List of television series canceled after one episode

List of television series canceled after one episode

While the cancellation of a television program after only one season, or even during it, is a common occurrence in the business of network television programming, the following is a list of programs of a rare yet similar occurrence. On these occasions, a television series was removed from a broadcast schedule and production canceled after a single episode or single day of broadcasting—owing to a combination of extremely negative reviews, very poor ratings, radical/controversial content, or circumstances beyond the network's control.

Note that this list excludes backdoor pilots (pilots which are shot in such a way that they can be aired either as a TV movie or as a regular episode of another series), or pilots that were aired but not picked up by a network.

This is an international list and should not be exclusive to American series and may contain a few examples of shows that, while successful in one country, were canceled quickly elsewhere.

Canceled after one episode

; "Australia's Naughtiest Home Videos" : 1992 series spun off from "Australia's Funniest Home Video Show", hosted by Doug Mulray. This show was actually canceled "during" its first episode when then-Nine Network owner Kerry Packer reportedly called the station and personally ordered them to "get that shit off the air." After a commercial break, the network cut to a rerun of "Cheers" citing technical difficulties. [cite news
publisher=The Sydney Morning Herald
date=2005-12-31
accessdate=2007-09-20
url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/business/in-the-line-of-fire/2005/12/30/1135915693207.html
page=2
author=Gerald Stone
title=In the line of fire
] It was shown in a repackaged version on August 28, 2008. [http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24198146-2902,00.html] There is some difference of opinion as to whether this was intended as a special or as an actual series.; "Co-Ed Fever" : 1979 sitcom that aired on CBS that attempted to imitate the then successful "National Lampoon's Animal House". The pilot was aired as a "special preview" of the upcoming season on February 4, but the series was canceled shortly thereafter. Five completed episodes remain unaired in the United States but were shown in Canada on BCTV in a late afternoon weekend timeslot. [ [http://www.tv.com/co-ed-fever/show/6343/episode_listings.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=tabssh&tag=tabs;episodes "Co-ed Fever" episode list from TV.com] ] ; "Comedians Unleashed" : Animal Planet's attempt in 2002 to mimic Comedy Central's stand up comedy shows but with animal-themed jokes. The episode was rerun a few times before being removed from the programming lineup. [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0353054/ Imdb.com listing for "Comedians Unleashed"] ] This is not to be confused with the 2006 syndicated series "Comics Unleashed" hosted by Byron Allen.; "The Debbie King Show" : A 2007 quiz show on ITV Play with Debbie King; it finished at 12:30 a.m., a few hours before the station's suspension, and was never restored during the station's limited service or since the station shut down eight days later.Fact|date=March 2008; "Dot Comedy" : A 2000 American series that appeared on ABC featuring humorous material from the internet. [cite news|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20080414/ai_n25167707|title=It's on/it's off|last=Pierce |first=Scott D. |date=2008-04-14|publisher="Deseret News"|accessdate=2008-08-17] ; "Emily's Reasons Why Not" : A 2006 comedy show on ABC starring Heather Graham as a single career woman, unlucky in love, who employs a list-making system to help her determine when it's time to give up and move on. The series was canceled the day after broadcast by ABC programming chief Steve McPherson when he decided that it was "not going to get better and we needed a quick change." [ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/21/AR2006012101391.html Washington Post article: "Steve's Reason Why Not"] - article on cancellation of "Emily's Reasons Why Not"] It was reported that ABC executives committed to the show without seeing its pilot. [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/13/arts/television/13stat.html State of Mind - Side Order of Life - TV - Review - New York Times ] ] ; "Heil Honey I'm Home!" : A 1990 British comedy that spoofed American sitcoms of the 1950s and ‘60s by featuring caricatures of Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun who live in matrimonial bliss until they become neighbors to a Jewish couple. [cite web|url=http://www.seemagazine.com/article/screen/screen-feature/teleprompter-live-and-die-l/|title=Teleprompter: To Live And Die In L.A.|last=Simpson Khullar|first=Nicola |date=2008-03-27|publisher=seemagazine.com|accessdate=2008-08-17] ; "Lawless" : 1997 Fox action series starring former American football star Brian Bosworth as a private investigator.cite news|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1019333,00.html|title=One-Show Wonders|last=Ross|first=Dalton |date=2005-01-24|publisher="Entertainment Weekly"|accessdate=2008-08-17] ; "The Melting Pot": 1975 BBC sitcom written by Spike Milligan, who also starred as 'Mr. Van Gogh' a Pakistani illegal immigrant in London. The first episode was shown on BBC1 on June 11, 1975, but the remaining five have never been seen.Fact|date=March 2008; "Public Morals": 1996 Steven Bochco-produced sitcom about a vice squad unit of the New York City Police Department that aired on CBS. The cast included Bill Brochtrup, reprising the role of John Irvin, a recurring character on another Bochco series, "NYPD Blue". The show's pilot had been scheduled to air, but several affiliates refused to show it. CBS aired another episode that turned out to be the only one that was aired out of the thirteen episodes that were produced. Brochtrup's character returned to "NYPD Blue", becoming a regular. [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115328/ Imdb listing for "Public Morals"] ] ; "Quarterlife": Broadcast version of the popular MySpace series that aired on NBC. The series was moved to NBC Universal sibling channel Bravo after the dismal reception of the premiere episode on Tuesday, February 26, 2008, where the remaining episodes were aired. [cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/29/arts/television/29arts-NBCPULLSTHEP_BRF.html?ref=television|title=NBC Pulls the Plug on "Quarterlife"|last=Stelter|first=Brian|date=2008-02-29|publisher="The New York Times"|accessdate=2008-08-17] ; "The Rich List" (U.S. version): 2006 game show by the British producers of "The Weakest Link" and "Dog Eat Dog". It was heavily promoted on Fox during the World Series. "The Rich List" was axed two days after the broadcast of the premiere episode. [ [http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/ustv/a38965/fox-pulls-eamonn-holmes-game-show.html "Fox pulls Eamonn Holmes game show" Digital Spy] ] ; "Secret Talents of the Stars" : 2008 reality talent show on CBS where celebrities competed by participating in talents that differed from their profession. CBS pulled the show after extremely low ratings in its first airing. [ [http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSN1029267020080411?feedType=RSS&feedName=entertainmentNews CBS cancels Secret Talents of the Stars | Entertainment | Reuters ] ] ; "South of Sunset" : 1993 private detective show on CBS starring Glenn Frey of rock band The Eagles. The remaining five episodes eventually aired on the VH1 cable network a year later.; "Turn-On": 1969 poorly received derivative of "Laugh-In" that aired on ABC. Although not the first series to be immediately canceled, "Turn-On" is generally considered the best-known example. It's considered one of the most notorious flops in television history; basically a racier version of "Laugh-In", the show was immediately perceived by frightened network officials and sponsors as offensive. Scenes included, for example, an early sequence of extreme close-ups of Tim Conway leering at a beautiful woman. Some local markets canceled the show midway through the broadcast, but the story that it was yanked midway through its first episode "nationwide" is untrue. After the first show, the sponsor (Bristol-Meyers) canceled.; "Who's Whose?": Game show hosted by Phil Baker that aired on CBS on June 25, 1951. Three celebrity panelists (Robin Chandler, Basil Davenport, and Art Ford) tried to determine which of three male contestants was married to which of three female contestants. This show was brought to the air on short notice to replace "The Goldbergs", which was dropped when its creator Gertrude Berg refused to fire the blacklisted actor Philip Loeb.Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, "The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable Shows" (2003) ISBN 0-345-45542-8] There is some difference of opinion among published sources as to whether this show should be classified as a series [David Schwartz, Steve Ryan, Fred Wostbrock, "The Encyclopedia of TV Game Shows" (1987) ISBN 0-918432-87-1] or a pilot. [Vincent Terrace, "50 Years of Television" (1991) ISBN 0-8453-4811-6] (TV historian Vincent Terrace does list it in his book, "Experimental Television, Test Films, Pilots and Trial Series".); "The Will" : 2005 reality TV show on CBS in which family members and friends competed to be named the beneficiary of a will. [ [http://www.realitytvworld.com/index/modules.php?file=index&name=News&op=modload&topic=155 CBS cancels 'The Will' after only one episode broadcast] ] The series eventually aired in its entirety on Fox Reality Channel.

Canceled after two episodes, seen back-to-back on premiere night

While the following broadcast series do not technically belong in the above list because they were canceled after the airing of their second episode, they are noted because the two episodes were aired in back-to-back fashion, without repeats, on the same evening and before cancellation.

; "Anchorwoman" : 2007 comedy/reality series about Lauren Jones, a model who became a television news anchor. The show was canceled by FOX on August 23, 2007, just one day following its August 22 premiere, due to a disappointing 2.0 Fast National rating. However, its premiere was one-hour, consisting of two 30-minute episodes. [ [http://www.thefutoncritic.com/ratings.aspx?id=wednesday Ratings for Wednesday, August 22 - The Futon Critic] ] ; "Beware of Dog" : 2002 sitcom on Animal Planet; two episodes presented back-to-back on August 13, 2002 for the only appearance of the series on U.S. television. [ [http://epguides.com/BewareofDog/ Episode list of "Beware of Dog" on epguides.com] ] The show featured "Look Who's Talking"-style observations (voiced by Park Bench) by a stray dog named Jack who was adopted by a suburban family. [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E06E4DC103AF930A2575BC0A9649C8B63 "New York Times" review of "Beware of Dog"] ] ; "The Bussey Bunch" : 2008 reality show on TLC about the Busseys, a family that promotes a local professional wrestling federation in Texas. This series was pulled following its premiere showing. [ [http://wrestlingnewscenter.blogspot.com/2008/01/tlc-has-cancelled-bussey-bunch.html Wrestling News Center: TLC has cancelled "The Bussey Bunch," ] ] [ [http://indywrestlingnews.com/content/view/442/59/ Indy Wrestling News: "TLC Cancels 'The Bussey Bunch'", by Adam Lash, 30 January 2008] ]

pecial cases

Due to more complex situations, such as shows canceled independently in separate countries, the following programs can be said to have been canceled after one episode under a special set of circumstances only.

; "Viva Laughlin" : 2007 musical comedy-drama that takes place at a casino in Laughlin, Nevada based on the BBC series "Blackpool". While originating network CBS canceled the Hugh Jackman-produced series after two episodes had aired, Australia's Nine Network canceled "Viva Laughlin" just one day after its first episode aired on Nine.cite news| title="Hugh Jackman's show Viva Laughlin dumped by Channel Nine"| url=http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,22634823-5012990,00.html| publisher=The Daily Telegraph| date=2007-10-23| accessdate=2007-10-29] cite news| title="Back from the dud"| url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/tv--radio/we-took-a-gamble--furness/2007/10/24/1192941127545.html| publisher=The Sydney Morning Herald| date=2007-10-25| accessdate=2007-10-29] Though CBS's airing of a second episode makes the show's status as one canceled after a single episode disputed, it is worth noting that the second episode was aired just three days after the first, with the cancellation coming the next day.; "Who's Your Daddy?" : A 2005 reality series on Fox that involved an adopted woman trying to pick her biological father out of a group of impostors. The show attracted protest from adoptive families and adoption-rights groups before airing. This episode aired as a "special", not a "series premiere". As a result, the series was technically canceled before airing an episode [ [http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20041214fox01 Breaking News - A YOUNG WOMAN, ADOPTED AT BIRTH, AND HER BIOLOGICAL FATHER ARE REUNITED ON THE SPECIAL 'WHO'S YOUR DADDY?' MONDAY, JANUARY 3, ON FOX | TheFutonCritic.com ] ] .; "You're in the Picture" : 1961 game show that aired on CBS starring Jackie Gleason; notable in part for Gleason going on the air the next week and saying of the show: "That show we did last week made a real H-bomb look like a two-inch salute." Technically the series wasn't canceled, but rather Gleason renamed it "The Jackie Gleason Show" and it became a talk show for the remainder of its limited run. Since the series substantially changed format as well as its title after one episode, it is usually referenced as having lasted a single episode, with the later talk show being considered a separate series.

Placed on hiatus after one episode

The following series are sometimes included on lists of shows canceled after one episode, but strictly speaking do not belong there. The following series were placed on hiatus after a single episode aired, but were later brought back by the originating networks, and aired their remaining episodes on the originating networks some months later (usually during a non-ratings period).

; "The Great Defender" : A 1995 legal drama on Fox starring Michael Rispoli as a "My Cousin Vinny" type lawyer; the premiere aired opposite "60 Minutes" and received dismal ratings, so the series was promptly placed on hiatus. Fox aired the remaining episodes in the summer.; "The Master": 2006 Australian quiz show hosted by Mark Beretta on the Seven Network that was axed after the premiere received low ratings. Remaining episodes which had already been filmed were aired during non-ratings later in the year. [ [http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/story/0,23663,20166725-10388,00.html Announcement of "The Master" cancellation from "The Daily Telegraph"] ] ; "Melba": A 1986 CBS sitcom starring Melba Moore as a single mother who runs a New York information bureau; the series premiered on January 28, the day the space shuttle "Challenger" exploded. CBS aired the remaining episodes in the summer before canceling it. [cite web|url=http://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/melba/cast/203054|title="Melba" on CBS|publisher=tvguide.com|accessdate=2008-08-17]

See also

*Mass media
*Television program
*List of television series canceled before airing an episode
*List of longest running U.S. television series
*List of longest running U.S. cable television series
*List of longest running U.K. television series

References


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