There’s no shortage of groundbreaking content that graces the television industry, but the level of quality programming across the past few decades is emblematic of just how much television has evolved. There are more adventurous series and genre experiments than ever before and even somewhat predictable formats, like sitcoms, have been able to move forward with fresh directions.
There is now more television to watch than ever before, but there’s also a progressively small window for series to find an audience. Audiences have become quite comfortable with the prospect of their favorite series unexpectedly facing cancellation or being run into the ground due to a conclusion that never comes.
10 Canceled: Undeclared Is Like An Unofficial Freaks & Geeks Sequel Set In College
Judd Apatow’s Freaks & Geeks has become a cult classic, but his follow-up series, Undeclared, often goes overlooked in comparison. Undeclared only ran for one season of 17 episodes before it was canceled by FOX, but it’s absolutely the successor to Apatow’s quirky high school series.
Undeclared pushes its honest anxiety to a college setting with Jay Baruchel leading a cast that includes the likes of Seth Rogen, Charlie Hunnam, as well as Jason Segel, Amy Poehler, and Busy Philipps in recurring roles. Adam Sandler even shows up as himself, but it wasn’t enough to keep Undeclared afloat.
9 Too Long: The King Of Queens Loses Itself & Commits To Mediocrity
Some sitcoms are able to settle into a comfortable place of complacency where they can ostensibly run on autopilot for hundreds of episodes and more or less continue to deliver. There's nothing revolutionary about the plot of The King of Queens, which examines a simple lower-middle-class extended family and their blue-collar dreams.
The King of Queens is more or less the template that pedestrian family sitcoms would follow during the '90s where there's a dopey husband and agitated wife. The King of Queens spins its wheels for more than 200 episodes across nine seasons.
8 Canceled: The Class Was Ahead Of Its Time & Overly Ambitious
The Class is a high-concept sitcom that aired during the mid-2000s on CBS and was the subject of a significant bidding war due to the pedigree of the sitcom's creators, David Crane and Jeffrey Klarik. The series' unique premise involves a group of eight individuals who were in the same third-grade class.
There's a fun "before and after" aspect to The Class as the lives of these characters are compared and contrasted. The Class' greatest asset was its impressive cast, the majority of which have gone on to become major stars, like Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Lizzy Caplan, and Jon Bernthal.
7 Too Long: That '70s Show Leaves The Party Too Late
That '70s Show turned into one of the biggest surprise sitcom hits for FOX and the comedy was around for eight seasons and 200 episodes of retro ribaldry. That '70s Show is a rare example of a sitcom that works just as well for teenagers as it does for adults.
However, the show’s problem is that it begins to recycle plotlines and turn to unexpected romantic pairings to rejuvenate the series. The most egregious example of this is in the show’s final season, when Topher Grace’s Eric Forman exits and is sloppily replaced with Josh Meyers’ Randy Pearson.
6 Canceled: Trophy Wife Excels With Honest Character Dynamics
Trophy Wife’s energy is very similar to the rest of ABC’s sitcom lineup during the mid-2010s and it’s easy to picture Trophy Wife alongside Modern Family and The Middle, yet it wasn’t able to seize that synergy to survive.
Trophy Wife looks at the marriage between Bradley Whitford’s Pete and Malin Akerman’s Kate, who have a significant gap in their ages and lifestyles. Kate’s union to Pete comes with the baggage of his two ex-wives, who constantly test her. These unusual relationships create something special that plays against expectations, but it wasn’t enough to catch on.
5 Too Long: Modern Family’s Cast Awkwardly Ages Out Of Their Usefulness
Modern Family is one of the biggest sitcoms of the past decade. The family-friendly comedy produced 250 episodes across eleven seasons and collected dozens of awards and praise along the way. Modern Family never stops caring about its story or characters, but over a decade of content is enough to drain even the smartest of comedies.
The final seasons still have some bright spots, but Modern Family struggles with what to do with its younger characters as they grow older. Ending a few seasons earlier would have guaranteed them a more pristine run.
4 Canceled: Action Is A Fearless Attack on Hollywood That’s Eerily Prescient
Action was a 13-episode FOX sitcom that only aired eight of its episodes, but is still prolific for being so ahead of its time. Action offers a cynical look at Hollywood and the film industry, yet years before Entourage.
Not only was Action's satire of Hollywood spot-on and scathing, but it featured numerous movie star cameos, such as Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock, and Salma Hayek, all of which were a huge deal for a network sitcom in 1999. Ultimately, Action was too edgy, but the type of sitcom that would excel on FOX a decade later, or even now.
3 Too Long: Will & Grace Loses Its Steam & Tarnishes Its Legacy Through Is Return
Will & Grace was a major cultural icon during the early 2000s. Will & Grace represents one of the sharper sitcoms of its era, but it hits diminishing returns during its later seasons, which begin to devalue the characters in service of story complications. Will & Grace is a unique example here because it lasted for eight seasons, only to return for a three-season revival in 2017.
This revival begins on an encouraging note but regresses as tension between the cast overwhelms the series. Main characters are absent through stretches of the final season and it's a poor note to end on.
2 Canceled: The Grinder Is The Perfect Meta Sitcom With A Sublime Cast
The Grinder ran on FOX for one year during its 2015-2016 TV season. The Grinder features an excellent premise where Rob Lowe's Dean Sanderson struggles with the cancellation of his legal drama TV series, only to decide to work alongside his brother, who is an actual lawyer.
There's endlessly entertaining commentary on how the artifice of television clashes with the reality of the legal world and the comedy's characters show impressive growth throughout this single season. The Grinder also features Fred Savage, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, and Steve Little, as well as inspired guest stars like Timothy Olyphant—as himself—and Maya Rudolph.
1 Too Long: Two & A Half Men Turns To Multiple Cast Changes To Stay Afloat
Chuck Lorre is responsible for some of the most popular sitcoms of the last decade, many of which have run for far longer than what was likely necessary. Two and a Half Men ran for 262 episodes over twelve seasons but repeatedly lost major cast members.
Charlie Sheen’s departure would have made for a smart ending point, but the comedy continues with Ashton Kutcher as a replacement for Sheen, and later Amber Tamblyn filling in for the departure of Angus T. Jones. The final cast for Two and a Half Men gets so far away from the sitcom's original premise.
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