BBC Two might have ordered more of the sitcom Cradle to Grave back in 2015, but three years on and a second series is yet to emerge. In fact, it might never arrive on our screens.
With Peter Kay – who played Spud – having cancelled all upcoming work projects due to "unforeseen family circumstances", the series is currently "in limbo" according to its creator Danny Baker.
If Cradle to Grave does disappear entirely, it wouldn't be the first show to nab a renewal then get cancelled anyway. It happens more often than you think, and for a variety of reasons...
1. Vinyl
HBO's 1970s-set drama – starring Bobby Cannavale as record executive Richie Finestra – had a seriously good pedigree: Terence Winter (Boardwalk Empire, The Sopranos) served as showrunner on the first season, with Martin Scorsese directing the pilot episode and Mick Jagger on board as executive producer to provide authenticity.
But while it had everything going for it, reviews and ratings for Vinyl weren't what HBO had been hoping for and head of programming Casey Bloys later acknowledged that the series "didn't land" with audiences.
Despite this, it was originally granted a second season. With Winter out as series boss, plans were made for a dramatic overhaul before HBO decided to reverse its decision and just cut its losses instead. "With limited resources, we didn't think the retooling was worth the producers' time," Bloys confessed.
2. Shane
"There must be something better than this!" yelped Frank Skinner in the theme song to his short-lived ITV sitcom, which failed to impress audiences in 2004. ITV agreed, it seems, declining to air a second series even though it had already been shot and was ready to transmit.
It was allegedly a contract dispute between Skinner and the channel that killed Shane. With no broadcast or home-media release, the completed footage was left to collect dust in ITV's vault.
3. Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
Heartbreaking news for fans of the '90s Supes series: ABC actually ordered a fifth season while the fourth was still on the air, but when ratings dipped severely, the network reversed its decision and cancelled Lois & Clark.
Hence why the series ends on a cliffhanger, with a mystery baby dropped on Clark and Lois's doorstep. Since the decision to drop the show was so last-minute, ABC had to make up its commitment to Warner Bros with another commission, green-lighting 13 episodes of a short-lived sci-fi series called Prey starring a pre-Will & Grace Debra Messing.
4. Hindsight
Hindsight, a VH1 original series, because those apparently exist, starred Laura Ramsey as Becca, who's transported back in time to 1995 and works to correct the mistakes of her past.
The sci-fi rom-com, which aired in early 2015, earned a cult following passionate enough to earn it a second season, which was announced in March of that year.
But five months later and VH1 corrected what it saw as a past mistake of its own, abandoning plans for more episodes. "In this overcrowded and rapidly changing climate, we need to carve out VH1's distinct place in the scripted marketplace and deliver the biggest audiences possible for our series," a statement read. "As a result, we're no longer moving forward with a second season."
5. The Brink
Another casualty from HBO – The Brink starred Jack Black and Tim Robbins and brought us a comic take on a geopolitical crisis in Pakistan. It was maybe not the easiest sell, with critics offering a mixed reception to a satire that most agreed wasn't quite sharp enough.
The original plan was for The Brink to be a semi-anthology, following the same characters as they tackled a different crisis, in a different part of the world, each season.
One month after its June premiere, the series earned an early renewal... perhaps too early, as HBO later went back on its earlier promise. "We unfortunately decided we cannot give The Brink the attention it deserves," the cabler said, like an overwhelmed parent.
6. The Lost World
No, not the disappointing Jurassic Park sequel, but a TV series based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's 1912 novel about a band of adventurers who find a "lost" world, isolated from modern society. (Loosely based, that is – we don't recall any ladies in skimpy jungle outfits in Conan Doyle's original tome.)
Airing from 1999 to 2002, the series ended on a cliffhanger (complete with 'To Be Continued' caption!) since the writers and producers had apparently been promised another season ahead of time.
But it never materialised. Reasons for The Lost World's sudden surprise axing are murky, but reportedly there were issues getting more episodes financed. So the fourth season ended up... well... lost.
7. Baby Blues
The WB's Baby Blues, based on the popular comic strip, went the way of Shane – it produced an entire second season that was never aired.
An adult animation looking to cash in on the success of The Simpsons and Family Guy, the series brought us the exploits of parents Daryl and Wanda and their three kids.
Though its first season spanned 13 episodes, Baby Blues aired just eight of those before it got canned. The remaining five would finally get an outing on Adult Swim in 2002, though the 13 additional episodes produced for season 2 have never emerged.
8. Luck
HBO again! But there was a very good reason for shutting down Luck, a troubled series fronted by Dustin Hoffman.
This prestige drama from Deadwood creator David Milch was set in the high-stakes world of horse racing and earned an early renewal (are you seeing a pattern here?) shortly after the first episode aired.
The second, 10-part season was planned to launch in January 2013, until concerns over animal welfare saw Luck fall at the first hurdle. Three horses ended up losing their lives during shooting, which prompted HBO to pull the plug.
It wasn't a cheap decision to axe the series, by all accounts – with the abrupt decision reportedly costing HBO $35 million (£21.6m). Never has a TV show's title felt more ironic.
