ABC tops Netflix by canceling 5 shows — here’s what’s dead

Mixed-ish canceled
(Image credit: ABC)

Cancelation season is now in full swing, as TV fans anxiously await to see if their favorite show has made the cut — or avoided it, as it were. Sadly, there's bad news for fans of five ABC shows that won’t return for another season. 

TVLine reports that Rebel, Call Your Mother, Mixed-ish, For Life and American Housewife have all bit the dust. This is a pretty interesting collection of shows to be canceled all at once, and is further proof that in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic no series is guaranteed another season.  

It’s always a shame when a show is canceled after just a single season and unfortunately, that’s the case for drama series Rebel and sitcom Call Your Mother. Curiously, Rebel only premiered last month, so ABC is clearly unimpressed with the initial response and has opted against giving it a little more time to potentially find an audience.

Legal drama For Life and Black-ish spinoff, Mixed-ish, fared a little better. Both shows were in their sophomore season, but this news confirms that neither will get to enter their junior year. American Housewife is arguable the biggest casualty on the list. The sitcom starred Katy Mixon as the titular housewife and just aired its fifth season earlier this year. 

It’s not all bad news over at ABC though, fan-favorite shows such as The Rookie, The Conners, Home Economics, A Million Little Things, and The Goldbergs are all set to continue for at least another year. Black-ish will at least return for an eighth series, though it's confirmed to be the show’s swansong. 

The end of the 2020-2021 TV season has seen a few high-profile shows nixed. Perhaps most noticeably is CBS’ Mom, which already suffered the loss of one of its stars after Anna Faris departed the show last year. The show’s eighth season, which finished airing just last week, has been confirmed to be the last. 

It’s not just traditional television networks that have been canceling shows in recent weeks, Netflix axed three series in quick succession, with The Irregulars, The Last Kingdom, and The Duchess all wiped off the streaming service's slate of upcoming content. 

While there are a number of shows that won’t be returning to our screens for the 2021-2022 television season, there is still plenty of new shows and continuing series to get excited about. Starting with Stranger Things season 4, which should finally premiere in the second half of the year. 

Rory Mellon
Entertainment Editor (UK)

Rory is an Entertainment Editor at Tom’s Guide based in the UK. He covers a wide range of topics but with a particular focus on gaming and streaming. When he’s not reviewing the latest games, searching for hidden gems on Netflix, or writing hot takes on new gaming hardware, TV shows and movies, he can be found attending music festivals and getting far too emotionally invested in his favorite football team. 

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