24 LGBTQ+ Shows That Were Canceled Over the Past Year
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“Burying your gays” has taken a new form in the streaming era with the widespread cancellation of queer and LGBTQ+ shows. Last year alone, well over 100 shows, in general, were canceled, with LGBTQ+ series taking up almost 30 of those spots.
1. A League of Our Own (2022)
A remake of the original 1992 hit film, this reboot made an effort to focus on its queer roots and history to make a sapphic hit. Despite snagging a renewal for a shortened second season, the series got canceled by Amazon after delays from the entertainment strikes.
2. Willow (2022)
One of the most surprising reboots in recent times arrived with Willow, a sequel to the 1988 film of the same name starring Warwick Davis. The Disney+ series got canceled after one season despite good reviews and a GLAAD TV nomination, while also taken off of streaming networks due to cost-cutting from the company.
3. The L Word: Generation Q (2019 – 2023)
The sequel to the landmark lesbian Showtime series from the 2000s found closure and controversy in its reboot. Most of the original cast returned over the show’s three seasons, and remains one of the few solely sapphic series of the 21st century. Still, it counts as one of the canceled LGBTQ+ shows last year.
4. Gossip Girl (2021 – 2023)
A reboot/sequel of the hit 2007 CW series, Gossip Girl, came back to life from queer creator Joshua Safran. A decade after the original GG terrorized the children of the rich and famous, someone from the same school revives Gossip Girl to scare the monstrous teens into doing some good. The show ran for two seasons and featured a prominent queer cast of characters and storylines.
5. Physical (2021 – 2023)
Apple TV+’s dark comedy about the 80s aerobics world ended after three seasons. The Rose Byrne lead comedy struck a chord with critics after a mixed first season but could not manage to catch a substantial audience.
6. One of Us is Lying (2021 – 2022)
Peacock entered the teen genre with this murder mystery centered around four kids tied to the potential murder of a bully. Based on the 2017 novel of the same name by Karen M. McManus, the canceled LGBTQ+ series ended with two seasons.
7. Dead End: Paranormal Park (2022)
Despite receiving critical acclaim for its queer inclusive storytelling, the animated horror comedy was canceled after two seasons. The series cancellation caused backlash for the impact it had on trans, queer, and autistic stories in media for younger people.
8. Fear The Walking Dead (2015 – 2023)
Capitalizing off the AMC zombie hit, Fear The Walking Dead became the first of its spin-offs that ran for eight seasons while providing queer content for fans of the franchise. The horror fantasy went off the air as The Walking Dead began making shows for their original characters.
9. Snowpiercer (2020 – 2022)
Based on the 2013 film of the same name directed by Bong Joon-ho, the TNT series rebooted the timeline to seven years after the apocalypse. Once again, the dystopian series followed the last remnants of humanity on a train rife with inequality.
10. Vampire Academy (2022)
Peacock canceled the second live-action adaptation of Vampire Academy after one season despite good reviews. Based on the novels by Richelle Mead, the short-lived series became the second adaptation after the 2014 eponymous film.
11. Astrid & Lilly Save the World (2022)
When two outcasts accidentally unleash monsters into their world, they must defeat them or risk losing everyone they know. The canceled LGBTQ+ Canadian dramedy did not manage to get more than one season, even as it found a fervent fanbase.
12. Soulmates (2020)
Despite this series airing in 2020, it did not learn its fate until 2023. The anthology series took place 15 years in the future, where a service can tell a person their soulmate with an alleged 100 percent guarantee.
13. Titans (2018 – 2023)
Aiming to provide a dark alternative to the glossy sheen of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Titans took DC comic’s gritty feel and brought it to life. Some of the most iconic DC heroes, including Nightwing, Raven, Starfire, and Beast Boy, appeared in the four-season show ending last year.
14. Doom Patrol (2019 – 2023)
A spin-off of Titans, Doom Patrol, the superhero dramedy about a ragtag group of eccentric friends ends after four seasons. Both series suffered cancellations due to the same rebranding efforts that killed the now-infamous Batgirl film.
15. 1899 (2022)
After making a big splash with their time travel thriller Dark, the German series took their horrors back a hundred years to depict a harrowing journey across the Atlantic. However, the one-season show did not manage to get a renewal.
16. Firefly Lane (2021 – 2023)
Netflix’s adaptation of Kristin Hannah’s historical novel overcame bad reviews to get a second and final season. The drama follows two young girls at different points in their lives.
17. Ziwe (2021 – 2022)
After rising to prominence during the pandemic, comedian Ziwe entered the late-night comedy scene with her eponymous series skewering anything and anyone. The canceled LGBTQ+ series featured a variety of queer talent, including Cole Escola, Bowen Yang, Patti Harrison, and more in the three-season show.
18. Big Mouth (2017 – 2023)
One of the rare Netflix successes to last more than four seasons, Big Mouth, the animated comedy about the horrors of puberty, ended its run after seven seasons. Despite the show’s crude humor, the series became known for its queer representation.
19. I Love That For You (2022)
Practically everyone has lied on their resume, but when Joanna (Vanessa Bayer) lies about having cancer to save her job, she must keep up the charade. Jennifer Lewis, Matt Rogers, and Molly Shannon also starred in the show canceled after one season.
20. Gotham Knights (2023)
The CW’s long reign of successful superhero television seems to end with Gotham Knights becoming the latest show on the platform to sink after one season. The series acted as a tie-in for the big-budget video game of the same name released earlier in 2023.
21. Billions (2016 – 2023)
Showtime’s drama surrounding the richest of New York City ends after eight seasons. The series was one of the few to feature a non-binary actor (Asia Kate Dillon) in a central role.
22. High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (2019 – 2023)
The mockumentary series about the original school from High School Musical producing the play for the first time ended after four seasons in 2023. While the leads, Olivia Rodrigo and Joshua Bassett, became tabloid sensations overnight, the series made up for the original film trilogy’s lack of open queerness.
23. Queen of the Universe (2021 – 2023)
RuPaul’s Drag Race has become known as the Olympics of drag, but Queen of the Universe, from the same producers, put drag queens from all over the world in front of the microphone for a chance at stardom. Michelle Visage, Trixie Mattel, Vanessa Williams, and Scary Spice herself inhabited the judges’ panel, ending after two seasons.
24. A Black Lady Sketch Show (2019 – 2023)
The four-season sketch show series from HBO ended last year. The show featured many queer talents, including Nicole Byer, Wanda Sykes, Laverne Cox, and Bob the Drag Queen.
25. S*x Education (2019 – 2023)
High school sexual awakening has never been better than S*x Education, the British Netflix dramedy about the son of an intimacy therapist who begins helping his sexually frustrated classmates. The show ended last year after four seasons.
26. iCarly (2021 – 2023)
The Nickelodeon hit returned more than a decade later with Carly (Miranda Cosgrove), Freddie (Nathan Kress), and Spencer (Jerry Trainor) back for a grown-up look at our favorite OG influencers. Despite the high publicity for its return, the series got canceled on Paramount+ after three seasons.
27. The Other Two (2019 – 2023)
Overnight sensations persist, but in the influencer age, they have taken on an annoyingly prominent role in our culture. The Other Two took that idea and brought it to life when siblings Carey (Drew Tarver) and Brooke (Heléne Yorke) try to make use of their younger brother’s success as teen heartthrob Chase Dreams (Case Walker) and their mother Pat’s (Molly Shannon) talk show to become famous themselves. The series ended after three seasons and reports of alleged abusive working conditions.
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