Animated shows are a staple of the television industry, and they’ve easily become a common feature for streaming services. Most of us grew up watching classic animated series, developing a love of animation across the board. That said, for every animated series allowed to grow and thrive, there are dozens that ended far before their time. Sometimes, these shows got cancelled after failing to meet impossible metrics. Other times, the shows were effectively sabotaged by something outside of their control. Whatever the reason, we lament the loss of these shows and hope that someday they will find a way back, continuing the stories we fell in love with.
These days, fans have been getting reboot and revival notices left and right. An animated X-Men series is back in the making, and we’ve been promised a return of Gargoyles. With any luck, this is just the beginning, and we’ll be hearing news about the following shows any day now. Are we being naively optimistic? Probably. To be fair, these shows are worth rooting for.
1) Infinity Train
Infinity Train may be the longest-running show on this list, but the cancellation really hurt. Infinity Train was one of those shows that loyal fans had to wait for, as the pilot episode dropped three years before the rest of the series. It was the fandom that allowed the series to live, so it was disappointing when it was announced that Infinity Train would not be getting another season. Notably, the series only made it halfway through its planned eight seasons.
Infinity Train revolves around this gigantic and mysterious train, hence the name of the show. It travels through even stranger landscapes, picking up riders along the way. Naturally, we’ve barely scratched the surface of this mystery, as each train car is full of twists and surprises. The first two seasons follow Tulip Olsen, while later seasons focus on Grace and Simon. It makes one wonder who the focus would have been for the later seasons.
Infinity Train is available to rent through Amazon Prime Video and YouTube.
2) Wolverine and the X-Men
One might think that, given the success of X-Men: The Animated Series and now X-Men ’97, we’d be hearing more about Wolverine and the X-Men. Wolverine and the X-Men is perfect for fans who loved the X-Men’s animated series, as it’s all about Wolverine trying to get the team back together (following mysterious circumstances that split them apart).
Hilariously, the show begins with a common theme: Wolverine leaving. More accurately, it starts with Rogue and Wolverine arguing about this, which quickly spirals out of control when an explosion strikes. The team is effectively put out of commission, leaving Wolverine desperately trying to pick up the pieces. Since Wolverine and the X-Men only got one season, it never really got a chance to thrive.
Wolverine and the X-Men is available to stream on Disney+.
3) Inside Job
Inside Job is arguably the newest show to bear the brunt of cancellation chaos. Created for Netflix, Inside Job was originally greenlit for a second season before the streaming service suddenly backtracked and cancelled the show. Yes, that means the showrunners didn’t have time to plan for a proper finale, so it’s the fans who paid the price here.
Inside Job combines workplace comedy with conspiracy theories to create a dark and satirical show. It follows a group of coworkers, Reagan Ridley (a socially awkward scientist), Brett Hand (the yes-man), Gigi Thimpson (PA and office gossip), Glenn Dolphman (military advisor and human/dolphin hybrid), Dr. Andre Lee (biochemist with a taste for narcotics), and Myc Celium (pyschic mushroom with a mean mouth). It’s their job to keep secrets under wraps, which is easier said than done.
Inside Job is available to stream on Netflix.
4) Green Lantern: The Animated Series
While some shows were cancelled due to low numbers or ratings, Green Lantern: The Animated Series was cancelled because another project flopped. The Animated series ran from 2011 to 2012, which is unfortunate timing, as that is also when the live-action Green Lantern series was released. Poor sales tanked the budget for the Animated series, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Green Lantern: The Animated Series brought a few familiar faces to the forefront, including Hal Jordan and Kilowog. It also added a new face to the mix, Aya, whom fans instantly fell in love with. Opposite to the Green Lanterns was the infamous Atrocitus and his crew.
5) Invader Zim
Invader Zim is a dark and quirky comedy from the early 2000s. This show got an immediate loyal following, thanks in part to the meme-able nature of the show. Created by Johnen Vasquez, the show did well with viewers and critics, though it didn’t quite get the numbers Nickelodeon was looking for. That, and its lack of family-friendly elements, spelled certain doom for the show. Don’t worry! There’s some good news, as fans rallied enough to get a movie in 2019, Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus! Thanks to this, fans are still hoping for more.
Invader Zim follows the titular character, Zim, on his quest to conquer Earth. He’s sort of an outcast of his species, the Irken Empire, but he’s blissfully unaware of that fact. At Zim’s side is the adorable GIR, a somewhat functional information retrieval unit (cleverly disguised as a green dog). Naturally, the only person to catch onto Zim’s evil plans is a child, Dib. Chaos ensues, and it’s the audience who wins.
Invader Zim is available to stream on Paramount+ while Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus! is available to stream on Netflix.
6) The Zeta Project
The Zeta Project is an interesting series, as its foundation is based on another DC animated series (that also got cancelled too soon), Batman Beyond. The series only lasted two seasons, and it was pretty much under threat of cancellation the whole time, primarily due to the timing around the show’s release.
The Zeta Project follows two characters: Infiltration Unit Zeta (a humanoid synthoid) and Rosalie (Ro) Rowan. The former was a synthoid designed to carry out assassinations, but with sentience, it gained an understanding of what it was doing, and it wanted to change that. Yes, that means Zeta had a bit of an existential crisis, but at least Ro was there to help.
7) Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes
There have been several animated Avengers series over the years, including Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. The show was not formally cancelled, more like it wasn’t renewed for another season, though we know there were plans for more. Instead, Marvel pushed another project, Avengers Assemble, to the forefront.
Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes brought a lot of fan favorite heroes together for this series, including Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, Ant-Man, Wasp, Black Panther, Captain America, and Hawkeye. Naturally, it had a lot of highs and lows, covering memorable plots like Ultron in the process. The show was quick-witted and had several surprisingly memorable moments.
Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes is available to stream on Disney+.
8) Wander Over Yonder
Sometimes, a show just ends with no explanation, and that includes Wander Over Yonder. The series didn’t get a proper send-off, but fans were also never given any proper reason for Disney opting to end the show. Maybe that should give us hope for a revival.
Wander Over Yonder follows a nomadic character named Wander, hence the name of the show. Wander, along with his best friend (Sylvia), travels around the universe, hopping from one planet to the next, enjoying various adventures along the way. It’s more of an episodic take on adventuring, and fans loved the two seasons made available.
Wander Over Yonder is available to stream on Hulu and Disney+.
9) The Spectacular Spider-Man
Are you noticing a growing trend on this list? A lot of animated superhero shows do not get a solid run before their conclusion. Enter The Spectacular Spider-Man, a classic cartoon that fans adored. Critics loved it too, which is probably why it was so surprising that it didn’t get a longer run. That had more to do with timing, as this was right around the time Disney acquired the rights to Marvel. Notably, there were an intended five for this show, so fans were robbed.
The Spectacular Spider-Man was unafraid to take a slightly different angle when bringing this beloved character to the screen. It’s slightly more mature than other adaptations, perfectly balancing drama, action, and that Spider-Man style comedy. The story is set in Peter’s early days, when he’s still trying to find that balance between high school life and superhero life. Each season was meant to cover a semester at school, but we all know how that went.
10) The Owl House
On the outside, it may not seem like The Owl House is a cancelled series, since it got a proper send-off and finale. This is because the creator, Dana Terrace, had enough notice about the cancellation to scramble and work the finale in before it was too late. Fans are undeniably grateful for that, but we wish we could have seen the show unfold in the intended format and pacing.
The Owl House is a magical series that follows Luz Noceda, a girl who found herself trapped in the Demon Realm. Don’t worry, she makes plenty of friends in this realm, notably Eda Clawthrone and King. The Owl House gained a loyal following, due at least in part to its LGBTQ+ representation. The third season of The Owl House was just three longer episodes, enabling the show to come to a wrap without any cliffhangers.
The Owl House is available to stream on Disney+.
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