Cancelled TV Shows 2012

It's that time of year where the TV networks screen watch new pilots, decide which one's to pick up and which tv shows to cancel from their 2012 schedule. There are always winners and losers and sometimes the choices made at the top are surprising and startling. Sometimes the right TV shows are cancelled and sometimes audiences are left wondering why their favorite show has gotten the axe. Sometimes you are left questioning the shows the TV executives have decided to keep, over the shows they have put out to pasture.

This year is no different and here are the details of some of the cancelled TV shows 2012. I have tried to list them in order of network, so it will be easier to see if you're favorite show has managed to be renewed, or if it has fallen by the side of the road.

It's sad to think that over 65% of new TV shows are cancelled having only aired one season. Some shows don't even get to air a full season. However, this allows for more new TV shows to come onto the TV networks and blow us away next season. And the cycle continues with some of those shows being cancelled etc. It's not always easy to tell what will be a hit and what will be a flop. Everyone has different taste in programing and it is also dependant on which night the show might air and what's competing with it.

I have to say I am disappointed in some of the shows that ABC has decided to cancel. Some of these shows have actually been dropped, not because the show was bad, but because of public opinion. This is disappointing to say the least.

GCB - Was really funny and was one of my favorite new shows of 2012. It's been cancelled because of the uproar amongst Christian's all over America. The TV show was based on a book called Good Christian Bitches. ABC changed the name to GCB to alleviate the public outcry, but the offended didn't seem to notice. I find it funny because now that GCB is cancelled it will be replaced with the 666 Park Avenue TV Show, where the residents have made deals with the Devil. How many Christians will oppose this TV show?

Missing - I also liked this show, but it was just recently cancelled and will not be returning in 2012. The show starred Ashley Judd and Sean Bean was resurrected from death, but even that couldn't get the show renewed. Unfortunate, but at least the finale wrapped everything nicely, if you ignore the new storyline they were clearly setting up.

Pan Am - Also cancelled and was in the same time slot as GCB, just the TV season before. It received it's cancellation orders around the same time as GCB. It really wasn't a favortie of mine and found it lame in some respects. It reminded me of Mad Men in that it was a period drama set in the 1960's when female airhostesses were all the rage. It turns out a large number of them were undercover spies and the story got more ridiculous as the season went on. The costumes were nice, but I found the plot was beyond belief.

The River - Another show I enjoyed, but it was always going to have a limited audience. It was filmed in the style of Paranormal Activity and The Blair Witch. People seem to either love or hate these films. It also involved magic and unexplained phenomenon. It was about a TV crew searching for Doctor Emmett and his team on the Amazon river and the things they encounter along the way which cannot be explained by the normal everyday laws of physics, as we know them. There was a feeling that Emmett had found something he wasn't supposed to, such as the source of the magic.

Work It - Was cancelled almost straight away when it aired back in January 2012. It was about 2 men who dressed up as women to get a job. Something about the struggling economy and it was really bad.

Cougar Town - Technically isn't being cancelled, but is moving to TBS for it's 4th season.

CBS Cancelled TV Shows 2012

Since CBS has once of the biggest audiences, it's not changing much in terms of it's returning TV shows. I have to say I agree with all of it's cancelled shows. These are:

A Gifted Man - Was clearly not performing well and was even moved time slot. It was evident this was going to get the axe.

NYC 22 - Have to say I saw that coming a mile off. It was like Police Academy, but for TV.

Rob - Again another TV show I never got into.

CSI Miami - Although a long standing series it can only go on for so long. The ratings have consistenly fallen year on year. Audiences are clearly saying they want to watch something else now.

The CW Cancelled TV Shows 2012

The CW is where the younger people go to watch TV and who can blame them with TV shows like the highly addictive Vampire Diaries.

One Tree Hill - Is one of the longest running dramas and has been on TV for 9 years. Not bad for a group of teenagers, but every show has it's day. Fans will be sad to see it go.

The Secret Circle - Based on the books written by L. J. Smith, the same author of Vampire Diaries. However, the show never seemed to grab audiences the same way that Vampire Diaries did. I think this could be because people are so used to Vampire Diaries moving so fast and forget that in the beginning it was slower too, so the scene could be set and you could get to know the characters.

Ringer - This show was good, but it didn't help that there was a huge break in the middle of the show. Also there was a lot of debate about which show was better this or the other twin drama on ABC Family - The Lying Game. Well it looks like that question has now been answered with TLG being renewed while Ringer gets dropped from the schedule.

Fox had some of the best programming this year, but there were also budget busters or resulted in falling rankings.

House - A long standing medical show that quickly became less about the medicine and more about the grouchy Doctor who could solve any medical mystery. First aired on Fox in 1994 and finished it's 8th season in February 2012.

The Finder - This was a spin-off from Bones and I disliked this show from the first second it aired. The main character was a goofball and annoyed me immensely. Why Fox thought Bones fans would love this is beyond me! It left me trying to find the remnote as fast as possible to change the channel and clearly I wasn't the only one.

Napolean Dynamite - A TV adaptation of the movie and was probably trying to target the same audience and the kind of audience that liked Beavis and Butthead. Failed to hit the mark and quickly joined the junk yard.

Breaking In - I have to admit I have never seen this TV show, but have heard it's about hi-tech geeks that work for a security company. They are hired to try and break into their customers premises to test how secure the systems they sell are. It will return for a second season this summer, which will also be it's last.

Terra Nova - Big budget TV show set in the future and the past. It was supposed to be the hit of the year, but failed to make a lasting impression with viewers. It was very similar to Jurassic Park, but with hi-tech weapons. The TV show was plagued with problems from the start, including having to go and take more footage in order to be able to produce the show. The pilot episode supposedly cost over $10million to make and Fox may have failed to recoup these costs. Terra Nova will no longer air on Fox and, unless someone else comes forward, it will join the scrap heap of sci-fi programs.

Alcatraz - Another great sci-fi show that was cancelled too soon. It was about the Alcatraz prison and the conspiracy surrounding it's closure 50 years ago. It turns out everyone disappeared from the facilty and only now are returning, but they haven't aged a day and don't seem to know where they have been or what happened. As these criminals return there's an underlying story that appears to have the Warden of Alcatraz at it's core.

NBC Cancelled TV Shows 2012

There are a number of cancelled TV shows at NBC this year. Here's a list of them below with some details beside the cancelled shows.

Are You There Chelsea? - Had some funny moments, but failed to see where it was going to go long term. It had a friends kinda feel to it in that it was filmed in a bar and in Chelsea's apartment where she had a quirky roommate. However, more often than not it missed the mark and the gags were sometimes not timed well.

Bent - Was about a woman who was recently single and trying to start her life in a new town. She gets in a handyman to help her remodel her house and he's a bit of a big kid, but kinda cute and plays the field too. However, he's the wrong kind of guy for her as she's more grown up and has a girl and a new boyfriend etc. Really I failed to find this show funny and quickly gave up.

BFF - This was even worse than Bent. This was about a woman that finds out her husband cheated on her and wants a divorce. She moves back in with her Best Friend and disrupts her life and that of her friend's boyfriend, who also lives there. It was lame, annoying and not funny in the least.

Harry's Law - Ran for 2 seasons and has now been cancelled by NBC. Probably didn't help that they kept changing the number of episodes it was supposed to have.

Prime Suspect - Adapted from the British version this police drama was cancelled earlier this year.

The Firm - Although a continuation of the movie based on John Grisham's novel it was an epic failure from the start. It was so bad NBC pulled it from it's Thursday time slot and moved it to Saturdays. Nothing good ever airs on Saturdays.

Awake - This show was about a poilce detective who has a car accident and loses someone dear to him. He just can't seem to get it straight whether he lost his wife or his son in the accident. In one reality his wife is alive and his son is dead. He falls asleep and wakes in the other reality where his son is alive but his wife is dead. The storyline for this show is really good and the interaction with the 2 realities and the 2 phyciatrists is great. However, viewing figures continued to fall week after week. The show opened with over 6 million viewers and strugged to pull in 2.5 million viewers for the last episode of season 1.

Chuck - Ran for 5 seasons and finished earlier this year. It was a comedy set in an electronics superstore. Chuck is the geek that repairs computers there until he downloads an app into his brain that makes him a superspy.

I know it sounds lame, but it's actually really funny.

His side-kick is Morgan Grimes and they've known each other since pre-school. Suffice it to say Chuck's life is turned upside down and he has to fight the bad guys while keeping everyone in the dark about his double life, including the crazy Jester.

Over the 5 seasons there were numerous guest stars including Chuck's parents who were played by Scott Bakula (Quantum Leap, Star Trek Enterprise and Desperate Housewives) and Linda Hamilton (played Sarah Connor in the Terminator movies). Other guest stars included Bo Derek and Timothy Dalton. The show finished on a high note and everything was wrapped up.

Of course we aren't finsihed with 2012 yet and there are likely to be more TV shows cancelled in 2012. This hub will continue to be updated throughout the year as new shows are cancelled and added to the list.

Please come back and check later in the year to find out if your favorite tv shows are on the cancelled TV shows of 2012 list.