There's arguably no story more tragic than a story that's been left unfinished, nor are there too many feelings that can hit quite as hard as nostalgia. It's perhaps for this reason that so many canceled television series end up getting revived somewhere further down the road, much to the delight of their long-suffering fans. Unfortunately, however, things don't always go to plan.
For every Dexter: New Blood and Twin Peaks Season 3 there are countless examples of shows that would have been much better off remaining dead. Like badly reanimated corpses twitching awkwardly on the operating table, these newly revived series lack both the heart and the soul that made them popular in their heydays.
Scrubs
To many, Scrubs was one of the best comedy sitcoms of the early twentieth century. Not only was it incredibly funny, but it also managed to pack in its fair share of serious moments too. Perhaps most impressive was the ease with which it was able to transition between the two, with the show's writers and talented cast capable of completely changing the tone of an episode with nothing more than a well-delivered line of dialogue.
Sadly, due to dwindling ratings, NBC opted against renewing the show for a seventh season, which led to ABC picking up the series instead. The resulting eighth season was actually pretty good and featured a fantastic series finale that wrapped everything up nicely. Had it ended there, Scrubs' revival would have been incredibly successful, but a ninth season soon followed and completely destroyed the show's reputation due to the absence of several key cast members.
24
24 was one of the most exciting shows on television when it first premiered in 2001. Its unique format and fantastic writing made it must-watch television during the early days. Although the quality did dwindle a little in subsequent years, the show ran for eight long seasons before eventually being canceled in 2010. In the years that followed, 24 was revived not once but twice, with varying degrees of success.
Though 24: Live Another Day was not quite as enjoyable as some of the show's earlier seasons, it was arguably just as good as some of the later ones. It was also nice to see Kiefer Sutherland returning as Jack Bauer. A few years later, however, Fox rolled out 24: Legacy, a half-baked spin-off that was canceled after just 12 episodes. It lacked the heart and substance of the original series and would perhaps have been a better show had it not been branded with the 24 name.
Arrested Development
There's an argument to be made that Arrested Development was a few years ahead of its time. Its unique brand of humor never really landed with viewers while the show was first airing, leading to its cancellation after only three seasons. However, in the years that followed, Arrested Development became a cult classic, leading to calls for the show to be revived. Rather than the show's original producer Fox, however, it was Netflix that decided to take a chance.
Unfortunately, the fourth season of Arrested Development was a bit of a mess from day one. Due to the busy schedules of the cast, producers struggled to get everyone together in one place, which led to many episodes feeling disjointed and hollow. This wasn't as much of an issue when the show's fifth season premiered some five years later, but, by that point, interest in the series had dwindled and, perhaps ironically, its signature style of humor had actually begun to feel a little dated.
Community
The phrase "six seasons and a movie" was repeated many times throughout Community, which reason why fans were so disappointed when the series was canceled after only five seasons. Just as things were starting to look bleak, however, help arrived in the unlikely form of Yahoo Screen: a brand-new streaming service from the once popular web services provider Yahoo!
Unfortunately, not all of the show's main cast would return for the final season, with Troy, Shirley, and Pierce all absent for various reasons. To be fair, Season 6 of Community wasn't terrible. In fact, some might even argue that it was better than Season 4, which lacked the creative flair of showrunner and series creator Dan Harmon. Even so, without the three missing characters, it never quite felt the same.
Heroes
Before the rise of Netflix, the MCU, and Disney Plus, superhero shows were something of a mixed bag. There was the occasional good one, but most struggled to captivate viewers due to their modest budgets. Heroes was one of the better examples thanks to its interesting premise and fantastic special effects. This was reflected in the show's ratings too, with the show's first season averaging a huge 14.3 million viewers across its 23 episodes.
Unfortunately, however, like many of its peers, Heroes began to run out of steam after its first few seasons. By its fourth, it had lost more than 50% of its viewers, leading to its premature cancellation in 2010. Most fans accepted the show's fate but others held out hope that Heroes might one day return. Somewhat surprisingly, it did some five years later in the form of Heroes Reborn, but without Peter or Sylar and their intense rivalry, it too was canceled after just a solitary season.