In the past, TV shows gave us the chance to really get to know the women who graced our screens. Classics like Golden Girls, Xena: Warrior Princess, and Parks and Recreation let their female leads and standout characters shine, leaving a lasting mark on viewers. When beloved characters like Tara from Buffy the Vampire Slayer were taken from us too soon, or when characters like Lane Kim from Gilmore Girls were not treated well by their storylines, it stung. That’s because we had spent seasons growing to love them.
Fast forward to today, and the landscape of television, especially with streaming services, has dramatically changed. The luxury of spending multiple seasons getting to know a cast of characters is becoming rare. Orange is the New Black, one of Netflix’s early hits, enjoyed seven seasons before concluding in 2019. This long run is now more the exception than the norm. With the TV world becoming ever more crowded, recent years have seen a trend towards shorter series runs. Last year, over 120 shows were canceled across various platforms, with Netflix particularly noted for cutting shows short, often before they could reach a point where creators and actors would see larger financial rewards.
The current era of streaming has, sadly, become a place where many great stories and characters, particularly women, see their journeys end too soon. The loss feels personal when we think about the characters we’ve grown close to, only to realize they won’t be returning. For those characters whose potential was never fully explored, it feels like a premature goodbye.
These women, diverse and flawed, deserved more. The abrupt end to many streaming shows means we miss out on seeing characters at their peak. I often think back to the finale of GLOW, where Debbie reveals her ambitious plan to Ruth, a moment of hope we never got to see fulfilled.
So many modern TV shows leave us dreaming of what could have been. From the hopeful departure of Max in A League of Their Own to the cultural ambitions of Reagan in Rutherford Falls, these stories of women poised for greatness were cut short. The same goes for the powerful women of Willow and the adventures of The Revenge’s crew in Our Flag Means Death. Each ending leaves us yearning for more.
Yet, for every story that hints at a brighter future, there are those that leave their characters in turmoil. The tumultuous ending of First Kill, the unresolved powers of Alina in Shadow & Bone, and the politically charged finale of One Day At A Time, leave characters in a state of uncertainty that we’re left to ponder.
The swift disappearance of these characters from our screens is a loss that hits hard. The cancellation of Paper Girls, for example, leaves a void in storytelling for young teens, cutting short a narrative that balanced the fears of the unknown future with the pains of the present.
These characters may be gone from our screens, but the impact of their stories remains. In an era where financial considerations often outweigh artistic ones, the loss of these narratives feels especially poignant. Once, fan movements could save shows from cancellation, but today’s crowded media landscape makes such comebacks rare.
The list of memorable women-led shows cut short by the streaming era is long and disheartening. While we can’t bring them back, we can honor their memory and support the women-led shows that are still fighting for survival. Shows like Bad Sisters, The Diplomat, and Girls5eva continue to tell compelling stories worth our attention.
The influence of these brief but impactful shows endures. They’ve inspired art, creativity, and a new generation of storytellers. As Hollywood’s labor movements grow and audiences push back against the disposability of media, there’s hope that these stories will inspire future great TV. These characters and their stories may be gone, but the possibilities they represented remain alive. Perhaps, as Debbie suggested, it’s not too late for us to build our own Eden.