10 TV Shows Cancelled Before Their Time

Pretty much since The Walking Dead hit televisions in 2010, we have been inundated with a fresh wave of zombie media.

Netflix original Santa Clarita Diet sought to put a new spin on this trope, by focusing on the repercussions faced by a suburban, white-picket-fence family and their real estate business as mother Sheila begins to crave human flesh.

While difficult to stomach for some, the cooky horror-comedy starring Drew Barrymore received generally positive views, and made its way successfully through a respectable three seasons full of gore and nosy neighbours.

Netflix pulled the plug on the show in 2019, reportedly with no chance for it to return from the dead, despite fan outcry and the commentary from producers that little to no warning or explanation was given for the cancellation.

Like many a Netflix show unceremoniously axed, the final season ended on a massive cliffhanger, with Timothy Olyphant’s Joel letting wife Sheila know that he wants to join the undead and be with her forever - only to have his brain invaded by Sheila’s meaty, zombified, spider-like ‘pet’ and render him potentially dead, leaving Sheila to attempt to turn him in order to save his life.

Thanks to the cancellation, fans will never learn the final fate of the much beloved couple, whose marital bond and emotional connection through it all was one of the key reasons that the series was so successful.

Despite the positive reception, the axing was likely motivated by ‘insufficient’ lack of revenue, a factor which plagues originals from major streaming platforms. It’s not all about money, guys! Have you no respect for true love and undead marriage?