The Rise and Fall of TV Shows: A Story of Million-Dollar Investments and Cancelled Dreams

The High Cost of Unaired Shows

The world of television is a volatile one, where millions of dollars can be spent on a show that never sees the light of day. The cancellation of unaired shows is not a rare occurrence, and the reasons behind these decisions are as diverse as the shows themselves. From abrupt changes in network leadership to real-world events, the fate of a TV series can be sealed long before it ever reaches our living rooms.

Grace (Jane Fonda) with her hand on Frankie's (Lily Tomlin) shoulder, both looking concerned in Grace and Frankie

Some shows are canceled before they even air, but not before they have racked up millions of dollars in production costs. There are wild stories about the millions major networks like HBO and Netflix spent on a show they had high hopes for that never got off the ground. Production on a show is not a guarantee that it will get picked up, as a network may decide that the series isn't worth their resources once they see the initial episodes. However, shows are also canceled for reasons outside the showrunners' control. In multiple cases, a change in leadership at a network led to a show being dropped. Additionally, real-world events might raise concerns about airing a certain show. For example, Paramount canceled its TV show reboot of Heathers because executives were uncomfortable showing 'teachers with guns and a high school that is blown up' in the wake of multiple school shootings in the US.

Conquest filmed by Carl Rinsch

Costly Investments and Lost Opportunities

The world of television production is a high-stakes game, where millions of dollars are invested in the hope of creating the next big hit. However, not all shows make it past the pilot stage, leaving behind a trail of wasted resources and lost opportunities. Let's take a look at some of the most notorious cases of shows that never made it to our screens despite heavy investments and high expectations.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

In 2007, HBO spent millions on a show starring Lily Tomlin and Mary Kay Place as sisters in Texas with dysfunctional families and a flourishing real estate business. Leslie Jordan, Eliza Coupe, Gary Cole, Katherine LaNasa, and Kim Dickens were also among the main cast. The team filmed six of 10 episodes. However, an abrupt change in leadership at HBO took place at this time. The new executives decided not to move forward with 12 Miles of Bad Road, despite the efforts of show creator Linda Bloodworth-Thomason to change their minds.

Angelina Jolie with a machine gun in Mr. & Mrs. Smith with a meat cleaver by her head

Carl Rinsch, the director of 47 Ronin, notably lost Netflix $55 million. In 2018, Rinsch was pitching a science-fiction TV series about artificial humans that several streaming services were bidding on. However, after Rinsch signed a contract with Netflix his behavior became increasingly erratic. This included drug use on set, emailing Netflix executives wild COVID-19 theories, and gambling away money for production. Netflix made a statement saying, 'after a lot of time and effort, it became clear that Mr. Rinsch was never going to complete the project he agreed to make, and so we wrote the project off.'

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie dancing in Mr. & Mrs. Smith

Following the success of the action rom-com starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, a TV series about the title characters after the events of the movie was in development. A pilot episode of Mr. & Mrs. Smith starring Martin Henderson and Jordana Brewster was filmed for ABC, but the network decided to pass on the show. The money spent on this pilot is unconfirmed, but it was presumably in the millions. A new Mr. & Mrs. Smith TV show is expected in 2024, with the cast including Donald Glover and Maya Erskine in the lead roles.

Donald Glover as Andre in Magic Mike XXL

According to NBC's description of their abandoned Ultimate Slip N' Slide competition show, 'This wet-and-wild new series takes the spirit of the classic backyard slide and transforms it into a real-life water park full of gigantic slippery rides with the chance to take home a big cash prize'. NBC and Universal Television spent $18 million on this show before production was shut down by a diarrhea outbreak. Production never resumed, and the world of reality television moved on.

Donald Glover and Maya Erskine in the woods in Mr. and Mrs. Smith TV Show

A Zombieland series featuring the flagship characters Tallahassee, Columbus, Wichita, and Little Rock played by different actors than they were in the movies was in the works at Amazon. The show was canceled after the Pilot did not perform well. According to writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, Zombieland was always intended to be a television series. When Zombieland came out and succeeded, there was a lot of talk of a Zombieland 2 sequel, and efforts were made to make that happen. Unfortunately, the movie gods didn't smile on the project. At that moment, the decision was made to go back to the original vision of making Zombieland into a TV series, and Amazon was found as a partner to do that.

Slides at a water park unaffiliated with NBC

Emma Roberts starred in the Pilot of Delirium, adapted from Lauren Oliver's book about a young woman living in a society where love is illegal. Fox invested in the show amid the popularity of young adult dystopias and then dropped it for unclear reasons. The Pilot was available on Hulu for a limited time. While Fox did not reveal how much was spent on the Pilot, the general cost to produce a TV episode, the sci-fi setting, and Roberts being the main character indicate that it was probably in the millions. Delirium is similar to many other forgotten properties of the mid-2010s. Delirium might have been successful for the first season but likely would have lost viewership as the Hunger Games saga came to an end and interest in YA dystopias decreased.

Zombieland Enjoy The Little Things

A TV series about the DC superhero Aquaman was announced to begin filming at Greenwich Studios in North Miami in 2006. The show was co-created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, the team behind the show Smallville. Justin Hartley was set to play the lead role of Arthur Curry/Aquaman. However, when Warner Bros and UPN merged to form the CW, the Aquaman TV show did not make the cut. Aquaman was canceled despite the creators having previous success with a show about a DC superhero.

Woody Harrelson's Tallahasee, Jesse Eisenberg's Columbus, Emma Stone's Wichita, and Abigail Breslin's Little Rock in Zombieland

After the finale of Game of Thrones, HBO immediately started developing spin-offs. One of the proposed series was Bloodmoon, covering the history of Westeros 8,000 years before the events of Game of Thrones. It would have depicted Westeros as it fell from its Age of Heroes into the Long Night and explored the history of the White Walkers. However, the show was canceled before it ever aired because the Pilot did not have the 'depth and richness the original series' Pilot did,' according to Robert Greenblatt, the former chairman of HBO's parent company WarnerMedia.

Emma Stone's Wichita and Abigail Breslin's Little Rock sitting on a tower drop in Zombieland.

The Aftermath and Lessons Learned

The stories of unaired TV shows are not just tales of wasted investments and lost opportunities; they also serve as cautionary tales for both networks and show creators. The rise and fall of these shows illustrate the unpredictable nature of television production and the risk involved in bringing a new series to life.

Columbus (Jessie Eisenberg) backing away from zombie 406 (Amber Heard) in Zombieland

Ultimately, the fate of a TV show lies in the hands of network executives, show creators, and the audience. While some cancellations are the result of poor writing or creative differences, others are affected by external factors such as changes in network leadership or real-world events. The decision to cancel a show can have far-reaching consequences, impacting not only the creators and cast but also the network's reputation and financial standing.

Tallahassee walks with Columbus in Zombieland

As the world of television continues to evolve, the stories of unaired shows serve as a reminder of the high stakes and uncertain outcomes that come with every new production. While some shows never make it past the pilot stage, others go on to become beloved classics. The rise and fall of TV shows is a testament to the ever-changing landscape of television and the enduring pursuit of creating compelling content for audiences around the world.

Emma Roberts in American Horror Story Delicate