10 Hit Shows That Were Almost Canceled After The First Season
#RememberWhen some of the most iconic shows almost got canceled? We’re diving into the stories of near cancellation and unexpected success. From network doubts to eventual acclaim, these series prove that even the best TV series can have rocky starts, now available on platforms like Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, and YouTube TV!
10 Hit Shows That Were Almost Canceled After The First Season
Chapters:
00:00 – Intro
00:57 – Cheers — Ted Danson, Shelley Long, W*ody Harrelson
03:20 – Happy Days — Henry Winkler, Ron Howard
05:29 – Baywatch — David Hasselhoff, Pamela Anderson, Yasmine Bleeth
08:06 – It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia — Danny DeVito, Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton
10:35 – Parks and Recreation — Amy Poehler, Chris Pratt, Aubrey Plaza
13:28 – The Big Bang Theory — Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco
16:32 – The Office (US) — Steve Carell, John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson
21:43 – M*A*S*H — Alan Alda, Loretta Swit, Jamie Farr
22:08 – Star Trek: The Original Series — Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, DeForest Kelley
25:56 – Seinfeld — Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander
Check out our playlist of more retro movie deep dives here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRZTUGHHqdh5vxdvTkVLQl-8GNZJ5tdT6
#tvhistory #AlmostCanceled #HitTVShows #tvfails #TVComebacks #classictv #tvlegends #sitcomhistory #behindthescenes #networktv #cheerstvgh #happydays #baywatchsecurity #ItsAlwaysSunny #parksandrec #bigbangtheory #theofficeus #MASH #startrek #seinfeld
@kathrynyoung3362
March 9, 2026 at 6:05 am
I’ve never seen a single episode of bay watch
@nightswatch8659
March 9, 2026 at 6:05 am
There are so hundreds of shows on today that SHOULD be cancelled. The list is endless.
@gantmj
March 9, 2026 at 6:05 am
Time magazine calls terrorist group leaders "scholars", so.
@Looking2Sea
March 9, 2026 at 6:05 am
I loved every doomed show on TV! Tales of the Golden Monkey comes to mind. My whole family loved "Call to Glory" before it died. There are others.
@RyanHaase-n5j
March 9, 2026 at 6:05 am
I definitely watched The Office in spite of Michael Scott.
@GMAMEC
March 9, 2026 at 6:05 am
Interesting…everyone has their own preferences. I never really watched any of these shows. However, I do catch a few episodes of The Office and P&R.
@HarrymegamanDJ
March 9, 2026 at 6:05 am
IExept for Baywatch and The big bang theory I have seen them all. I loved all of them right from the start, except Seinfeld which was very corny the first season. Kramer was awkward, but then in season 2 it took off and I still binge watch the complete show about once a year. I remember the episode where George and Jerry should come up with a idea for a new show and George launched the idea about a show about nothing. They went to CBS and pitched the idea and CBS said What! I have the complete season of Cheers on DVD also. It´s so good,
@jomei321
March 9, 2026 at 6:05 am
why are there so many similes….
@Whiteboykun
March 9, 2026 at 6:05 am
i am proud to say i have NEVER hit like/subscribe when a video asked me to
@canadasleftcoast.5744
March 9, 2026 at 6:05 am
I think Frasier was the last sitcom I actually enjoyed. The late 90's and early 2000's brought about a glut of shows that all seemed to focus on the same tropes… The oafish husband; the whiny wife; the annoying kids and just generally unlikable people. The mid 70's to the early 90's were peak sitcom years for me.
@jimwoodard64
March 9, 2026 at 6:05 am
I watched every single M*A*S*H episode live right up to the last day. It was my "must see TV". I stopped watching most TV sometime in the 80's, so a lot of these shows, like "Seinfeld" went right over my head. I haven't had cable in decades. And honestly, it frees up a lot of evenings.
@ferociousgumby
March 9, 2026 at 6:05 am
The shtreaming era? Shtraight to shtreaming immortality. . .
@ianhulbert
March 9, 2026 at 6:05 am
Parks.and.Rec is a great example. Love the show and I've pushed through season 1 a few times now and question why I didnt just skip it.
@1981AdamGs
March 9, 2026 at 6:05 am
One billion people and not a single one of them was me. I don't know why exactly. But I just saw a single episode of Baywatch.
@joannebarber4845
March 9, 2026 at 6:05 am
I guess I'm not a people. If the people loved Cheers, Baywatch , it's always sunny…,Parks and Rec, The Big Bang Theory, The Office and most o all Seinfeld ? Then I am not part of the group. Cheers and Big bang I hated . The Office and Seinfeld I never found funny. But… I saw Happy Days first run and Star Trek in syndication.
@benjamindunkle2728
March 9, 2026 at 6:05 am
The Fonz never rode a Harley.
@jarellano1014
March 9, 2026 at 6:05 am
There's few series I think if networks would have given a 2nd season they could of been a hit, My So Called Life, Firefly!!
@Kel-d7v
March 9, 2026 at 6:05 am
You didn't know MASH was a movie first?
Who is teaching whome?
@Kel-d7v
March 9, 2026 at 6:05 am
Jim and Mayim make the show "Big Bang Theory" in my personal opinion, of course.
Not into chics, so …… besides, who didn't adore "Blossom"?
@Kel-d7v
March 9, 2026 at 6:05 am
I just LOVE pixie sticks 😁
@TheREALSiReTV
March 9, 2026 at 6:05 am
It seems like a network would break the bank and go all in with a new show ONLY to have the patience of a newborn screaming and crying 😭😂😭😂 thank GOD these classics were the exception to the rule and set trends, broke and set records, and embedded themselves in cultural relevance
@donaldmacarthur
March 9, 2026 at 6:05 am
I hear DeVito is the nicest guy in real life, but he plays scumbags, jerks and a-holes like it was destiny. He's a treasure 🧡
@Jackbauer1350
March 9, 2026 at 6:05 am
Big like for these videos.
Babylon 5 also worth mentioning. It was cancelled after the pilot but eventually greenlit after endless lobbying by creator Straczinsky and then ran for five seasons.
About Trek, the first mail campaign for Star Trek started in season 1 but really kicked off in season 2. In that season NBC wanted to canel it after the end of the season. Gene Roddenberry himself was the kathalyst for pushing fans to mailbomb NBC.
@Bonsai529
March 9, 2026 at 6:05 am
Two things:
1) Didn’t know a Bob Hope special was cancelled in favor of Seinfeld. I’m old enough to remember Bob Hope. By the time that particular special was cancelled Bob Hope was way past his prime. His audience were octogenarians who thought wife jokes were the height of comedy. So glad that exec made that decision.
2) Star Trek has been, and always will be, one of the all time best shows. Period. Yes, you Star Wars fans: don’t bother. Star
Wars is entertaining, but not even in the same league.
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