As we near the end of 2017, let’s take a moment to say goodbye to some of television’s most beloved shows. This year’s list of departing series includes critical darlings, Emmy Award winners, popular fan favorites and underrated gems. Click through our photo gallery above of the Top 16 TV shows that ended in 2017.
“Bates Motel” (A&E) — Freddie Highmore was a revelation as serial killer Norman Bates in this contemporary prequel to the classic Hitchcock thriller, “Psycho.” The series traces Bates’s descent into madness and his twisted obsession with his mother (Vera Farmiga). Both Highmore and Farmiga received critical praise for their persomances, with the latter earning an Emmy nomination for Best Drama Actress for the first season.
“Orphan Black” (BBC America) — Tatiana Maslany‘s revelatory performance anchored this science-fiction thriller about a woman who witnesses a murder, only to discover that she is one of a number of clones of the victim. Maslany– who not only played the series’ protagonist, as well as her many clones– was finally awarded the Emmy for Best Drama Actress in 2016.
“American Crime” (ABC) — Oscar-winning screenwriter John Ridley (“12 Years a Slave”) created this anthology drama that dealt with race, class, and gender politics. The series earned a number of Emmy nominations over its three-year run, winning two consecutive Emmys for its star Regina King.
“Girls” (HBO) — Lena Dunham wrote, directed, and starred in this racy dramedy about a group of women navigating their twenties in New York City. Despite winning multiple Golden Globes and a Peabody Award, the series only won two Emmys over the course of its six-season run.
“Teen Wolf” (MTV) — Despite never catching on at the Emmys, this contemporary adaptation of the 1980s cult classic was extremely popular, particularly among younger viewers. It also made household names of its stars Tyler Posey and Colton Haynes.
“The Leftovers” (HBO) — This dystopian drama was cruelly ignored by the Emmys, only earning a single nomination for Guest Actress Ann Dowd over the course of its three-year run. However, “The Leftovers” got the last laugh with critical acclaim and numerous guild awards.
“Episodes” (Showtime) — Matt LeBlanc earned four consecutive Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe award for playing a fictionalized version of himself in this comedy about two British writers whose attempts to make it big in Hollywood cause them to cross paths with LeBlanc.
“Bloodline” (Netflix) — Despite airing for only three seasons, this dark family drama set in South Florida earned five Emmy nominations, winning for Best Drama Supporting Actor for Ben Mendelsohn.
“Workaholics” (Comedy Central) — Despite earning only one Emmy nomination over the course of its six-year run, this workplace comedy about a group of immature twenty-somethings who work at a telemarketing company was extremely popular, and made a star out its leading man, Adam DeVine.
“The Mindy Project” (Fox/Hulu) — Mindy Kaling earned critical raves for her self-titled comedy where she played a New York-based doctor trying to balance her professional and romantic lives. The series began on Fox, with Hulu picking up the show for its final seasons.
“The Vampire Diaries” (The CW) — Based on a popular young adult book series, this long-running drama about the supernatural happenings in a small Virginia town was never a critical or awards favorite. But it did win five People’s Choice Awards, including awards for stars Ian Somerhalder and Nina Dobrev.
“Grimm” (NBC) — Sean Hayes (“Will & Grace”) served as executive producer of this fantasy procedural about a detective who must protect the human world from a series of supernatural creatures inspired by the Grimms’ Fairy Tales.
“Black Sails” (Starz) — British actor Toby Stephens starred as Captain Flint in this prequel to Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novel “Treasure Island.” The series, which was rich with special effects and period costumes, earned three Emmys over the course of its four-year run.
“The Strain” (FX) — Director Guillermo del Toro co-created this horror drama, which starred Corey Stoll (“House of Cards”) as a doctor working to contain save humanity from a virus that turns its hosts into vampire-like creatures.
“Bones” (Fox) — David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel starred as a kind of crime-fighting odd couple — he as a straight-laced-FBI agent, and she as a no-nonsense forensic anthropologist. Despite receiving only two Emmy nominations during its run, this crime procedural aired close to 250 episodes over the course of its 12 seasons.
“Pretty Little Liars” (Freeform) — This teen drama centered around a group of girls who are targeted for their past mistakes ran for seven seasons, earning and huge fanbase among young girls, as well as several People’s Choice Awards.
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