30 LGBTQ+ TV shows canceled after just one season (gone too soon!)

Some of the best queer shows only last one season.

Whether or not you love a TV series in particular, it's always great news to hear that an LGBTQ+ show is getting renewed. In recent years, projects like Euphoria, Heated Rivalry, The L Word: Generation Q, Heartstopper, and Peacemaker have all been greenlit for at least one more season.

Unfortunately, this trend (or terrible coincidence) of queer shows being canceled after just one season continues, no matter how much engagement and hype it receives while their respective first seasons go on the air. Most of these shows deserve some love, and many of them had a lot of potential if only they were given more seasons.

Below, check out our list of LGBTQ-inclusive shows that were canceled after just one season and made us feel like it was way too soon to pull the trigger on them.

'Boots'

One of the most recent entries to this list is Netflix's Boots, which was canceled after just one season despite receiving critical acclaim, having intense momentum on social media, and including a strong cast of young actors who promoted the series as regularly as they could.

Where to watch Boots: Streaming on Netflix.

'A League of Their Own'

LGBTQ+ fans were incredibly excited about the A League of Their Own reboot series on Prime Video. However, the series didn’t get renewed on the streaming service despite garnering a pretty big fanbase right off the bat.

Where to watch A League of Their Own: Streaming on Prime Video.

'Mid-Century Modern'

Starring an iconic trio of Nathan Lane, Matt Bomer, and Nathan Lee Graham, Mid-Century Modern as a TV show felt like assembling "the gay Avengers." Even though the series didn't take off in a way that was expected, it was still recognized with a couple of Emmy Award nominations. Nonetheless, Hulu ultimately canceled the show after its first season.

Where to watch Mid-Century Modern: Streaming on Hulu.

'Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies'

The girls, gays, and theys who love musicals were immediately obsessed with the Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies prequel show — which ran for a full season on Paramount+ but ultimately wasn’t picked up for season 2.

Where to watch Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies: Currently not available for streaming. Other options can be found on JustWatch.

'Smiley'

Another LGBTQ+ show that quickly developed a large following was Netflix’s Smiley. While some insist that this series was only supposed to have a one-season limited run, its writers went on record to say that they already had the plot for season 2 in mind.

Where to watch Smiley: streaming on Netflix.

'Willow'

Fans were obsessed with the Willow series, released on Disney+, that featured a queer main character. When fans received confirmation that the show wasn't picked up for a second season, it felt pretty heartbreaking, to say the least.

Where to watch Willow: Streaming on Disney+.

'Uncoupled'

Neil Patrick Harris’ Uncoupled had a pretty big push once its first season dropped on Netflix, and fans were surprised that the streamer didn’t renew it for a second season. Showtime subsequently picked up the show for season 2, but then also dropped it before filming even began.

Where to watch Uncoupled: Currently not available for streaming. Other options can be found on JustWatch.

'High Fidelity'

Hulu's gender-swapped adaptation of the novel by Nick Hornby and the classic John Cusack film -- which starred Zoe Kravitz as the record-store-owning, list-loving, bad-at-love Rob and featured gay romance storylines via gay main character Simon (David H. Holmes) -- was loved by critics, but didn't make it past season one. Kravitz recently said Hulu made a mistake canceling the show, and we can't help but agree.

Where to watch High Fidelity: Streaming on Hulu.

'Olympo'

Headquartered in Spain, Zeta Studios is a production company that made as many as eight seasons of Élite for Netflix. As that previous show wrapped its run on the streaming service and Olympo was launched with many of the same creators, producers — as well as similar queer storylines and tone, but with a significant improvement — it was assumed that Olympo would absolutely go on for many seasons to come.

Shockingly, that is not what happened. After waiting nearly a full year for Netflix to share any official updates, confirmation came that Olympo wouldn't be returning for season 2. An incredibly unfortunate ending to what was a very promising new TV show centering queer love stories.

Where to watch Olympo: Streaming on Netflix.

'The New Normal'

It is possible that The New Normal was a little bit ahead of its time. This show was very well-received by LGBTQ+ audiences when it premiered on NBC, but maybe 2012 just wasn’t the right time for a series like this to take off and sustain itself on broadcast television.

Where to watch The New Normal: Currently not available for streaming. Other options can be found on JustWatch.

'Genera+ion'

The HBO Max original series Genera+ion was one of our favorite shows of 2021, highlighting life for queer Gen Z youth. It starred Justice Smith along a diverse ensemble of young actors as a group of high school students in Orange County navigating what it's like to be young and different in a conservative town.

Where to watch Genera+ion: Currently not available for streaming. Other options can be found on JustWatch.

'Super Drags'

Super Drags was a fun, hilarious, and daring animated series featuring drag queens as its main characters. Considering how long most of the adult animated series from Netflix have run, it felt pretty disappointing when Super Drags wasn’t even picked up for season 2.

Where to watch Super Drags: streaming on Netflix.

'Stumptown'

Based on Greg Rucka's comic book, Stumptown starred Cobie Smulders as bisexual private investigator Dex Parios. A former marine with PTSD, Dex worked as an investigator in Portland, solving problems the police can't get involved in. The show lasted for just 18 episodes before being canceled partially due to the global pandemic.

On the other hand, ABC did reportedly try to sell the series to another network or streaming service, so it's possible that Stumptown could come back in the future.

Where to watch Stumptown: Currently not available for streaming. Other options can be found on JustWatch.

'1899'

Élite heartthrob Miguel Bernardeau played a queer character while starring in this new Netflix series from the same creators of Dark. Unfortunately, 1899 was canceled after just one season.

Where to watch 1899: Streaming on Netflix.

'I Am Not Okay With This'

This coming-of-age black comedy had so much potential, yet it was canceled after just seven episodes, again, due in large part to the global pandemic. Starring Sophia Lillis and Wyatt Oleff from It, the show followed Sydney Novak, a 17-year-old girl who is simultaneously discovering she is a lesbian and has psychic powers.

Where to watch I Am Not Okay With This: streaming on Netflix.

'Queer As Folk'

Though it was highly-anticipated and featured an ensemble cast that included some of our queer faves like Jesse James Keitel, CG, Devin Way, Fin Argus, Johnny Sibilly, Ryan O'Connell, Kim Cattrall, and Juliette Lewis, Peacock axed the first and only season of Stephen Dunn's modern, rebooted version of the beloved gay series from the 2000s by Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman, which was based off of Russell T Davies' 1999 British TV series of the same name.

The 2022 Queer As Folk followed a group of queer friends as they dealt with the aftermath and fallout of a tragic event that affected the LGBTQ+ community in New Orleans, and was praised for its fearless depictions of modern queer life.

Where to watch Queer As Folk (2022): Streaming on Peacock.

'The Society'

This sci-fi series starring Kathryn Newton, Gideon Adlon, and Sean Berdy was about a group of teens who are forced to run their own community after the rest of their town disappears. The series featured a cute gay couple, Sam and Grizz, who had a cute first kiss after Grizz asked Sam, who uses sign language, to teach him the sign for "kiss me." Sadly, the show only lasted for one, ten-episode season because of the global pandemic.

Where to watch The Society: Streaming on Netflix.

'My So-Called Life'

When it aired on ABC from August 1994 to January 1995, My So-Called Life introduced us to some of this generation's most celebrated actors, including Claire Danes and Jared Leto. It also introduced the world to Rickie Vasquez, played by Out cover star Wilson Cruz, the first gay character played by a gay actor in a leading role in American television history. We still miss him. My So-Called Life ran for 19 episodes on ABC and has gained new audiences over the years via streaming services.

Where to watch My So-Called Life: Streaming on Hulu.

'First Kill'

Though the campy, supernatural teen series wasn't a hit with the critics, it did garner a considerable LGBTQ+ fanbase, especially for its portrayal of young, queer love between two girls.

But the representation and visibility it provided to sapphics who just want a cute teen show to stan wasn't enough to save it from getting the ax after just one season on the streamer.

Where to watch First Kill: Streaming on Netflix.

'Dragnificent!'

RuPaul's Drag Race darlings Jujubee, Alexis Michelle, Thorgy Thor, and BeBe Zahara Benet joined forces on a makeover show named Dragnificent!, which aired on TLC for one season. The particular focus of the show was for the queens to help women during their wedding day, and it felt like a pretty cute concept that could've been sustained for a few seasons. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, and Dragnificent! was canceled after only airing its debut season.

Where to watch Dragnificent!: Streaming on Discovery+.

'The Get Down'

Baz Luhrmann's ambitious musical drama reached some great heights, but never stuck with audiences enough to get a second season. It's one season was split into two parts, exploring a group of young Black men trying to break into the world of rap and hip hop. One character named Dizzee (played by Jaden Smith) has a budding romance with another graffiti artist named Thor. Unfortunately, we never got to see where they could've gone.

Where to watch The Get Down: Streaming on Netflix.

'Cruel Summer' (2024 TV Series)

The original, 1999 film Cruel Summer was always a fan-favorite among the gays — and that audience was taken into consideration even more on Prime Video's 2024 TV series reboot. For one, a character like Scott Russell (played by Khobe Clarke) had a much more outwardly queer identity in this iteration. Moreover, the always-there undertones of queerness from the original film became more literal on the TV show. Unfortunately, the show was canceled after just one season on Prime Video.

Where to watch Cruel Summer (2024): Streaming on Prime Video.

'Tom Swift'

The CW continued its canceling spree, adding Nancy Drew spinoff Tom Swift to its list of canceled shows. The show, which just premiered on May 31, follows a Black, young, gay, billionaire, genius inventor (played by Tian Richards) who is "thrust into a world of sci-fi conspiracy and unexplained phenomena" after his father disappears.

Where to watch Tom Swift: Streaming on HBO Max.

'Everything Sucks!'

Yes, yet another Netflix series canceled after just one season. Everything Sucks! was one of our favorite shows about what it's like being a teen, and in many ways, felt like a worthy successor to another one-season wonder, Freaks and Geeks. It was set in the real-life small town of Boring, Oregon and followed a group of teens at the local high school who join the A/V Club and Drama Club and team up to make a movie. The principal's daughter Kate starts out dating one of the boys, but quickly develops a crush on older Drama student Emaline, and later comes out.

Where to watch Everything Sucks!: Streaming on Netflix.

'Q-Force'

Not during Pride Month!!! Netflix canceled the truly terrific animated series Q-Force, making it just the latest great queer show to only last one season. The show, which faced unfair and uninformed criticism across social media and the internet when it came out, was actually one of the funniest and most accurate depictions of queer life ever put in cartoon form.

The show starred Sean Hayes as secret agent Steve Maryweather, the golden boy of the American Intelligence Agency who was forced into obscurity in West Hollywood after he publicly came out as gay. It also starred Matt Rogers as master of drag and disguise Twink, Wanda Sykes as the butch mechanic Deb, Patti Harrison as the trans hacker Stat, and David Harbour as the team's token straight.

The show had some of the best queer comedy you'll find on TV and gave us representation like we'd never seen before. Q-Force we will miss you.

Where to watch Q-Force: Streaming on Netflix.

'Gypsy'

Gypsy was a wild show starring Naomi Watts as Jean Holloway: A clinical psychologist in New York City who dismisses every ethical principle, ignored all common-sense guidelines regarding patients and doctors, and upends her personal life by developing relationships with some of her patients.

Those wild choices are perfectly exemplified in Sophie Cookson as Sidney Pierce, a bisexual musician who falls in love with Jean and has those feelings being reciprocated. Don't get us wrong — it's a very strange show! But given how many projects have been renewed for season 2 in order to find their pacing, Gypsy could, and should, have returned for a second season.

Where to watch Gypsy: Streaming on Netflix.

'The 4400'

This reboot of the 2004 series, The 4400, about the titular number of people who mysteriously vanished over the last century suddenly reappearing with no memories of what happened, was also canceled after just one season. The show featured trans characters Dr. Andre Davis and Noah, as well as several lesbian characters like Keisha Taylor, Soraya Voss, and Jessica Tanner.

Where to watch The 4400: Streaming on Tubi.

'Queen Stars Brasil'

Hosted by pop star and drag artist Pabllo Vittar, alongside fellow singer Luísa Sonza, Queen Stars Brasil was a reality competition series featuring drag artists that displayed their vocal prowess.

Queen Stars Brasil premiered in April 2022 as one of HBO Max's first original TV shows made for the streaming service as it expanded onto Brazil. Generally, it's pretty unfortunate that the show never managed to get a second season, but the first season is still worth watching.

Where to watch Queen Stars Brasil: Streaming on HBO Max.

'Queens on the Run'

Brazilian pop culture icon Xuxa Meneghel and drag icon Ikaro Kadoshi hosted another early contender in the ecosystem of pre-Drag Race Brasil TV shows featuring drag artists as competitors. This series, Queens on the Run, felt a little bit like The Amazing Race and We're Here in the sense that it kept "traveling" onto new cities for each new episode.

Instead of going to these different places to put locals in drag and/or to throw a one-off drag performance, though, the competition was among the actual "queens" who were "on the run" and were challenged to incorporate certain elements of the local scene in each city as part of the overall journey.

Where to watch Queen on the Run: Streaming on Prime Video.

'Finding Prince Charming'

Truth be told, Logo TV's Finding Prince Charming wasn't a successful attempt at mimicking the formula of shows like The Bachelor and The Bachelorette… But for gay men!

On the other hand, it is rare for a reality show to be perfectly developed and successful in its inaugural season. There was potential for Finding Prince Charming to use the lessons that it learned in that first season to continue the series and make the proper changes for it to not fail as badly moving forward.

Unfortunately, this queer dating series was canceled after just one season, and it's still rare for gay dating shows to get greenlit in recent years.

Where to watch Finding Prince Charming: Currently not available for streaming. Other options can be found on JustWatch.