A Lot of Shows Ended in 2021, But We'll Miss These 10 Most

We never asked for a second season of the year 2020, but fate ordered it anyway and gave us 2021, a too-familiar year of pandemic panic, resigned seclusion, and social disruption. While 2021 was an undeniable suckfest, it did give us time to get familiar with our good friend television. But even that had its downsides, as we had to say goodbye to some of our favorite shows as their runs came to an end. 

Some of the series below had been with us for eight years, some we'd only known for a few seasons. Some were culturally shifting, some were just goofy fun. Some reflected on the best and worst of America, others were a glimpse at what television was like beyond our borders. But all struck a certain chord with us and will be missed dearly. Here are the 10 shows we'll miss most from 2021. For more shows that signed off in 2021, check out the gallery at the bottom for the full list of shows that ended this year.

Superstore

Final episode aired: March 25

Cloud 9 closed for good. Superstore's sixth season was the show's last, following a fifth season that was shortened due to COVID and postponed star America Ferrera's departure from the series. The workplace comedy about the quirky employees of a big box megastore tackled important issues like sexual harassment, immigration, and health care without sacrificing its kooky sense of humor.

Pose

Final episode aired: June 6

Pose, Ryan Murphy's groundbreaking LGBTQ+ drama, took its final bow after Season 3. The series cast a spotlight on New York's underground ballroom culture, with each season tackling a different era of its history. Pose has received much critical acclaim, including multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominations, and a lead actor Emmy for Billy Porter — the first openly gay Black actor to win the award — and a lead actress nomination for Mj Rodriguez — the first transgender woman to earn an acting nomination in a major Emmy category, but its greater impact was giving visibility to a group that is often overlooked.

Mr Inbetween

Final episode airs: July 13

The third season of the FX drama Mr. Inbetween, which premiered in May, was the show's last. The Australian series was created and written by Scott Ryan, who also stars as a hitman for hire struggling to juggle his unsavory work as well as parenting his preteen daughter and caring for his aging father. Marked by intermittent violence, dark comedy, and emotional relationships between characters, it was truly a genre-bending gem.

Good Girls

Final episode aired: July 22

Time was up for Good Girls on NBC. The show, which ran for four seasons, starred Christina Hendricks, Retta, and Mae Whitman as desperate moms who find themselves embroiled in a money-laundering scheme. Executives had hoped to bring the series back for a shortened fifth season to wrap up the story, but unfortunately, the fan-favorite show got the ax despite renewed interest from a run on Netflix.

Lucifer

Final episode aired: Sep. 10

It's entirely possible that 2021 was indeed the final year for Lucifer, but given the show's resilient history, we're loath to place any bets that the sixth and "final" season was its last. The supernatural romance, which starred Tom Ellis as the devilishly charming title character, was canceled by Fox after three seasons only to be resurrected by Netflix for a fourth, fifth, and sixth. The coronavirus-delayed second half of Lucifer Season 5 arrived in early 2021, and Season 6 debuted shortly after that. Though the series was populated by demons, hell, and crime, Lucifer and Chloe got their happy ending... as if there was any doubt. 

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Final episode aired: Sep. 16

Brooklyn Nine-Nine came to an end after its eighth season, which aired 10 episodes in the late summer and early fall of 2021. The comedy starring Andy Samberg, Melissa Fumero, and Andre Braugher, among others, initially ran for five seasons on FOX before being canceled by the network and rescued by NBC in 2018. The final season, which was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, feature a bittersweet send-off that saw one final Halloween Heist and several members of the 99 leaving to do different things (and one who got promoted to captain). 

On My Block

Final episode aired: Oct. 4

Netflix's stellar coming-of-age dramedy On My Block, about a group of Black and Latinx teenagers in South Central Los Angeles, ended in October following its fourth season. The critically beloved series blended charming humor and heartfelt adolescent relationships with the stark realities of growing up in a crime-ridden neighborhood where gang violence is part of life. The final season continued that, with the kids experiencing heartbreaking tragedies and success.

Money Heist

Final episode aired: Dec. 3

This incredibly popular and International Emmy Award-winning crime drama returned for its fifth and final season in 2021, with the second half of the episodes — the series' final episodes — capping off the year in January. The sexy, action-packed Spanish-language series follows eight thieving misfits who set out to execute masterful heists in Spain. The series was such a hit internationally that a Korean adaptation has been commissioned, as has a spin-off focusing on the character of Berlin.

Dickinson

Final episode aired: Dec. 24

Apple TV+ closed the book on its stylish, anachronistic take on the life of Emily Dickinson. Dickinson, which starred Hailee Steinfeld as the young poet, ended after its third season, which came to a close on Christmas Eve. The Peabody Award-winning dramedy was beloved by critics, who praised the series' eloquence as it married poignant history and modern sensibility.

Insecure

Final episode aired: Dec. 26

After its critically acclaimed run on HBO, Issa Rae's sharp comedy came to a close with its fifth season, which wrapped up on Dec. 26. Insecure took a more serious turn in Season 4 with its gutting depiction of the deteriorating relationship between Issa (Rae) and her best friend Molly (Yvonne Orji), and spent much of Season 5 repairing things between all the friends by getting things out in the open before the final sendoff. A documentary on the final season, Insecure: The End, was released right after the series' run.

READ MORE: All the TV Shows That Ended in 2021