22 Great Shows Max Canceled in 3 Seasons or Less

3 hours ago 1

December 18, 2024 at 3:42pm EST

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, SheKnows may receive an affiliate commission.

Unlike some streaming platforms (cough cough Netflix), which cancel shows after one season, Max (formerly known as HBO Max) normally gives us at least gives us two to three seasons before breaking our hearts. Although it may be hard to forgive them for canceling The Girls on the Bus after one season!

Our favorite shows getting canceled isn’t something new, sadly. We’ve seen it time and time again with Hulu, Apple TV+, and, yes, Max. Max has some of our favorite shows on the planet, like House of the Dragon and Hacks, which are still thriving after years. However, we’re still mourning some gems that got canceled before we had our closure, from thrillers like The Flight Attendant and Made for Love to relatable animated comedies like Close Enough.

In 2024 alone, we had to unexpectedly say goodbye to shows like The Flight Attendant and Julia; and we’re only in July 2024.

So, get your Max accounts ready as you dive back into the great shows Max canceled in three seasons or less.

See the great shows Max canceled in three seasons or less:

‘Somebody Somewhere’

Image Credit: Photograph by Sandy Morris/HBO.

Somebody Somewhere is a dark comedy that follows a woman named Sam, who is struggling to fit into her hometown after a big loss. However, she and a group of misfits find a sense of community! Despite the award-winning show having a cult following, the show ended on it’s third season, and refused to renew it for a fourth.
‘Our Flag Means Death’

Image Credit: Photograph by Nicola Dove/Max

Our Flag Means Death is a queer, pirate comedy-romance based in the year 1717, where a land-owner gives up his cushy life to become a pirate. It all goes wrong, to put it lightly. It was canceled after two seasons with no explanation.
‘Tokyo Vice’

Image Credit: Photograph by James Lisle/Max

Tokyo Vice is a crime show that follows an American journalist who takes on the most powerful crime bosses in Tokyo. It was canceled after two seasons, allegedly due to a mutual agreement between the programming directors and the showrunners, but the showrunners did tease more to come someday, per IGN.
‘Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin’

Image Credit: Photograph by Karolina Wojtasik/HBO Max.

Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin is the fourth series in the Pretty Little Liars universe, following five high school girls terrorized by someone named “A.” It was canceled after two seasons, with no intel on why the fan-loved show was axed, per The Wrap.
‘Flight Attendant’

Image Credit: Jennifer Rose Clasen/HBO Max.

Flight Attendant is a thriller series starring Kaley Cuoco, which follows an alcoholic flight attendant waking up in the wrong hotel, in the wrong bed, with a dead man; and she has to figure out what happened. It was canceled after two seasons, allegedly due to low viewership, per ScreenRant.
‘Close Enough’

Image Credit: Courtesy of HBO Max.

Made by the same creator of The Regular Show, JG Quintel, Close Enough was a hilarious show that followed a group of adults dealing with changes from their twenties to their thirties, from divorce to parenthood. It lasted three seasons before getting canceled in 2022, despite great reviews and a cult following. However, it was theorized it was canceled due to the last season getting low viewership and was removed from the platform, per What’s on Netflix.
‘Julia’

Image Credit: Seacia Pavao/Max.

Starring Sarah Lancashire as cookbook author Julia Child, Julia was a biopic following Childs’ production of her 1960s cooking show. Despite reviewers loving the two seasons, it was canceled due to Max wanting to change it’s focus, per ScreenRant.
‘Rap Sh!t’

Image Credit: Courtesy of Max

Rap Sh!t followed a female rap group from Miami trying to make it in the music industry, and it was created by Issa Rae. Despite having a cult following, the show was canceled after two seasons, and there has been no confirmation as to why.
‘The Girls on the Bus’

Image Credit: Nicole Rivelli/Max.

Starring Melissa Benoist, Carla Gugino, Christina Elmore, and Natasha Behnam, The Girls on the Bus follows four journalists who find a scandal that could take down democracy. It was canceled after one season, despite a three-season plan, with, again, no explabation.
‘Minx’

Image Credit: Katrina Marcinowski / HBO Max.

We all remember the Minx debacle. Starring Ophelia Lovibond, Oscar Montoya, Idara Victor, and Jake Johnson as Doug Renetti, Minx followed a woman who joined forces with a shady adult publisher to create the first women’s erotic magazine. It was canceled after one season on Max due to budget cuts, per Variety, but was saved by Starz. (However, it was canceled after its second season due to low viewership.
‘Warrior’

Image Credit: David Bloomer/Max,

Warrior was a critically acclaimed show about a martial arts prodigy immigrating to Chinatown amid the Tong Wars in the late 1800s. Per ScreenRant via MSN, it was canceled after three seasons, but may be renewed by Netflix.
‘South Side’

Image Credit: Adrian S. Burrows/HBO Max

South Side was a beloved comedy that followed the journey of community college graduates trying to be successful entrepreneurs in Chicago’s South Side. It was canceled after three seasons, with no explanation being given.
‘The Time Traveler’s Wife’

Image Credit: Photograph by Barbara Nitke/HBO

The Time Traveler’s Wife is a sci-fi romance based on the novel of the same name. Starring Rose Leslie and Theo James, it follows a couple dealing with Henry (James) and his ability: which allows him to travel through time involuntarily.

It was canceled after one season, with producers basically saying it wasn’t worth it to renew, per ScreenRant.
‘Raised By Wolves’

Image Credit: Coco Van Oppens/HBO Max

Raised By Wolves was a sci-fi show that showed how androids were raising human children on a mysterious planet and the repercussions of it. It lasted two seasons, and was cancelled after the Discovery and WarnerMedia merger, per Distractify.
‘Gordita Chronicles’

Image Credit: Photograph by Laura Magruder/HBO Max

Gordita Chronicles was about a Latina reporter looking back on her childhood with her wild family in 1980s Miami; but it only lasted one season. It was allegedly canceled due to the platform cutting back on family programming, per Deadline.
‘Gentleman Jack’

Image Credit: Aimee Spinks/HBO

Gentleman Jack was a truly beloved biopic drama based around lesbian trailblazer, Anne Lister. It only lasted two seasons due to low viewership per GoodTo.
‘Made for Love’

Image Credit: Beth Dubber/HBO Max,

Starring Cristin Milioti, Made for Love is a wild sci-fi thriller that follows a woman, who is on the run from her tech billionaire husband. However, she realizes he implanted a monitoring device in her brain. It was canceled after two seasons due to a company merger, per Variety.
‘Betty’

Image Credit: Stephanie Mei-Ling/HBO.

Betty followed a group of young women trying to make it in the male-dominated world of skateboarding. After two seasons, Variety confirmed it was canceled, but never revealed why.
‘Avenue 5’

Image Credit: Nick Wall/HBO

Avenue 5 is a wild ride; literally. It follows a space cruise ship filled with spoiled, rich tourists, who veer off course and can’t return to Earth for three years. It was canceled after two seasons due to performer contracts running out, per Looper.
‘Lovecraft Country’

Image Credit: Eli Joshua Ade/HBO.

Chances are, either you or your pals were devasted when Lovecraft Country got canceled after one season. Inspired by the cosmic horror of HG Lovecraft, this show followed a young black man traveling to find his missing father, based in the 1950s.

While some claimed there was no material to make a season two, allegations of a toxic work environment came to light, per ScreenRant, which allegedly led to the cancellation.
‘Gossip Girl’

Image Credit: Stefano Cristiano Montesi/HBO Max

Despite so much hype around the new Gossip Girl series, which followed a group of New York private school teens in the same universe as the original, it was canceled after two seasons due to numerous factors, including being reportedly too expensive to produce and not performing well with both viewers and critics, per Looper.
‘Pennyworth’

Image Credit: Colin Hutton/HBO Max.

Pennyworth was a show about Alfred Pennyworth, the man who eventually worked for Bruce Wayne’s father. It was canceled after three seasons due to DC Studio head execs reportedly wanting to reboot the entire franchise, according to Variety.