TV shows that were rejected before becoming smash hits

'Squid Game' (2021)

The creator of 'Squid Game,' Hwang Dong-hyuk, wrote the world's most famous TV show of 2021 back in 2008, when it was imagined as a film script, and finished the first draft in 2009. It took the writer and director nearly six months to write the first two episodes alone, but it was rejected by studios for a decade.

In 2021, the show became no.1 in 90 countries, and it has become the most-watched show in Netflix history. It's reportedly worth almost US$900 million in impact value, according to documents reviewed by Bloomberg.

'The Queen's Gambit' (2020)

A slated film version was reportedly cut short by the tragic death of Heath Ledger, who was set to direct. TV networks then rejected the show, as they believed that nobody would be interested in a dull subject matter like chess.

'The Sopranos' (1999-2007)

It's hard to imagine 'The Sopranos' on a network other than HBO since the show made HBO famous, but writer and producer David Chase had first pitched the show to other networks, including CBS. Interestingly, it wasn't the violence or explicit language that was their problem, but the fact that Tony was in therapy, as they wanted a more straightforward mob drama.

HBO gave Chase the freedom to make the show as he wanted, and the series picked up numerous awards. It's also credited with changing the entire landscape of television viewership in the 2000s!

'Desperate Housewives' (2004-2012)

So, Cherry took the show to ABC, a network that had been struggling after several years of bad programming. ABC decided to develop it, and it was the best decision they could have made. The show was a smash hit and brought their ratings way up.

'Breaking Bad' (2008-2013)

But HBO passed, and they were reportedly so uninterested in the idea that they didn't even bother sending a formal rejection. FX and Showtime also rejected the series on the grounds that it was too similar to other shows that were airing at the time. TNT was apparently worried about greenlighting a story about a teacher turned meth producer.

'The Office' (2005-2013)

Though the UK version had garnered a lot of positive attention, executive producer Ben Silverman had a very difficult time getting the American version made. The show was actually rejected by numerous American networks until Kevin Reilly at NBC took a chance on it.

'The Walking Dead' (2010-2022)

You would think that a series based on a popular comic book which also incorporated reliably interesting zombies would have been fought over by networks, but executive producer Frank Darabont was actually turned down several times by various networks.

'The Big Bang Theory' (2007-2019)

Though the show was eventually picked up by CBS and became one of its best-known hits, the network had also previously rejected it. The reason being that the original pilot was much different, featuring two female characters and one nerd. CBS passed, but producers noted how fans liked the characters of Sheldon and Leonard.

'Stranger Things' (2016-present)

NBC, ABC, CBS, FX, TNT, USA, Fox, CW, and more made up the 15-20 networks that passed on the smash hit series when the Duffer brothers tried to sell it. They were told viewers wouldn't be interested in young kids, or the '80s setting.

'Mad Men' (2007-2015)

Creator of the show Matthew Weiner originally pitched it to HBO and Showtime, but the networks reportedly felt it was too "retro." Of course, that's part of what makes 'Mad Men' so great to viewers now.

'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' (1997-2003)

Joss Whedon's first stab at Buffy, a 1992 film starring Kristy Swanson, didn't impress anyone, and Whedon only continued with the series concept because producer Gail Berman convinced him there was potential there.

'Orange Is the New Black' (2013-2019)

This series changed the way people watched TV by dropping the full season all at once, plus it shone an iconic new light on the prison population. But creator Jenji Kohan initially struggled to find anyone to pick it up.

'South Park' (1997-present)

When Trey Parker and Matt Stone pitched their 'South Park' pilot 'The Spirit of Christmas' to Fox and MTV, they were immediately rejected on the basis that the show wouldn't appeal to adults with its child protagonists, and that it wasn't diverse enough.