show would also feature a new cast playing the grown-up children of the original characters, including Chris Wood and Patrick Fugit. In January 2020, ABC ordered a pilot episode and the show began pre-production in Canada with a completed script, looking likely to be picked up as a full series. However, the COVID-19 pandemic put the project on hold, shelving it between a network preview and a planned celebratory dinner. ABC officially cancelled the show in June 2020, citing its higher-than-average production costs. Since then, the project hasn’t found a home on any streaming service.

3) NYPD Blue

In 2019, ABC tried to bring back the popular show NYPD Blue with a solid foundation: the original writers, Matt Olmstead and Nick Wootton, were involved, and Jesse Bochco, son of the show’s co-creator, directed the first episode. The revival also brought back original cast members Kim Delaney and Bill Brochtrup, and introduced Fabien Frankel as the son of Dennis Franz’s famous detective. Despite all this promise, the network wasn’t satisfied with the pilot episode. However, ABC still believed in the project enough to order additional filming and consider airing it later in the season instead of cancelling it immediately. Ultimately, after further review, they decided not to move forward. The cast was released in June 2019, and the revival of NYPD Blue has been on hold ever since.

2) Lizzie McGuire

A revival of the popular show Lizzie McGuire was announced for Disney+ in 2019 and seemed poised for success. Hilary Duff was set to return as Lizzie, now a 30-year-old interior designer living in New York City, and the original creator, Terri Minsky, was back as showrunner with most of the original cast. However, after filming two episodes, Minsky was suddenly removed from the project in January 2020. Reports suggested Disney wanted to keep the show suitable for all ages, while Duff and Minsky aimed for a more realistic portrayal of an adult Lizzie. Duff publicly asked Disney to move the show to Hulu, where they had allowed similar, more mature content to air, citing the example of Love, Victor. Disney didn’t agree, and no one was brought in to replace Minsky. Ultimately, Disney officially canceled the revival in December 2020.

1) Buffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale

The February 2025 announcement of Buffy: New Sunnydale generated a lot of excitement thanks to the talented team behind it, making its recent cancellation a shock. Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao (known for Nomadland and Hamnet) was set to direct and produce, and original star Sarah Michelle Gellar was returning as Buffy Summers alongside newcomer Ryan Kiera Armstrong. The show was also going to be on Hulu, giving the creators more artistic control. However, on March 14, 2026, Gellar revealed on Instagram that Hulu had decided to cancel the project, reportedly surprising both her and Zhao while Gellar was promoting Ready or Not 2 at SXSW. While Hulu still seems interested in future Buffy projects, the version of the show that Zhao and Gellar developed and filmed is now finished.

What canceled TV show’s revival are you most disappointed never happened? Share your thoughts in the comments and join the discussion in the ComicBook Forum!

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2026-03-16 23:14