History Main / QuietlyCancelled

* ''WesternAnimation/{{MAD}}'' was not renewed for a fifth season despite Cartoon Network not officially declaring the show's cancellation. Since the show is off Cartoon Network's schedule as of 2015, Cartoon Network is focusing on other shows (some of which are LighterAndSofter), and the show's staff has moved on to other projects, it's safe to say it's gone for good (''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'', which premiered a month before ''MAD'''s series finale, was observed to have essentially replaced it on CN's schedule).

* Happened to the 2010 ''WesternAnimation/{{Pound Puppies|2010}}'' series. After season three, the series went on indefinite hiatus without any announcement of its fate. It's presumed that poor sales of the coinciding toy line resulted in Creator/{{Hasbro}} deciding to quietly wind it down.
* Creator/PBSKids isn't public about cancellations of their shows. Usually, people find out it's canceled when it either goes on a ''very'' long hiatus, stops airing entirely, or gets confirmed by the creators. For example, ''WesternAnimation/ReadyJetGo'' had 2 seasons, and was quietly canceled afterwards. Averted with ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'', where the news of it ending after Season 25 in 2022 hit the mainstream media. However, this is likely due to its iconic status.

* Nickelodeon generally doesn't announce when a series is cancelled, instead just preferring to keep airing reruns of existing episodes; for this reason, ''WesternAnimation/TheAngryBeavers'' had its fourth-wall-breaking final episode "Bye Bye Beavers" cancelled.

** Creator Creator/CraigMcCracken left [[WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls the original 1998 series]] after Season 4 to work on ''WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends'', leaving it to Creator/ChrisSavino (of later ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' fame) to run it. After two more seasons, the show just stopped completely, with no finale or news from Creator/CartoonNetwork on what happened and it was clear the show was cancelled by then. It only briefly came back for its 10th anniversary special, "The Powerpuff Girls Rule!!!", which Craig stated was the proper closeout of the original series.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{MAD}}'' was not renewed for a fifth season despite Cartoon Network not officially declaring the show's cancellation. Since the show is off Cartoon Network's schedule as of 2015, Cartoon Network is focusing on other shows (some of which are LighterAndSofter), and the show's staff has moved on to other projects, it's safe to say it's gone for good (''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'', which premiered a month before ''MAD'''s series finale, was observed to have essentially replaced it on CN's schedule).

* PBS isn't public about cancellations of their children's shows. Usually, people find out it's canceled when it stops airing, it goes on a long hiatus, or they contact the creators. For example, ''WesternAnimation/ReadyJetGo'' had 2 seasons, and was quietly canceled afterwards. Averted with ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'', where the news of it ending after Season 25 in 2022 hit the mainstream media. However, this is likely due to its iconic status.

* ''Manga/HighSchoolOfTheDead'': The series entered a hiatus around 2011 with no real word why from its creators. The artist, Shouji Sato, went on to do another series in the interim and the writer, Daisuke Sato, just went mum completely. The series did return briefly for one more chapter in 2013 before going back into hiatus again. This went on until 2017 when Daisuke died of heart disease. Without their writer, there was no way for the series to continue and it was quietly put to rest despite ending on a cliffhanger.

* ''Series/{{Inhumans}}'', one of the last major live-action series made for the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse, wound up premiering to abysmal critical scores and horrific ratings after a disastrous Comic-Con presentation and early screening for IMAX. Combined with all this and the numerous behind the scenes troubles involving Marvel Television and their frustration at Marvel Studios having been cut off from them by Disney (after one too many instances of ExecutiveMeddling), and with no word of renewal when the series ended in December of 2017 ''and'' the announcement that Disney was buying Fox (who had the X-Men and Fantastic Four film rights, hence why the series even existed), the show was subjected to this trope in March of 2018. Little, if any parties at all, were surprised by this considering the circumstances, especially since a ContinuityReboot is in the works.

* ''VideoGame/ClayFighter'': One of the reasons the franchise died. In 2016, Creator/{{Interplay}} announced a new game with a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obWtO4i5yH0 teaser trailer]], which made the video game community hyped for a new release of this franchise. Sadly, some time later it was announced in financial news that Interplay went to bankruptcy and all their franchises were on sale. Which inevitably says that ''[=ClayFighter=]'' was no more on works.

* The ''Franchise/DisneyFairies'' franchise was quietly discontinued after the sixth movie, ''Legend of the Neverbeast'', due to the toy line not meeting the companies expectations. Not helped that the studio that did them, Disneytoon Studios, went under not long after.
* ''WesternAnimation/EquestriaGirls'' seems to have suffered this fate. The toyline faltered by 2019 and DHX Media was told to stop making any further specials or episodes for the series with "Holidays Unwrapped" the final animation for the series before going into hiatus, the final story in that one even having an EndOfSeriesAwareness. The only thing to come from the series since then was a one-shot comic book called "Cantorlot High: March Radness" and some shorts that were held over into mid-2020. There's been no news of the series since then.

* ''WesternAnimation/EquestriaGirls'' seems to have suffered this fate. The toyline faltered by 2019 and DHX Media was told to stop making any further specials or episodes for the series with "Holidays Unwrapped" the final animation for the series before going into hiatus The final story in that one even having an EndOfSeriesAwareness. The only thing to come from the series since then was a one-shot comic book called "Cantorlot High: March Radness" and some shorts that were held over into mid-2020. There's been no news of the series since then.

* Happened to ''WesternAnimation/{{PoundPuppies|2010}}''. After season three, the series went on indefinite hiatus without any announcement of its fate. It's presumed that poor sales of the coinciding toy line resulted in Creator/{{Hasbro}} deciding to quietly wind it down.

Cancellation for a series always sucks, there's no worse feeling than investing in a series you love but it ends abruptly for one reason or another (ratings, budget, creative differences, creator burnout, uncooperative network heads, etc.). But it's even worse when a series you're following just stops and... nothing. No word or news, things just grind to a halt and you wait... and wait... and wait. Until eventually you have to face facts that that series you like likely won't be coming back.

* ''WesternAnimation/SonicBoom'': Despite the utter failure of "Rise of Lyric", the cartoon did well enough to get a second season as well as another game attempt with "Fire & Ice". However "Fire & Ice" didn't do well enough sales-wise and, combined with ''Cartoon Network'''s atrocious scheduling for the show (the first season was put in an early morning slot and the second got bounced to their "Boomerang" channel, a channel that very few have), once the second season finished it's run, there has been no word since from Sega if the show would continue. Considering a new Sonic series, ''Sonic Prime'', was announced for Netflix, many took it that meant ''Sonic Boom'', both the show and franchise, were done.

* ''WesternAnimation/SonicBoom'': Despite the utter failure of "Rise of Lyric", the cartoon did well enough to get a second season as well as another game attempt with "Fire & Ice". However "Fire & Ice" didn't do well enough sales-wise and, combined with ''Cartoon Network'''s atrocious scheduling for the show (the first season was put in an early morning slot and the second got bounced to their "Boomerang" channel, a channel that very few have), once the second season finished it's run, there has been no word since from Sega if the show would continue. Considering a new Sonic series, ''Sonic Prime'', was announced for Netflix. Many took it that meant ''Sonic Boom'', both the show and franchise, were done.

[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]

* ''WesternAnimation/EquestriaGirls'' seems to have suffered this fate. The Toyline faltered by 2019 and DHX Media was told to stop making any further specials or episodes for the series with "Holidays Unwrapped" the final animation for the series before going into hiatus The final story in that one even having an EndOfSeriesAwareness. The only thing to come from the series since then was a one-shot comic book called "Cantorlot High: March Radness" and some shorts that were held over into mid-2020. There's been no news of the series since then.

* ''WesternAnimation/MiloMurphysLaw'' was never officially cancelled, but after some time passed after the end of the second season the showrunners deduced that if Disney wanted more episodes they would have ordered them within a shorter timeframe. Indeed, the staff briefly returned to Phineas and Ferb with ''[[WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerbTheMovieCandaceAgainstTheUniverse Candace Against the Universe]]'', and Dan Povenmire would later reveal he's working on a new series, ''Hamster & Gretel''.

** [[WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls The original 1998 series]]: Creator/CraigMcCracken had long since left the series to work on ''WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends'', leaving it to Creator/ChrisSavino (of later ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' fame) to show run the series. After two seasons, the show just stopped completely, with no finale or news from CN on what happened and it was clear the show was cancelled by then. It only briefly came back for its 10th-anniversary special, ''The Powerpuff Girls Rule'', which Craig stated was the proper closeout of the original series.
** [[WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls2016 The 2016 reboot series]] had no official confirmation of its cancellation after ending its third season in 2019. But with its dwindling ratings, failed toy line, and the characters no longer showing up in the bumpers, along with the staff having moved on to other projects, viewers pretty much figured the reboot was done for good.

* ''WesternAnimation/SundayPants'': Cancelled by Creator/CartoonNetwork in 2006 with no official cancellation message, after only one month on air. Most likely due to some shorts being considered more profane than a usual show on the network.

Compare DeadFic, which is usually the fanfic equivalent of this (and yes this does have the better possibility to continue since these are solely creator driven, but the continuation relies ''completely'' on if the creator is willing to continue or not and there's no guarantee they will).

* ''Manga/HighSchoolOfTheDead'': The series entered a hiatus around 2011 with no real word why from its creators. The artist, Shouji Sato, went on to do another series in the interim and the writer, Daisuke Sato, just went mum completely. The series did return briefly for one more chapter in 2013 before going back into hiatus again. This went on until 2017 when Daisuke died of a heart disease. Without their writer, there was no way for the series to continue and it was quietly put to rest despite ending on a cliffhanger.

* ''Manga/{{Nana}}'': Because of Ai Yazawa's persistent health issues, she had to put the series on hiatus. This was back in 2009. She has since briefly resurfaced to do some illustrations for events, a NANA calendar, and made a couple of posts on her Instagram about the series around it's 10 year anniversary in 2016, in which she apologized for the long wait and indicated she planned on "doing her best" in the future. As of 2021, no new chapter has been published and no official announcements have been made about Yazawa returning to work. The majority of fans treat the series as being quietly (and understandably) cancelled, despite holding on to the hope that one day Yazawa will provide some sort of ending to the story.

* The scheduled last book, ''Everwar'' of the Literature/CalLeandros series was given a blurb, synopsis, and release date from the publisher, and then failed to ever come out. The author, literary agent, and publisher have never released any news regarding the book and queries to the publisher go unanswered. The previous book ended on a cliffhanger leading up to the series finale, leaving fans very frustrated.

* Back in the early '80', ''Series/TheIncredibleHulk'' was renewed for a 5th season, but only 8 episodes were filmed (and aired) before it was unceremoniously cancelled, leaving loyal viewers wondering what happened. Word got out later that it was due to the expense of filming a hero-on-the-run series in different locations every week. Did TPTB not take that into consideration when renewing it in the first place?

* In the midst of it's third season, ''Series/{{Victorious}}'' had seemed to be renewed for more seasons. Until it was revealed that Nickelodeon had really ''cancelled'' the series under the guise of doing this (it's speculated they dropped it after Music/ArianaGrande music career started gaining ground and wanted to put more emphasis on her with the spin-off, ''Series/SamAndCat''). None of the cast or crew were told of this until they learned about it from their fans.

* The ''Franchise/DisneyFairies'' franchise was quietly discontinued after the sixth movie, ''Legend of the Neverbeast'', due to the the toy line not meeting the companies expectations. Not helped that the studio that did them, Disneytoon Studios, went under not long after.
* ''WesternAnimation/EquestriaGirls'' seems have suffered this fate. The Toyline faltered by 2019 and DHX Media were told to stop making any further specials or episodes for the series with "Holidays Unwrapped" the final animation for the series before going into hiatus The final story in that one even having a EndOfSeriesAwareness. The only thing to come from the series since then was a one-shot comic book called "Cantorlot High: March Radness" and some shorts that were held over into mid-2020. There's been no news of the series since then.

* ''WesternAnimation/InfinityTrain'': Rather than an official announcement after the show's third book premiered on HBO Max, the show's creator announced on Twitter that the animation staff had all been released and were working different projects, with the hope that they'd be back together if HBO decided to renew it. However, a couple of months later HBO released an official trailer for Book Four... Which apparently had already been completed, and will be the final book of the show. The trailer shows no indication of this.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLifeAndTimesOfJuniperLee'': Lasted three seasons, but near the end of the third, the show's final episodes got shuffled onto CN's online service and it's finale left open-ended, leaving on a AndTheAdventureContinues bit as it seems the staff weren't confident that they were going to get another season. The series was never confirmed cancelled but it's creator, Creator/JuddWinick, had went back to writing comic books not long after the show ended, which was pretty much as good a sign the show wouldn't continue.

* ''WesternAnimation/MiloMurphysLaw'' was never officially cancelled, but after some time passed after the end of the second season the showrunners deduced that if Disney wanted more episodes they would have ordered them within a shorter timeframe. Indeed , the staff briefly returned to Phineas and Ferb with ''[[WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerbTheMovieCandaceAgainstTheUniverse Candace Against the Universe]]'', and Dan Povenmire would later reveal he's working on a new series, ''Hamster & Gretel''.

** [[WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls The original 1998 series]]: Creator/CraigMcCracken had long since left the series to work on ''WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends'', leaving it to Creator/ChrisSavino (of later ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' fame) to show run the series. After two seasons, the show just stopped completely, with no finale or news from CN on what happened and it was clear the show was cancelled by then. It only briefly came back for its 10th anniversary special, ''The Powerpuff Girls Rule'', which Craig stated was the proper close out of the original series.

* ''WesternAnimation/SonicBoom'': Despite the utter failure of "Rise of Lyric'", the cartoon did well enough to get a second season as well as a another game attempt with "Fire & Ice". However "Fire & Ice" didn't do well enough sales wise and, combined with ''Cartoon Network'''s atrocious scheduling for the show (the first season was put in an early morning slot and the second got bounced to their "Boomerang" channel, a channel that very few have), once the second season finished it's run, there has been no word since from Sega if the show would continue. Considering a new Sonic series, ''Sonic Prime'', was announced for Netflix. Many took it that meant ''Sonic Boom'', both the show and franchise, were done.

[[/folder]]

* PBS isn't public about cancellations of their children's shows. Usually, people find out it's canceled when it stops airing, it goes on a long hiatus, or they contact the creators. For example, ''WesternAnimation/ReadyJetGo'' had 2 seasons, and was quietly canceled afterwards.

Cancellation for a series always sucks, there's no worse feeling than investing in a series you love but it ends abruptly for one reason or another (ratings, budget, creative differences, creator burnout, uncooperative network heads, etc). But it's even worse when a series you're following just stops and... nothing. No word or news, things just grind to a halt and you wait... and wait... and wait. Until eventually you have to face facts that that series you like likely won't be coming back.

!! Examples

[[folder: Anime & Manga]]

[[folder: Asian Animation]]
* After the first season of ''Animation/NoonboryAndTheSuper7'' finished its run, no mention of a second was announced ([[NoExportForYou at least, not in the Western world]]), and not too long after, reruns were quietly removed from broadcast.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Comic Books]]

[[folder: Film - Live Action]]
* ''Film/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'''s film adaptations. Initially beginning with a $700 million debut with ''Film/TheLionTheWitchAndTheWardrobe'', the sky was the limit for Creator/{{Disney}} and Creator/WaldenMedia's films, which seemed destined to compete with the ''Film/LordOfTheRings'' and ''Film/HarryPotter'' film series. However, after ''Film/PrinceCaspian'' didn't make quite as much as Disney liked (only $400 million), they quietly canceled ''The Voyage of the Dawn Treader'' until Creator/{{FOX}} picked up the rights and made [[Film/TheVoyageOfTheDawnTreader the film]] on a lower budget, with an equal return to ''Prince Caspian''. After mutterings of ''The Silver Chair'' being a reboot, talk disappeared completely until Creator/{{Netflix}} announced they were making a new series of their own in 2018.

[[folder: Literature]]

[[folder: Live-Action TV]]

* ''Wrestling/LuchaUnderground'': Ratings steadily declined during Season 4 as the budget slowly spun out of control, both potentially tied to the fantastical special-effects heavy storylines. The producers said the show would have to be rebooted for a fifth season; apparently no one was interested in doing it, as the next season was simply never produced. No word was put out until Vampiro confirmed ''Lucha Underground'' was cancelled in an interview a year later.

* ''Wrestling/WCWMondayNitro'': following an 18-month- long struggle with declining ratings and evaporating profits, the entire World Championship Wrestling organization was bought out by longtime rival Wrestling/VinceMcmahon. The first the fans heard of it was when Vince showed up out of nowhere on an episode of Nitro, teasing his announcement of the buyout at the end of the night. Even then, WCW refused to admit the show was over, instead calling it the "season finale" (even though there's no offseason in pro wrestling).

[[folder: Toys]]
* Neither ''Toys/MonsterHigh'' nor ''Toys/EverAfterHigh'' got an official announcement regarding their cancellation; both franchises simply seemed to halt in production (the latter in 2017, the former the year after), with no new dolls getting released and the official [=YouTube=] channels only posting compilations of previous clips. ''Monster High'' would ultimately get rebooted once again (indirectly confirming that the previous generation had indeed been cancelled), but ''Ever After High'' hasn't been heard from since.

[[folder: Video Games]]

* ''ARG/HUNTTheTRUTH'': The second season was the final one of the series, and it ran for half the episodes of the prior season, but none of these details were ever stated official in advertising. As such, most listeners didn't learn of the most recent episode being the finale until finishing it, or from a fan trailer made by the series' lead actress Creator/JaninaGavankar referring to the new episode as the finale.

[[folder: Web Animation]]

[[folder: Western Animation]]

* ''WesternAnimation/MiloMurphysLaw'' was never officially cancelled, but after some time passed after the end of the second season the showrunners deduced that if Disney wanted more episodes they would have ordered them within a shorter timeframe. Indeed , the staff briefly returned to Phineas and Ferb with ''[[WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerbTheMovieCandaceAgainstTheUniverse Candace Against The Universe]]'', and Dan Povenmire would later reveal he's working on a new series, ''Hamster & Gretel''.

* ''Franchise/ThePowerpuffGirls''

* ''Manga/HighSchoolOfTheDead'': The series entered a hiatus around 2011 with no real word why from it's creators. The artist, Shouji Sato, went on to do another series in the interim and the writer, Daisuke Sato, just went mum completely. The series did return briefly for one more chapter in 2013 before going back into hiatus again. This went on until 2017 when Daisuke died of a heart disease. Without their writer, there was no way for the series to continue and it was quietly put to rest despite ending on a cliffhanger.

Cancellation for a series always sucks, there's no worse feeling then investing in a series you love but it ends abruptly for one reason or another (ratings, budget, creative differences, creator burnout, uncooperative network heads, etc). But it's even worse when a series you're following just stops and... nothing. No word or news, things just grind to a halt and you wait... and wait... and wait. Until eventually you have to face facts that that series you like likely won't be coming back.

Granted some news might eventually come through the grapevine from the people who work on it in social media, just after a set of time. But more often then not, the clues speak for themselves, people who worked on the products are suddenly doing something else or a different series is incoming. Basically being the signs that the other show they were working on is finito. Again, it sucks, but such is the media business. But there's no worse dishonor for a series of not even getting a confirmation if it had ended much sooner or at all.

* ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'': Both this and its companion series, ''Sonic Universe'', abruptly stopped at its 290th and 94th issue respectively, before likewise "going into hiatus". Unlike Mega Man, there was some hope this would continue, but as things stretched into months and no word other then "they were still in talks", it was looking doubtful more and more. Eventually the long-standing problems between Archie and Sega hit their boiling point until, unsurprisingly, Sega pulled the rights from Archie. They confirmed breaking ties with them in 2017 and that the series would be rebooted ''again'' at IDW. What stings for many fans of this one is that, unlike Mega Man, the Archie Sonic series was never given a finale after being such a LongRunner (unless you count the ending of the ''Sonic Unleashed'' adaptation).

* ''WebAnimation/AmongUsLogic'' was Gametoons' second series and the one that put them on the map. While Gametoons has not said anything about the status of this series, everything points towards this trope - The source game had since fallen out of the limelight, its release schedule has been taken over by ''Friday Night Funkin' Logic'', and the series central joke (Player never winning) was [[RunningGagged gagged]] in Episodes 31 and 33.

* ''WebAnimation/AmongUsLogic'' was Gametoons second series and the one that put them on the map. While Gametoons has not said anything about the status of this series, everything points towards this trope - The source game had since fallen out of the limelight, its release schedule has been taken over by ''Friday Night Funkin' Logic'', and the series central joke (Player never winning) was [[RunningGagged gagged]] in Episodes 31 and 33.

* ''Film/TheMummy2017'' was meant to kick off Universal's "Dark Universe" of films based on their classic monsters (Dracula, Frankenstein, Invisible Man, et cetera). Following the movie bombing at the box office, which was largely credited to Creator/TomCruise hijacking the production into a vehicle for himself, Universal quietly axed their plans for further Dark Universe movies and did ''Film/TheInvisibleMan2020'' as a lower budget SoftReboot.
* ''Film/{{RocknRolla}}'': The end credits tease that the characters will return in ''The Real RocknRolla.'' While director Creator/GuyRitchie brought the sequel up in a few interviews, nothing ever came of it, quietly canceling a film series before it even got off the ground.

** The authors spoke of an upcoming book called ''Allegiances of the Clans''. Fans asked about it later after hearing nothing about it, and the authors said that they thought that perhaps [=HarperCollins=] had decided that there wasn?t enough info to fill a book.

''Manga/{{Nana}}'': Because of Ai Yazawa's persistent health issues, she had to put the series on hiatus. This was back in 2009. She has since briefly resurfaced to do some illustrations for events, a NANA calendar, and made a couple of posts on her Instagram about the series around it's 10 year anniversary in 2016, in which she apologized for the long wait and indicated she planned on "doing her best" in the future. As of 2021, no new chapter has been published and no official announcements have been made about Yazawa returning to work. The majority of fans treat the series as being quietly (and understandably) cancelled, despite holding on to the hope that one day Yazawa will provide some sort of ending to the story.