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Too often, canceled TV shows leave audiences devastated as the unexpected cancelations leave them with unanswered questions and their characters' fates unknown and the beloved channel SyFy is not above this. Launched in 1992, Syfy Channel has broadcast many incredible TV shows that garnered a large audience. Unfortunately, some of those were unceremoniously cut short; even TV shows with stellar audience numbers can be unexpectedly canceled and end forever on a cliffhanger.
Factors like TV's shift away from broadcast channels and toward streaming platforms and competition have resulted in more incredible TV shows being canceled. They often have great potential and untapped character growth, and their premature ends spark intense fan backlash and campaigns for renewal as dedicated fans fight for a planned-out end to their favorite show. This is especially true of the exact sort of genre TV shows that SyFy specializes in.
10 Astrid And Lilly Save The World (2022)
Two Outcast Best Friends Accidentally Open A Portal And Fight Monsters
Astrid and Lilly Save the World is a supernatural teen drama show following two best friends and outcasts after they accidentally open a portal to another dimension filled with monsters and creatures. Astrid Bell (Jana Morrison) and Lilly Fortenberry (Samantha Aucoin) are desperate to fit in with the other students in high school, but when the two aren't being ignored, they're being bullied and ridiculed.
The heartfelt and charming high school drama stars the lovable protagonists Astrid and Lilly as they gain confidence through their monster-killing extracurricular activities and protect their town. The flawed and messy protagonists learn to expand their friend group and open up to other people as they battle otherworldly monsters. Astrid and Lilly Save the World was canceled after only one season, leaving Astrid and Lilly's burgeoning romances and character growth unfinished forever.
9 Alphas (2011)
People With Superhuman Abilities Investigate Crimes
The action drama TV show Alphas follows a group of five people with superhuman abilities, known as Alphas, as they investigate and attempt to prevent crimes. Dr. Lee Rosen (David Strathairn) leads the team of Alphas and mentors them with their unique abilities and powers. Things take a turn when the team discovers that the crimes they are investigating are being committed by a group called Red Flag, which is using other Alphas to commit crimes.
Alphas' untimely cancelation and cliffhanger ending was a plot point in the popular show Big Bang Theory. In the sitcom, Sheldon Cooper's (Jim Parson) favorite show was Alphas and he was devastated by the cancelation and the show's cliffhanger.
The team dynamic in Alphas and Lee Rosen's mentorship of the super-powered investigators was the heart of the show. Alphas aired two seasons before being canceled, ending the show on a massive cliffhanger that will never be resolved. Alphas' crossover with Warehouse 13, another Syfy TV show canceled too soon, expanded Syfy's shared fictional universe. Warehouse 13's Vanessa Calder (Lindsay Wager) appeared in Alphas, and linked the two Syfy shows together, making it even harder that both shows were canceled.
8 Warehouse 13 (2009)
Secret Service Agents Track Down And Recover Dangerous Supernatural Artifacts
When Secret Service agents Myka Bering and Pete Lattimer are reassigned to Warehouse 13 in rural South Dakota, they find themselves part of a team of agents tasked with tracking down and recovering supernatural artifacts, to be stored in the warehouse.
Release Date July 7, 2009
Seasons 5
Warehouse 13 is a science fiction TV show that focuses on the US Secret Service Agents Myka Bering (Joanne Kelly) and Pete Lattimer (Eddie McClintock) after they're assigned to the mysterious Warehouse 13. Agents Bering and Lattimer are tasked with retrieving mundane yet potentially dangerous artifacts with supernatural origins. Warehouse 13 effortlessly blends comedy and drama to create an entertaining and thrilling series. Warehouse 13 is filled with incredibly powerful artifacts that can change the trajectory of the world, making the show a tension-filled journey.
Warehouse 13 aired for five seasons before being canceled by the Syfy Channel. The announcement that Warehouse 13 season 5 would be the final season allowed the writers and creators of the show to wrap up the storyline and character arcs and bring the popular TV show to a satisfying ending.
7 Deadly Class (2018)
Teenager Recruited Into An Academy That Trains Assassins
In the late 1980s, homeless teenager Marcus Lopez is recruited into King's Dominion, an elite academy that trains the children of high-profile crime families to become expert assassins.
Cast Benedict Wong , Benjamin Walker , Lana Condor , Luke Tennie , Liam James
Release Date January 16, 2019
The action-filled and violent series Deadly Class follows Marcus Lopez (Benjamin Wadsworth), a homeless teen who is recruited into an elite private school that trains students to become assassins. Surrounded by privileged children of high-profile crime families, Deadly Class follows Marcus as he navigates the private school's social circle and cliques and attempts to survive the brutal and ruthless educational program while maintaining his moral code.
Deadly Class is brimming with interesting characters, incredible actors, well-choreographed fight scenes, and impressive visual effects. Despite Deadly Class' intriguing premise, strong cast, and well-executed action scenes, the show was canceled by Syfy after one season. Deadly Class' abrupt cancelation left audiences with questions regarding the unresolved storylines and character arcs that will never be explored. However, the comics Deadly Class is based on could provide fans of the show with closure.
6 Lost Girl (2010)
A Succubus Tries To Learn About Her Origins And The Supernatural World
Lost Girl is a supernatural drama show that focuses on the life of a bisexual succubus Bo (Anna Silk) after she discovers that she isn't human and has superpowers. After running away from home, Bo moves from place to place until she saves Kenzi (Ksenia Solo), forms a life-long friendship with the human, and the duo creates a detective agency. Lost Girl follows Bo as she learns more about the world of the Fae, the supernatural, and her origins.
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Lost Girl is filled with fantastical creatures, and Bo's nature as a succubus makes her sexuality and desire a major aspect of the show. Lost Girl refreshingly explored female sexuality and had groundbreaking LGBTQ+ representation. Unfortunately, Lost Girl was canceled after season 5, resulting in a rushed and dissatisfactory conclusion to the beloved TV show and leaving character arcs unexplored and unresolved.
5 The Magicians (2015)
Students Discover The Deadly And Dangerous World Of Magic
Based on the novel of the same name by Lev Grossman, The Magicians follows Quentin Coldwater, a brilliant young man who is given a place at a magical college named Brakebills. There, he learns magic alongside his friends Alice, Eliot, Margo, and Penny, and unlocks magical secrets far beyond his wildest imaginings that see him travel to various fantastical locations, including the world of Fillory.
Cast Olivia Taylor Dudley , Arjun Gupta , Jade Tailor , Stella Maeve , Summer Bishil , Jason Ralph , Hale Appleman
Release Date December 16, 2015
Seasons 5
Writers John McNamara
Showrunner Sera Gamble
The Magicians is an action-filled dark fantasy TV show following a group of graduate students who enroll at a secret magical university to be trained as magicians. Hunted by a monster from the fantastical world, The Magicians feels like a mix of Harry Potter meets the Chronicles of Narnia, while remaining a unique and groundbreaking series filled with terrifying villains and complex magical problems. The Magicians' stunning visual effects made the magical world of Fillory and the spellcasting enthralling to witness.
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The Magicians is filled with quippy one-liners, incredibly strong and compelling characters, pop-cultural references, gorgeous visual effects, and thrilling drama, making the dark fantasy TV show a captivating watch. During its run, the show garnered a dedicated fanbase that was devastated by the show's cancelation. Despite The Magicians killing off a major character and angering a significant portion of the fanbase, the cancelation of the show still left audiences disappointed.
4 The Expanse (2015)
An Intergalactic Conspiracy Threatens War Between Earth And Mars
The Expanse is a sci-fi series set in the distant future where humanity has spread out across the solar system, but the alliances between the three most potent governing bodies have reached a state of the cold war. In the series, a mixed crew finds themselves at the center of a dangerous intergalactic conspiracy that threatens to bring war to the colonized worlds.
Release Date November 14, 2015
Seasons 6
Franchise(s) The Expanse
Showrunner Naren Shankar , Mark Fergus , Hawk Ostby
The Expanse is a science fiction TV series based on the series of novels of the same name written by James S. A. Corey. Set hundreds of years in the future, humanity has colonized the Solar System and attempts to keep peace and avoid an intergalactic war. The Expanse follows the protagonists as they struggle to maintain peace in a politically tense situation.
The Expanse boasts enthralling socio-political plotlines, multi-dimensional and well-developed characters, and incredible visual effects. Despite the positive critical reception to the show, The Expanse was canceled after three seasons by Syfy, later revived after Amazon acquired the series and ran for three more seasons until it was canceled again.
The show's cancelation resulted in storylines being abandoned and unresolved after the final season was released. The Expanse was canceled before it could adapt all the original books, and fans can take a look at the original novel series to find closure for character arcs and storylines.
3 Chucky (2021)
Serial Killer Doll Terrorizes An Idyllic City
A blend of horror and thriller, this series follows the aftermath of a vintage Chucky doll surfacing at a suburban yard sale. As a series of gruesome events unravel, secrets from the community and Chucky's past emerge, intertwining to reveal sinister realities and chaotic consequences.
Release Date October 12, 2021
Seasons 3
The comedy slasher horror TV show Chucky was a great entry in the iconic and long-running horror Child's Play franchise. Chucky follows teenager Jake Wheeler (Zackary Arthur) after he buys a doll possessed by the soul of the serial killer Charles Lee Ray, also known as Chucky. The serial killer doll goes on a spree of murder and crime, shocking the seemingly picturesque city in New Jersey and leaving chaos in his wake.
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2 Wynonna Earp (2016)
Wyatt Earp's Descendant Attempts To Break Family Curse
Based on a comic book series by Beau Smith, Wynonna Earp tells the story of the titular heroine who is the great-great-granddaughter of Wyatt Earp. The series follows Wynonna's return to her hometown, where she must do battle with the reanimated criminals previously killed by Earp. Aided by her sister, her great-great-grandfather's immortal partner Doc Holiday, and a member of the US Marshals, Wynonna works to keep Purgatory safe from the revenants.
Cast Melanie Scrofano , Tim Rozon , Shamier Anderson , Katherine Barrell , dominique provost-chalkley
Release Date April 1, 2016
Seasons 4
Wynonna Earp is a supernatural Western TV series following the titular character after she returns to her hometown of Purgatory and is forced to deal with her past and break the family curse. Wynonna Earp has to battle the revenants, 77 reanimated criminals killed by her great-great-grandfather, the legendary lawman Wyatt Earp. Hunted by the revenants, who are similarly desperate to end the Earp curse and hated by the townspeople, Wynonna has to protect her family by facing her past and demons head-on.
Unlike a majority of the shows that were canceled, Wynonna Earp managed to wrap up the main storyline and gave its beloved characters a satisfying send-off in the final season. A movie special titled Wynonna Earp: Vengeance premiered on Tubi on September 13, 2024, and saw the main characters reunite for one last adventure.
1 Dark Matter (2015)
A Group Of People Awake Aboard A Starship With No Memories
Dark Matter (2015) follows a six-person crew who awaken on a derelict spaceship with no memories of their identities. With only a cache of weapons and a mission to a conflict-ridden mining colony, they must navigate their uncertain loyalties and unravel the mystery of their pasts.
Release Date June 12, 2015
Producers Jay Firestone , Joseph Mallozzi , Paul Mullie
The science fiction television series Dark Matter follows a group of six people who awaken aboard a starship with no memories of themselves or their past. The group attempts to uncover who they were before they wake on the starship, and learn that they were among the worst criminals in the galaxy. Dark Matter focuses on the crew's struggle with their memory loss and their knowledge that they used to be criminals, as they have to decide whether they want to turn their lives around or continue their criminal lifestyle.
Dark Matter created a strong and loyal fanbase with its multi-faceted and morally conflicted characters, entertaining character dynamics, intergalactic fight scenes, and intriguing plot. Creator Joseph Mallozzi had planned out a five-season arc for the show, however, Dark Matter's cancelation resulted in the final season ending on a cliffhanger and leaving the show forever unfinished.
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