NBC Saves Magnum PI: 4 More Canceled Shows That Deserve to Get Saved

This year’s Upfronts season was particularly brutal, with a whopping 20 broadcast shows getting the ax as networks cleaned house to make room on their fall TV schedules. But thanks to a late-in-the-game save, we can amend that tally to 19 canceled shows.

fan-favorite series Magnum PI, which was canceled over at CBS, was just saved by NBC. The peacock network rescued the reboot with a 20-episode order for Seasons 5 and 6. The reimagining of the classic detective drama stars Jay Hernandez as the titular private investigator, and was CBS’s most-viewed series to be canceled.

While fans are happy that Thomas Magnum doesn’t have to turn in his Ferarri keys quite yet, magnum is far from the only canceled series that deserves to be a second chance at another network or streamer before being sentenced to TV’s graveyard. Here are four canceled shows that we believe should be saved.

Where to watch: The CW | HBO Max
Fans are particularly heartbroken about the cancellation of batwoman, and for good reason. In many ways, it felt like The CW series was just beginning to come into its own. batwoman broke down some barriers for superhero shows, spotlighting a queer Black woman as the eponymous protector of Gotham. Javicia Leslie was praised in the role, which she took over before Season 2 after the unexpected departure of Season 1 star Ruby Rose. Fans paid for billboards in New York calling for the show to be saved, but it’s looking like they won’t get closure on several storylines; the Season 3 finale (now the series finale) ended on a cliffhanger.

Where to watch: The CW | Netflix
The third series in the Vampire Diaries franchise, after The Vampire Diaries and The Originals, was a victim of The CW’s bloodbath of cancellations this season, but The CW will probably regret the decision to cancel it after four seasons. The series followed Hope Mikaelson (Danielle Rose Russell) as she attended the Salvatore School for the Young and Gifted, a high school for supernatural beings that was under the watch of headmaster and Vampire Diaries alum Alaric (Matt Davis). Legacies has a dedicated fanbase that only gets stronger when each season arrives on Netflix, where it always pops into Netflix’s Top 10 shows. In its final season, Legacies introduced an excellent storyline involving gay characters, a first for the series, and clearly had plenty more stories to tell. The series finale is scheduled to air June 16.

Where to watch: The CW | Netflix
No cancellation hurts quite as much as DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, the wildest and weirdest superhero show on television. over seven seasons on The CW, legends has garnered a reputation for reinventing itself in brilliant and surprising ways, and pushing the limits of what a broadcast sci-fi show can be. Adding insult to injury is the fact that Season 7 ended on a HUGE cliffhanger, with some major unanswered questions. It’s no surprise that fans have erected a billboard in Manhattan calling for the show to be saved, with the caption “We won’t go quietly” — a reference to a recurring line in the show. We’ve followed the Waverider across time and space, and there’s no doubt we would follow legends to a new network or streamer.

Where to watch: Hulu | peacock
Mr. mayor never caught on the way you’d expect an NBC workplace sitcom that teamed up creators Tina Fey & Robert Carlock (30 Rocks) with star Ted Danson would, which is a shame, because it was packed with witty jokes delivered by an expert cast that included Bobby Moynihan and Holly Hunter. Danson played Neil Bremer, a rich guy who ran for mayor of Los Angeles to earn his daughter’s respect, won, and then had to figure out how to govern. If it had been on Netflix, it would have become a hit, but it never got the attention it deserved. NBC canceled Mr. mayor after two seasons; the series finale airs May 17. Hey Peacock, are still saving canceled NBC shows like you did with AP Bio?

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