As fans continue to mourn canceled shows of 2025, it’s time to look back at the biggest cancellations from 20 years ago.
2005 saw an impressive number of shows ending, and a lot of them were actually pretty big shows.
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It’s always sad saying goodbye to your favorite show, and no matter how much time has passed, that pain remains. It’s hard to believe that it’s been 20 years since 2005, meaning that it’s been two decades since some big shows such as JAG and Everybody Loves Raymond came to an end. And they’re not the only ones.
8 Simple Rules
The John Ritter and Katey Sagal-led sitcom premiered on ABC in 2002 and focused on middle-class parents raising their three children. 8 Simple Rules also starred Kaley Cuoco, Amy Davidson, and Martin Spanjers. After Ritter’s death in 2003, the series added James Garner and David Spade to the cast, but ABC canceled the show in May 2005 after three seasons due to low ratings.
Everybody Loves Raymond
As one of the most beloved sitcoms in the ‘90s, Everybody Loves Raymond ran for nine seasons and just over 200 episodes, premiering in 1996. It centered on the day-to-day life of Italian-American Raymond “Ray” Barone, a sportswriter living with his family on Long Island. Considering the positive ratings each season, it’s unknown what ultimately led to the CBS sitcom’s end, but perhaps it was time.
Grounded for Life
Grounded for Life was canceled twice throughout its run. The sitcom premiered on Fox in 2001 and centered on an Irish Catholic couple living on Staten Island with their three children. Although Fox renewed the series for a 13-episode third season, the network delayed the series’ return after only airing the first two episodes of the season. The WB picked up Grounded for Life instead, with three more episodes airing on Fox in late 2002, followed by the remainder of the season on The WB starting in early 2003. After the fifth season, the network canceled the show.
JAG
Before NCIS, there was JAG. The series follows judge advocates in the Department of the Navy’s Office of the Judge Advocate General in D.C. It premiered in 1995 on NBC, but was actually canceled after one season due to ratings, but CBS picked it up in December 1996. The show ran for nine seasons on the Eye network and spawned NCIS, which started off as a two-part backdoor pilot during Season 8, which, in turn, spawned a whole universe. JAG eventually came to an end in April 2005 after lead David James Elliott left the show at the end of Season 10.
My Wife and Kids
ABC sitcom My Wife and Kids premiered in 2001 and ran for five seasons before ultimately ending. Starring Damon Wayans, who co-created the series, it centered on an upper-middle-class African American family, led by patriarch Michael Kyle Sr., who owns and operates his own trucking company. Just like with Everybody Loves Raymond, there doesn’t seem to be a reason given for My Wife and Kids ending, so it’s possible it was just decided five seasons was enough.
NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue premiered in 1993, ending in 2005 after 12 seasons. It was ABC’s longest-running primetime one-hour drama series until being surpassed by Grey’s Anatomy in 2016. The show depicted the lives of detectives in the 15th squad in New York, and despite some controversy, such as nudity and raw language, it still managed to air for over 10 seasons, as it received much critical acclaim.
Star Trek: Enterprise
Continuing the Star Trek franchise following Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Enterprise premiered in 2001 on UPN. It’s set in the 22nd century, a hundred years before the events of The Original Series, and follows the adventures of the Enterprise, Earth’s first starship capable of traveling at warp five. Although the show ran for four seasons, it was initially considered for cancellation at the end of the second season, but Paramount executives requested a number of improvements after getting letters from fans. The show was eventually canceled after its fourth season, which ended in May 2005.