With renewal/cancelation season in full swing, every network has shows whose futures are more precarious than others. While ABC has only confirmed orders for a handful of their scripted shows, some renewals like 9-1-1 season 9 felt like a waiting game rather than the game of chance awaiting its newer titles. Meanwhile, Shifting Gears getting picked up for season 2 seemed a given a couple of months ago became a nail-biting update following reports that it could be canceled. Still, at large, every major network has series teetering on the edge of either longevity or extinction.
Whether it be a CBS has already canceled beloved shows, with newer titles poised for better (but still unconfirmed) luck. The sad fact is that potential isn’t always compelling enough to warrant renewal, and great shows won’t always get the runway they deserve.
7 Doctor Odyssey
ABC, 2024
From Doctor Odyssey cast of characters. Sadly, the hype has dwindled due to the procedural’s fractured sense of identity.
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Doctor Odyssey's midseason premiere was full of exciting medical emergencies, but episode 9 only underscores its big issue with its main character.
Although the show is attempting to shift genres, Doctor Odyssey solidified itself as an unintentionally chaotic melodrama that takes itself too seriously more often than not. With the needlessly complicated love triangle, surprise pregnancies, and uncomfortably serious traumatic storylines set against the backdrop of camp, themed weeks, Doctor Odyssey bemuses more than it entertains. Luckily, the series also benefits from ABC’s shortlist, meaning it may still have time to find its sea legs.
6 Night Court
NBC, 2023
Constructed as a modern continuation of the late 20th-century legal comedy, NBC’s Night Court seemed promising throughout its first two seasons. The sitcom benefited from guest stars, callbacks, and a healthy dose of nostalgia that appeared to garner a devoted following. Night Court season 3 gave every indication of continuing the revival’s success, unfortunately, to no avail.
Night Court season 3 has earned the lowest ratings of the entire series, with season 3, episode 14 only garnering 1.66m viewers compared to the pilot’s 7.55m and season 2’s 3.77m peak.
Although cast seemed hopeful for season 4, the dismal state of season 3’s viewership threatens to end the series before it can truly hit its stride. Night Court season 3 has earned the lowest ratings of the entire series, with season 3, episode 14 only garnering 1.66m viewers compared to the pilot’s 7.55m and season 2’s 3.77m peak. Though the plots leave ample room for further development, Night Court may soon be adjourned.
5 Rescue: HI-Surf
Fox, 2024
Following Fox’s cancelation of 9-1-1, Rescue: HI-Surf seemed like the perfect replacement for the long-running procedural. While it was immediately compared to its first-responder predecessor and staples like Baywatch, the lifeguard drama set on the North Shore of O’ahu, Hawaii had a unique spin that should’ve given it an edge among competing titles. Though the pilot episode received a promising response, the series failed to stay afloat.
Rescue: HI-Surf originally even had the coveted timeslot following the 2025 Super Bowl, but Fox quickly replaced it following the nosediving ratings.
While many hoped Rescue: HI-Surf would break Arielle Kebbel’s cursed streak of canceled TV shows, viewership has steadily declined since the pilot episode, halving by episode 2 and struggling to crack 2 million ever since. Rescue: HI-Surf originally even had the coveted timeslot following the 2025 Super Bowl, but Fox quickly replaced it following the nosediving ratings. Though the concept is original, the execution may leave Rescue: HI-Surf dead in the water.
4 Brilliant Minds
NBC, 2024
Brilliant Minds may be NBC’s most critically acclaimed title in recent years, due in no small part to Zachary Quinto’s commendable performance as Dr. Oliver Wolf. The main character and overall premise, intriguingly, were inspired by the true case studies of neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks. The procedural structure turned each episode into a case study of its own, with high-stakes emergencies softened by heartwarming (and sometimes tear-jerking) overarching explorations into the human condition.
Brilliant Minds Episode 9's Case Is Based On Real-Life: Oliver Sacks' True Story Explained
Brilliant Minds episode 9 is based on the real-life Oliver Sacks case study of a colorblind painter, but the show takes a few creative liberties.
Though Brilliant Minds season 1 concluded after 13 episodes, Oliver Sacks’ life’s work— and a few ittedly gauche interoffice romances— leaves the door open for further exploration. Unfortunately, the critical response may not be enough to excuse the dip in ratings the drama experienced throughout its pilot season. Yet, Brilliant Minds’ unfortunate viewership drop was still a successful showing for NBC, all things considered.
3 Law & Order
NBC, 1990
Indisputably one of the most well-known shows of all time, Law & Order has a 35-year legacy— but the legal drama has already “ended” its run before. From 2010 to 2021, Law & Order aired no new episodes, meaning it was revived after more than a decade (and slotted betwixt spinoffs with stronger staying power). Though the modern era of Law & Order has new cast and cases, renewal isn’t a guarantee.
Rather, the “new” Law & Order pales in comparison to its past self. Whether it be disappointment with resolutions or lack thereof (like Law & Order season 24’s Luigi Mangione-inspired case) or a vague sense of plateaued storytelling, there seems to be a growing consensus that the iconic drama has once again run its course. It’s still possible Law & Order will continue for a few more seasons, but I wouldn’t be surprised if NBC let it fizzle out instead.
2 Found
NBC, 2023
With such a compelling premise— a former kidnapping victim leveraging her past to solve missing persons cases— I’m shocked that Found is fighting such an uphill battle. Granted, season 2 hasn’t performed as well as the pilot showing on critical or commercial fronts, but Shanola Hampton’s thriller is nothing to scoff at. Unfortunately, many of NBC’s dramas seem to be fighting for dwindling spots on the 2025-26 schedule.
Given that the series originally debuted during the 2023 Writers’ Strike, the early success of Found is all the more impressive and deserving of a closer look. While Hampton’s notoriety as series regular Veronica in Shameless may contribute to some of Found’s viewership, the collective work of the procedural’s cast is what truly sells the high stakes. Yet, with so many NBC titles on the bubble, it’s hard to ascertain what will make the cut.
1 Suits LA
NBC, 2025
Arguably the biggest upset of the 2024-25 season has been the devastating downfall of early reviews for Suits LA. Following in the footsteps of one of the most beloved legal dramas of all time was already a tall order, but Suits LA has failed to distinguish itself from its predecessor for any positive reason.
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Suits LA episode 6 is somehow able to solve all of the major conflicts it's dealing with within the hour, and that's both impressive and concerning.
Though each episode of Suits LA seems to be marginally better than the last— and the main cast are doing their best to salvage the disastrous plots— the spinoff seems like a complete failure compared to the original series. cameos from former Suits stars may help sway public opinion, but Suits LA will need to fight to earn a renewal. It’s hard to imagine that Suits LA will beat out the multiple other NBC dramas on the bubble for the 2025-26 season, but anything is possible (until, of course, it isn’t).
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