As we close in on the end of the year, we get ready to say goodbye to some shows. After all, not all are going to be renewed. In some disappointing news, not all shows have gone on a winter break, and they’ve already aired their season finales. These season finales could turn into a series finale.
There are three shows we’re worried about not seeing again in 2026. Two of them are reality shows, while the other is a scripted show that wrapped up its sophomore year on a major cliffhanger. All of them on this list are broadcast TV shows, but there are plenty of streaming shows we’re worried about as well!
Destination X
During the summer, NBC brought us a new and intriguing reality show, Destination X. In this series, contestants travelled Europe, and they had to figure out where they were at each stop. However, they were never actually in the location they had to guess based on the clues, which added another layer of mystery for all of us watching.
Throughout the episodes, contestants were knocked out based on who was the furthest away from guessing the location, and sometimes, there was some strategic game play in mind. With a mixture of social game and knowledge, it made for one of the best reality shows of 2025.
However, the minimal promotion and the decision to put it on in the summer led to lower linear ratings than NBC likely wanted. With Deal or No Deal Island recently being canceled, there’s a chance that Destination X will be as well.
On Brand with Jimmy Fallon
NBC continued to bring different types of reality shows in 2025, and On Brand with Jimmy Fallon was one of them. The competition series saw marketing hopefuls prove that they are the Innovator of the Year, and they did that through working with some of the biggest brands in America.
Creating marketing campaigns for the likes of Sonic, Southwest Airlines, and Marshalls, we got to see the process from start to finish. It all started with the competitors going up against each other, and then two or three campaigns were picked, and the individuals had to work as teams to bring their campaigns to life to see them out in the real world.
The release schedule didn’t help this series, though. Due to NBC airing the NBA games on Tuesdays, On Brand with Jimmy Fallon initially aired on Tuesdays at 10/9c and Fridays at 8/7c to fill gaps. But then once the NBA started, the show moved to just Fridays. It made for a tricky schedule for viewers, and the show sits at the bottom of the unscripted shows of fall 2025. The one thing that could save it is that Jimmy Fallon is the host, and he is consistently working with NBC, but I’d say we’ve seen the last of it in 2025.
Murder in a Small Town
Now for the last of the shows on our list. Murder in a Small Town season 2 aired its finale as December got started, leaving the story on a major cliffhanger. We won’t get to know much of FOX’s decisions until around April and May 2026, and that puts this series in a tricky position. There is nothing more that it can give.
One of the issues with Murder in a Small Town is that it’s not just up to FOX. This is a Canadian series, airing on Global TV, so there is a decision north of the border that needs to happen as well. Even if the Canadians did renew it, that’s not to say FOX would definitely pick up that third season as well.
The costs of producing a scripted show are higher than an unscripted series, and in this case, the Murder in a Small Town linear ratings may not justify it. While the total audience was up by 11% in 2025, the demo (which is arguably the most important of the two figures) dropped 13%, making it the bottom-rated scripted show on the network. FOX has a bad habit of ending shows on cliffhangers, and this could be another one.