10 TV Shows That Were Infuriatingly Cancelled In 2021

The hugely anticipated adaptation of Neil Gaiman's 2001 fantasy novel American Gods was lauded right out of the gate for its ambitious storytelling, eye-wateringly impressive visuals, and strong performances, but it wasn't long before behind-the-scenes issues began to impact its quality.

Season one's showrunners Bryan Fuller and Michael Green were fired during pre-production of season two, replaced with Jesse Alexander and Gaiman, only for Alexander himself to be removed a few months later.

Season two was then overseen by producing director Chris Byrne and line producer Lisa Kussner without having an official showrunner, and season three saw Charles Eglee take the reins.

Unsurprisingly the show's quality demonstrably declined amid these personnel changes, but it seemed to regain steadier footing throughout season three.

Sadly it was too little, too late, as American Gods was cancelled barely a week after its third season wrapped up, with plummeting ratings and production issues being cited as the prevailing reasons.

Gaiman for his part hoped to shop the show to other networks or wrap it up with a feature-length event film, but given the abject headache of its creation, it doesn't seem terribly likely.

For a show that was so creative and unique at its peak, it's a shame it wasn't given more time to win back those fans it might've lost in season two.