Gone too soon. From Zoey 101 to Victorious to Sam & Cat, so many iconic teen shows were cancelled way before viewers were ready to say goodbye. Keep reading for an explanation on the reason behind their abrupt endings.
Zoey 101 is a classic example of a hit show gone too soon. Starring Jamie Lynn Spears, Victoria Justice, Matthew Underwood, Paul Butcher, Sean Flynn, Erin Sanders and Christopher Massey, the Nickelodeon fan-favorite followed a group of friends who attended the fictitious Pacific Coast Academy boarding school.
The series, which aired from 2005 to 2008, left off with a major cliffhanger in the season 4 finale, breaking the hearts of viewers everywhere when it was announced the show had ended in May 2008.
For years, fans blamed Jamie’s pregnancy in 2007 for the show’s cancellation, but she’s since set the record straight. In January 2019, the actress shared a since-deleted Instagram post to celebrate the show’s 14th anniversary. In the caption, she included “#itdidNOTendbecauseofpregnancy” and “#contractwasfinished,” per Bustle.
Jamie further discussed the reason for the show’s end during an interview with NYLON in October 2020.
“I didn’t become pregnant until probably six months after we wrapped or something like that, but some of the episodes had not aired yet,” she explained. “I think that there was a conversation with Nickelodeon, rightfully so, of, ‘Do we air these episodes?’ But the show had already wrapped and there was never a negotiation to go into any more seasons. We were too old. It was done.”
Another show that ended far, far earlier than expected was the iCarly and Victorious spinoff called Sam & Cat, which starred Ariana Grande and Jennette McCurdy, and ended after only two seasons.
The drama came to a head when production went on hiatus in April 2014, shortly after Jennette decided not to attend the Kids’ Choice Awards amid reports that Ariana was receiving a significantly higher salary than her. The “Dangerous Woman” singer denied the rumors via Twitter.
“Jennette and I agreed upfront that we would be treated equally on this show in all regards (as we should be, considering we each work just as hard as the other on this show),” Ariana wrote at the time.
However, Nickelodeon would then go on to cancel the show in July 2014.
Jennette, for her part, chatted with fans via Reddit in 2014 and told them, “I left Nickelodeon recently because I needed to move forward with my life.” The actress, who has since quit acting, released a book called I’m Glad My Mom Died in 2022, which detailed the psychological abuse by her mother during her child stardom years.
Scroll through the gallery below to see a list of teen shows that ended too quickly, and the reason why.
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