Television shows are usually canceled because of low ratings; however, sometimes they are canceled for more ridiculous reasons. We have rounded up five instances where a perfectly good show was suddenly canceled – and not because they were lacking in the ratings department.
5. The Rural Purgue
Back in the early ‘70s, television was changing. Because of the success of urban sitcoms like All in the Family and The Mary Tyler Moore Show, CBS canceled dozens of shows to change its lineup to appeal to urban and suburban audiences. This became known as the “rural purge.” Some of the shows that were canceled included Petticoat Junction, Green Acres, The Beverly Hillbillies, Mayberry R.F.D., Hee Haw, Lassie, and The Jim Nabors Hour.
Everett Collection4. Victorious
When the Nickelodeon show Victorious was abruptly canceled, there were rumors that a feud between Ariana Grande and Victoria Justice was the reason for it. According to Grande, the show was canceled because Justice wanted to do a solo tour instead. “Sweetheart the only reason Victorious ended is because one girl didn’t want to do it,” she wrote on Twitter. “She chose to do a solo tour instead of a cast tour. If we had done a cast tour Nickelodeon would have ordered another season of Victorious while Sam and Cat filmed simultaneously but she chose otherwise.”
Everett Collection3. Sam & Cat
The Nickelodeon spin-off of iCarly and Victorious, Sam & Cat, was a runaway success for the network when it was put on a sudden hiatus in April 2014, a month after racy photos of one of the show’s stars, Jeanette McCurdy, were leaked online. Then, in July 2014, the show was abruptly canceled, even though Nickelodeon programming president Russell Hicks had said in March that the show would be renewed for a second season. The timing of the racy photos definitely makes the show’s cancellation seem like it was a result of McCurdy’s racy photo leak.
Source: J-142. Zoey 101
Two weeks after a teenaged Jamie Lynn Spears announced that she was pregnant back in 2007, it was announced that her show Zoey 101 was not going to be coming back for a fifth season, and there were rumors that Nickelodeon wasn’t sure if it was going to air the fourth season, which had already completed filming. Although Nickelodeon never said that Spears’ pregnancy was the reason why they decided to cancel the show, it seemed pretty obvious that her teenage pregnancy influenced their decision.
Everett Collection1. Angel
The Buffy the Vampire spin-off Angel was canceled after Joss Whedon asked the WB network for an early renewal. The show’s ratings had been up and it was receiving positive reviews, which is why Whedon decided to ask for an early pick-up. According to the head writer of the series, David Fury, he guaranteed that if Whedon hasn’t asked for an early renewal, Angel would have been back for a sixth season. At the time, the WB had been prepping a number of new shows and wasn’t interested in locking in an older, more expensive show, so when faced with a decision, the network decided to cancel it.
Source: Confessions of a Pop Culture Addict
