Looking back over the 2014 television landscape, one thing is clear: there were a lot of shows that went off the air, either from being cancelled or otherwise ending their run. Some of the shows that we’ll miss include How I Met Your Mother, True Blood and The Colbert Report. The ones we won’t miss? I Wanna Marry “Harry”, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, Utopia, Selfie and The Millers, just to name a few. Here are the TV shows that ended in 2014.
#73 Hostages
September 23, 2013 – January 6, 2014
Viewers refused to be held hostage by this mediocre drama. At least Dylan McDermott landed another show. Though if Stalker is cancelled, let’s petition Ryan Murphy to hire him back on American Horror Story.
#72 Betrayal
September 29, 2013 – January 19, 2014
ABC has had a tough time with this timeslot and Betrayal was one of the victims.
#71 The Michael J. Fox Show
September 26, 2014 – January 23, 2014
Michael J. Fox’s big return to network TV as a regular ended up being a dud, proving that having shows with big-name stars doesn’t necessarily equate to success.
#70 Sean Saves the World
October 3, 2013 – January 23, 2014
Forget Sean saving the world, he couldn’t even save his own TV show. (Sorry, I just had to say it.)
#69 Dracula
October 25, 2013 – January 24, 2014
Viewers took a bite out of this Friday night drama and didn’t like what they tasted.
#68 The Carrie Diaries
January 14, 2013 – January 31, 2014
While The CW’s attempt at a Sex and the City prequel wasn’t a terrible show by any means, you can’t beat the original Carrie Bradshaw, Sarah Jessica Parker.
#67 Ravenswood
October 22, 2013 – February 4, 2014
At least we still have Pretty Little Liars.
#66 The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
May 25, 1992 – May 29, 2009 / March 1, 2010 – February 6, 2014
NBC pushed Jay Leno out for Conan, then brought him back after the Tonight Show was failing. We all remember the drama. But fortunately, he left on better terms the second time around when Fallon took over.
#65 Dads
September 17, 2013 – February 11, 2014
No one wants their fathers to move in with them — and seeing that concept as a TV show wasn’t appealing either.
#64 Good Luck Charlie
April 4, 2010 – February 16, 2014
It may be off the air now, but Good Luck Charlie has to be applauded for featuring a same-sex couple in a 2014 episode and refusing to back down when complaints came in.
#63 Killer Women
January 7, 2014 – February 18, 2014
Maybe Sofia Vergara should stick to acting instead of branching out to be an executive producer.
#62 Super Fun Night
October 2, 2013 – February 19, 2014
Rebel Wilson was fantastic in Pitch Perfect, but she deserves better than Super Fun Night, which was neither super nor fun.
#61 Almost Human
November 17, 2013 – March 3, 2014
Not every J.J. Abrams project can be a success, this one included.
#60 Men at Work
May 24, 2012 – March 12, 2014
Now that it’s been cancelled, let’s call it Men Looking for Work.
#59 Mind Games
February 25, 2014 – March 25, 2014
The brothers in Mind Games used psychological manipulation as a means to solving problems. Maybe ABC should have employed them to solve the issues with this show.
#58 Psych
July 7, 2006 – March 26, 2014
Psych had a good long run, and ended up being USA’s longest-running show. And I’m sure viewers will continue to miss James Roday, Dule Hill and the rest of the cast long into the future.
#57 How I Met Your Mother
September 19, 2005 – March 31, 2014
How I Met Your Mother may have ended with a very controversial and much-talked about series finale, but that doesn’t take away from how great the show was as a whole during its run. And star Neil Patrick Harris hasn’t been sitting quietly twiddling his thumbs since the show ended: he’s starred on Broadway, published a book, signed on to host both the Oscars and his own variety show and will guest star on American Horror Story.
#56 Intelligence
January 7, 2014 – March 31, 2014
We all loved Josh Holloway as Sawyer on Lost, and while Intelligence was supposed to be his big moment to shine in a starring role, ratings plummeted after the premiere and were never able to recover.
#55 Twisted
March 19, 2013 – April 1, 2014
Not even having Pretty Little Liars as a lead-in could help this show get a second season.
#54 Once Upon a Time in Wonderland
October 10, 2013 – April 3, 2014
ABC screwed up by not sticking to their original plan of airing Wonderland during the hiatus of OUAT. That wasn’t the only thing that hurt this spin-off: not only was the quality very low compared to the flagship series, but it was scheduled for Thursdays at 8pm, a timeslot that the network has had a difficult time filling with a successful show.
#53 Raising Hope
September 21, 2010 – April 4, 2014
It may have changed timeslots and even days a handful of times during its run, but there’s no denying the quality of this comedy.
#52 Being Human
January 17, 2011 – April 7, 2014
A ghost, a vampire and a werewolf walk into a bar … all kidding aside, Syfy found great success with this BBC remake. Not all adaptations of British TV shows end up working, but this one did.
#51 The Neighbors
September 26, 2012 – April 11, 2014
Not every alien show can be the next Mork & Mindy or 3rd Rock from the Sun.
#50 The Crazy Ones
September 26, 2013 – April 17, 2014
RIP Robin Williams.
#49 The Tomorrow People
October 9, 2013 – May 5, 2014
There’s no more tomorrow for The Tomorrow People.
#48 Surviving Jack
March 27, 2014 – May 8, 2014
It looks like Christopher Meloni picked the wrong show as his first series regular role since leaving Law and Order: SVU.
#47 Star-Crossed
February 17, 2014 – May 12, 2014
The premise of Star-Crossed was a unique telling of Romeo and Juliet. Unfortunately, both had tragic endings — one in a cancellation, the other with death.
#46 Trophy Wife
September 24, 2013 – May 13, 2014
Stars like Bradley Whitford and Marcia Gay Harden can do better than this.
#45 Suburgatory
September 28, 2011 – May 14, 2014
Part of Suburgatory’s title comes from the word ‘purgatory’. But for fans, this show was anything but.
#44 Legit
January 17, 2013 – May 14, 2014
The premise was reminiscent of Seinfeld, but Legit ended seven seasons earlier. Not very legit at all.
#43 Warehouse 13
July 7, 2009 – May 19, 2014
Warehouse 13 was a hit right out of the gate for Syfy and gained a loyal following during its run. All good things must come to an end, though.
#42 Revolution
September 17, 2012 – May 21, 2014
The death-knell for Revolution was NBC moving it out of the post-The Voice timeslot to make way for The Blacklist. It had great characters and storylines, even though season 2 wasn’t quite as coherent. With The Blacklist moving to a new night in 2015, let’s hope the network isn’t making the same mistake twice.
#41 Mixology
February 26, 2014 – May 21, 2014
Sorry, Ryan Seacrest. Maybe you should stick to unscripted fare, like hosting American Idol, a radio show and New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, and producing reality shows.
#40 Friends with Better Lives
March 31, 2014 – May 26, 2014
All this was was a Friends wannabe.
#39 I Wanna Marry “Harry”
May 20, 2014 – June 10, 2014
I’m sorry, but how naive do you have to be to actually believe this guy was Prince Harry?
#38 Growing Up Fisher
February 23, 2014 – June 11, 2014
J.K. Simmons and Jenna Elfman are great actors, but they were put on the wrong show.
#37 Believe
March 10, 2014 – June 15, 2014
Nobody believed in Alfonso Cuaron’s first foray into creating and producing a TV show.
#36 Crisis
March 16, 2014 – June 21, 2014
An interesting concept, but NBC averted a crisis by cancelling the show after ratings kept going down, down, down.
#35 Enlisted
January 10, 2014 – June 22, 2014
Enlisted has been discharged.
#34 Drop Dead Diva
July 12, 2009 – June 22, 2014
After six seasons, Drop Dead Diva is now dead. It was a fun show and Brooke Elliott was great in the lead role.
#33 Rake
January 23, 2014 – June 27, 2014
Greg Kinnear’s character didn’t have his life put together, and FOX wasn’t able to do the same for Rake.
#32 Californication
August 13, 2007 – June 29, 2014
Seven seasons is a long time for a show to be on the air, especially in today’s TV landscape, but it was a strong show with great actors — one of whom even won a Golden Globe in 2008 — so what’s not to love?
#31 Bethenny
June 11, 2012 – July 4, 2014
The ratings were always average at best, and it never seemed to click with viewers. If you’re a fan of Bethenny Frankel, she’s returning to The Real Housewives of New York City, so there’s that to look forward to.
#30 Sam & Cat
June 8, 2013 – July 17, 2014
Sometimes an actor outgrows his or her own show. It happened to Miley Cyrus with Hannah Montana, and again with Sam and Cat’s Ariana Grande — it’s great to see how big she’s become in the music industry, with songs like “Problem,” “Break Free” and “Bang Bang.”
#29 Black Box
April 24, 2014 – July 24, 2014
When a show like this gets moved to what was ABC’s troubled timeslot of Thursdays at 8pm, you know it’s not good news.
#28 Bad Teacher
April 24, 2014 – July 26, 2014
Bad teacher. Bad show. ‘Nuff said.
#27 Katie
September 10, 2012 – July 30, 2014
After leaving the Today show, Katie Couric anchored the CBS evening news, but was pulled from that. Then she started her own talk show, which was cancelled. Let’s hope her current venture at Yahoo is a much better fit.
#26 The Killing
April 3, 2011 – August 1, 2014
At least fans had Netflix to thank when it was cancelled in 2013 by AMC.
#25 Crossbones
May 30, 2014 – August 2, 2014
Originally meant as a mid-season show, when NBC pushed Crossbones to the summer, everyone knew there was no way it would last beyond season 1.
#24 Wilfred
June 23, 2011 – August 13, 2014
Who knew a buddy comedy where one of the characters was a man in a dog costume would work so well?
#23 Gang Related
May 22, 2014 – August 14, 2014
This is Terry O’Quinn’s second show to be cancelled since Lost ended, the first being 666 Park Avenue and now Gang Related. But reports say he’s returning to Hawaii Five-0, so all is not lost. (Pardon the pun.)
#22 Here Comes Honey Boo Boo
August 8, 2012 – August 14, 2014
Even though it was cancelled under disturbing circumstances, TLC ending Here Comes Honey Boo Boo was long overdue.
#21 True Blood
September 7, 2008 – August 24, 2014
The final season wasn’t as positively received as earlier seasons, so maybe True Blood ending was for the best. But at least there’s many more vampire shows still on the air to sink your teeth into.
#20 Chelsea Lately
July 16, 2007 – August 26, 2014
Chelsea Handler’s brand of comedy — in the mix of Joan Rivers and Kathy Griffin — is fantastic, as was her E! talk show. It’s no secret that she and the network didn’t see eye to eye, but at least we’ll still be able to see her on Netflix. Unfortunately, Chuy won’t be joining her.
#19 Mystery Girls
June 25, 2014 – August 27, 2014
Reunited and it feels so good! Tori Spelling and Jennie Garth of Beverly Hills, 90210 fame paired up for this ABC Family sitcom, but the reunion didn’t last long.
#18 Sullivan & Son
July 19, 2012 – September 9, 2014
Closed for business.
#17 Kitchen Nightmares
September 19, 2007 – September 12, 2014
Gordon Ramsay has a lot of shows on the air as it is, so dropping Kitchen Nightmares doesn’t seem like a big loss (for him, anyway) — but he has hinted the show could come back after a long hiatus.
#16 Reckless
June 29, 2014 – September 13, 2014
Did we need any more legal dramas? Not if they’re going to be mediocre.
#15 Unforgettable
September 20, 2011 – September 14, 2014
Unforgettable has already been cancelled and revived before. Will it happen again or is it over for good this time?
#14 Dallas
June 13, 2012 – September 22, 2014
Dallas only lasted three seasons compared to the original series from 1978 that ran for 14 seasons. But at least TNT had the idea of this being a continuation instead of a reboot because that created more opportunity for fresh ideas instead of rehashing what’s been done before.
#13 The Lottery
July 20, 2014 – September 28, 2014
This was Lifetime’s attempt at a post-apocalyptic show. But it was quite terrible and its cancellation didn’t come as a surprise.
#12 The Bridge
July 10, 2013 – October 1, 2014
All shows will cross the cancellation bridge at some point, but fans would probably agree that it was too soon for The Bridge.
#11 Manhattan Love Story
September 30, 2014 – October 21, 2014
ABC only went out on four dates with Manhattan Love Story before the inevitable breakup.
#10 Franklin & Bash
June 1, 2011 – October 22, 2014
Upon its cancellation, star Breckin Meyer tweeted, “Will someone at least tell me if I was Franklin or Bash!?” It doesn’t get much better than that.
#9 Boardwalk Empire
September 19, 2010 – October 26, 2014
When you have Steve Buscemi and Martin Scorsese on board, how can you go wrong? Top-notch talent, critical praise and numerous award nominations and wins don’t lie.
#8 Utopia
September 7, 2014 – October 31, 2014
A good premise in theory, but when the cast is doing nothing but fighting with each other, the concept of trying to create a utopia is thrown out the window.
#7 Selfie
September 30, 2014 – November 11, 2014
ABC asked, “Do you wanna take a selfie?” And America collectively answered back, “No!”
#6 The Millers
October 3, 2013 – November 17, 2014
The curse of Sean Hayes continues! First, he guest starred on Smash, which was cancelled. Then he starred on his own sitcom — also cancelled. And after joining the cast of The Millers for season 2, the same has happened.
#5 Sons of Anarchy
September 3, 2008 – December 9, 2014
Yet another long-running series that came to an end in 2014. But we can always re-watch it on DVD to relive all the good times we spent watching SoA over the past seven years.
#4 The Newsroom
June 24, 2012 – December 14, 2014
It was Aaron Sorkin’s decision to end The Newsroom after only three seasons, but it was fun while it lasted.
#3 White Collar
October 23, 2009 – December 18, 2014
With shows like Psych, Burn Notice and White Collar off the air, USA continues its transition towards darker and edgier programming.
#2 The Colbert Report
October 17, 2005 – December 18, 2014
While the real Stephen Colbert is moving on to host the Late Show, what are we going to do without the character Stephen Colbert? His brand of comedy was hilarious and unmatched — Comedy Central will never be the same.
#1 The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
January 3, 2005 – December 19, 2014
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson never got the attention or ratings that many of the other late night shows received. But his was always the craziest, most unpredictable one of them all, from his robot skeleton and Secretariat the horse to the cold opens, awkward pauses and everything in between.
Staff Writer, BuddyTV
Jeff Dodge, a graduate of Western Washington University, has been a TV news editor for many years and has had the chance to interview multiple reality show stars, including Randy Jackson, Nick Cannon, Heidi Klum, Mel B and John Cena.
