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Canceled TV shows: Why 'The Mindy Project' or 'The Following' may actually return

Streaming services looking to boost their profiles like Netflix and Yahoo Screen brought back critically beloved shows like 'Arrested Development' and 'Community.' Could 'The Mindy Project" or "The Following" return? 

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Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP
'The Following' stars Kevin Bacon.

It’s that time of year when networks announce which TV shows will be coming back and which will be gone from their channel forever. And some fans aren’t happy with the fact that shows like “The Mindy Project” and “The Following” won’t be moving forward. 

But it may not be goodbye, as different channels or streaming services may step up to continue a TV show canceled by a big network like Fox or NBC. 

Shows jumping over to a different network after being canceled by one is nothing new – programs as far back as “Leave It To Beaver” and “My Three Sons,” which starred actor Fred MacMurray, did it (“Leave” went from CBS to ABC, while “Sons” did the reverse).

But these days, fans of a critically beloved show have even more reason to hope because there are streaming networks which think they can bolster their visibility by hosting a high-profile show. “Arrested Development,” the comedy that aired on Fox from 2003 to 2006, was brought back by Netflix when the streaming service was making a name for itself. “Community,” the critically-acclaimed but perennially low-rated NBC sitcom, was canceled by NBC in 2014 but is now airing on Yahoo Screen. The New York Times writer Mike Hale went so far as to say that funny scenes in the new version of the show make it “worth the effort of finding Yahoo Screen.”

Looking for another channel or streaming service to pick up your favorite show doesn’t always work out – of the many TV shows recently canceled, only a few, like “Mindy,” “Following,” and the NBC program “Constantine,” are being shopped around to other distributors. And Entertainment Weekly writer James Hibberd recently tweeted,

But if a show is high-profile and critically beloved like “Mindy,” fans could have reason to hope. Los Angeles Times writer Yvonne Villarreal noted that if Hulu, which reportedly is in negotiations to get “Mindy,” did go ahead with new seasons of the show, “Scoring a name like [Mindy] Kaling would also keep the new-found momentum going for Hulu, often viewed as the underdog in the video streaming world. The streaming service has been working hard to establish its brand." 

Getting well-known TV shows on their platforms is a win for streaming services, it’s a win for those behind the show who can continue to create it, and it’s a win for fans who get to keep watching their favorite programs.

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