2025 had a score of crime shows ending. We take a look at the biggest cancellations that made us mad!
It’s a sad fact that every year sees some great TV shows ending. Yet 2025 was brutal for crime show fans. Every network and several streamers were canceling shows ahead of their time. They ranged from long-running hits to freshmen series that hadn’t met their potential, but it was there. While there are plenty of examples, these 16 shows stand out as the crime dramas cancelled in 2025 that hurt the most and fans would love to see them somehow brought back.
Alert: Missing Persons Unit
This FOX series took a bold risk in its third season by killing off a major character early on. Rather than have it be a mortal blow, it gave the series a new spark and kept up the exciting tales of finding missing people.
The cast was more energized facing the storyline changes and the final episode introduced an intriguing new mystery. Sadly, that won’t be followed up on as the show ended when FOX could have used another procedural drama and Alert: MPU had the goods to keep going for a few more years.
Based on a True Story
While not as fun as the first season, Based on a True Story on Peacock still shone nicely in its second. The tale of a couple (Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina) navigating their “friendship” with a serial killer (Tom Bateman) was a black comedy gem, mixing dark moments with hilarious sequences.
The second season did offer some sharp satire of the entire “true crime” industry and how it glorifies the killers more than the victims. It also ended on a huge cliffhanger for a third season, with Peacock not going ahead with it. That aggravated its cult audience, as this Story should have far more chapters.
Bosch: Legacy
Even after a decade, the end of Bosch seemed too soon. Titus Welliver remained in top form as the former cop turned private eye, facing his dark past while tackling some compelling long-arc mysteries involving a kidnapped family and political corruption. The subplot of his daughter Maddie hunting a gang of robbers was also captivating.
It didn’t feel like a show coming to an end with far more material from the books to use. We have gotten the very good spinoff, Ballard, but it doesn’t feel right to see Harry Bosch’s time coming to a close.
The Cleaning Lady
Oddly, had The Cleaning Lady ended with season 3, it would have been okay. That finale could have worked well as a series finale with Elodie Yung’s character seemingly freed from the world of drug dealing. Season 4 thrust her right back into it with new threats and twists as Yung struggled to find a normal life amid the crime game.
Yung showed a darker side to her character navigating this world, culminating in a finale that was going to set up a fifth season with her taking charge. Too bad it’s not coming as this show should have had at least one more year to wrap up its saga properly.
Dexter: Original Sin
It was terrific to see Dexter: Resurrection bring the serial killer back in all his glory. Michael C. Hall was in fine form in a story that redeemed the series. Sadly, it came at the expense of this equally good prequel showing how a young Dexter (Patrick Gibson) began his work as both a lab tech and a killer in 1991 Miami, which had originally been renewed, only to end up with a cancellation U-turn.
The series was excellent, capturing the retro vibes, the younger versions of famous Dexter characters, and Gibson matching Hall in showing the troubled mind of this killer. They were just laying the groundwork for further adventures when it was axed. As great as having the original Dexter back was, balancing it with the characters’ origins would have been a welcome addition.
Duster
For all of HBO’s great shows, it’s surprising this period crime gem only lasted one season. Created by JJ Abrams, the series had a retro feel set in 1972 as the FBI’s first black female agent (Rachel Hilson) tries to prove herself by recruiting a getaway driver (Josh Holloway) to take down a crime boss (Keith David).
The series had a fantastic throwback to the crime thrillers of the ‘70s, from the music to filming styles to the dialogue. The leads had a wonderful chemistry while not shying away from the darkness and bigotry of the times. It was screaming out for a second season, only to be the rare case of an HBO series ending after just one. Hopefully, it will find new life as a cult favorite.
The Equalizer
There was reportedly a fight by The Equalizer showrunners to get at least one more season of the crime drama that could wrap it up. That didn’t happen with the show ending after five seasons, which wasn’t too bad an ending. Yet there was more up in the air with McCall getting engaged, a new direction for the team and still more action to come.
The series could have gotten even a shortened sixth season to produce a worthy finale rather than the low-key one we had. Somehow, The Equalizer couldn’t get an equal shake from its network to close out how the cast wanted.
FBI: International
The ending of the two FBI spin-offs was painful, especially for International. It had just added Jesse Lee Soffer in a top role as the new team leader with a compelling backstory, energizing the series. The show still had the nicely written crime storylines occurring on location in Europe, some fantastic action and a new drive.
The worst part of the cancellation was that the finale didn’t feel like a series finale at all, just a season one with several plot threads dangling. That just adds to how CBS made a poor decision in axing this spinoff.
FBI: Most Wanted
Like FBI: International, this spinoff felt like it ended far too early. FBI: Most Wanted still remained strong with a tighter focus on the team hunting the fugitives and some good character development (especially Remy facing his time running out and Nina with her troubled family).
At least the writers had time to craft a good finale that had everyone get a happy ending. That doesn’t change how many fans wanted the first FBI spinoff to keep hunting around for a long while.
Found
This one really hurts. In its second season, Found became an even better series, not just for its weekly cases of missing-person searches. It explored the characters, their many flaws and struggles with Kelli Williams in particular getting killer material as her Margaret found her missing son and dealing with the fallout.
The Gabi-Sir dynamic remained fascinating to watch, with the question of how far Gabi would go to stop this “partnership.” The season amped it up as it went, culminating in a game-changing final scene that would have shifted up season 3. There’s a faint hope that its arrival on Netflix can help more viewers find one of NBC’s better crime shows.
Grosse Pointe Garden Society
Sadly, it was always obvious NBC had almost no faith in Grosse Pointe Garden Society. Moving it from Sundays to the “death slot” of Friday nights was a clear sign NBC was writing the drama off. It’s too bad, as this dark dramedy about a group of neighbors sucked into a murder improved as the season went on.
The characters had more depth, and the flashbacks to who got killed and how it happened added to the thrills. It had a nice balance of the mystery and lighter fare while keeping you guessing. It had all the ingredients to be a fun guilty pleasure series when NBC ended it before it could truly blossom.
The Irrational
Given NBC’s love of procedurals, you’d think they’d keep up this twist on the formula. Jesse L. Williams was a delight as the genius using behavioral science to help solve crimes, matched by an excellent supporting cast on The Irrational.
The season 2 finale left off with Alex and love Rose taking a new step in their relationship, Rose setting up her own consulting firm, and Alex getting a mysterious text message. We’ll never know what it meant with the show’s cancellation, with NBC losing what was one of their more original procedurals.
On Call
This Dick Wolf-produced series came and went fast on Prime Video, but those who saw it were treated to a cop drama unlike others. The half-hour episode running times kept it flowing nicely with footage shot as if from body cams so it looked different than the standard drama.
It addressed the issues of modern policing, from public perceptions to the dangers of the job, and the chemistry between leads Troian Bellisario and Brandon Larracuente won viewers over. Put it together and On Call ended its shift before it had a true chance to connect with a wider audience.
Poker Face
Given the star power of Rian Johnson and Natasha Lyonne’s Emmy-nominated performance, one would think Peacock would keep Poker Face going. This wonderful throwback to 1970s crime shows excelled thanks to Lyonne’s performance as living lie detector Charlie Cale, the A-list guest stars, fun humor and those inventive murder cases.
The second season amped up in the final episodes with Charlie meeting her match in a new nemesis and a (literal) cliffhanger that put Charlie on a new path. Johnson supposedly has a mad plan to save the show with a new leading actor but fans would prefer Poker Face keep dealing in its original format.
The Residence
You can’t have an annual “shows ended too soon” list without a Netflix entry. In this case, it was The Residence, which had the already promising setup of a murder taking place during a White House party. The show rested on the wonderful performance of Uzo Aduba as eccentric detective Cordelia Cupp, who’s more interested in bird-watching than the political ramifications of this murder.
The series had an inventive flair, mixing broad comedy with sharp turns, flashbacks adding new layers and pulling the rug out from what viewers expected. The extra-length finale solved the mystery, yet Netflix could have kept it going with Cordelia becoming a new detective star for the streamer.
SWAT
The third time was sadly the non-charm for SWAT. After surviving two cancellations, the police drama finally ended after eight seasons. That’s despite still packing in the same action and drama fans had loved, with some intriguing new characters and addressing the politics of the current climate.
It didn’t feel like a show ready to wrap it up with an open ending for new adventures. Sure, we’re getting the planned spinoff, but the original SWAT is one show fans would gladly see returning.
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