15 shows that got canceled owing to controversies

Television is not new to controversies. From on-set scandals to off-screen outrage, the most popular shows can find themselves echoed at the center of one firestorm or another. Sometimes, the firestorm can reach massive proportions and, in the aftermath, leave even the shows themselves facing the ultimate punishment: cancellation. It could be because of a star's misbehavior, a story pushed too far, or even a behind-the-scene scandal. These cancelation narratives throw light on the complicated dynamics of television production and how they withstand societal standards, which mold the media that we consume. From sudden endings to longstanding arguments, each show retells the story of how the controversies reform the entertainment landscape. Here are 15 shows that got canceled owing to controversies:

15) Clone High (2002-03; 2023-24)

Clone High, an animated show created by the Oscar-winning duo Phil Lord and Chris Miller, and Bill Lawrence first came out in 2002. The show was about a high school with teenage clones of famous people. The trio tried to bring back the show again in 2023 but it got canceled due to their showing of an animated clone of Mahatma Gandhi as jealous and a big party-goer resulting in huge controversy in India. The controversy caused huge protests which resulted in the cancellation of the reboot show.

14) To Catch a Predator(2004-07)

To Catch A Predator was a popular show when it was launched. The show was about setting up a sting operation by undercover officers who posed as minors on the internet to lure and catch the said predators. However, the show was canceled because one of the show's targets, Louis Contadt, took his own life when the police served him with a search warrant. The show was criticized on how they handled the sensitive matter which also added to the cancellation.

13) Heathers(2018)

The TV series Heathers was based on a 1989 film of the same name. The story of the series told the story of a group of high school kids conspiring to kill the popular kids and destroy the school. In 1989, the theme would be plain satire. But in 2018, it appeared all too real as the show's launch date had to be changed due to a high school attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in February. And when it actually aired, the episodes were heavily edited and never returned for a second season.

12) “Megan Wants a Millionaire” (2009)

It was a reality show where seventeen rich men competed to become the husband of Megan Hauserman, who wanted to become a trophy wife. While the show was running, one of the contestants, Ryan Jenkins, was charged with the murder of his wife Jasmine Fiore whom he married after he got eliminated from the show. This resulted in the show being canceled immediately. The show was initially put on hiatus as the news broke of Jenkin's wife's demise but eventually canceled when he was charged.

11) “Sons of Guns” (2011-14)

This Discovery show follows Will Hayden who made custom weapons at his shop Red Jacket Firearms, with his family. But, after five seasons of running a successful show, it was canceled as Hayden was arrested for sexually abusing and assaulting minors. He was later charged and convicted of two life sentences which prevented him from receiving parole, ever.

10) The O’Reilly Factor(1996-2017)

The O'Reilly Factor was a political talk show hosted by commentator Billy O'Reilly. It aired on Fox News for twenty years before being shut down. In April 2017, The New York Times revealed that Fox News and O'Reilly had settled five lawsuits against him for sexual misconduct which dated back fifteen years ago. This revelation caused the dismissal of Billy O'Reilly from Fox News and eventually, the show was cancelled.

9) Politically Incorrect(1993-2002)

This popular talk show hosted by Bill Maher got itself in the middle of controversy because of an episode where Maher and guest Dinesh D'Souza were arguing about the terrorists being warriors and the US military being cowards for lobbing missiles from 2000 miles away. Following these controversial comments, the show was canceled in June 2012 as the network couldn't find any advertisers to continue the show. The network initially claimed that the cancellation of the show was due to bad ratings, but even the host of the show, Maher didn't agree to it.

8) Here Comes Honey Boo Boo(2012-14)

Here Comes Honey Boo Boo turned out to be one of the most successful shows on TLC during the time of its run. However, the show was canceled in October 2014, after it was found out that June Shannon, the mother was dating a man who used to abuse her own daughter ten years ago. After the revelation, the show was immediately canceled without airing an entire season's worth of episodes.

7) Paula’s Best Dishes(2008-13)

Paula Deen is a celebrity chef, who had her own show on Food Network in 2002. She had a long and successful run on Food Network where her show Paula's Home Cooking came first in 2002, followed by Paula's Party and then Paula's Best Dishes. But it all came downhill for Paula when she confessed to using racial slurs in a legal deposition. Food Network without wasting any time canceled her show and refused to renew her contract, even after running a popular show for six years.

6) Charlie Rose(1991-2017)

Charlie Rose was a talk show where the host, Charli Rose interviewed several famous people from politicians to writers, scientists, and entertainers. It was aired for almost 25 years but was canceled overnight in 2017. The cancellation happened after Rose came under allegations of sexual misconduct. Bloomberg Televisions and PBS instantly announced the suspension of the show also scrapping the re-runs of the show while also cutting all ties with Charlie Rose.

5) Louie(2010-15)

Louie was one of the most celebrated comedians in the 2010s. However, in November 2017, The New York Times printed a story in which five women alleged sexual misconduct against C.K. which Louie denied initially. The news came during the height of the #MeeToo Movement in Hollywood. After the conclusion of season 5, FX severed all ties with C.K. which resulted in the cancellation of the show, never to be returned.

4) Roseanne(1988-97; 2018)

Roseanne Barr's hit sitcom of the 90s was brought back in 2018 by ABC which helped Roseanne achieve a rare feat as the new show appeared to be a success with good ratings. But Roseanne came under fire after she tweeted some disturbing things about Barack Obama's senior advisor Valeri Jarrett which blew up on Twitter causing a huge outrage. It caused a huge backlash against Roseanne, which couldn't be simmered down, and hence ABC canceled her show immediately.

3) 19 Kids And Counting(2008-15)

17 Kids And Counting was another show that broke records for TLC with its good ratings. The show is based on the Duggar Family. However, in 2015 Touch Weekly revealed a police report from 2006 that the eldest son Josh Duggar had allegedly misbehaved with multiple girls, including his own sisters. The revelation caused the network to pull the plugs on the show and it was canceled.

2) Luck(2011-12)

This HBO drama had a very impressive cast associated with it. It featured Dustin Hoffman, and the pilot was directed by Michael Mann. As the show was based on horse racing, they ended up using 50 trained horses throughout production, but three did not make it. Two died while filming the first season and the third died during production for the second season, which caused HBO to halt filming while they investigated. Later, they found out that they could not guarantee the safety of the horses, resulting in canceling the show.

1) House of Cards(2013-18)

House Of Cards was one of Netflix's initial successes that carried the name forward for the streaming platform. But it all came to a halt in October 2017, when actor Anthony Rapp accused acclaimed star Kevin Spacey of a sexual advance on him at age 14 in 1986. Netflix announced the cancellation of the show within 12 hours and stated that the yet-to-be-released 2018 season would be its last while also revealing that Kevin Spacey would not be a part of the last season.