Copyright BuzzFeed
"Game of Thrones" creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss almost made an "alt history" drama where slavery was still legal. TV shows get canceled for all sorts of reasons — low ratings, budget concerns, bad decisions by the network, etc. Sometimes, however, a series is canceled before a single episode makes it to air because something about the show makes people go, "Who on earth approved this?!" Here are 15 TV shows that were so controversial, they were canceled before making it to air: 1. THE SHOW: In 2021, CBS announced its new reality competition series, The Activist. This "first of its kind" series was poised to follow six activists competing across an array of challenges. Their success would be determined by the level of social media engagement they garnered as well as the judgment of hosts Usher, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and Julianne Hough. The grand prize was a trip to Rome for the G20 Summit, where they could meet with world leaders to advocate for their causes. THE CONTROVERSY: The format was widely criticized online. For example, United We Dream cofounder Cristina Jiménez Moreta called it a "mockery" of activism. THE CANCELLATION: In a joint statement, CBS, Live Nation, and Global Citizen apologized and admitted that they "got it wrong." Variety reported that, following backlash, the reality show aspect of the show was dropped. The series had already been filmed, but the network planned to start completely over and rework the concept into a documentary. However, it doesn't appear that the documentary version was ever released. Twitter: @GlblCtzn 2. THE SHOW: In 2017, HBO announced its next series with Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss — the pair were set to write and showrun the "alt-history" drama Confederate. The show was set in an alternate timeline where the Confederate States of America didn't lose the Civil War, but successfully became an independent nation where slavery was still legalized. It would follow a cast of slave-holding conglomerate executives, abolitionists, slave hunters, journalists, freedom fighters, politicians, and their families in the events leading up to the Third American Civil War. THE CONTROVERSY: Unsurprisingly, the show was widely criticized across social media and in the press. In an op-ed for the New York Times, aptly titled "I Don't Want to Watch Slavery Fan Fiction," writer Roxane Gay said, "Each time I see a reimagining of the Civil War that largely replicates what actually happened, I wonder why people are expending the energy to imagine that slavery continues to thrive when we are still dealing with the vestiges of slavery in very tangible ways. Those vestiges are visible in incarceration rates for black people, a wildly segregated country, disparities in pay and mortality rates and the ever-precarious nature of black life in a world where it can often seem as if police officers take those lives with impunity." Likewise, advocate and media strategist April Reign, who started the #OscarsSoWhite movement, created the hashtag #NoConfederate. While an episode of Game of Thrones aired, the hashtag trended nationally and internationally. THE CANCELLATION: Three years later, Confederate was finally dead in the water. HBO president Casey Bloys confirmed the cancellation to TVLine after the series creators made a significant deal with Netflix. 3. THE SHOW: In 2005, ABC was set to premiere a reality series called Welcome to the Neighborhood, a competition to win a house in the Circle C Ranch subdivision of Austin, Texas, featuring seven diverse families: the Crenshaws (a religious Black family), the Eckharts (a white Wiccan family), the Gonzalezes (a "loud," warm Latino family), the Lees (an Asian family who owned a sushi restaurant), the Morgans (a "picture-perfect" white family with a mom secretly working in a strip club), the Sheets (a white Republican family covered in tattoos), and the Wrights (a white gay couple raising their adopted Black son). They were judged by a trio of middle-class, white families from the neighborhood — the Stewarts, who had a "super opinionated" dad considered to be the "governor" of Circle C Ranch; the Bellamys, who had three open-minded kids and a super Republican dad ready to "challenge" anyone with different beliefs; and the Daniels, a "devoted Christian family" hoping for neighbors with similar beliefs. The seven families vying for a house competed in challenges to prove they could "fit in" with the current neighbors. THE CONTROVERSY: The show was criticized in all directions. GLAAD spokesman Damon Romine told Variety, "The producers' stated intentions for the show are admirable. But an effort to promote tolerance that requires the rejection of five families in order to transform the attitudes of the homeowners seems unnecessarily cruel and insensitive, given the circumstances families like these encounter in real life." Additionally, the Family Research Council, which is an evangelical nonprofit activist group/think tank, opposed the way the show depicted the conservative Christian families. They reportedly expressed concern that the show would make them come across as "judgmental and foolish." The series was also criticized by the National Fair Housing Alliance. In a statement, CEO Shanna Smith said, "This show violates the spirit and intent of the federal Fair Housing Act. In America, residents of neighborhoods or homeowners associations do not get to choose their new neighbors based on their race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, or the fact that they have children." THE CANCELLATION: Less than two weeks before its scheduled premiere, ABC decided to cancel Welcome to the Neighborhood. In a statement, the network said, "Our intention with Welcome to the Neighborhood was to show the transformative process that takes place when people are forced to confront preconceived notions of what makes a good neighbor, and we believe the series delivers exactly that. However, the fact that true change only happens over time made the episodic nature of this series challenging, and given the sensitivity of the subject matter in early episodes, we have decided not to air the series at this time." 4. THE SHOW: After the runaway success of Cruel Intentions, Fox decided to make a spinoff prequel series called Manchester Prep, which starred Amy Adams. According to E! News, the show "was to revolve around the high-powered — and sexually charged — goings on at an elite New York private school." At a press conference, executive producer Roger Kumble said, "Sex will play a part in it, but I'm not trying to break new ground in television...I don't think I'm going to be any more risqué than a Dawson's Creek episode." THE CONTROVERSY: The pilot reportedly opened with a teenage girl looking at her stepbrother in the shower and making a remark about his penis. When descriptions of this scene and other details about the show were reported, it stirred controversy because it was set to air during the "family hour." Additionally, Entertainment Tonight captured the production shooting a scene where, according to the LA Times, "one girl shows another how to get sexual pleasure from horseback riding." Parent groups were outraged. Producer Neal Moritz called the uproar "unfair" and claimed the producers were filming different angles that would later be cut together to make the scene "more explicit or less explicit." THE CANCELLATION: Fox officially canceled the series over "creative differences" with the studio, Columbia TriStar. However, the project was later retooled into Cruel Intentions 2. 5. THE SHOW: In 2003, Granada reportedly produced a UK version of the American TV special Man vs. Beast for ITV1. On the widely panned American show, humans competed against animals in over-the-top athletic competitions. And it wasn't just the animals that were exploited as a spectacle. One competition pitted 44 little people against an elephant in an airplane-pulling race. Another put a Sumo wrestler and an orangutan against each other in a strength test. THE CONTROVERSY: The UK version was heavily criticized by animal welfare groups. Actor Virginia McKenna told the Born Free Foundation, "I just can't believe that we are expected to welcome this kind of degrading trivia. Degrading for the animals, insulting to our intelligence, and a disaster for any possible chance of increased respect for the wild animals we share the world with. Man vs. Beast is about domination and manipulation. It is a show about 'trained animals,' something which we at Born Free and at other animal welfare organisations have been fighting against for years." The Born Free Foundation started a petition and urged the public to file complaints with the Independent Television Commission and to write to Granada and ITV, calling for the show to be canceled. THE CANCELLATION: ITV ultimately canceled the show. At the time, the network said, "It was a scheduling decision and nothing to do with criticism of the show from pressure groups. We will reschedule it at a later date." However, the show never aired. 6. THE SHOW: In 2012, Oxygen announced the one-hour special All My Babies' Mamas, starring rapper Shawty Lo and his family — his 11 children with their 10 different mothers. The women were given labels like "the jealous baby mama," "baby mama from hell," and "Wanna-Be-Bougie." In the press release, the network's senior vice president of development, Cori Abraham, said, "[The show] will give fans an intimate look at unconventional families with larger-than-life personalities and real emotional stakes. All My Babies' Mamas will be filled with outrageous and authentic over-the-top moments that our young, diverse female audience can tweet and gossip about." THE CONTROVERSY: Author/media commentator Sabrina Lamb created an online petition against All My Babies' Mamas, calling it "a show that stereotypes and demeans Black children, mothers, and dads!" In the description, she wrote, "This is not just an attack on African American parents and children....but ALL PARENTS AND CHILDREN! As dysfunctional and violent as so-called reality shows are, could you ever imagine a one-hour spectacle where 11 children are forced to witness their 10 unwed mothers clamor for financial support, emotional attention, and sexual reward from Shawty-Lo, the apathetic 'father'?" "Could you imagine that Oxygen Media, known for violent programming targeting young women with stereotypical images, would consider the embarrassment that these children will experience, being used as entertainment? Could you imagine that Oxygen Media, would use a slur against mothers, fathers, and children and entitle this debacle, All My Babies' Mamas?" she wrote. She also told Essence, "A friend of mine emailed the pilot to me, which has since been taken offline. Moment after moment, I just saw child exploitation. I mentor a lot of children, and I see the impact of these images, and I have to put them back on the right path. This is a marketing campaign specifically geared toward impacting impressionable young people. To me, 'baby's mama' is a slur. It's denying the humanity of a child's existence. Every child deserves to come into the world loved by two parents, safe and wanted. In the clip I saw, Lo couldn't even remember the names of all of his 11 children. This is not funny to me. What's funny about this? I can't go after all of the shows. Although the 14,000 people that I represent now want me to." Additionally, the advocacy organization Color of Change started its own petition, accusing the network of profiting off "inaccurate, dehumanizing, and harmful perceptions of Black families." Their form letter read, "Research shows that inflammatory images like these can result in real-world consequences for our families, including less attention from doctors, harsher sentencing by judges, lower likelihood of being hired or admitted to school, lower odds of getting loans, and a higher likelihood of getting shot by police." THE CANCELLATION: In early 2013, Oxygen axed the show. In a statement, the network said, "As part of our development process, we have reviewed casting and decided not to move forward with the special." 7. THE SHOW: In 2004, Fox announced a two-hour reality special titled Seriously, Dude, I'm Gay. The competition saw two straight men named Larry and James pretend to be gay in a bid for $50,000. The most convincing contestant would win after being chosen by a "jury of their queers." An early press release reportedly described the show as "a heterosexual male's worst nightmare: turning gay overnight." THE CONTROVERSY: GLAAD swiftly criticized the show's premise. After an early viewing, GLAAD media director Stephen Macias told Variety, "[The show] was an exercise in systematic humiliation, with contestants who referred to the experience on-camera as their 'worst nightmare' and who bemoaned that they were 'trapped in gay hell.'" He continued, "Let's look at Seriously, Dude's idea of 'turning gay.' The contestants had to try on and model swimsuits before a group of gay men. James had to tell a former teammate that he liked wrestling because he enjoys 'close contact with sweaty boys.' He had to fork-feed dinner to a blind date and later get the man to spank him. And the final contest before an all-gay jury involved one contestant's making 'a gay face' and hinged on, among other things, naming a favorite male porn star... In exploiting such salacious, homophobic stereotypes, they were about to — consciously or not — put real gay people in harm's way." THE CANCELLATION: Fox ultimately pulled the show "for creative reasons" and later issued an apology for their "ill-chosen" humor. GLAAD executive director Joan Garry told Today, "Fox deserves a lot of credit for doing the right thing here. They offered us an advance copy of the show and were incredibly responsive to our grave concerns." Macias told Variety, "I hope the fate of Seriously, Dude, I'm Gay serves as a wake-up call for Hollywood. Turning gay people into targets for prejudice is not a joke, nor is it fair game for any type of television programming. The stakes are too high, the dangers too real. As long as gay Americans continue to be harassed, beaten, and denied basic civil rights, the entertainment industry has a responsibility (and, I would submit, an opportunity) to create programming that advances — rather than undermines — understanding of our lives." 8. THE SHOW: In 2019, the UK's Channel 4 announced a new reality show called The Surjury, hosted by Caroline Flack. Contestants would make their case to a 12-person jury, who'd vote on whether or not they received the cosmetic surgery they desired. The press release said that the show "allows people to explore their choices more thoroughly and to take measured advice from their peers, some of whom may previously have gone under the knife themselves and will happily share their views and experiences." THE CONTROVERSY: The series' premise was criticized on social media. Actor and activist Jameela Jamil tweeted, "Welp. Black Mirror is officially happening guys. It's here." Then, reportedly replying to a doctor who turned down the show, she added, "This is why I said it was like Black Mirror @carolineflack1 Because it's a VERY surreal concept that (perhaps unintentionally) will prey on people's insecurities. I think of the effect on teenagers of the messaging of this. Fingers crossed it doesn't affect anyone negatively." Additionally, the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons opposed the series, telling iNews, "Any decision to have aesthetic surgery should be made entirely by the individual once they have received expert consultation and advice. For this decision to be placed in the hands of a television jury is extremely reckless, to say the least. Trivializing this decision for shock value entertainment sends a dangerous and misleading message." THE CANCELLATION: The show was canceled after Caroline's death in 2020. Channel 4 released the following statement: "We are shocked and saddened to hear the tragic news about Caroline Flack. Our deepest sympathies go out to Caroline's family and friends. Under the circumstances, we have decided not to broadcast The Surjury." 9. THE SHOW: In 1979, CBS produced the sitcom Mr. Dugan starring Cleavon Little. According to Jet, the show "was supposed to portray a Black freshman congressman whose political idealism rubbed against the calculating fibers of his mostly white staff." THE CONTROVERSY: The Congressional Black Caucus called for the show's cancellation because it reportedly made its titular character look foolish. After a viewing, Rep. Parren Mitchell told Jet, "It stinks." Others were concerned about the show playing into stereotypes by making Mr. Dugan a skilled athlete. Rep. William Gray III, who played football during his school days, said, "The impact would be disastrous, showing a congressman who was a silly, incompetent man ruled by his staff." Additionally, Caucus chairperson Rep. Cardiss Collins said, "I feel that, as Black representatives, we could not afford to come off looking like buffoons all over the United States. To change 10 weeks later would be way too late." THE CANCELLATION: T.A.T. Communications president Alan Horn told Jet, "[Criticism from the Congress members] had a major impact on our decision... But their opinions only confirmed our concerns about the show. We don't like to respond to pressure. But we agreed with the viewers that the content and the character just didn't play. We believed the Caucus also had a right to be concerned about the show. We're not in the business of offending the Black community." The show was reworked into Hanging In, which starred Bill Macy as a pro football player-turned-university president. However, it was canceled after four episodes. 10. THE SHOW: In 2014, HGTV added a new home renovation show to its lineup — Flip It Forward, starring former Minor League Baseball players and identical twins David and Jason Benham. The series would follow the brothers as "they leverage their good-natured sibling rivalry to help families find a fixer-upper and transform it into the dream home they never thought they could afford." THE CONTROVERSY: People for the American Way called out the network for platforming someone with extremist anti-gay views. Two years prior, David reportedly organized and led a prayer rally outside the Charlotte DNC. He told Janet Mefferd, a conservative radio host, that they needed to "have a citywide church service of repentance" because "we have abortion on demand; we have no-fault divorce; we have pornography and perversion; we have homosexuality and its agenda that is attacking the nation; we have adultery; we have all of the things; we even have allowed demonic ideologies to take our universities and our public school systems." Jason reportedly helped organize the rally. David also "fought for Amendment One" in North Carolina, which sought to add a ban on same-sex marriage and civil unions to the state constitution. Additionally, he reportedly participated in anti-choice and anti-Muslim activities. THE CANCELLATION: The day after the report was published, HGTV tweeted, "HGTV has decided not to move forward with the Benham Brothers' series." 11. THE SHOW: In 2002, BBC Three announced its new animated series Popetown. It was to be a workplace sitcom set in the Vatican. Controller Stuart Murphy told Animation World Network, "BBC Three needs to be all about taking risks, and Popetown is a risk which we hope the target demographic will appreciate. It fulfills BBC Three's commitment to originating animation, while using new and established talent in an unusual and untried environment." According to the Guardian, the show "apparently featured an infantile Pope voiced by the comedian Ruby Wax, bouncing around the Vatican on a pogo stick." THE CONTROVERSY: Many Catholic people filed complaints against the show, and a few bishops spoke out as well. Some people accused the BBC of attacking the Catholic church. THE CANCELLATION: In 2004, after pushing the series back for some time, the BBC officially dropped it. Murphy told the Guardian, "After a lot of consideration and consultation, balancing the creative risk with the potential offence to some parts of the audience, we have decided not to transmit the program. Despite all the creative energy that has gone into this project and the best efforts of everyone involved, the comic impact of the delivered program does not outweigh the potential offence it will cause. It has been an extremely difficult and complex decision to make. There is a fine judgement line in comedy between the scurrilously funny and the offensive ... Unfortunately, once we saw the finished series, it became clear that the program fell on the wrong side of that line." However, Popetown was broadcast in some countries, such as Germany, New Zealand, and Lithuania, where it courted controversy. 12. THE SHOW: In 2016, A&E announced its eight-part production Escaping the KKK: A Documentary Series Exposing Hate in America. The docuseries featured families involved with the KKK and chronicled "efforts to help some members of those families extricate themselves from the hate group." THE CONTROVERSY: The series was originally titled "Generation KKK," but criticism from civil rights groups prompted the network to change its title. Many people expressed concerns that the show would "normalize" the KKK. Actor Wendell Pierce called for the network to be boycotted. Actor Ellen Pompeo tweeted, "The timing of this show angers me the most they are capitalizing on a disgusting wave that Trump started and media is normalizing NOT OK... So I guess A&E stands for ...we will try to put Anything and Everything on tv... because we are a bunch of desperate pathetic tv execs." THE CANCELLATION: Less than a day after the title change, the show was canceled altogether. In a statement, A&E said, "The documentary Escaping the KKK was intended to serve as a close look at anti-hate extractors focused on helping people leave the Ku Klux Klan — the racist hate group with a long history of violence against African Americans and others. Our goal with this series has always been to expose and combat racism and hatred in all its forms." "However, A&E learned last night from the third-party producers who made the documentary that cash payments — which we currently understand to be nominal — were made in the field to some participants in order to facilitate access. While we stand behind the intent of the series and the seriousness of the content, these payments are a direct violation of A&E's policies and practices for a documentary. We had previously provided assurances to the public and to our core partners – including the Anti-Defamation League and Color of Change – that no payment was made to hate group members, and we believed that to be the case at the time. We have now decided not to move forward with airing this project," they said. 13. THE SHOW: In 2016, NBC put in development a new series from Superstore writer/producer Jackie Clarke, which was loosely based on her real-life family. The show was going to feature a single dad, his pair of preteen daughters, and his Filipina mail-order bride. THE CONTROVERSY: In a statement, the Asian Americans Advancing Justice Affiliates said, "With the recent trend of substantive and meaningful roles on television that explore nuanced perspectives of Asians in America, NBC's announcement of a new show in production called Mail Order Family is a leap backward in the depiction of Asians and Asian Americans on television. As one of the few television shows either on air or in production to feature Asian Americans, it is an outrage that NBC has chosen to address the plight of mail-order brides and human trafficking as a family comedy. Instead of a thought-provoking documentary, drama, or real-life program about the exploitative nature of the mail-order bride industry, Mail Order Family trivializes the predicament of women who are bought and sold into the sex slave trade or into abusive relationships with men they've often never met..." THE CANCELLATION: Two days after the show was announced, NBC canceled it. A network spokesperson told NBC News, "We purchased the pitch with the understanding that it would tell the creator's real-life experience of being raised by a strong Filipina stepmother after the loss of her own mother. The writer and producers have taken the sensitivity to the initial concept to heart and have chosen not to move forward with the project at this time.” 14. THE SHOW: In 2014, Lifetime was slated to air Good Grief, a reality show about the Johnson Family Mortuary in Fort Worth, Texas. It starred Dondre Johnson, his wife Rachel Hardy-Johnson, and his twin brother Derrick Johnson. THE CONTROVERSY: A week before the show was set to premiere, the landlord went to evict the business, but things took a morbid turn when the owner stumbled upon decomposing bodies. Dondre and Rachel were both arrested on seven counts of abusing a corpse. Derrick wasn't involved, according to police. As he was arrested, Dondre told reporters, "That's great advertising because in a few days from now, we'll be on a reality show, so I want all this media." At the funeral home, investigators reportedly found insect infestation near the corpses, a "mummified" corpse in a casket, and the remains of a pair of stillborn babies. THE CANCELLATION: Lifetime Networks vice president, corporate communications and publicity, Les Eisner, told the Star Telegram, "The program featuring the Johnson Family Mortuary has not and will not air on Lifetime. The allegations are deeply troubling, and our thoughts and prayers go to the families affected by this situation." In 2015, Dondre Johnson was convicted of theft for accepting clients' money for cremations then leaving their loved ones' bodies in a back room. He was fined $10,000 and sentenced to two years in prison. However, in 2016, he was acquitted of two of the four counts of theft. Rachel Hardy-Johnson reportedly pleaded guilty to her own charges of theft and abuse of a corpse. 15. And finally, THE SHOW: In 2018, Seven Arcs Pictures produced an anime adaptation of the light novel [New Life+] Young Again in Another World by MINE. In the original novel, after dying at 94, Renya Kunugi met God, who took the form of a little girl. She had a mission for him — interdimensional resource smuggling. All he had to do was survive in another world for a couple of decades, and in exchange, he received the body of an 18-year-old and a bunch of special powers. THE CONTROVERSY: MINE's previous tweets, which discriminated against people from Korea and China, circulated shortly after the anime was announced. He deleted the old tweets and apologized. However, the main voice cast — Toshiki Masuda, Megumi Nakajima, Kiyono Yasuno, and Nanami Yamashita — all quit the project simultaneously. THE CANCELLATION: Losing its stars was the final straw for the adaptation, which was canceled later that day. Are there any shows that you think should have been canceled before airing? Why? Let us know in the comments or in the anonymous form below! Do you love all things TV and movies? Subscribe to the Screen Time newsletter to get your weekly dose of what to watch next and what everyone is flailing over from someone who watches everything!
