It can be pretty heartbreaking for an actor to learn that their TV show, which they have put so much hard work into, has been canceled. Plenty of series are brought to an abrupt conclusion every year, without warning (and there are numerous interviews out there where actors confirm they were caught off guard). Just recently, David Harbour even announced that he had experienced this himself when he stated his belief that he thought his show, Stranger Things, would be canceled.
However, it's also pretty normal to see an actor assume that they won't be getting any further seasons before they are surprisingly rewarded with a few more runs at the top. There have been some pretty close calls throughout television history, but these shows were definitely worthy of a return.
The Cast Of Community
Six seasons and a movie was the classic catchphrase associated with Community, but it almost didn't even reach the six seasons part. The whole cast of the show were under the assumption that the series was finished for good after it was axed at season 5 (via Hollywood Reporter).
Luckily, it was renewed for season Six via Yahoo after a tumultuous time. Always looking to put a bright spin on their near-cancelation experience, actor Joel McHale said "The reports of our cancelation have been greatly exaggerated," after it was given a second chance. Fans were certainly glad to get a second chance as it allowed them to say goodbye to their favorite characters for the time being. However, given all the years that have passed, now feels like a good time for the movie to be released.
David Hasselhoff
David Hasselhoff is a successful star, who was propelled into fame after he featured on the sitcom, Baywatch. It's now among the most watched shows of all time, around the world, but, for a while, it seemed like it wouldn't even make it past its first season.
Hasselhoff himself was certainly under the impression that Baywatch was one and done but never lost faith in the project. He even noted that after the show had been renewed, and they'd made it to 100 episodes, NBC essentially apologized for nearly canning the whole thing.
Stephanie Beatriz
Brooklyn Nine-Nine had such a beloved following that it seemed impossible that it would ever be canceled in an unceremonious manner considering the fantastic improvisation, the great chemistry between the cast as well as the great writing. However, that's exactly what happened, with audiences fearful it would never return - until it was saved right at the last minute that is.
Actor Stephanie Beatriz was definitely conflicted during the whole saga. She said "The whole thing was crazy, it was just crazy [...] to think that you lost your job where you met the most special people in your life and you’re not going to get to see them every day anymore. It’s hard. And then suddenly, it’s something completely different." Thankfully, by giving them an extra couple of episodes, the writers managed to bring some great closure to everyone's arcs and tie up any loose ends.
Tom Ellis
DC fans are well aware that the comic book universe on screen is in flux right now, with plenty of projects getting suddenly canceled. That's exactly what happened for Tom Ellis, who stars in Lucifer as the titular devil. It appeared that the show was dead in the water after season 3.
A last-minute save meant that the ever-popular series was allowed to finish off its run in style, but Ellis thought the journey was over. The actor was hit hard by the news originally saying "I’d just come off stage doing my Q&A with the audience. And then the call came through. I was at my lowest ebb when I found out about it."
Charlie Cox
Fans of the Marvel Universe will be very familiar with the Netflix saga, which seemingly met its end after season 3. However, after Disney bought the rights back, the shows were taken off the streaming service, moving to Disney+ instead. It was obvious that Daredevil would be seen again, but perhaps not in the original way that fans had expected.
While Charlie Cox assumed for years that the journey was over for him, recent announcements have shown that the series is alive and well with the continuation Daredevil: Born Again. He said that, at the time of cancelation, “It was a real shock. I don’t know who’s to blame, just, you know, because sometimes, politics, stuff happens, I probably don’t to this day know what was going on behind the scenes.”
Cast Of Game Of Thrones
Game of Thrones is such a major part of HBO's future now, considering all the spinoffs and other materials to be released. Yet, when it was first being produced, the cast weren't exactly sure that they'd even be able to make it past the pilot, with many of them talking on the possibility of a cancelation.
Kit Harrington has remarked since that his beliefs came as a result of them making "a lot of mistakes. It didn’t look right, didn’t feel right, had nothing different about it." It's clear that he felt things weren't quite lining up and it's fair to say that Thrones could have easily have been scrapped right there.
Bryan Cranston
Bryan Cranston was the leader of the pack in Breaking Bad as the starring chemistry teacher himself, Walter White. The show has gone on to massive success and has spawned a prequel and a sequel movie, both of which have also performed admirably well.
But the main cast and Cranston, especially, who essentially took on a producing role over the years, would have been shocked to learn that the show was very nearly canceled. It was as if AMC had completely pulled the plug, before the decision was rightfully reversed.
Jennifer Aniston
Friends has enjoyed successes far beyond what the cast could have possibly have thought. While the name is a bona fide brand now, back when it first got going, everyone assumed that this strange comedy would be a failure. Even Jennifer Aniston herself had second thoughts, guessing it would be canceled.
A top producer even made her fears come to reality when he told her "I saw that show. I’m going to tell you something. That show’s not going to make you a star. This show is going to make you a star,’” when referring to his own series (via cheatsheet). Needless to say, the show got picked up for more seasons and the rest is history.
The Big Bang Theory Cast
The Big Bang Theory is another genre-defining sitcom of the modern age, but its unaired pilot meant that the whole cast were in doubt about their future. In fact, with Penny not even being featured in this initial incarnation, it was clear that something wasn't working.
Each cast member would have been pretty glum to find out that the first episode that they had shot was canned. That's usually a signal that the rest of the show would be canceled, but with some retooling, the whole piece came to life and would run for many years after.