10 Big TV Shows That Were Cancelled This Year (And Why)
Not even Marvel shows were spared from the Netflix axe in 2018.
2018 has been another huge year for TV, once again setting a new record for the amount of scripted TV shows produced - the exact figure isn't known, but estimates have it well over 500.
That, of course, leads to a very crowded marketplace, where TV series are thrown in and expected to sink or swim. A favourite show being cancelled is simply part of the life of being a viewer, and there have been some major surprises when it comes to the plug being pulled this year.
A few series have simply come to their natural endpoint, such as the stunning conclusion to The Americans, but others have either been forced into writing an endpoint or denied the chance altogether. There have been some notable examples of shows being cancelled and then saved by another network - it's happened to Lucifer, The Expanse, and, mercifully, Brooklyn Nine-Nine - but then there are the shows that weren't so lucky.
10. I'm Dying Up Here
With an impressive cast, led by Oscar-winner Melissa Leo, and being executive produced by Jim Carrey, Showtime's I'm Dying Up Here had a lot of potential. Telling the story of the famed Los Angels comedy circuit of the 1970s, it centres on a group of comedians at Goldie's comedy club who attempt to earn a spot on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show.
Amazon have achieved great success with their similar(ish) The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, but Showtime were unable to make this one land. The first season received mixed reviews, but worse was that it failed to pick up any sort of audience. The first season averaged around 150,000 viewers, and the second, despite a change in time slot, didn't get much better.
With poor ratings and presumably quite an expensive cast, there wasn't much incentive for Showtime to keep on making more episodes, and I'm Dying Up Here had to die for good.