4 Canceled HBO Shows That Desperately Need One More Season

HBO is the king of television; from classics like The Sopranos and The Wire to modern hits like Succession and The White Lotus, Sunday nights on HBO are always nationwide event television.

But even the best of the best can make mistakes sometimes. Here are four series HBO needs to bring back for another go-round.

Enlightened

Mike White’s brand of comedy was too ahead of its time for 2011. White, the creator of The White Lotus, is obviously thriving now at HBO, with that show already renewed for a fourth season before the third even aired and the network teasing even more seasons to come. But fans of White Lotus might not know he tried to bring a similar show to our TV screens a decade and a half ago. Enlightened was a comedy with an all-star cast (Laura Dern, Luke Wilson, Molly Shannon, Diane Ladd) about a 40-something professional who has a mental breakdown after being demoted at work. The rest of the series follows her hilariously trying to get her life back together after returning from two months in a holistic treatment facility. Much like TWL, it is very uncomfortable, very critical of our society, and very, very funny. HBO should’ve never cancelled this one to begin with—who doesn’t love Laura Dern?

Rome

The Game of Thrones before Game of Thrones, this 2005 HBO historical drama is still, even today, praised for its high level of historical accuracy while still maintaining the juicy drama the network is known for. Unfortunately, despite the series winning seven Emmys in two years, the network pulled the plug after the second season (five were planned) because of high production costs. Obviously, HBO doesn’t care about such things anymore, given that they’d spend tens of millions on a single episode of GoT. So why not return to one of their best early gems?

Rap Sh-t

One of HBO’s most interesting new comedies in years was an unfortunate victim of the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Inspired by the rise of real-life rap duo City Girls and created by Issa Rae (Insecure), this series saw two estranged women who were best friends in high school reunite to form a rap duo. Not only was the series razor-sharp and full of wit, but it featured hilarious cameos from tons of music icons like Timbaland and Brent Faiyaz.

Deadwood

This is the most obvious choice, right? It’s bizarre that a series regularly appearing on “Best TV Shows of All Time” lists was left for dead by HBO after three seasons. This Western series is set in the 1870s, and chronicled the growth of Deadwood, South Dakota from a small camp to a bustling town. Throughout the series, most of the characters are real-life legendary Western figures, like Wyatt Earp and Calamity Jane. HBO realized their mistake in 2019 and gave the series a sequel movie, but that’s not nearly enough. Aside from Yellowstone and its ilk, there’s not a single notable Western series on television nowadays. Why not bring back one of the best?