8 Shows Canceled in 2022 So Far
Those who watch a lot of television are no doubt used to canceled shows, but that doesn’t make the pain of a cancellation any easier. And 2022 has seen plenty of popular series axed — from The CW’s Batwoman to Netflix’s Space Force. Some cancellations were expected, while others came as a blow to viewers. These eight shows were canceled in 2022, forcing fans to say goodbye too soon.
‘Archive 81’ – Netflix
Archive 81 had a lot of promise, boasting a premise that would no doubt catch the eye of science-fiction and horror fans alike. However, that didn’t prove enough to keep it in Netflix’s good graces. Back in March, Variety reported that the eight-episode show would not receive a second season. No specific reason was given for the cancellation, but it’s likely that Archive 81‘s viewership numbers didn’t live up to Netflix’s expectations.
In the first (and only) season of Archive 81, archivist Dan (Mamoudou Athie) attempts to restore video footage from a documentary whose creator has gone missing. The filmmaker in question was investigating the strange happenings at an apartment building called the Visser. And Dan gets drawn into the mystery of Melody’s (Dina Shihabi) disappearance as the show continues. The whole thing makes for a thrilling ride, though it’s one that fans won’t get a sequel to.
‘Batwoman’ – The CW
After a lead change between seasons 1 and 2, The CW’s Batwoman finally found its footing in season 3. Naturally, fans were devastated when the network chose to cancel the series rather than move forward with Ryan Wilder’s (Javicia Leslie) story.
Batwoman is one of The CW’s many canceled shows from 2022, and it’s one that’s sparked a ton of controversy. A #SaveBatwoman movement cropped up almost immediately after its cancellation, with a Change.org petition accumulating thousands of signatures. Sadly, it does look like Ryan Wilder’s adventures in the Batsuit are at an end. But those looking to spend a little more time with her can check out DC’s Earth-Prime #1: Batwoman, which offers one more adventure with the character.
‘DC’s Legends of Tomorrow’ – The CW
Unlike Batwoman, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow had a long run on The CW — seven seasons to be exact. That didn’t prevent it from joining the network’s canceled shows at the beginning of 2022. And it looks like fans won’t get a proper ending to the Arrowverse series, something that’s come as a blow to those who have kept up with it over the past decade.
The cancellations of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow and Batwoman even sparked fan movements demanding that HBO revive both shows as part of its DC lineup. Unfortunately, those calls have yet to be answered. It looks like we really will have to bid farewell to the Legends. It’s unfortunate the team won’t get a proper sendoff, but at least we got to spend seven seasons with them. It’s more than we can say for Batwoman and Naomi.
‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ – Prime Video
Horror reboots are all the rage these days, but Amazon’s I Know What You Did Last Summer just didn’t live up to the movie it was based on. The series joined 2022’s canceled shows back in January, when Prime Video announced it would not move forward with a second season.
Deadline, which reported the cancellation, didn’t offer an explanation for Amazon’s decision. However, Screen Rant posits that negative reviews factored into the show’s early ending. That hasn’t been confirmed, but poor scores on Rotten Tomatoes are hard to argue with. Fans of this franchise might be better off sticking with the original 1997 movie.
At least the recent Scream and Halloween reboots seem to be thriving.
‘Raised by Wolves’ – HBO Max
Science-fiction series Raised by Wolves received two seasons on HBO Max, but sadly, a third one just wasn’t in the cards. Variety reported the show’s cancellation on June 3, which may have come as a surprise to some fans. After all, Raised by Wolves was once the #1 performing original series on HBO Max. It’s hard to believe it got axed just a few years later.
As Variety notes, Raised by Wolves may have been a casualty of all the upheaval at WarnerMedia, HBO Max’s parent company. Raise by Wolves star Abubakar Salim expressed that sentiment on Twitter, too. However, the actor did suggest that vocal fans could alter the company’s final decision. With that in mind, we could see Raised by Wolves‘ cancellation reversed under the right circumstances.
‘Space Force’ – Netflix
Space Force was meant to be one of Netflix’s next big hits, but the Steve Carell series never quite took off like the streamer expected. After its season 2 premiere back in February, Space Force joined Netflix’s lineup of canceled shows for 2022. Deadline posits that Netflix needed to weigh the costs of such a series against its viewership numbers. If that’s the case, it seems the streamer didn’t deem Space Force worth holding onto.
Fortunately, Steve Carell’s got plenty of movies coming out over the next few years, so viewers will still get to see the actor in action. And if all else fails, there are always re-runs of The Office. (Of course, you’ll need Peacock for that marathon nowadays.)
‘Woke’ – Hulu
Hulu’s Woke is another comedy series that didn’t make it beyond season 2, with Deadline revealing its cancellation on June 24. Like many of the other canceled shows on this list, Woke boasted decent Rotten Tomatoes scores and critic reviews — but that’s not always enough to keep the lights on in 2022.
Per Variety, Woke faced some major obstacles during season 2 production, mostly because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s unclear if that impacted its eventual cancellation, but all the delays could have affected the reception and viewership numbers when the second season debuted.
‘The Baby-Sitters Club’ – Netflix
Given the success of Ann M. Martin’s books in the ’80s and ’90s, The Baby-Sitter’s Club had lots of potential on Netflix. Unfortunately, it became one of the streamer’s canceled shows in March 2022, with Deadline reporting that it would not receive a season 3.
As with most of Netflix’s cancellations, it seems viewership played a prominent role in The Baby-Sitter’s Club‘s untimely end. Deadline notes that The Baby-Sitter’s Club Season 2 didn’t break into Nielson’s Top 10 ranking at all. And it only stayed on Netflix’s Top 10 for a week following its premiere.
Given the cancellation, it seems fans will need to return to Ann M. Martin’s novels. Fortunately, there’s no shortage of those to choose from.
