6 shows cancelled in 2024 we’re still salty about

As another year comes to an end, we start to look back at the TV shows we said goodbye to. Some cancellations hurt way more than others!

For this list, we’re looking at cancellations only, rather than shows that were given a final season order. It’s important to distinguish between the two. While being final seasoned hurts, cancellations tend to hurt more because the shows end on major cliffhangers with no resolutions.

All of these shows are either streaming originals or they can be watched on a streaming platform—and likely aren’t leaving those platforms any time soon. I still always recommend getting the DVDs or buying the digital copies of your favorite shows if you can, though, because you never know what the streaming platforms will do—yes, Max, we’re still looking at you!

Here are the six cancellations from 2024 that we’re still extremely salty about.

NCIS: Hawaii

This CBS series deserved better. I will scream that from the mountain top every single day. What hurt the most about this cancellation was that there was talk of a fourth, shortened season to wrap up the storylines. In fact, the cast was ready for a fourth season that would air at the midseason, only to find out at the same time as everyone else that their series was canceled. Not cool, CBS!

NCIS: Hawaii was the first female-led NCIS series, and it was outstanding. We got a team that gelled as a family and supported each other. Jane Tennant was a successful team leader and mom, and she encouraged her team instead of barking orders at them. We got an LGBTQ+ relationship that is needed on today’s screens—Kacy wasn’t a perfect ship, just like so many other couples out there, but they communicated, supported each other, and worked on making their relationship a success.

We also can’t overlook Ernie. He was, by far, my favorite character. When rejected by a woman he liked, he accepted it and moved on. He was smart and funny at the same time. I want an Ernie in my life.

All three seasons of NCIS: Hawaii are available to stream on Paramount+. There is still a fight to get this show back.

KAOS

Netflix brought us a new twist to the Greek mythology. It was a comedy series instead of the usual drama, which added another layer to the mystery and annoyance of some of the characters. It also had an outstanding cast, including Jeff Goldblum as Zeus.

This was one of those shows that held a lot of potential. There was comedy, intrigue, and drama all mixed into one. Plus, who doesn’t love the Greek gods? There’s a reason there are so many stories about them out there. The problem for this was definitely the Netflix model.

Streamers put out a lot of content as a binge-watch and then expect everyone to jump straight onto them. It took just two months for Netflix to decide that the uptake on KAOS wasn’t good enough and canceled it after just one season. It continues the question of whether we should bother giving any show a chance.

Our Flag Means Death

Max offered a great telling of the story of what happens when a man grows disillusioned with society in the 18th century. Stede Bonnet decided to turn to piracy, and it led to him running into the iconic Blackbeard and a few other well-known pirates. Yes, this is a series that mixes in a bit of real history thrown into the mix.

This period dramedy brought us a mixture of positive elements, including a great gay romance. Teach and Bonnet fall in love, defying more of society’s expectations. However, things don’t always work out, and we ended up seeing the two part ways and have to find their way back to each other. There was so much hope for them if a third season happened.

Our Flag Means Death did have a chance to wrap some storylines, but that was more by chance than design. Max opted to cancel one of the best-rated shows it has, and there wasn’t a good reason for it.

My Lady Jane

If you wanted something fun, whimsical, and extremely loosely based on history, My Lady Jane on Prime Video was going to be the series for you. It was based on the novel of the same name, and offered a retelling of the story of Jady Jane Grey, also known as the Nine Day Queen.

What if Jane didn’t go through with her parents’ plans? What if there was a world of magic in the 16th century? What if Mary was forced to accept Jane’s coronation? This series answered a lot of these questions, while giving us a lead female we could root for and a love story blossom with fun and fighting.

My Lady Jane ran for just one season on Prime Video. It was abruptly canceled, leaving us with a cliffhanger that even the book arguably can’t help us with, as there were a couple of changes to that storyline.

Dead Boy Detectives

Netflix really does have a problem with cancelling shows after a season. Actually, all streamers do. However, Dead Boy Detectives is the one on our list now. This series, set in the world of The Sandman, brought us the story of two ghosts who help to solve crimes to help spirits move on. They work with a girl who can see ghosts, who is trying to run away from her life.

This series brought up a lot of important topics about life (and eve death). We got a story of how some people’s spirits stick around to get vengeance, while others stick around because they want a purpose. There’s a story of friendship, loyalty, and saving the world.

The saving grace for this series is that The Sandman is still (currently) going, which could bring some characters back. There’s just a slim chance of that happening, especially with the latest Neil Gaiman news. It’s just another entertaining, supernaturally-themed series that Netflix gave up on for disappointing reasons.

Quantum Leap

We end the post with another network show with a cancellation that hurts. Quantum Leap was a fun revival that saw Ben Song head through time with the machine that saw Sam Bennett get stuck in the past due to. Ben thought he fixed the code, only to realize that he was still stuck after completing the initial cycle of loops.

The second season brought us a story of grief, love through time, and the reason some souls are connected. We got the hope that Ben would get back to his own time, only to end with the cliffhanger of Ben and Addison both stuck in time! Now we have a lot of questions.

This series didn’t get a fair timeslot or fair promotion. With the fact that it was one of a handful of shows airing new episodes last fall due to the strike action in the summer, it should have been a firm favorite, but it couldn’t keep its viewership after everything else came back.

Quantum Leap is available to stream on Peacock, and we’d love to see some sort of movie at least to wrap up the story to get Ben and Addison back home. Even if that movie was Peacock-only! Hint Hint, Peacock!