14 TV Shows Saved From Cancellation by Fan Activism
Netflix is out here eating everyone’s leftovers — and leaving lots of crumbs.
Star Trek
The original series was going to be yanked off the air after two seasons, but a gigantic letter-writing campaign and in-person demonstrations flooded NBC’s corporate offices, prompting them to agree to one more season.
Warrior Nun
Netflix grew tired of this homegrown series after two seasons, but fan outrage made them reconsider, and they mapped out a three-part feature film finale.
One Day at a Time
Netflix tried to cancel it in 2018, but a letter-writing campaign by fans, critics and the National Hispanic Media Coalition got the show 13 more episodes.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Fox was done with the show after its fifth season, but fan blowback created such a buzz that NBC picked it up for a sixth, seventh and regrettable eight season.
Timeless
By 2017, USA Today had put together an annual “Save Our Shows” poll. Timeless won, and NBC says that was a major factor in reversing course two days after canceling the show.
Lucifer
Fox wanted to kill this one off, but fan-driven social media campaigns caught Netflix’s attention.
Manifest
NBC announced their intentions to kill off this sci-fi drama, but fans had already watched so many minutes of the show’s first three seasons on Netflix that the streamer took a chance on them and bankrolled one final season.
Jericho
The show’s first season ended on a cliffhanger, with its protagonist defiantly proclaiming “Nuts!” when told to give up his entire town. When the show wasn’t renewed, fans mailed 20 tons of nuts to CBS. The network brought the show back, and donated the nuts to our boys overseas in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Longmire
Fans and producers were pissed when this A&E show ended on a Season Three cliffhanger, and made such a ruckus that Netflix got dollar signs in their eyes, and picked it up for an additional three seasons.
Quantum Leap
NBC moved the show from Wednesday night to Friday night, all but announcing its intentions to euthanize the program. But 50,000 fans wrote to the network, which was enough to reinstate it to Wednesday night.
Ray Donovan
Fans decided seven seasons weren’t enough, and took to social media after it was canceled to demand one last season. Showtime compromised with a feature-length movie.
Cagney & Lacey
The second season saw low enough ratings that CBS decided to can the show. But a concerted effort between the National Organization for Women, Ms. magazine and Gloria Steinem got it back on the air for seven seasons (and 14 Emmys).
Sanditon
This adaptation of an unfinished Jane Austen novel almost remained unfinished itself. It debuted in the U.K. to very little fanfare in 2019, and was already cancelled by the time American audiences saw it in 2020. It became so popular in the U.S. that PBS picked it up for two more seasons.
Chuck
Fans of the show somehow convinced Subway — Jared Fogle’s old employer — to bankroll a third season by organizing mass-patronizing events at their restaurants. Zachary Levi himself led one 600-person eat-in.
