10 Revived TV Shows That Should've Stayed Cancelled

A sitcom that eschewed the schmaltz in favour of kinetic plots, ceaseless gags, and one of the most delightfully unlikable casts of characters ever seen on TV outside of an Apprentice boardroom, Arrested Development never stood a chance. A critical fave from the off, ratings started low and slumped further. Few were surprised when the axe fell in 2006.

Netflix brought it back in 2013, and in the lead up there was joy, but also concern. It had been a while, seven years in which many of the cast had moved up in the world, and new shows had come along - many of which were influenced heavily by Mitchell Hurwitz’s blunderbuss style - and changed the landscape.

The concern was merited, partially anyway. The magic was still there - Netflix A.D was zippy and weird, with a crazy sprawling plot that was, in theory, able to be watched in any order. The problem was that the ensemble cast - the key to the show’s success - rarely shared a scene due to budgetary issues.

The two Netflix runs were fun but sometimes felt more like a tribute than a revamped show. Not a Gob Bluth-style huge mistake, but not great.