Joseph Fiennes' Michael Jackson Episode Isn't Alone: 7 More TV Projects That Never Ma…

Just because a show has been filmed and edited doesn’t mean it gets to see the light of day.

Earlier this week, fans and family members of Michael Jackson voiced their outrage over Joseph Fiennes‘ upcoming episode of Urban Myths centered around the King of Pop.

A petition to boycott the episode was launched and drew more than 20,000 signatures. In addition, Paris Jackson, Taj Jackson and others close to the performer expressed their disgust at the pictures of Joseph playing the “Beat It” singer.

As it turns out, the big wigs heard the concerns loud and clear and decided to take action before it was too late.

“We have taken the decision not to broadcast Elizabeth, Michael and Marlon, a half-hour episode from the Sky Arts Urban Myths series, in light of the concerns expressed by Michael Jackson’s immediate family,” said Sky Arts. “We set out to take a lighthearted look at reportedly true events and never intended to cause any offense. Joseph Fiennes fully supports our decision.”

The latest cancellation got us thinking of the many other shows that didn’t get to have one episode aired because of drama, conflicts or perhaps just lack of interest. Take a look at some of the few below.

1. Flip It Forward

David Benham and twin brother Jason Benham were expected to star in the HGTV show. Unfortunately, the greenlit series was abruptly canceled in the wake of viewers concerned about the pair’s history of controversial anti-gay and anti-abortion activism. “Over the last decade, we’ve sold thousands of homes with the guiding principle of producing value and breathing life into each family that has crossed our path, and we do not, nor will we ever discriminate against people who do not share our views,” the brothers later shared in a statement. 

2. Heads Up

The popular app produced by Ellen DeGeneres was set to become its own game show on HLN. Loni Love was set to host and more than 60 episodes were completed. Ultimately, the cable network decided to keep news as their main focus for programming.

3. NASCAR Wives

In the midst of Real Housewives, Basketball Wives and Mob Wives, TLC had hopes of making NASCAR Wives a thing. The docu-soap was expected to follow the lives of several wives of prominent NASCAR drivers. While the exact reason as to why the show never aired remains a secret, reports say NASCAR wasn’t crazy about having their cast members fight and possibly be shown in a negative light. On reality TV? Never!

4. Ev and Ocho

On the heels of Basketball Wives‘ success, VH1 hoped to find another hit with Evelyn Lozada and her NFL wide receiver husband Chad “Ocho Cinco” Johnson. While 11 episodes taped, fans didn’t get to see one after the couple’s domestic dispute three weeks before the premiere.

5. Untitled Michael Sam Series

Oprah Winfrey‘s television network was planning to follow Michael Sam (the first openly gay NFL player) through rookie camp as he tried to earn a spot on the St. Louis Rams. OWN ultimately put the project on indefinite hold to give Sam a chance to work without distraction. “After careful consideration and discussion with the St. Louis Rams, The Untitled Michael Sam Project has been postponed, allowing Michael the best opportunity to achieve his dreams of making the team,” OWN said in a statement.

6. Liza and David

After months of hype, VH1 canceled the series that was set to feature weekly dinner parties with Liza Minnelli and David Guest. “We’ve made the decision not to move forward with the Liza & David show on VH1,” the network said. “Although we continue to believe that Liza is an amazing talent, we were not given the cooperation that we were promised.” The first dinner party had already been filmed with guests Liz Smith, Sandra Bernhard, Isaac Mizrahi, Lynn Wyatt, Cynthia McFadden and Dominick Dunne.

7. Welcome to the Neighborhood

The ABC reality series that pushed hot buttons of racism and anti-homosexuality was pulled by the network before its debut. “Welcome to the Neighborhood demonstrates what happens when people are forced to confront preconceived notions of what makes a good neighbor,” the network said. “However, the fact that true change only happens over time made the episodic nature of this series challenging, and given the sensitivity of the subject matter in early episodes we have decided not to air the series at this time.”