With the networks mostly finished announcing their renewals and cancellations for the upcoming 2025-2026 season, we're taking a look at the list of casualties left behind by NBC, FOX, CBS, etc.
Many series were canceled this season, especially on NBC as the network's deal to broadcast NBA and WNBA games starting this fall has severely limited how much space it has for scripted shows. Elsewhere, cost-cutting measures were deployed in full force, and some shows just ran their course, no longer having the ratings needed to secure additional seasons.
Among the shows canceled this season, there are a few that we're really going to miss (and we have our fingers crossed that they might find a life on another platform or network). But the networks aren't always wrong in their cancellation decisions either, and there were a couple of shows we're not going to miss.
The Equalizer
We are definitely going to miss The Equalizer. What started out as a remake of the 1980s series turned out to be an exciting adrenaline rush of a series that put Queen Latifah back on our screens on a weekly basis. It's no wonder the show got off to a great start and soon ran for five seasons, an impressive feat nowadays.
But given that it did run for five seasons, why would CBS cancel it? Well, according to a previous Deadline report, CBS and the team behind the show were in talks to renew it for a sixth and final season, but the odds of it happening were "50-50."
Ultimately, the network chose not to move forward with season 6, though the writers did try to make the season finale function as a series ending, and they mostly pulled it off, providing fans with closure. It sounds like the cancellation came about due to declining ratings. This show is also costlier for CBS to produce as it is a co-production with Universal Television.
Suits LA
We are not going to miss Suits LA, a show that probably shouldn't have been developed in the first place. The biggest mistake NBC made with this series is casting Stephen Amell in the leading role. Known for playing Oliver Queen, a.k.a. the Green Arrow, on The CW's superhero show Arrow, Amell has never been known for his charisma and charm. He held it down okay as the rather stoic Oliver, but asking him to follow an actor like Gabriel Macht as Harvey Specter was just begging for trouble.
But to Amell's credit, it's not all on him. The show suffered from bad writing and wooden acting all around. There also seemed to be a lack of chemistry among the cast, which is a massive drawback for a show like this because Suits was best known for the great sense of chemistry between its cast members. A significant part of the original show's appeal was the banter and character relationships.
S.W.A.T.
We're going to miss S.W.A.T., especially because it seemed unlikely that the show would get canceled a third time, but that's exactly what happened. Debuting in 2017, S.W.A.T. was a reboot of the 1975 series of the same name. The new version starred Shemar Moore as Sergeant "Hondo" Harrelson and followed him along with the Twenty Squad. The series has run for a total of eight seasons and over 160 episodes, which you would think warrants enough time invested to get a special sendoff at least.
But CBS has tried canceled the show before, first after six seasons, and then after its seventh season (supposed to be the final) premiered. The network reversed course and decided to renew it for season 8 instead of ending it after seven. Sadly, it sounds like the third cancellation is going to stick. The show pulled in "consistently high ratings," per People Magazine, but it sounds like the reason it was canceled has less to do with ratings and more with economics.
Poppa's House
We're not going to miss Poppa's House. This short-lived CBS sitcom started out promising with the casting of real-life Damon father-and-son Damon Wayans and Damon Wayans Jr., but the show sort of faltered as it progressed through its first season.
While the Wayans are usually always hilarious, the sitcom felt a little too stiff and predictable, too similar to many of the other CBS sitcoms we've seen over the years without enough charm to keep it entertaining for the long run.
Found
We're really going to miss Found, especially since it ended on a cliffhanger and left several storylines unresolved. The procedural drama started out with a bold hook, focusing on Gabi Mosely, a crisis manager and her team helping people have been kidnapped or know someone who was.
As a victim of kidnapping herself, Gabi has a dark secret. She kidnapped the man, "Sir," who abducted her as a teenager and keeps him hidden in her basement, using his knowledge to help her solve cases. The season 2 finale ends with Gabi confessing to the kidnapping and Sir's fate left ambiguous. I guess we'll never know what happens next.
Rescue: HI-Surf
We're not really going to miss Rescue: HI-Surf. FOX President Michael Thorn previously said that the network "went all in on two shows last season," pointing out Rescue: HI-Surf and Doc, but only Doc picked up steam in a way that the network felt warranted a second season (via TVInsider).
Since both series are co-productions with other companies (Warner Bros. for Rescue and Sony for Doc) it makes sense that FOX would be more selective on handing out more seasons due to their costlier nature. Rescue: HI-Surf really wanted to be the new Baywatch and in some ways it succeeded, but the characters didn't stand out and the dialogue was poor.