5 Great TV Shows That Were Canceled but Made a Glorious Comeback

Family Guy ( 1999–Now)

Family Guy follows a dysfunctional Griffin family consisting of a drunkard husband, an impatient wife, three kids (the older two are socially awkward and incompetent and one is a little evil genius), and their talking dog who also happens to be a womanizer. And, of course, the Griffins can't take a step without getting into trouble.

Now an absolute Fox classic and one of the most popular animated series for adults ever, Family Guy hasn't always been going this strong. After Season 3, the show was axed — but fans were stubborn in their efforts to revive it. When Fox saw how successful Family Guy was on Adult Swim and in DVD sales, it got another chance.

Futurama ( 1999–Now)

The concept of time travel might seem exhausted, but that's only if “yet another show” about it isn't built on the Simpsons ' success. Futurama follows an unlucky pizza delivery guy who gets sent into the 31st century and now has an insane robot, a one-eyed beauty, and his sole descendant, an extravagant scientist, for friends.

Futurama's cancelation story is almost as well-known as its iconic characters at this point, and believe it or not, it was also Fox's doing. Fox axed the show after Season 4; then, it chilled on Adult Swim for years; then, Comedy Central picked it up and made it to Season 7 before also canceling it. In the end, Hulu saved Futurama again.

Arrested Development (2003–2019)

Being rich has one too many pros, but cons are there, too: after losing everything, it's borderline impossible to get used to a normal life, let alone feel happy with it. When the father of a spoiled-rich family gets imprisoned and they lose it all, it's up to his son — the only sane member of the clan — to make things work for everyone else.

Arrested Development started off with a scandal when a band with the same name sued Fox for stealing their “intellectual property.” As years went by, the show kept having various issues, and after Season 3 Fox ultimately decided to drop it — but Netflix saved the day, co-producing two more seasons before also axing the series.

Community ( 2009–2015)

Community colleges are a lot of fun, but not when you're a suspended lawyer who's forced to join one and study there instead of building your once successful career further. Fortunately, there are many interesting and…unique people to interact with there, so surely, things will go swimmingly, right? In every single timeline we have?..

The story of Community is that of a constant struggle for another season. NBC never treated the show with respect, and the cast and creators kept having conflicts and leaving. It was to no one's surprise when NBC canceled Community after Season 5, but Yahoo! (of all possible candidates) picked it up and made the final 6th season.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013–2021)

Police procedurals and sitcoms rarely go hand-in-hand, but leave it to Brooklyn Nine-Nine to break the rules. An absolutely side-splitting show, Brooklyn turns the idea of a classic police series into a workplace comedy with witty banter following one incredibly unserious detective whose new boss wants him to be professional.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine could have never been born since NBC passed on it at first, making the show go with Fox, instead. After Season 5, Fox canceled it, but the countdown of fans' rage was short: hours later, NBC swooped in to become the show's new home. Brooklyn still got canceled later, but it survived the ax twice.