Especially in the peak TV era, there can only be so many shows that survive the proverbial chopping block. Whether they met an untimely end (cancellation) or ended on their own terms, several shows will not be returning in the new year. Here the staff has compiled the TV shows we’ll miss the most.
Agent Carter
It’s been hard to convince viewers that Agent Carter was the best Marvel series of 2016. From Hayley Atwell’s steely and charming lead performance that demonstrated just why her character was given off a spin-off series, to James D’Arcy proving just as capable and heartwarming as her sidekick Jarvis, the cast was uniformly great. But beyond the cast, what made the series stand out was its unabashed adoration of color and styling. Every frame of Agent Carter popped visually, with some of the most definitive costuming of the past year. It may lack the abrasiveness of its Marvel counterparts, but it more than made up for it both in its style and substance. – Allyson Johnson
American Idol
To me, American Idol is about far more than amazing talent, funny auditions, and backstage drama. It’s the only show that I watched consistently throughout my youth, and it has taught me more life lessons than I could ever hope to gain from a television program. Back when my iTunes library mainly consisted of Hannah Montana songs, American Idol introduced me to genres like Motown, disco, and rock and roll, turning me into the music lover I am today. In addition, it showed me that ambition and dedication pay off—that you can truly make your dreams a reality by seizing opportunities. Above all else, though, American Idol taught me about people. The contestants came from drastically different backgrounds and had a myriad of personalities. By watching them all interact with each other and perform onstage, I learned that each of them—and everyone in the world, by extension—was a multifaceted individual with a special set of strengths and insights. On top of that, the show was a lighthearted respite from the various tensions that plagued the 2000s. Certainly, Idol will be remembered fondly for its many contributions to American culture, from Kelly Clarkson to “Pants on the Ground.” – Brittany Menjivar
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Banshee
From its premiere in 2013, Banshee has been nothing short of savage and well-scripted. It’s a pity that it had to come to an end, but I’m glad that it isn’t one of those shows that lose all sense of direction after multiple seasons. I think that Banshee has accomplished one of the things that many TV shows these days seem to forget – knowing when to bring a good story to an end. Banshee also had one of the best endings I’ve seen in television in a while. It perfectly closed each characters’ storylines and showed just how much Sheriff Hood changed the small town and the people in it. I’m sorely going to miss this show, but the character I’m probably going to miss the most is Proctor. He’s one of those villains that you hate to love, a self-made man excommunicated from his Amish community. The way he handled his business, his fighting skills and the relationship he had with his right-hand man, Burton, are just a few of the things I loved about him. While there are new shows like Westworld, Luke Cage and Timeless, there’ll always be a special place in my heart and my list of recorded TV shows for Banshee. – Leigh-Ann Brodber
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Faking It
Starring Rita Volk, Katie Stevens, and Gregg Sulkin, this half-hour comedy from MTV followed best friends Karma and Amy as they pretended to be lesbians to be popular at their liberal Austin high school. What sounds like a so-so premise soon became one of the most thoughtful, LGBTQ+ inclusive shows on television. It examined the fluidity of sexuality and the reality of being intersex with sensitivity, humor and an open mind that deserved more than its three seasons. Creator Carter Covington claimed that poor ratings were responsible for the show’s early demise, but I also believe that the cancellation of MTV’s Awkward also played a role in the decision. RIP, Faking It. We hardly knew ye. – Bri Lockhart
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Galavant
When I first heard the Galavant theme song as an advertisement in a movie theater, I initially thought, “Man, this is a catchy Geico commercial.” But lo and behold, this was not an ad for cheap car insurance; it was the theme song for what would be one of the cleverest shows on television.
On the surface, Galavant is a cliché fairy tale; it’s about a handsome, brave knight who vows to save his one true love from the evil king. It has songs by Alan Menken and European decor that could easily be confused for a live action Sleeping Beauty. But while it reeked of Disney fluffiness, it was anything but. The show dives into parody territory and uses the songs to make meta jabs. It was quite the surprise, especially coming from Disney’s Alan Menken, but it was so fun. It was absurd, hilarious, and unpredictable. The characters you root for are the villains and the villains are pitiful saps who just need a hug. (Seriously, King Richard is so lovable.)
Even though the show reached its inevitable end, this might not be the end of Galavant. Supposedly, a Broadway musical is being produced which would have the original songs and more. It’s the perfect ending to this fairy tale. – Yasmin Kleinbart
The Good Wife
Of the shows that we said farewell to 2016, was one of the most popular and critically acclaimed shows – The Good Wife. It follows Alicia Florrick, the wife of disgraced former State’s Attorney, Peter Florrick after he was jailed for corruption and prostitution when Alicia has to go back to work as a lawyer to support her family. The seven seasons that we followed Alicia and co. we saw numerous cases, fell in love with the many men and women who entertained and challenged what we knew, we rooted for the characters, and we seethed in hate at others. Much like Alicia, we went through of a whirlwind of a time especially in poignant scenes like the death of Will Gardner (still one of the saddest moments), the exit of Cary and Alicia from Lockhart Gardner, and the slap heard around the world. Never before has a drama series kept me this invested and enthralled from such a long period of time, and I will forever be grateful to Michelle and Robert King for telling this story, for creating such strong, complex female characters and for turning a role (a disgraced wife sticking with her corrupt politician husband) from that of a victim to one of a victor. The spinoff, The Good Fight, with Christine Baranski and Cush Jumbo reprising their roles of Diane Lockhart and Lucca Quinn will air on February 19, 2017 on CBS. – Caryn Welby-Solomon
Grandfathered
Starring John Stamos, Paget Brewster, and Josh Peck, Grandfathered told the story of playboy Jimmy Martino discovering that he’s both a father and a grandfather in one shot. Who wants to see John Stamos as a parody of the guy he plays in those yogurt commercials next to Josh from Drake & Josh, Kathy from Friends, and Christina Milian? ME, that’s who. Don’t get me wrong, the show was far from perfect–each episode had the same plot with different details (Jimmy agrees to a familial obligation, regrets the decision when work or a hot lady comes up, Sara is disappointed, his son and granddaughter teach him the true meaning of family), but it was a nice thing to DVR for the weekends. Apparently not enough others shared my interest and FOX gave it the axe after the first season ended in May. – Bri Lockhart
Gravity Falls
I didn’t really get into Gravity Falls until much later in the show’s run, due in large part to Disney’s bizarre scheduling of the show. Yet when I finally did manage to sit down and watch it, I was enthralled. Gravity Falls is a case study in “How’d they get away with this?” It seems implausible that a Disney Channel cartoon could be aimed directly at children while avoiding looking down and never question itself or be questioned. Multiple times, Falls takes things to an edge where it might seem to be too much for its target audience, but that was always the point. Gravity Falls was without a doubt about the moment in adolescence where reality begins to creep in and maturity arises to face it. Magically, that reality is replaced with its opposite to personify that struggle that we all can identify. Very few shows get to have as much fun with the audience as well. Where most shows use clues and external sources to tease fans, Gravity Falls encouraged its audience to start solving mysteries on their own, culminating in the show’s best moment: a real statue of series villain Bill Cipher hidden in Oregon and discovered by two intrepid young fans. Top that, Westworld. – Travis Hymas
The Jim Gaffigan Show
In fairness, my viewing of this series often came during the late night hour variety, when rather than doing work to meet deadlines I was channel surfing, trying to find a show to take my mind off of the piling work I had to do. The Jim Gaffigan Show was that series, and I mean it as the greatest compliment. While far from perfect, the show managed to both call back to older, more traditional sitcoms while also introducing themes and jokes that modernized it. – Allyson Johnson
Mythbusters
Mythbusters exploded onto the scene (almost literally) in 2003, by building on the legacy of educational shows like Bill Nye The Science Guy and spinning off in a different direction. Where Bill Nye was really focused on being an educational show, Mythbusters aimed to show that science could be entertaining and and fun. It brought science and experimentation into the pop culture landscape and had a huge impact in making science and engineering “cool.”
Mythbusters was lightning in a bottle. They had a perfect hosting duo in Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman. Both hosts brought a wealth of special effects knowledge and build experience and their contrasting personalities created a rapport that was extremely watchable.
Mythbusters was this magical show that lived in the intersection between science and popular culture. Along with shows like The Magic School Bus, Bill Nye the Science Guy, and COSMOS: A Personal Voyage, Mythbusters helped inspire me to explore science and eventually go to engineering school. The show had a tremendous run, and I’m definitely sad to see it go, but it had an amazing impact by showing the world that science, engineering, and experimentation could be cool and even on occasion, pretty bad ass. – Jose Cordova
Which shows ended in 2016 that you will miss?
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