Renewed and cancelled shows 2024: What got the axe and what's been saved?

Updated: April 2, 2024 - It's April, which means we're on our way to clearing a quarter of 2024. Our regularly scheduled TV programs have been thrilling us since January, and May aka cancellation season is chugging toward us at a steady clip. ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC have been keeping us pretty busy. The CW is joining the fold in force as the network's slate, including tentpoles All American and Walker, kicks into full gear.

Renewals have begun to roll in as the networks decide which shows they'll be bringing back for the 2024-2025 television season (fingers crossed there's no hiccups with that launch in the fall). The reason the 2023-2024 season was so delayed and the broadcast schedules were thrown out of whack were the Hollywood strikes. It's because of this that pretty much all of Network TV has been placed on the bubble.

Bearing that in mind, the information you'll find below will primarily focus on what's been renewed or canceled by each network. I'll also mention series that are likely going to be renewed or are in danger of cancellation based on what's been reported about them. As for game shows and talk shows, I'll update you on whether they survived until the 2024-2025 television season when such news comes in. Now, let's dive into it!

ABC

Renewed

First out the gate with a renewal is Abbott Elementary. The hit comedy series has paid nothing but dividends for ABC as it continues to bring the laughs that have fans calling it appointment television. We also can't talk enough about the critical response to the show as the Quinta Brunson created and led program is a darling of the industry. As the woman herself, the cast, and the team behind the series rack up nominations and awards for their work on the incredible show, it's a testament to the value Abbott Elementary adds to the television landscape.

9-1-1 lives to fight another day on ABC after only three episodes of season 7 having aired! Though this should come as no surprise for those who have been paying attention to the procedural's numbers since it made its debut on the network. They've seen an increase in viewership with each episode that has aired. It likely helps that the opening season event was not only must-watch TV but also required the audience to keep tuning in to find out what would happen next as Bobby and Athena worked to stop pirates and survive a literal sinking (cruise) ship.

TVLine reports 9-1-1 is the most watched series on ABC this season coming in at 5.5 million viewers in its third episode which tied with the show's highest viewed episode to date, the season 4 finale which premiered in May 2021. The drama only trails the network's unscripted programming--The Bachelor, Dancing with the Stars, and The Golden Bachelor--in the demo with a rating of 0.56.

The Grey's Anatomy renewal was expected. In March, when asked during an interview with Deadline whether season 20 would be the medical drama's last, showrunner Meg Marinis shared the following:

"I’ve not been informed that this is the last season so I’m going to keep going and telling stories as long as they let me. We still have stories to tell. We receive a tremendous amount of support from the studio and the network and from Shondaland. So I’m going to keep going until they tell me to put that pen down."

Now, word has officially come that the series will be coming back for season 21. There's a reason that the show is the longest running medical drama and ABC's longest running primetime scripted series. It's had people hooked for nearly 20 years and new viewers are being introduced all the time thanks to its success on streaming as well.

Likely to be renewed

Previously, it seemed that fans of The Conners would be bracing for a potential call for the show’s end by ABC. This was because of statements made by executive producer Bruce Helford and star John Goodman after the season 5 finale.

Helford said the following:

"Sara Gilbert expressed to the network that we don’t want to go out without knowing that we are going out with a series finale so we can build to the right ending — and at this point in time, we feel that [next season] is possibly going to be the last season of The Conners. I would not [say that] definitively because the numbers were so good this season, and we’ve all had a really great time… but it’s definitely a possibility."

Goodman shared, “I think we may be coming to an end on it, I’m not sure. It’s lasted longer than I thought we would,” in an interview with France 24. But now, with the season 6 premiere on Wednesday, Feb. 7 at 8 p.m. and The Conners airing on The CW from the beginning, it doesn't look like the show is going anywhere. Especially since at the top of the year, Helford told TVLine:

"As far as going forward, it’s funny… When I made that comment [about the possibility of it being the final season], the response by ABC was, ‘We never agreed to that.'"

Canceled

Station 19 is the first series for the network that’s been announced to be ending in 2024. Season 7 will be its final run. It’ll have 10 episodes. Reportedly, the decision was made early so that the firefighter drama could have the farewell season it deserves. The premiere is scheduled for Thursday, March 14 at 10 p.m. ET after the season debuts for 9-1-1 and Grey’s Anatomy. The series finale will air in May.

The Good Doctor is also going off-air. The medical drama's seventh season has been announced to be its last. Its farewell run begins Tuesday, Feb. 20 at 10 p.m. Fans can anticipate the show picking up as Sean and Lea adjust to being new parents, raising their infant son, Steve.

CBS

Renewed

When CBS started handing out renewals, it started with The Drew Barrymore Show which was greenlit for a fifth season. A renewal for freshman series Tracker followed. The Justin Hartley-led procedural premiered after the Super Bowl and has been riding the momentum of that debut ever since. It's currently holding the title for the #1 most watched show on television. That's another feather in the network's cap considering its programming tends to find a devoted fanbase.

NCIS: Sydney, which had originally be intended for Paramount+, got bumped up to CBS primetime when the network needed to fill a hole in its line-up caused by the strikes. The spin-off in the already extensive franchise did well hence why its earned a second season on the network and abroad on Paramount+ Australia.

Fire Country and Ghosts were renewed as a pair. The two shows have been the talk of the Internet since they premiered and CBS plans on capitalizing on their growing fanbases. Particularly with Fire Country as there have been talks of expanding the show into a franchise with more than one spin-off under consideration. According to THR, Ghosts is the network's second-most watched comedy, trailing only Young Sheldon which is in its final season.

Likely to be renewed

There's been a signal that NCIS would be back for another season, though this hasn't been officially announced. CBS' Entertainment President Amy Reisenbach was very clear on where the network stands on the flagship in an interview with Deadline.

"I don’t see it slowing down anytime soon. It’s a fantastic cast with a fantastic writing staff that’s been there a really long time. They’re just as reenergized today as they were as when I started on the show in Season 8 [as current executive].

So, as long as they want to keep it going, we’re thrilled to be on the NCIS train. Gary [Cole] and Wilmer [Valderrama] and Sean [Murray] and Katrina [Law], all of them, they love doing the show. So we hope to continue on for quite a while. "

So you can pretty much bet on the flagship sticking around. As for cancellations, those are far more abundant. 2024 is going to be the year of the network ending long running programs. There are a total of four shows whose ends were announced in 2023.

Canceled

Bob Hearts Abishola, Young Sheldon and S.W.A.T. will end in May. Bob and Abishola’s love story will finale on May 13, The Big Bang Theory spin-off concludes on May 16, and a finale date for the procedural drama led by Shemar Moore hasn’t been announced yet. As for Blue Bloods, it’s coming to a close with its fourteenth season, but it won’t be in the spring. The season is being split into two parts so that the series can finale in the fall.

Unfortunately, we could be in for more cancellations. Reisenbach shared in her interview with Deadline that she wasn't ready to talk about whether the network was done with its cancellations of long running shows for the season: "I’m not ready to talk about that yet, to be honest. I’d like to get through our launch before we start looking at that."

The launch in question was the return of CBS' roster which started rolling out after the Super Bowl and was pretty hefty. It included two new series, Tracker and Elsbeth. The first, as mentioned earlier, has been renewed.

The CW

Renewed

Guaranteed to be coming back for the 2024-2025 season is Sullivan’s Crossing. The small town drama was a consistent draw for The CW as it aired its first season. The network had been banking on that and promoted the show heavily thanks to Chad Michael Murray (One Tree Hill) and Scott Patterson (Gilmore Girls) being a part of the main cast along with Morgan Kohan. The series was renewed for a second season in June 2023 ahead of the first season’s release on The CW.

A renewal for Everyone Else Burns also made the headlines and the network ordered a second season ahead of the UK comedy’s stateside premiere but the show was pulled three episodes into its run on The CW, so it’s unclear whether the network will still be moving forward with a season 2 (at least on-air, it could run on the CW App).

Likely to be renewed

Fans of Wild Cards, like myself, are waiting with bated breath for The CW to renew the comedic procedural for a second seasons. All signs point to a renewal. The series had good ratings by the network's standards, reaching an average of 500,000 viewers on the night and reaching 1 million in the Live+7 numbers. Also, CW President of Entertainment Brad Schwartz commented on the show's renewal potential.

"We have not renewed it yet but that is a conversation that’s happening right now. It’s the type of show that could run for ten seasons, those shows don’t exist much anymore. It really could be something."

Canceled

The only series definitively ending on the network that’s become the home of acquisitions and international co-production is Superman & Lois. Season 4, which has been allotted 10 episodes, will wrap up the Kents' story and the network’s superhero era. It's set to debut during the 2024-2025 season.

With Superman & Lois sunsetting, that leaves the All American franchise and Walker as the last pre-Nexstar era shows on the roster. The flagship sports drama led by Daniel Ezra was reportedly rolled into Nexstar’s deal with CW’s parent companies–CBS and Warner Bros.–so its season 6 green light didn’t suffer the budget cuts and cast reallocations like its spin-off All American: Homecoming.

As a packaged deal, the franchise could be a means of incorporating the network’s Sports angle with their Primetime brand since, between the two of them, they cover football, tennis, and baseball. They didn’t have the opportunity to do that in the fall and may not be able to in the spring and summer (we’ll see), but it could be a selling point for keeping both series around for another season.

Walker is a performer for the network. For me, personally, the cancellation of its spin-off Walker Independence last television season stung but it doesn’t automatically mean fans should be concerned about the series. It has the benefit of being led by WB and CW staple Jared Padalecki and catering to a similar demographic as Sullivan’s Crossing.

FOX

Renewed

Prior to the renewal of Animal Control ahead of its second season premiere on Wednesday, March 6 at 9 p.m., the only series that were announced to be returning in the 2024-2025 season were FOX's animated block, The Jennifer Hudson Show, and Sherri. The Joel McHale-led comedy is the sole live-action scripted program on the network to be renewed so far.

Animal Control, along with The Cleaning Lady and Alert: Missing Persons Unit, will be holding down the fort as FOX has held 9-1-1: Lone Star for Fall 2024. But, before you begin to panic, wondering if this means an announcement will be made that it’s the show’s final season, we don’t know that. What we do know is that according to Variety, FOX plans to use the high-rated procedural to draw viewers to their new fall series Doc and Rescue: Hi-Surf.

NBC

Renewed

The first two renewals that NBC handed down went to freshman series Found and The Irrational. The pair of dramas kept the network afloat and gave them a leg up as the rest of the Big 5 didn't have new scripted originals ready to go when Fall TV season came around (no, I'm not counting The CW's acquisitions).

Everyone pretty much expected the One Chicago shows to be renewed and the Law & Order franchise to be renewed even with all the cast and crew shake-ups. Both franchise take up significant space on NBC's schedule as they headline Wednesday and Thursdays nights. Though, interestingly, there was one Dick Wolf show that was left out of the mass renewal.

On the bubble

Law & Order: Organized Crime was left off the list and a reason was not given. Last year, fans of the show were concerned that its episode order getting cut to 13 meant that it wasn't long for this world. However, this was reconsidered when news broke that the episode count worked perfectly for the season long arc the season was going to cover. When the rest of Network TV got dropped to 10-13 episode seasons because of the strikes, Organized Crime's episode slash wasn't so glaring.

Now they could be in the hot seat again. Per TVLine's reporting, an NBC rep did say the procedural is "still in discussion" for the 2024-2025 season which can be read two ways. Either they're figuring out how they want to proceed with the next installment or they're determining if they want to at all.

Canceled

Magnum P.I. and La Brea's fates were sealed in 2023. While fans had been holding onto hope that NBC would give the former the greenlight for a sixth season that ended up being a no go in the midst of the strikes. Instead, the network chose to air part 2 of the show's fifth season in the fall and premiered the series finale in January.

As for fans of La Brea, the writing was on the wall when it was renewed for a six episode third season. The series was burned off early on in the midseason and viewers were left with a dissatisfying end to the show.

Stay tuned to Hidden Remote for renewal and cancellation updates!