Many great sitcoms get canceled before their time because of their low ratings, but watching them back suggests that they deserved a lot better. In the era of streaming, more and more shows are being canceled within just a couple of seasons if they don’t immediately grab people’s attention. It used to be the case that sitcoms would get a chance to develop a fan base over a few seasons, but those days seem to be gone forever.
Due to the abundance of streaming platforms and traditional cable networks, there has never been more competition among sitcoms. While this means that there are more new sitcoms to enjoy each year, only a select few manage to survive beyond three or four seasons. There are some hidden gems left on the scrap heap that deserve much more love, even if their stories are left incomplete or they only produced a handful of episodes.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphiahas become one of a few sitcoms that seem exempt from rumors of cancelation, but the same can’t be said for Glenn Howerton’s other sitcom,A.P. Bio,which was canceled twice. Howerton plays a Harvard philosophy professor who gets fired and has to take a high school job in his hometown. He isn’t the only great comedic actor in thecast ofA.P. Bio,as he’s joined by Patton Oswalt, Paula Pell and more.
The first season isn’t the show’s best, which could explain why people didn’t stick with it.
A.P. Bionever amassed a huge audience during its four-season run. This is no real reflection on the show’s quality, sinceit has become a streaming hit recently. If fans had shown it as much love while it was still on the air, it could have had a long run. The first season isn’t the show’s best, which could explain why people didn’t stick with it and the ratings kept dropping.
Kaitlin Olson is most famous for her role inIt’s Always Sunny in Philadelphiaalongside Glenn Howerton. Just like her co-star, she also had a separate sitcom that was canceled too soon.The Mickstars Olson as a woman who is suddenly burdened with caring for three children, although there could be nobody less appropriate for the task at hand.The Mickran for just two seasons before being canceled.
The Mickgave Olson a chance to show off her talents outside ofIt’s Always Sunny,but the show didn’t get the kind of run it deserved.
The Mickgave Olson a chance to show off her talents outside ofIt’s Always Sunny,but the show didn’t get the kind of run it deserved. She has had a few other roles in other shows, but not many that have put her in the spotlight in the way she deserves.Fortunately, Olson is back with a new show in 2024.High Potentialis a crime show starring Olson as a cleaner who gets a job as a police consultant thanks to her genius-level intellect.
Matt Berry has reached a global audience with his starring role as Laszlo Cravensworth inWhat We Do in the Shadows,but fans of British comedy would already have been familiar with his work. Berry pops up in some of thefunniest British sitcomsof the 21st century, includingThe IT Crowd, Garth Marenghi’s DarkplaceandThe Mighty Boosh. Toast of Londonfinally gives him a starring role that plays into his strengths.
After three seasons, the series moved to Los Angeles forToast in Tinseltown,which added Fred Armisen and Rashida Jones to the cast.
Berry plays pompous actor Steven Toast, a man trying to navigate a bizarre simulacrum of the entertainment industry despite his negligible talent and even worse people skills. After three seasons, the series moved to Los Angeles forToast in Tinseltown,which added Fred Armisen and Rashida Jones to the cast. This seemed like it could have been a new dawn for Steven Toast, but it now marks the end of a surreal and hilarious sitcom like no other.
7Back
David Mitchell And Robert Webb’s Second Sitcom Didn’t Have The Longevity Of Peep Show
David Mitchell and Robert Webb have been working together on stage, radio and screen for decades, with their most famous collaboration beingPeep Show.The British sitcom stands out from the crowd with its POV camera angles and voiceovers, and it joined the exclusive club of British comedies which gain a global audience. After nine seasons ofPeep Show,Mitchell and Webb reunited for a completely unrelated show,Back,which was sadly canceled too soon.
It’s a somewhat more traditional sitcom thanPeep Show, but the two leads are as funny as ever.
Backis a much different proposition toPeep Show, which could explain why the show has struggled to maintain a big audience. It’s a somewhat more traditional sitcom about two estranged brothers feuding over the family’s legacy, but the two leads are as funny as ever.Backproduced just 12 episodes across its two seasons, and it ends on a cliffhanger as another member of the family steps into the fray.
Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23faced an uphill battle to stay on the air. It was dragged down by a terrible title, a vibrant aesthetic that doesn’t match its edgy vibe, and a network that made the bizarre decision to air the episodes out of order. Ultimately,Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23’s cancelationcame as no surprise, butthe show still has a cult following, especially since the cast have gone on to achieve more success.
Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23is a great fit for fans of subversive anti-comedy likeIt’s Always Sunny in PhiladelphiaorCurb Your Enthusiasm.
Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23is a great fit for fans of subversive anti-comedy likeIt’s Always Sunny in PhiladelphiaorCurb Your Enthusiasm.Eric Andre’s presence is an indicator of how the show breaks down the walls of a traditional sitcom. Other shows would resolve the tension between the two main characters by having Chloe atone and grow. Instead, she drags June down to her level, making her just as immoral and reckless.
5Garfunkel & Oates
The Musical Duo Deserved An Encore
Garfunkel and Oatesmight look like a female version ofFlight of the Conchordsat first, since it follows a quirky musical duo trying to get a foothold in the industry. The show quickly does a lot to separate itself from any comparisons, however, as it’s much raunchier and louder. Riki Lindhome and Kate Micucci’s hilarious comedic chemistry shines through from the very first episode, since they had already been performing as a duo for years.
Garfunkel and Oateshad the potential to run for much longer than the single season it was granted.
Garfunkel and Oateshad the potential to run for much longer than the single season it was granted, if only the two stars could keep coming up with funny songs.Lindhome and Micucci’s enjoyable dynamic makes the show work just as well in between the musical interludes. Each of their comedic personas is designed to highlight the shortcomings of the other, with Lindhome as outgoing to the point of being reckless and Micucci as a more awkward and shy hanger-on.
4Aunty Donna’s Coffee Cafe
Aunty Donna’s Second TV Show Is Just As Uncompromising As Their First
Australian sketch mavericks Aunty Donna first built up their following online, but their popularity eventually translated into a Netflix sketch show. Rather than toning down their idiosyncratic style to appeal to a mass audience,Aunty Donna’s Big Ol' House of Funis just as eccentric and original as ever. The star-studded sketch show never returned, but the comedy group bounced back with an ABC sitcom about three friends who own a Melbourne cafe together.
Aunty Donna’s Coffee Cafeis a slice of absurdity that isn’t designed to appeal to everyone, but it hits the spot for fans of alternative comedy.
LikeBig Ol' House of Fun, Aunty Donna’s Coffee Cafeis a slice of absurdity that isn’t designed to appeal to everyone, but it hits the spot for fans of alternative comedy. The show is punctuated by sketches which bare no relation to the plot, butthe show also finds time to tear the sitcom genre apart from the inside out.It’s a gloriously silly deconstruction of every trope that sitcom audiences take for granted, culminating in an outstanding final episode that reaches surreal comedy nirvana.
Taika Waititi and Rhys Darby’s pirate comedyOur Flag Means Deathbecame the subject of a passionate fan campaign when news of its cancelation first broke. Unfortunately, the show now seems dead and buried, leaving just two seasons for fans to enjoy. Theending ofOur Flag Means Deathis particularly frustrating since there are so many unanswered questions and unresolved storylines that will now be left hanging.
Waititi and Darby’s beguiling blend of adventure, romance and raucous comedy deserved more time.
Although the show takes a lot of creative liberties,Our Flag Means Deathis loosely based on a true story. Stede Bonnet was a real aristocrat who abandoned his comfortable life in search of adventure on the high seas as a pirate, and he really did form an alliance with Blackbeard.Our Flag Means Deathexplores plenty of strange stories, but none of the fictional tales are as unbelievable as the show’s central truth. Waititi and Darby’s beguiling blend of adventure, romance and raucous comedy deserved more time.
2The Looney Tunes Show
Bugs And Co. Didn’t Find Their Audience
The Looney Tunes Showputs an interesting spin on some beloved characters. Fans looking for more classic antics from Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and other characters might be disappointed, butThe Looney Tunes Showhas built an audience of all ages since its cancelation. The show features Bugs and Daffy sharing a house together. It’s a traditional sitcom premise, which makes their slapstick antics and fun dynamic feel fresh.
It’s possible thatThe Looney Tunes Showwould have been more popular if it was designed to appeal exclusively to adults
Bugs behaves more like Jerry Seinfeld or Chandler Bing inThe Looney Tunes Showthan his old self. There are still plenty of hilariousLooney Tunesgags, butthe show also fancies itself as a sitcom about modern life that just so happens to feature such beloved cartoon characters. It’s possible thatThe Looney Tunes Showwould have been more popular if it was designed to appeal exclusively to adults. For those who miss the show, the upcomingLooney Tunesmovie,The Day the Earth Blew Upcould be perfect.
Arrested Developmentwas eventually brought back to life, but the cancelation after its third season meant that the sitcom was never the same again.The contrast between the original run ofArrested Developmentand the Netflix revival is night and day.It serves as proof that rebooting beloved shows isn’t always a good thing. HadArrested Developmentbeen renewed for season 4 at the right time, it could have continued its hot streak.
HadArrested Developmentbeen renewed for season 4 at the right time, it could have continued its hot streak.
Arrested Development’s Bluth familystomps on every norm of the typical sitcom family. While other sitcom families may bicker and disagree, they aren’t as quick to resort to treason, blackmail and incest.Arrested Developmentmanages to make light of some uncomfortable topics thanks to its beautifully intricate writing, in which running jokes pile up on top of one another and the confusing tangle of each character’s storyline somehow, miraculously, manages to come together harmoniously.
