Know what sucks more than a TV show being canceled prematurely?
When off-screen drama rears its ugly head and obliterates the show well before its prime.
These 13 shows were forever tainted following off-screen developments.
Glee – Fox
Naya Rivera was cut from Glee’s fifth season finale and never returned as a series regular for the final season. According to reports, she clashed with co-star Lea Michele, and when she complained about her, she was the one cut from the show.
Roseanne – ABC
Roseanne returned to the air as one of the highest-rated shows on all of television, but series star Roseanne Barr went on a tweet-storm and made a racist comment. ABC responded by canceling the series after one season back on the air. Barr’s character was later killed off during the series premiere of the spinoff, The Conners.
Empire – Fox
This Fox drama’s future was thrown into jeopardy in 2019 when it emerged that Jussie Smollett falsified a police report that said that he was attacked by two white men. However, it later transpired that the two men who “attacked” him planned the attack alongside him. The scandal had a knock-on effect on Empire which was subsequently renewed for a final season — despite still being a solid performer for Fox.
Grey’s Anatomy
Katherine Heigl won an emmy for her work as Izzie in 2007, but the following year, the actress withdrew her name from consideration. The reason? “I did not feel that I was given the material this season to warrant an Emmy nomination…” Series creator Shonda Rhimes was said to be mad, and Izzie was phased out without so much as a conclusion.
Criminal Minds – CBS
Thomas Gibson who played Hotch on the grisly crime drama was dismissed from the series in 2016 after an on-set incident which involved Gibson allegedly kicking a producer. The show was not the same without Hotch!
Desperate Housewives – ABC
Nicollette Sheridan was written out of Desperate Housewives during its fifth season after a very public falling out with series creator, Marc Cherry. Edie’s death was handled miserably. A huge character like her deserved a much better conclusion.
The Good Wife – CBS
Archie Panjabi and Juliana Margulies allegedly hated each other so much that their final scene together was put together via editing so that they didn’t need to be in the same room as each other. The scene in question was clearly altered.
Two and a Half Men – CBS
Charlie Sheen went off the deep end, trashing the creator of the show at every opportunity. He was swiftly fired, and the show was never the same again. Not even Ashton Kutcher could save it.
Martin – Fox
Tisha Campbell filed a sexual assault lawsuit against her co-star, Martin Lawrence. It meant the two could no longer film scenes together. The whole basis of the show was on their characters being love interests, so the show was later canceled as ratings slipped.
Bull – CBS
Viewers were stunned when it emerged that Eliza Dushku had turned to CBS about sexual harassment at the hands of Bull’s leading man Michael Weatherly. Even more shocking was that the only reason the news came out was a result of an investigation into disgraced CBS former CBS CEO Les Moonves.
Beverly Hills, 90210 – Fox
Jennie Garth and Shannen Doherty HATED each other. They argued on the set of the series, and Tori Spelling later revealed that the set had become so toxic that she asked her father, Aaron Spelling, to oust Doherty from the series. It was never the same.
Charmed – The WB
Are you sensing a pattern with Shannen Doherty here? Shannen left Charmed early into its run after bickering with co-star Alyssa Milano. While Doherty’s exit has never really been addressed away from the show, there’s this huge rumor that Doherty did not leave of her own accord.
Anger Management – FX
Charlie Sheen followed up his stint on Two and a Half Men with Anger Management. But he allegedly made the same mistakes by not showing up to work on time, and causing problems on the set. He allegedly heard that co-star Selma Blair was trashing his work ethic and she was fired from the show. Yikes.