The latest TV season has been rough, with a slew of cancellations and endings that might surprise you. Over the past month, network TV has axed some fan favorites, including “So Help Me Todd” and “Walker,” while major shows like “Young Sheldon” have come to an end. The trend isn’t limited to network TV; streaming services like Apple TV+ have also been quietly canceling shows. This month, Apple TV+ canceled two series: the rom-com “Still Up” and the space-themed “Constellation,” which starred Noomi Rapace as an astronaut returning to Earth after an International Space Station incident. Both shows lasted only one season.
Romantic comedies often struggle to find longevity on TV. Shows like Cristin Milioti’s “A to Z,” “Selfie” with John Cho and Karen Gillan, and “Pushing Daisies” ended after one or two seasons. Darren Starr has had more success with “Younger” and “Emily in Paris” by blending rom-com elements with career storylines. Hallmark also has a track record of successful long-running rom-coms with lower budgets. Despite these examples, the genre remains tough to sustain on TV.
The timing of Apple TV+’s cancellations is noteworthy, as it follows a pattern seen across other streaming platforms. May is traditionally focused on network TV schedules, but streaming services have also been quietly canceling first-season shows. Max, for instance, recently canceled “The Girls on the Bus” without much publicity.
Streaming services operate differently from networks, often greenlighting full seasons rather than pilots. This approach allows them to release entire seasons and gauge audience reactions, but it also results in many shows disappearing after just one season. The quiet nature of these cancellations raises questions about whether the shows failed to attract large audiences or if the timing of the announcements in May was strategically chosen. Regardless, the trend of under-the-radar cancellations is an interesting development in the TV landscape.
