As 2026 dawns, there’s worry that some notable crime shows may be coming to an end soon!
Every year always brings worries about crime TV shows getting canceled, some with little warning. A few are safe as Sheriff Country and Boston Blue got second-season renewals, while Wild Cards is already confirmed for a fourth season. There’s also the scores of series about to debut in 2026 whose fates depend on the reaction.
However, some shows are in danger of cancellation for a variety of reasons. There are the obvious ones of ratings and lower streaming numbers combined with the production budgets. It can also be the networks trying to clear space for newer shows or other factors involved. These are the seven crime shows currently airing that may be ending in 2026, as no matter how well received they may be, no series is immune to the network bringing down the axe.
Watson
The CBS drama surprisingly got a second season and has been doing well. Season 2 was notable for bringing in Sherlock Holmes (Robert Carlyle) and a mystery involving the health of Watson (Morris Chestnut). However, it hasn’t been quite as compelling with the storylines and has really focused far more on the medical side of things than the crime aspects that enticed viewers in the first season.
The show often seems a forgettable entry and moving to Monday nights seems to have damaged the ratings. The series may not be lucky enough to earn another renewal, given the number of other Sherlock Holmes-themed series on the air and end Watson’s tenure fast.
Sherlock & Daughter
Speaking of Sherlock Holmes series, Sherlock & Daughter’s fate is also up in the air. The CW series did have good ratings and reviews, as many enjoyed this take on the master detective (David Thewlis) and his unknown offspring (Blu Hunt) joined on a case. It improved as it went, with a well-written mystery arc and an exciting finale that set up another year.
However, that year may not happen. This is a CW show, after all, and the network is more interested in fare from abroad than original series. The production costs of a period series may be a factor, along with whether the series has enough support to justify another season. It’d be sad to end this show this soon, but the possibility remains of Sherlock & Daughter having solved their last case.
Murder in a Small Town
Any FOX show runs the risk of being axed with little warning, no matter how good it is. Murder in a Small Town may be another victim following the purge of Alert: Missing Persons Unit and The Cleaning Lady. The show has a cult following for its stories of murder in an idyllic town, the relationship between Sheriff Rossif Sutherland and librarian Kristen Kreuk, and guest stars, and Marcia Gay Harden's addition sparked the second season.
Yet the show’s ratings remain low, even by FOX standards and having only 10 episodes a season doesn’t help it gather more attention. It’s already wrapped season 2, and the fact that it’s a Canadian series only airing on FOX means it may not even be FOX's choice to end it. Fans are hopeful, yet a good chance that we’ve seen the last of this small town on TV screens.
Law & Order: Organized Crime
The warning signs for Law & Order: Organized Crime ending have been around for a while. The biggest was the decision to move the fifth season from NBC to Peacock, as an exclusive. That season aired on NBC while lacking the major attention of the other L&O shows. There’s the high salary for Christopher Meloni, and how the last season was just 10 episodes. The series has always been trickier to get into due to the longer story arcs and too gritty for casual viewers.
There’s also the blunt truth that many fans prefer seeing Stabler back on SVU rather than this spinoff, especially whenever he and Benson share the screen. With that last season not the big success Peacock hoped for, it’s possible this spinoff ends and Stabler just moves back to SVU to cut down on the Law & Order universe.
The Hunting Party
After so many forgettable midseason crime shows, NBC scored a surprise hit with The Hunting Party in 2025. Viewers took to the unique saga of a special task force hunting escapees from a top-secret prison with the spotlights on the killers as the highlight. There was also a grander conspiracy tale and some decent character building to go with the action.
The upcoming season 2 boasts big-name guest stars like Kelsey Grammer, more action, and the promise of answers as NBC hopes to build up the audience. That may work, but given the network’s track record for dropping lower-rated shows fast, this Party may be coming to an end sometime in 2026.
NCIS: Sydney
Once, canceling an NCIS series seemed nearly impossible. However, when the Hawaii spin-off was axed after three seasons, it proved even CBS’s biggest franchise wasn’t immune to lower ratings. Complicating matters for NCIS: Sydney is that it’s an Australian production, and in fact, reportedly hasn’t even aired its second season Down Under. That’s already a blow against it, as CBS is going to need more space for new programming in the fall.
Then there’s how both the linear ratings and online numbers are vastly lower than the other NCIS shows. Moving to Tuesday with the other NCIS series hasn’t boosted the series as expected, and the new CBS management doesn’t seem as interested in franchises as in the past. If any NCIS show is on the chopping block in 2026, Sydney is the obvious bet.
A Man on the Inside
This fun Netflix dramedy won huge acclaim in its first season. Viewers and critics enjoy A Man on the Inside with Ted Danson as a retiree who takes a job as a private eye, infiltrating a retirement home. The second season had him in a new mystery at a college and a good supporting cast, including Danson’s better half Mary Steenburgen and is a low-key Netflix crime caper.
Yet the second season didn’t have the same acclaim as the first season did, making a third season riskier. Danson is also pretty busy with various projects, making it harder to tie him down for another year of a regular series. The show is a charmer but ironically, that low-key approach is also a reason it flies under the radar and makes it another entry in the long list of Netflix shows ending too early.
Get the latest updates on your favorite TV crime dramas with Precinct TV.