10 Canceled Cable TV Shows That Won’t Be Back in 2023
Did your favorite TV show survive? Networks went on a cancellation binge in 2022, axing shows right and left. The cable TV casualties included a popular Hallmark Channel series, multiple shows on HBO, as well as programs on Freeform, Showtime, and Starz, among others. So, which cable TV shows have been canceled in 2022? We’ve pulled together a list of some notable cancellations that happened over the past 12 months.
Note: This list focuses on canceled shows that aired on cable TV, not broadcast or streaming. Check out Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s list of canceled broadcast TV shows and keep an eye out for our roundup of Netflix shows that were canceled in 2022. We’ve also left off shows that we knew were coming to an end this year (such as FX’s Better Things and HBO’s His Dark Materials), as well as shows that will air their final episodes in 2023 (such as FX’s Snowfall).
‘Westworld’ Season 5 isn’t happening
A merger between Warner Bros. and Discovery put the new company in cost-cutting mode. The result? Multiple high-profile cancellations at HBO. Among the casualties was Westworld.
The fourth season of the acclaimed sci-fi drama aired in 2022. The show’s creators were hoping to get one more season to wrap things up (via Deadline), but it won’t happen. HBO canceled Westworld in early November. A steep decline in ratings combined with high production costs was to blame, according to the Hollywood Reporter. In December, HBO even pulled the show from its streaming platform, HBO Max.
‘The Time Traveler’s Wife’ won’t get a proper ending
Westworld wasn’t he only HBO series that didn’t survive 2022. The premium cable channel also canceled The Time Traveler’s Wife after its first six-episode season. That’s bad news for fans of the show, which starred Theo James and Rose Leslie. Season 1 only covered the first part of Audrey Niffenegger’s book and left Henry (James) and Clare’s (Leslie) story unfinished.
Other HBO shows that were canceled in 2022 include Gentleman Jack, Los Espookys, and The Nevers. The latter was also pulled from HBO Max. However, there’s a chance that the completed (but unaired) second half of The Nevers Season 1 could find a new home on another platform, Variety reports.
‘Chesapeake Shores’ Season 6 was the last for the Hallmark Channel show
In 2021, Hallmark canceled Good Witch and its daytime talk show Home & Family, as well as several of its mystery series. More Hallmark shows came to an end in 2022. In March, the network announced that Chesapeake Shores would return for a sixth and final season. The show’s finale aired in October 2022.
Hallmark viewers also said goodbye to Aurora Teagarden Mysteries this year. The movie series starred Candace Cameron Bure as a crime-solving librarian. But when Bure signed an exclusive deal with Hallmark rival Great American Family, it meant the end of Aurora Teagarden. However, the actor has said she’d be interested in reviving the series for Great American Family.
Freeform’s ‘Everything’s Trash’ is also on the list of canceled TV shows
Freeform’s freshman comedy series Everything’s Trash didn’t make much of a splash when it premiered in July. The show – which was created by and starred Phoebe Robinson – didn’t get great linear ratings, according to Deadline, though it’s not clear how the show performed on Hulu. But the network apparently didn’t see a future in the series about a podcaster trying to navigate adulthood. Freeform canceled Everything’s Trash in November.
‘The Hills’ reboot ‘The Hills: New Beginnings’ came to an end
MTV’s reboot of early-aughts reality show The Hills won’t be back in 2023. The network confirmed to Variety in January 2022 that it had canceled The Hills: New Beginnings. That was good news for at least one cast member. OG cast member Brody Jenner told People that he was “stoked” the show had been canceled.
“It just wasn’t the same experience,” Jenner said. “It was very stressful. There was a lot of manipulation involved. It was just a lot.”
‘The First Lady’ won’t get a second term at Showtime
The First Lady’s term was cut short by Showtime. The series about life in the East Wing of the White House in different eras debuted in April 2022 and starred Viola Davis as Michelle Obama, Michelle Pfeiffer as Betty Ford, and Gillian Anderson as Eleanor Roosevelt.
“Showtime can confirm that the anthology series The First Lady will not be moving forward with another season,” a Showtime spokesperson told Deadline in August.
‘The Last O.G.’ was canceled by TBS
TBS has seriously cut back on its scripted programming in recent years. That includes Tracy Morgan’s comedy The Last O.G. The season 4 finale aired in December 2021, at which point the network decided not to move forward with a season 5, according to the Hollywood Reporter. But the cancellation wasn’t confirmed until April 2022.
‘Full Frontal With Samantha Bee’ ended its late-night run
Daily Show alum Samantha Bee spent seven seasons delivering spirited takes on the news on her TBS late-night show Full Frontal With Samantha Bee. But in July, Bee announced on Twitter that her show would not be back for season 8.
“After 7 seasons, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee will not be returning to TBS this fall,” read the statement. “We’re so thankful for our loyal audience, our amazing team, and that we got to annoy the right people every week—that there wasn’t wrestling or baseball or a very special episode of Big Bang.”
The Los Angeles Times pointed to changes in the late-night TV landscape, as well as cost-cutting as a result of the Warner-Discovery merger, as reasons for the cancellation.
‘Becoming Elizabeth’ had its reign cut short at Starz
Fans of Starz’s Becoming Elizabeth will never get a chance to see the young princess (played by Alicia von Rittberg) wear the crown. The Tudor-era drama was canceled in November. Season 1 ended on a dramatic note, with Elizabeth’s ailing half-brother Edward (Oliver Zetterstrom) still on the throne and her resentful Catholic sister Mary (Romola Garai) waiting in the wings. Low ratings were likely to blame for the decision to cancel the series. The season 1 finale attracted fewer than 200,000 viewers, according to TV Insider.
‘Chrisley Knows Best’ canceled following Todd Chrisley’s fraud conviction
It’s hard to move forward with a reality show when its stars are behind bars. In November, Todd Chrisley of USA Network’s Chrisley Knows Best was sentenced 12 years in prison on fraud charges. His wife, Julie Chrisley, was sentenced to seven years. Both are due to report to prison in January 2023. Their conviction was the death knell for Chrisley Knows Best as well as its spinoff Growing Up Chrisley, according to Deadline. Both reality TV shows have quietly been canceled, though a handful of Chrisley Knows Best episodes filmed before the trial may air in 2023.
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