It’s that time of year again– the time when we are hearing about which TV shows are officially on their final stretch, and which ones are likely to be. Once upon a time, it was pretty cut-and-dry when series were ending, and why. Shows with good ratings typically stayed on the air, and shows with flagging ratings didn’t. Now, obviously there were always exceptions to both rules. Sometimes, shows with good ratings end for other reasons, most commonly because a major actor left and/or the creators just decided it was time. And shows with questionable ratings sometimes got another season to turn things around because of a vocal fanbase or because a network had faith in it.
These days, with so much of our television coming by way of streaming services, most of which never officially release viewership numbers, it’s a lot more difficult to know when shows are staying and when they are going. We’ve seen shows nobody seems to watch still limp on for years, and we’ve seen shows that everybody seems to watch get unceremoniously cancelled. There doesn’t always seem to be much rhyme or reason to it, so all there is to do is check lists like this!
Half of this list consists of shows that are confirmed to be ending their final seasons during 2019. The other half are shows for which that fate seems likely, for reasons we will explain, but nothing is set in stone.
Here are 15 TV Shows Ending In 2019 (And 15 That Could Be).
Could Be Ending: Modern Family
Following the sitcom-disguised-as-a-fake-documentary format first made famous by The Office, ABC’s Modern Family has been cracking up audiences with its atypical– but arguably more accurate– view of family life for a decade now.
Some critics feel the show has run its course, but ratings remain pretty strong– but iffy enough that there has been a lot of back-and-forth since September as to whether or not the current season will be the last or whether there will be an eleventh season. As of this writing, talks are ongoing, but the fact that it’s even a discussion is proof enough that the show’s future is uncertain.
Ending: Gotham
The idea of a TV show that takes place in Gotham City and features Bruce Wayne as a kid– with no promise of him ever actually becoming Batman during the course of the show– seemed like a strange one when Gotham first premiered. Despite this, the series, which has focused on a young Jim Gordon and the origin stories of many of Batman’s most iconic villains, has proven popular enough to last five seasons.
While there was some question as to whether the show would end after an unresolved season four finale, Fox decided to give the show a fifth and finale season with which to wrap up its various plot threads.
Could Be Ending: Charmed
The Charmed reboot has never had great energy around it. Not only were a lot of people unhappy with the new casting choices, but the original’s cast was very vocal about their resentment for not being including in developing the new show.
At the end of the day, what matters most is ratings– and Charmed has struggled in that area as well, seeing a steady decline week-over-week since its October 14th premiere. As of now, the CW hasn’t committed to anything beyond a full first season– and it’s hard to see it going beyond that.
Ending: The Big Bang Theory
Typically, sitcoms that are still around into double-digit seasons are kind of limping along to their inevitable finale. That hasn’t been the case with The Big Bang Theory, which remains a ratings juggernaut as it closes in on setting the new record for longest-running multi-camera comedy of all time.
Why pull the plug on Big Bang Theory now? It was decided that the show’s 12th season would be its last following the announcement that Jim Parsons– the award-winning actor behind Sheldon Cooper– was leaving the show after season twelve. Rather than attempt a Sheldon-free show, it was decided to just call it a day when Parsons does.
Could Be Ending: How To Get Away With Murder
This one’s a bit of a long shot compared to the others. How To Get Away With Murder is ABC’s third highest-rated drama for the coveted 18-49 demographic.
That being said, HTGAWM’s numbers have still been down over previous seasons. Shows with rather specific premises like this tend to run their course after a handful of seasons. While Grey’s continues to defy all logic in its unprecedentedly long run, other similar shows tend to flame out at around the length of time that HTGAWM has been on. Season five seems like a good season to start wrapping up, while buzz is still largely positive.
Ending: iZombie
The most recent project from the acclaimed mind of Rob Thomas– the man behind Veronica Mars and Party Down, among others– iZombie was adapted from the comic book of the same name and has been one of the edgier shows to air on the CW. It sits alongside the Netflix series Santa Clarita Diet as an example of how zombies don’t necessarily have to be the villains.
Still, the comic book only ran for two years, so it’s unsurprising the show won’t have a very long run. Word is that ratings had already been dropping considerably, and next year’s fifth and final season was largely a gift to fans.
Could Be Ending: Suits
Underrated cable network USA has had a few great shows quietly racking up the season count in recent years, including legal drama Suits which is currently in hiatus between the two halves of its eighth season.
Suits got a boost in mainstream recognition last year when one of its stars got married to a prince. Unfortunately, much of that added press came by way of also announcing she would be leaving said show. Coupled with the departure of another original cast member, Patrick J. Adams, and Gina Torres’ Jessica receiving her own spinoff, and it seems like Suit’s days might be numbered.
Ending: Transparent
In 2017, controversy struck Transparent when star Jeffrey Tambor was accused of inappropriate behavior by both a former assistant and one of his Transparent co-stars. He was subsequently fired from the show– or he quit before that, it’s all a little confusing as to which side officially pulled the trigger on his exit. The fifth and final season is set to air sometime next year without him.
Could Be Ending: Lucifer
One of the great things about streaming services is that they sometimes pick up shows that get canceled from by traditional television networks, which is what happened to Lucifer after Fox shuttered it after its third season. Netflix saved it and commissioned a fourth.
Still, there is a somewhat shaky history of what happens next in these situations. Sometimes, a Netflix revival only brings a show back for a limited run and feels mostly like an excuse to call the entire series a “Netflix Original.” It’s hard to know for sure what the future holds for Lucifer, but don’t be surprised if it’s another one-and-done type of deal.
Ending: Veep
For all the talk of a supposed “Seinfeld curse,” Julia Louis-Dreyfus is currently working on her second successful, award-winning show post-Seinfeld. If such a curse exists, nobody told her about it.
It’s not easy for a political satire series that started during the much different political climate of 2012 remain sharp and relevant today, but Veep has done that– with Louis-Dreyfus earning six consecutive Emmy awards for Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series for her work on the show. If there is one series that deserve to go out on top, it’s Veep– and it’ll do that with its seventh and final season next year.
Could Be Ending: Fuller House
Fuller House may not have been the first show to ever be rebooted, but it feels like the one that validated the trend and gave other shows from the ’80s and ’90s the confidence to try a comeback.
Critics never got on board with Fuller House– but they didn’t like the original, either. Like its predecessor, its a show aimed squarely at its target audience and isn’t interested in anyone else’s opinion. With Netflix getting pickier lately in terms of what shows it renews, and given the controversy surrounding creator Jeff Franklin and his subsequent exit from the show prior to this season, season four seems like a good place to stop.
Ending: A Series of Unfortunate Events
The second attempt at adapting the YA book series Lemony Snicket’s A Series Of Unfortunate Events– the first being the 2004 Jim Carrey movie– was a Netflix limited series. Netflix gave the show the opportunity to actually follow the events of each book without the strict time limit of a single film.
With the third season, the series will cover the last batch of books and come to its inevitable conclusion when the final seven episodes covering the final four books are made available on Netflix on January 1st, including a pair of episodes to be directed by series co-created Barry Sonnenfeld.
Could Be Ending: The Blacklist
James Spader has taken on one of his less-quirky roles as the antiheroic deuteragonist of thriller series The Blacklist. While the always-compelling Spader has continued to earn raves for his performance, the same can’t be said for the series as a whole as it has gone on.
More relevantly, audiences have fled the show in droves, with its most recent season’s average viewer count being nearly half of what it was in the first season. While NBC commissioned a sixth season and hasn’t yet stated it to be The Blacklist’s last, it’s hard to imagine that we’ll continue to watch the show’s downward slide much longer.
Ending: Mr. Robot
Rami Malek has been earning raves for his dynamite performance in the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, proving his ability to lead a movie after spending the previous decade in mostly supporting roles. With that in mind, his Emmy-winning turn on a TV show would’ve likely been coming to an end sooner rather than later.
As it turns out, Mr. Robot’s end date was already decided on well before Bohemian Rhapsody’s blockbuster run, with the announcement being made way back in the summer that its upcoming fourth season would be its last. Creator Sam Esmail stated that USA wanted the show to continue, but Elliot Alderson’s story was simply done.
Could Be Ending: Lethal Weapon
Chances are, you’re just as familiar with Fox’s television adaptation of Lethal Weapon because of its tendency to shed major cast members as you are with the show itself. The series has been something of a surprise hit nonetheless.
The first major blow to Lethal Weapon was the firing of Clayne Crawford, the show’s version of Martin Riggs. The show soldiered on, bringing in Seann William Scott to play the new partner for Damon Wayans’ Roger Murtaugh. But now Wayans is reportedly quitting the show at the end of the current season, leaving people to wonder if Fox should even bother after that.
Ending: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Almost the entire cast of The Office can be classified as “breakout stars,” but even such a stellar group has had actors that managed to stand out from the pack– and that can certainly be said for Ellie Kemper.
In fact, NBC executives specifically asked Tina Fey to develop a star vehicle for Kemper, which eventually became Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and was sold to Netlflix. Even with the freedom that Netflix provides, it was decided that four seasons of Kimmy Schmidt were enough, and the show will end with the second half of the fourth season in January.
Could Be Ending: Criminal Minds
There are certain shows that feel like they’ve always been around and always will be around– The Simpsons, Saturday Night Live, Doctor Who, et al. Criminal Minds definitely seems to fit in that category. Then again, so did the original Law & Order– and that show did end in 2010.
Last season, Criminal Mindsdipped into single-digits– well, single millions– for average ratings for the first time ever. It also hasn’t been in the top ten since 2015. It still draws numbers most other shows would be jealous of, but when a show has the budget of a Criminal Minds, it needs to remain an undeniably huge hit to justify its continued existence.
Ending: Shadowhunters
While many of the shows on this list that are officially ending in 2019 seemed to have come to their final season by choice– or at least, in an amicable decision with their network– Shadowhunters is the only one that was outright canceled– no ifs, ands, or buts about it.
After the attempt to adapt the Mortal Instruments book series into a film series yielded the flop City of Bones, production company Constanin Films thought TV might be a better fit. A lukewarm critical reception and behind-the-scenes turmoil showed that TV series Shadowhunters didn’t fare much better, and Freeform ordered it to wrap up with 2019’s third season.
Could Be Ending: The Punisher
It was probably naive to think that Netflix would continue to run six separate Marvel shows with Disney launching in late 2019. As unsurprising as it was when The Defenders wasn’t renewed and Iron Fist was canceled, fewer people saw Luke Cage’s abrupt end coming.
With Daredevil, the anchor of the Marvel Netflix universe, getting its pink slip, all bets were off for the job security of the rest of the crew. It’s likely a matter of when The Punisher’s announcement will come, than if.
Ending: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Here is yet another show that was part of CW’s recent decision to severely cut back on its legacy shows, as Crazy Ex-Girlfriend was also announced as coming to an end in 2019.
Losing Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is subjectively a bigger blow than the others, as its hybrid sitcom/musical conceit makes it one of the most original shows to hit television in a long time. We can’t imagine that the show’s incredibly talented co-creator and star, Rachel Bloom, will leave us waiting very long for her next project, whatever form that might take, once Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’s fourth and final season has come and gone next year.
