The Deuce is a fantastic drama show which looks at life in New York City in the ’70s and ’80s, when prostitution and porn were rampant. It stars the two acting icons James Franco, who plays both Vincent Martino, a bartender, and Frankie Martino, a gambler (they’re twin brothers), and Maggie Gyllenhaal who portrays Candy, a sex worker who works her way up the porn industry.
The show has received excellent reviews from both critics and fans, praising it for the excellent acting and tight story progression that never lets up until the end. The Deuce premiered with just over a million viewers on its debut and retained much of its ratings throughout its three seasons. It was concluded on its third season, with a finale that fast forwards into the future, showing us how the characters ended up. Both HBO, the show’s network, and the show’s creator have confirmed that the series was officially concluded and not likely to continue.
Designated Survivor
Designated Survivor had a tough journey in its three year life, starting from a skipped pilot that went straight into the first season, to then being canceled three years later. A third season was made after Netflix rescued the show from Hollywood's graveyard, but it was canceled again just a few months later. Fans were originally rejoiced when they believed that the series was being picked up after such a long time, but were eventually disappointed when the fourth season was canceled.
Designated Survivor is a political thriller that attempted to reach the levels of success that House of Cards achieved, but despite its strong opening with over 10 million viewers, ratings quickly tanked and were down to less than an average of 3.5 million by the second season. The show was nominated as the Most Exciting TV Series by TV Guide, but it didn't exactly manage to excite people for long enough.
Proven Innocent
Fox's legal drama Proven Innocent was canceled after just one season of fairly boring narratives and mediocre acting. The show had just 3 million viewers at its debut and finished its 13th episode with a little over 1.5 million viewers. The premise of Proven Innocent is basically a "case of the day" format where the legal team of the show tried to reverse a wrongful conviction of the current episode's convicted criminal.
Proven Innocent was apparently unable to reverse its own judgment, and was deemed by Fox to be not interesting enough for more than one season. Reviewers have definitely played on the name of the show, joking about it being guilty of too many TV show sins. It was also criticized by fans for a lack of attention to details and way too much emphasis on the show's girl-on-girl romance, as opposed to the actual crime subjects.
Trial & Error
Trial & Error failed to impress viewers with its mockumentary style about the arrest and trial of a beloved poetry professor from South Carolina who is accused of murdering his wife. The show starred actors Nicholas D'Agosto, John Lithgow, Jayma Mays, Steven Boyer, and Sherri Shepherd. It premiered in mid-2017 on NBC and was renewed for a second season. Despite receiving overall positive reviews, Trial & Error failed to attract enough audiences to justify a third season.
The show's first season was better received than its second, with Kristin Chenoweth being the best reviewed star on the show. Eventually, Trial & Error failed to find a new financier after NBC's option expired, and they decided not to renew it. Creators are currently looking to Hulu, Netflix or Amazon to pick up the comedy.
iZombie
iZombie began as a promising procedural crime drama about a doctor named Olivia "Liv" Moore (Rose McIver), who turned into a zombie and helps the Seattle Police Department solve murders. It was a loose adaptation on a comic book by DC Comics under the same name, and initially opened to strong ratings, with over 2 million viewers. Unfortunately, each season brought with it a severe decrease in interest from fans, as well as falling ratings.
iZombie's fifth season was considered its worst by far, and ended in an unexpected finale that helps tie everything up nicely. The show's star, Rose McIver, confirmed in a tweet that iZombie's fifth season was truly the last: “So the fifth season of #iZombie will be our last. I am therefore committed and excited to make it the best one yet! Really proud to be on a show that celebrates the misfits and I pinch myself every day that I get to be a part of the iZombie world with you guys.”