{{short description|Abrupt ending of a radio or television program by the network or syndicator}} {{Globalize|article|date=December 2025|2=United States}} {{original research|date=April 2025}} In broadcasting, '''cancellation''' refers to when a radio or television program is abruptly ended by orders of the network or syndicator that distributes the show, usually against the intentions of the show's creators or producers.

Programs are typically canceled for financial reasons; low viewership or listenership will lead to lower advertising or subscription revenue, prompting networks to replace it with another show with the potential to turn a larger profit.{{cn|date=December 2025}} In unusual cases, a series may be cancelled if extenuating circumstances make continuing it to its conclusion untenable.

== Overview == Commercial television and radio is supported by advertising. Subscription outlets, including cable and satellite television and satellite radio, have the additional revenue stream of subscriber fees (broadcast stations in some areas may also have retransmission consent privileges, but this is not universal; Canada, for instance, does not allow it); television and radio networks can also collect affiliate fees from the stations in their network for the privilege of carrying network programs.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kaufman |first=Anna |title=Kimmel defends Colbert amid cancellation, calls Paramount's money excuse 'nonsensical' |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2025/08/19/jimmy-kimmel-defends-stephen-colbert-late-night/85721236007/ |access-date=2025-09-22 |website=USA TODAY |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Parks |first=Darryl |date=May 27, 2015 |title=The Business of Being Rush Limbaugh |url=http://darrylparks.com/2015/05/27/the-business-of-being-rush-limbaugh/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150531054625/http://darrylparks.com/2015/05/27/the-business-of-being-rush-limbaugh/ |archive-date=May 31, 2015 |access-date=June 3, 2015}}</ref> Viewing figures are collected by audience measurement ratings agencies (such as Nielsen in the United States), and the programs with the highest viewing figures command a higher advertising fee for the network. As such, shows with a low viewership are generally not as profitable. For most United States networks, the number of viewers within the 18–49 age range is more important than the total number of viewers.<ref name=demos>{{cite news | author = Storey, Michael | url = http://www2.arkansasonline.com/news/2009/apr/23/tv-column-not-18-49-age-group-tv-execs-wr-20090423/ | title = THE TV COLUMN: Not in 18–49 age group? TV execs write you off | date = 2009-04-23 | work = Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | access-date = 2008-05-02}}</ref><ref name=nyt>{{cite news | author = Carter, Bill | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/07/business/media/07adco.html | title = An 'Idol' Ratings Loss, but Not in Its Pocketbook | date = April 6, 2010 | work = The New York Times | access-date = April 8, 2010}}</ref> According to ''Advertising Age'', during the 2007–08 season, ''Grey's Anatomy'' was able to charge $419,000 per television commercial, compared to only $248,000 for a commercial during ''CSI'', despite CSI having almost five million more viewers on average.<ref name=demos2>{{cite news | author = Santiago, Rosario | url = http://www.buddytv.com/articles/greys-anatomy/for-advertising-purposes-greys-11849.aspx | title = For Advertising Purposes, 'Grey's Anatomy' May Well be Colored Green | date = 2007-10-03 | work = BuddyTV | access-date = 2009-05-03 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090628164655/http://www.buddytv.com/articles/greys-anatomy/for-advertising-purposes-greys-11849.aspx | archive-date = 2009-06-28 | url-status = dead}}</ref> Due to its strength in young demographics, ''Friends'' was able to charge almost three times as much for a commercial as ''Murder, She Wrote'', even though the two television series had similar total viewer numbers during the seasons they were on the air together.<ref name=demos/>

Whether the show is produced by the network or an outside company can also factor into a show's future; networks, especially in the 21st century, tend to prefer shows that are produced in-house, as they can take advantage of vertical integration and, in addition to making money from the first run of the show on the network, continue to profit from syndicating the reruns.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://buffalonews.com/2017/05/19/networks-may-struggling-new-shows-keep-coming/ | title=Networks may be struggling, but the new shows keep coming | publisher=The Buffalo News | date=2017-05-19}}</ref> A television series that attempts to tell a long, overarching story can be canceled even before it resolves all story arcs and broadcasts all of its planned episodes.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Grothaus |first=Michael |date=April 15, 2025 |title=Apple canceled 'Mythic Quest'. Then it did something unheard of in the world of streaming TV |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/91317041/mythic-quest-canceled-apple-tv-plus-fans-cliffhanger-closure?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=Fast Company}}</ref>

==Saved from cancellation== {{Main|Revival (television)}} A successful letter-writing campaign helped revive ''Cagney & Lacey''.<ref>{{cite news |first=Brooke |last=Tarnoff |title=Fans Save The Endangered Series - Jericho is Resurrected |url=http://www.ugo.com/ugo/html/article/?id=17250&sectionId=25 |work=UGO Networks |access-date=2007-06-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080107150243/http://www.ugo.com/ugo/html/article/?id=17250&sectionId=25 |archive-date=2008-01-07 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2007, ''Jericho'' was given an additional seven-episode order after fans mailed thousands of pounds of nuts to network executives (a reference to a pivotal line in the season finale).<ref>{{cite news |title='Jericho' Repeats Land on Fridays|url=http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-jerichorepeatstofriday,0,5958453.story?coll=zap-tv-headlines |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070616012857/http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-jerichorepeatstofriday,0,5958453.story?coll=zap-tv-headlines |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 16, 2007 |work=Zap2it |date=2007-06-12 |access-date=2007-06-13}}</ref>

Strong home video sales and viewership on cable have also helped revive a series. ''Firefly'' and ''Police Squad!'' were revived in the form of theatrical films (an uncommon occurrence, since failed television series are usually not considered bankable movie material), ''Family Guy'' was returned to Fox,<ref>{{cite news|first=Mark |last=Wright |title=Nuts to Jericho! |url=http://www.thestage.co.uk/tvtoday/2007/06/nuts_to_jericho.php |work=The Stage |date=2007-06-07 |access-date=2007-06-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930183648/http://www.thestage.co.uk/tvtoday/2007/06/nuts_to_jericho.php |archive-date=2007-09-30 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and ''Futurama'' (the volume 5 DVD cover touts the tag line "back by popular harassment!") returned in the form of straight to video films and a subsequent series of new television episodes for Comedy Central (although Comedy Central would later cancel the show itself in 2013 before it was revived again for Hulu in 2023).<ref>{{cite news|first=Andrew |last=Wallenstein |title=New drama for 'Futurama' |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002726964 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=2006-06-23 |access-date=2007-06-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930235233/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002726964 |archive-date=2007-09-30 |url-status=dead}}</ref> ''Arrested Development'' was revived for a fourth season in 2013 (seven years after being canceled by Fox) as a Netflix Original Series, after episodes of its initial run proved popular on the streaming service.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Stelter|first1=Brian|date=May 23, 2013|title='Arrested Development' Returns on Netflix|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/26/business/media/arrested-development-returns-on-netflix.html?_r=0|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180520124809/https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/26/business/media/arrested-development-returns-on-netflix.html?_r=0|archive-date=May 20, 2018}}</ref>

In 2018, Fox canceled the police procedural sitcom ''Brooklyn Nine-Nine'',<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Snierson|first=Dan|date=May 10, 2018|title='Brooklyn Nine-Nine' canceled after five seasons|url=https://ew.com/tv/2018/05/10/brooklyn-nine-nine-canceled/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109043135/https://ew.com/tv/2018/05/10/brooklyn-nine-nine-canceled/|archive-date=November 9, 2020|access-date=February 28, 2019|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|language=en}}</ref> and police procedural urban fantasy ''Lucifer''. ''Brooklyn Nine-Nine'' was picked up by NBC the following day,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Jung|first=E. Alex|date=May 14, 2018|title=The Story Behind How Brooklyn Nine-Nine Was Canceled and Rescued in 31 Hours|url=https://www.vulture.com/article/brooklyn-nine-nine-canceled-rescued-31-hours-story.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109093928/https://www.vulture.com/article/brooklyn-nine-nine-canceled-rescued-31-hours-story.html|archive-date=November 9, 2020|access-date=February 28, 2019|website=Vulture|publisher=Vox Media}}</ref> while ''Lucifer'' was picked up by Netflix the following month. A show can instead be ''retooled'' if the network thinks that changes can be made to a struggling program that will make the show more profitable and/or higher-rated.<ref name=retooling>{{cite news|url=https://www.avclub.com/how-the-second-season-of-newhart-proves-sitcoms-need-ti-1798266087|title=How the second season of Newhart proves sitcoms need time to learn|first=Emily|last=Todd VanDerWurff|work=The A.V. Club|date=February 12, 2014|access-date=November 24, 2019|quote=Newhart is that rare beast in the TV world: a show where all of the retooling paid off because the producers were keenly attuned to what was and wasn't working on their show.}}</ref> In a retooling, characters may be replaced or recast, plots may be abandoned, and in some cases, continuity can be erased and the name of the show changed, depending on how extensive of a retool is undertaken. In more extreme cases, a retooling can resemble a full reboot of the storyline. One example of such a scenario was ''Lovers and Friends'', which was placed on hiatus in May 1977 and was retitled as ''For Richer, For Poorer'' when it returned in December; the program would end in September 1978.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Schemering|first1=Christopher|title=The Soap Opera Encyclopedia, 2nd ed.|date=1987|publisher=Ballantine Books|isbn=0345353447|pages=110, 156}}</ref>

==See also== * List of television series canceled before airing an episode * List of television series canceled after one episode

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20060523044327/http://www.brilliantbutcancelled.com/ Brilliant but cancelled]: Website dedicated to cancelled television programs

Category:Television programming