Trust me when I say this: there is absolutely nothing worse than falling in love with a show, its characters, and the storylines, only for it to get canceled too early. Even worse? When it ends on a cliffhanger. From Julie and the Phantoms to The Society to Anne with an E, so many beloved YA series that had so much to give never got the chance to reach their full potential.
As a YA fan myself, I’ve seen fandoms that can’t let go, and I love it. The passion, the edits, the petitions—it all shows just how much these stories meant. Holding characters close to your heart makes it hard to let go and often leaves you always hoping for another season.
This list dives into the YA shows that ended too soon—the ones people continuously rewatch, talk about, and make edits about. They’re the shows that leave us wondering: what if? What couple would have had their endgame? Would a character finally find happiness? If TV has taught us anything, it’s that closure matters, and these shows deserved better.
Julie and the Phantoms
Summary: A teen girl finds her spot and voice in the world, literally, and starts a band with musicians from the 90’s—but plot twist, they’re ghosts. Packed with never-ending music and friendships, they create a musical and magical bond.
A dear favorite and the musical gem that keeps singing, Julie and the Phantoms was the definition of a perfect Friday night comfort watch. The heartwarming friendships and the supernatural of it all made it unforgettable. Julie and the Phantoms was cancelled after just one season, and we still miss it. We’re not the only ones, either.
I genuinely thought the series would go on and on, having been directed by Kenny Ortega (High School Musical, Descendants, Hocus Pocus). Fans, and yes, I hope that soon includes you, loved the catchy songs and the heart behind every scene and line. The three ghosts becoming humans was discussed, and I can’t imagine where Luke and Julie’s growing relationship would have gone.
With the potential of Julie’s growing music career and the boys and the afterlife they might have one day been able to leave, the guesses are there, and yes, I am still hopeful—seeing every comment about the series in a Netflix Instagram post will do that. It was canceled too early, and I will forever hold this series close to my heart.
The Society
Summary: A group of high school students returns from a school trip to find out their once familiar town is now the same, yet this one is mysteriously cut from the world. With no parents in sight, no livelihood except their own, they must create their own to survive.
Now, The Society was a hard one to get over, because Netflix canceled it after renewing it. Ever since it was canceled, I have never forgotten the potential of what this show would have become. You know a cancellation is disheartening—we know it better than anyone—but a series that did get renewed, then canceled? Yeah, that is worse.
It was a dearly loved series for many, especially when COVID struck, and it was the great, suspenseful series that kept you on the edge of your seat, questioning not one, but every character, and somehow still loving them.
Being that Season 2 was set, then revoked, I can only imagine where they would have taken the show. Maybe we would have found out if everyone dead was actually dead, and diving deeper into the secrets of their parallel town.
I would have personally loved the exploration of relationships and the storylines that were never answered, like who was Becca’s baby’s father? I still see TikToks about what would have been and who actually killed Casanndra. Similar to Julie and the Phantoms, fans still ask questions and make petitions, proving it will forever and always be a YA show people can’t let go of.
My Lady Jane
Summary: Now this is a reimagining, a bit cheeky, of Lady Jane Grey’s story, with a somewhat magical twist. Instead of the tragedy that struck, it blends romance and fantasy to keep things light and humorous.
My Lady Jane was cancelled after just one season, which felt way too soon. I actually quite liked My Lady Jane, it reached somewhere in me where a series hasn’t in years. It was a fresh and fun series with narration that kept things entertaining and witty. I didn’t quite expect the fantasy twist, and then the characters started shapeshifting.
Jane and Guildford’s love is what convinced me to stick around. The back and forth, a touch of enemies-to-lovers, was a YA fan’s dream. The door was wide open for further exploration, and I was quite sad when I found out the series was canceled. I found a lot of Prime Video series that do not get as much recognition happen to get canceled, and it saddens me.
The whimsical retellings I can only imagine would have been explored further, with even more focus on Lady Jane Grey. Fans all over TikTok wanted more of the cheeky retelling, and it deserved that time to grow and gain recognition.
Anne with an E
Summary: Anne With an E is a reimagining of the classic book Anne of Green Gables on screen. Anne, a young orphan, is sent to a world where she seeks love and a place in society. Being mistakenly sent to the Cuthberts, she finds herself right where she belongs and proves herself to be uniquely spirited.
Netflix canceled Anne With an E after just three seasons. From first watching this on a Canadian network, I remember the feelings of spirit and heart the show expressed. It was beyond what I could have imagined, and when I heard it was to be canceled, I broke. It was like a piece of myself was being ripped and stomped on.
This series touched on more than Anne and Gilbert, although that was my favorite, it also showed what it meant to be a woman. “Oh, how I love being a woman.” It’s a line that sticks with me and truly shows what this series meant to many, and why it should have stayed.
I can only imagine what season four would have followed. I know a bit of Anne and Gilbert’s story from the books, and I can only imagine how they would have explored that after years of yearning. Some storylines felt unfinished, whether they would have been explored more or resolved. The hashtags for renewal of a series are always so bittersweet to see and participate in, trending for weeks after cancellation.
I will forever grieve not seeing more of Gilbert and Anne.
Deadly Class
Summary: Set in the 80s, Deadly Class follows Marcus, recruited into an academy for assassins. The children of crime, mobsters and all, are trained to use their skills for a purpose. Marcus, thrown into it, struggles to find his place amongst the academy, but what is unlikely is the group of misfits who truly use their skills for the better.
Deadly Class was cancelled after just one season, cutting the comical potential short. I remember first watching this series and thinking: Will this be the next big one? But I was unfortunately wrong. I felt the potential this series bled and the dark and edgy style it embraced.
I had one too many favorites on my screen, and it was twisted, but not too twisted. It was more than an academy and a few misfits; the stories underneath and the further exploration to be done were something for the books.
Now I would be lying if I said I didn’t already know what would happen with the series, but being based on a comic book, it hurts even more to know what we could have had. The relationships and the characters explored made it harder for fans like me, who are constantly disappointed with a cancellation.
Lots of the fans who followed the comics felt cheated, and personally, being one who read the comics, there was so much more to the characters and storylines. The show still has a small but mighty following that still wishes for more.
Panic
Summary: A Texas town and a summer they’ll never forget, graduating seniors compete in high-stakes challenges every summer, expecting it to be their only way to make it out. What they didn’t expect were the other chances they would get.
Panic was cancelled after just one season, leaving fans wanting more. Again, another Prime Video series that was canceled too soon, and we didn’t even hear all that much about. It was a classic story that delved into thriller and danger, and even though it was based on a bestselling novel, it deserved another season, even if the novel was a standalone. Some series don’t get to finish their characters’ stories, and this one left so many questions unfinished as it came to an end.
I felt like we needed another season to make the challenges riskier or even different. A new season could have also introduced a brand-new group of seniors and still complemented aspects from the previous season. I just know the town had its secrets, and I so wish they had been explored deeper. The constant reassurance of seeing this in every summer watch list makes my heart full.
Fans on TikTok agreed, calling it a summer favorite, and although it is based on a standalone book, many wanted to see it go on. I feel as though the way it ended had potential to bring in new storylines and keep some parts of the old ones, while still sticking to the originality that drew many, like myself, in.
Fate: The Winx Saga
Summary: A live-action reimagining of the well-known series Winx Club, which follows fairies of all kinds at a boarding school, with touches of magic, as they conquer and battle through friendship, truths, and love.
Fate: The Winx Saga was cancelled after just two seasons. As a forever Winx Club lover, when I tell you how dearly upset I was at the cancellation, I mean it. I never saw it coming. I truly thought we were going to see more of Musa and Riven. It was fantasy, but apart from that, it was childhood. It drew in longtime fans and new audiences who enjoyed the darker twist on familiar themes. I still see petitions being signed for its renewal, and it gives me hope every day.
That being said, I was waiting for the characters I loved to appear and for the couples that were beloved to finally get together. If the series had another season, we would have delved deeper into Bloom and the mystery she was. Another season would have cleared up all confusion and given fans the wider magical world they were so familiar with. Bloom and Sky, Riven and Musa, Tecna and Timmy, I was waiting for it all to be there. Even after years, fans still sign petitions, and as somebody who felt as though the series stuck with them, it deserved better.
One of Us Is Lying
Summary: Based on a best-selling novel, the series follows the classic setup: five students in detention, but as unlikely as it seems, only four leave alive. The mystery, the secrets, each student had motivation to murder their classmate, but the question remains: who did it, and who’s lying?
One of Us Is Lying was cancelled after season two, with one of my own personal top five shocking cliffhangers. Somehow, most of these shows I love come from novels, and that makes it even more disheartening when they’re cut short. I love a good adaptation, and this one broke my YA heart. It was murder mystery at its finest, keeping us guessing every step of the way. While the series fortunately got a second season, it was cancelled right after. The cliffhanger season two ended on was unimaginable, the kind of ending only the most addictive shows seem to get. Being based on a novel, there were so many threads left unexplored. I needed to know every plot twist, every secret, where it all came from.
Although the second novel doesn’t connect to the events of season two, I can only imagine season three would have picked up right where it left off—and maybe even broken our hearts further. I can picture the storyline with the necklace found at the crime scene, and all the lingering mysteries that were waiting to be unfolded. Unfortunately, we’ll never know, and that always hurts the most. Fans seem to still be upset about not knowing the truth behind some of the cliffhangers, and the petitions popped up almost instantly, providing proof of how much this series meant to many.
The Wilds
Summary: A classic story—a plane crash and a group of teenagers. Stranded on a deserted island, they must find a way to survive, only to realize maybe they’re not there by accident… maybe they’re there on purpose.
The Wilds was canceled after just two seasons, and this one broke my heart, too. The classic plane-crash-and-survival setup draws me in every time, but this series went further. It was twisted and layered so beautifully with such deep characters. It stood out not just for its plot but because the characters themselves made the series so impactful and long-lasting. Like many others, Prime Video canceled the show shortly after season two. And although I did see it coming, since season two didn’t receive the warmest reaction, it still crushed me.
I can only imagine what season three would have explored. It would have dug into every depth and crevice of the experiment—why they were there, why them specifically. It could have united the boys’ and girls’ storylines, bringing them together, and perhaps finally given us not just more mysteries but real answers fans still deserve. Seeing fans begging for another season showed the love and how much the show resonated with people. We’d still love more.
At the end of the day, YA TV series seem to have the worst luck when it comes to cancellations. We fall in love with characters, stories, and cliffhangers that leave us asking for more, only to be left hanging forever. I still hope that one of these shows might get a reboot or renewal, maybe even pull a Cruel Summer. But maybe that’s why we hold them so close.
The passion of the fandoms keeps these series alive. There will always be what-ifs, but love fills that gap. Like many fans, I’ll always wonder what could have been, but YA keeps living on, and I’ll keep dreaming and holding tight to those cancellations.
