10 CW Shows That Were Canceled Way Too Soon

Since its launch in 2006, The CW has been the home of some of TV’s hottest long-running shows, from “Supernatural” to “The Vampire Diaries” to “Gilmore Girls.” That said, the network — like many others — has been guilty of pulling plug on shows that deserved a little more time. By no means is this a Netflix scenario where the executives cancel a show because the viewers dared to breathe during the intro, or didn’t super-like it after 30 seconds, but we’ve put together a list of 10 CW shows deserved more leeway in retrospect.

Everyone knows there are many factors that result in a series being canceled — low ratings, poor reviews, key cast member departures, etc. But sometimes you can’t help but feel as if it’s a knee-jerk reaction to hit that “with regrets” email too quickly. After all, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and many shows only find their footing after the first season. Who knows, with another season or two, a lot of the programs on this list could have gone on to become the best CW shows of all time.

Full transparency: There were quite a few series that almost made it onto this list, but these were the picks that really made us scratch our heads. Read on for a list of 10 CW shows that were canceled way too soon, then drop a comment and let us know which series would be at the top of your list.

Who doesn’t love a good show about someone on the run? That’s the basic setup for 2006’s aptly titled “Runaway,” which follows the Holland family as they move to Bridgewater, Iowa. They’re an unassuming lot, blending in like any other regular family — all smiles, all good. However, there’s a nasty skeleton in their closet: the “Hollands” are actually the Raders! Jim Holland is really attorney Paul Rader (Donnie Wahlberg), who was accused of a murder he didn’t commit. After the real murderer targeted the Raders, Paul hightailed it with his family to Iowa, hoping to protect them and figure out a way to prove his innocence.

“Runaway” didn’t exactly run away with the ratings upon debut. In fact, low viewership resulted in the show’s axing after just three episodes. While The CW had initially ordered a 13-episode first season, only nine episodes of “Runaway” were produced by the time of its cancellation, and the remaining six weren’t even broadcast on The CW in the U.S., telling you how fast the network gave up here. (The unaired episodes were eventually broadcast internationally.)

The worst part about this is that the viewers who were invested in “Runaway” never received closure. There’s serious drama and intrigue in this series that could have played out over several seasons. Instead, it’s like a book where the first chapter grabs you, then the remaining pages are all blank, and you never know what follows.

Remember the short-lived Kevin Bacon series “The Bondsman” on Prime Video? Debuting in 2007, The CW’s “Reaper” follows a similar premise about a person being a bounty hunter for the Devil. In this series, it’s Sam Oliver (Bret Harrison) who finds out that his parents cut a deal with the Devil (Ray Wise), and now he’s forced to act as a “reaper” for the great deceiver, fetching escaped souls from Hell.

Unlike Bacon’s Hub Halloran, Sam is a terrible bounty hunter, even if the Devil gives him powers to aid his work. He’s a slacker who enlists the help of his friends Sock (Tyler Labine) and Ben (future “Arrow” star Rick Gonzalez) on his soul-snatching missions. “Reaper” plays out as a side-splitting and heartfelt amalgamation of “Dude, Where’s My Car?” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” as Sam labors to success, but he’s such a lovable character to get behind.

After a hellish run of low ratings, the series encountered the grim reaper’s scythe after its second season. There were talks of another network saving the show, but those conversations went nowhere. It’s a bummer, because “Reaper” had just started to find its footing, with Wise standing out as one of the best on-screen portrayals the Devil across film and TV. Furthermore, the showrunners had killer plans for a third season that could have shook up the status quo, but that’s not going to happen now. At least ABC gave us a “Reaper” reunion between Harrison and Labine in 2018 on the also-short-lived “Kevin (Probably) Saves the World.”

Knowing what you know now, let’s go back to 2014 and offer you a red pill/blue pill scenario. If you take the red pill, you’ll get more seasons of The CW’s “Sex and the City” prequel “The Carrie Diaries.” If you take the blue pill, you’ll experience “And Just Like That…” exactly as it happened. In hindsight, most viewers are likely to pop the red pill here, because the former’s tenacious teen drama provides more value and enjoyment than the disappointing latter. Just spitting facts here!

Although “The Carrie Diaries” took considerable liberties with the backstory of Carrie Bradshaw (AnnaSophia Robb) — including giving her a father (Matt Letscher) and a dead mother, despite Carrie saying on “SATC” that her father left her and her mother whens she was young — the show remains a fun coming-of-age character portrait of one of TV’s most beloved protagonists. Not only does Robb capture the sassy personality of the younger Carrie, but she’s also complemented by a stellar supporting cast, including Ellen Wong as Mouse and Austin Butler as Sebastian Kydd. Even here, it’s clear that Robb and Butler were destined to become the stars they are now.

After two seasons, The CW scratched a red line through “The Carrie Diaries.” For fans, it cut deep, because the second season introduces Samantha Jones (Lindsey Gort) and showrunner Amy B. Harris revealed to E! News that a third season would have featured Miranda Hobbes. Talk about leaving when it was getting good!

Was The CW’s “Melrose Place” revival as good as the original ’90s show? Not by a long shot. But like “90210,” it just needed more time to come into itself. “90210” received abysmal reviews when it premiered, but that sentiment changed as more people accepted it for what it was: a breezy teen drama. This wouldn’t have happened if the network had a hair-trigger reaction to it. “Melrose Place” didn’t get the chance to prove its worth or demonstrate what it’s capable of, though, as The CW served an eviction notice after the first season.

Much like the original “Melrose Place,” The CW’s 2009’s revival follows the dramatic lives of the tenants of 4616 Melrose Place, with all the relationships, situationships and hardships that viewers demand from a show like this. Laura Leighton’s Sydney Andrews returns from the dead — this time as the landlord of the apartment block, playing an important role in the storyline centering around the new breed of characters played by the likes of Katie Cassidy, Colin Egglesfield, Jessica Lucas and Shaun Sipos. Unfortunately, not even Heather Locklear returning as Amanda Woodward in the second half of the season was enough to save it from cancellation.

There’s yet another “Melrose Place” revival, with Heather Locklear, Leighton, And Daphne Zuniga, on the way. It remains to be seen if it ignores the 2009 show’s storyline and characters entirely, or incorporates elements of it into the continuation. Hopefully, it’s the latter, because its predecessor receives a worse rap than what it deserves.

Life’s saddest eras can be divided into two periods: before “Supernatural” and after “Supernatural.” It’s no coincidence that the world fell apart after the Winchester brothers’ adventures came to an end in 2020, but we almost healed in 2022 when “The Winchesters” hit our screens. A prequel to “Supernatural,” this show took place in the ’70s follows Dean (Jensen Ackles) and Sam Winchester’s (Jared Padalecki) parents, John Winchester (Drake Rodger) and Mary Campbell (Meg Donnelly).

Much like “Supernatural,” the series mashes up family drama with monster hunting, as we learn more about John and Mary, how they fall in love, and the expansion of the lore surrounding monsters and demons. It established itself as an instant hit too, becoming The CW’s most-viewed premiere of the fall season.

All signs pointed to “The Winchesters” evolving into a sprawling multi-season story, but it wasn’t meant to be, as The CW canceled it after a single season. It was shopped it around to other networks, but one wanted to keep the *ahem* supernatural dream alive. In 2023, Jensen Ackles confirmed “The Winchesters” was finito, stating that the network shake-up and Writers Guild of America strike impacted the chances of keeping it alive. It’s disappointing, because even though “The Winchesters” isn’t in the same league as “Supernatural,” it also lacked the chance to grow and develop. The series showed promise, but it’ll forever remain a curious case of what-if now.

Despite being a spinoff of “Riverdale,” “Katy Keene” doesn’t try to be “Twin Peaks” for teens. Instead, it’s more akin to a modern-day fairytale focusing on hope and heart. This musically inclined series shines the spotlight on four individuals — Katy Keene (Lucy Hale), Josie McCoy (Ashleigh Murray), Pepper Smith (Julia Chan), and Jorge Lopez (Jonny Beauchamp) — and their respective dreams and desires in New York City. It’s a bright and bustling show that encapsulates the ambition, allure and promise of the Big Apple for all those who want something more out of their lives, and you can’t help but feel like you can conquer the world alongside these characters.

“Katy Keene” debuted in 2020 with largely positive reviews from critics, but it didn’t hit the numbers that the network wanted on linear and digital, so the plug was pulled after 13 episodes. Look, 2020 was a weird time. People were making banana bread and developing obsessions with “Tiger King,” so let’s not judge the decisions made during this period too harshly.

You have a series featuring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ioan Gruffudd, Nestor and Mike Colter, but it’s canceled after a single season? Wow. The early 2010s were unforgiving and brutal, because “Ringer” is a thrilling show that would have everyone talking about it today. The program started off hot in the ratings, but it experienced a steep decline that had everyone fearing the inevitable. Despite various campaigns to keep it alive, The CW rang the show’s bell after a single season.

As it turns out, it wasn’t really The CW’s fault that “Ringer” was canceled in the first place. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in 2023, Gellar revealed that she asked for it to end. “I got pregnant with my second child, which was a surprise, so I turned to CW like, ‘I can’t,'” she said. “They would’ve picked it up again. I just couldn’t do it.”

Gellar’s reason is understandable, even if “Ringer” ends on such a juicy cliffhanger that leaves you wanting more. It’s a twisty single-season show, as Bridget Kelly (Gellar) witnesses a murder committed by her former boss. Worried that he’s coming for her like he did others, she heads to New York to see her twin sister Siobhan Martin. Here’s the capper: Siobhan never told her family about Bridget’s existence, so after Siobhan dies, Bridget takes her sister’s identity and her seemingly perfect life. However, Siobhan also has her own challenges that Bridget now inherits.

Few could have predicted that “Walker,” The CW’s Jared Padalecki-ed “Walker, Texas Ranger” reboot, would have been such a success when it premiered in 2021. (There’s a Chuck Norris joke somewhere here, but there’s a genuine fear he may roundhouse kick anyone who dares to laugh at a show without the almighty Chuckle’s presence.) Even so, a prequel show set in the Old Wes initially felt a bit excessive — and maybe a step too far — for this franchise.

But those feelings were squashed when “Walker: Independence” galloped onto The CW in 2022. Katherine McNamara plays Abby Walker, a 19th-century relative of Cordell Walker (Jared Padalecki), who finds herself in Independence, Texas after the murder of her husband. More than 75% of TVLine readers considered the “Walker: Independence” premiere above average, while Rotten Tomatoes paints a picture of critics and fans being in unison about the show’s overall quality. Its storyline potential was cited as one of its strengths, with most viewers enjoying the Old West setting and the dynamics forming between the characters.

Despite the ratings not being the worst at The CW, all hopes of “Walker: Independence” Season 2 were gunned down at high noon. Efforts were made to find another home for the show, but it wasn’t meant to be, so it rode off into the sunset.

Fun fact: “The Tomorrow People” is actually based on a British TV show from the 1970s, which was also previously rebooted in 1990s. While that technically means the 2013 U.S. version is the show’s second reboot, that doesn’t mean it was bad — quite the contrary.

“The Tomorrow People” feels like an X-Men story, as several human beings show themselves to be homo superior, develop abilities including telekinesis, telepathy and teleportation. Like Professor Xavier’s Children of the Atom, the Tomorrow People need to fight back against those who use and hate them. In this instance, the enemy is a sinister organization known as Ultra. The show also features familiar faces to The CW viewers, such as Robbie Amell (“The Flash”), Peyton List (“Frequency”), Madeleine Mantock (“Charmed”), and Mark Pellegrino (“Supernatural”).

Regardless of the exciting premise and recognizable cast, “The Tomorrow People” didn’t have a future beyond its first season. The numbers just didn’t do it, so The CW canceled the show.

What did you think of “Naomi”? Don’t worry if your first reaction is “Who?” as many people remember this CW superhero show even existed. Unfortunately for “Naomi,” the show debuted in 2022, right before a time of great upheaval for the network; Nexstar’s acquisition of The CW led to a “bloodbath” of sweeping cancellations, including “Naomi.” 

It’s a case of bad luck and bad timing, because “Naomi” is a charming show that captures every comic book fan’s fantasy of discovering they have superpowers like their favorite heroes. In the story, Naomi McDuffie (Kaci Walffall) adores the world of capes and cowls, even running her own Superman fansite. The unexpected happens to her, as she learns that she also has special abilities, leading to a journey of Naomi mastering her new reality and understanding that with great power comes great responsibility. Okay, this is a DC series — not Spider-Man or Marvel — but Uncle Ben’s message still resonates strongly here.

Critics praised “Naomi,” but like so many shows before it, the audience just wasn’t there.