6 Canceled CBS Shows We Want to Return

It’s always sad when a show gets canceled, and even sadder when said show had so much potential. Whether it’s after just one season or after several, no matter what happens, it’s disappointing. CBS has had some heartbreaking cancellations in recent years, including axing two freshman series just this year, and very nearly added a beloved veteran to that list.

Of course, just because a show is canceled, it doesn’t mean that’s necessarily the end. Many have been saved in the form of a reverse cancellation or a move to another network or platform. There are many shows from CBS that got canceled way too soon, and here are just some that desperately need to return.

‘Good Sam’

Created by Katie Wech and headed by Jason Isaacs and Sophia Bush, the medical drama only lasted for one season on CBS during the 2021-22 schedule. It centered on Bush’s Dr. Samantha Griffith becoming the top surgeon at Lakeshore Sentinel after her boss and father, Dr. Rob Griffith, falls into a coma. Unfortunately, after he awakens, it complicates matters, and he tries to take the hospital back from his daughter.

Throughout the season, the two Dr. Griffiths go against each other in order to become chief, even after Sam has to supervise her father while he gets reacquainted. The Season 1 finale saw Sam becoming the permanent Chief of Surgery, and it would have been interesting to see the aftermath of that in a second season. How Sam is getting used to being the new chief and how Griff is handling it all, and whether he would try to repeal it. CBS canceled Good Sam just a couple of weeks after the finale, and it’s devastating to know what could have been.

‘MacGyver’

The MacGyver reboot ran for five seasons before CBS canceled it in 2021. Since then, fans have started petitions to save the show and have even bothered other networks and award shows to try to save it. While it seemed like there was a light at the end of the tunnel last year following some promising MacGyver news that the complete series was available to own on DVD, as of now, the show has yet to find a new home.

Fans are still trying to get the show picked up elsewhere, and it would definitely be great to see it come back, especially after all that they’ve gone through. The series ended with the Phoenix Foundation getting funded by the U.S. government, with Mac, Bozer, Desi, and Riley making their resignations as Phoenix cut ties with the government and everyone prepares for many more adventures ahead. Luckily it had a good finale with closure, but it still left the door open to many more stories, and you can’t help but to wonder what else the team will be up to.

‘NCIS: New Orleans’

As the first NCIS series to end, NCIS: New Orleans  CBS in 2021 after seven seasons. While the show did end on a nice note with Scott Bakula’s Special Agent Pride getting married, it was clear that there were still more stories to be told. Thankfully, there were no cliffhangers since the writers knew that it would be the finale. 

Unfortunately, NOLA was canceled before it was able to make it to the first-ever , and while the show may not be able to come back, it would still be nice to see some of Pride and his team swing by DC or Honolulu to help out, maybe even make it Down Under for NCIS: Sydney. With LL Cool J becoming a recurring guest on , it’s not completely out of the question.

‘2 Broke Girls’

Starring Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs, beloved sitcom 2 Broke Girlscanceled after six seasons in 2017. The Emmy-nominated series might have received mixed reviews, but the show is still very much loved by fans today. Following the cancellation, CBS revealed that the reasoning for canceling 2 Broke Girls was that they felt it was “creatively time” to end the show and make more space for newer series. 

Having 2 Broke Girls come back would definitely be just the comedy that people need right now, as it is both funny and relatable. Plus, Dennings and Behrs, along with the rest of the ensemble cast, just kill it in every way possible.

‘True Lies’

One of the newer cancellations, True Lies was canceled after just one season, and it even ended on a cliffhanger where it teased that something much bigger was coming to the Omega Sector. Fans were appropriately disappointed when , and now following that cliffhanger, there definitely needs to be more. Who was that mysterious man on the other end of the phone call, and what else is planned for Omega Sector? It’s obvious they were planning to come back for a second season, and now with the cancellation, it’s possible there won’t ever be a proper conclusion.

‘East New York’

CBS’ other big cancellation this year was the Amanda Warren-led procedural East New York. While the finale ended on a positive note with Haywood’s job being saved and the policing program as well, seeing how the program would have fit into the second season and what else Haywood and the others would have gotten into would have been nice to see.

Fans were devastated when , especially considering that the show drew in numbers that would have pushed it for a renewal, according to Deadline. With it and S.W.A.T. going head-to-head for a slot and the Shemar Moore-led series getting a reversal, it only put ENY on the cancellation list. It’s still early, so there’s always the possibility this won’t be the end.