Network TV axes have been flying left and right over the last 48 hours. ABC, Fox, and others have canceled several existing shows and passed on a number of projects to make room for their new series pick-ups. At NBC, some of the most devastating news is with today’s cancellations of Community and Revolution.

NBC announced today that they were cutting Community one season short of fans’ plea for six seasons and a movie. Revolution, on the other hand, has only lasted two seasons. There hasn’t been any comment yet from NBC brass as to why, specifically, they’ve dropped both series, but it’s probably somewhere between ratings not meeting expectations from the network, transitioning to new branding, and operating at too much of a cost to justifiably keep going. Sure, those are typical reasons why networks cancel their shows, but Community defied many of those by staying around as long as it did, despite, at times, scoring low ratings.

If it’s any consolation, think about these NBC cancellations like so: though Community and Revolution are gone, NBC is renewing Hannibal, which somehow gets away with being the type of wonderfully dark hour-long drama that you’d normally only get away with on cable. For two seasons, Hannibal has quietly amassed a great portfolio of critical acclaim. Perhaps it’s not the trade you want to make, but NBC could do much worse than keeping Hannibal in exchange for Community and Revolution.

Also, note that Arrested Development, Futurama, and The Comeback have been brought back from the dead, and Community definitely fits the profile for a cult comedy series to be revived. All you have to do is add 7-10 years and a cable network or online streaming giant, then cross your fingers that you won’t just have to watch DVD box sets over and over.

HT: Variety