🔗 Share this article This Floating Excrement Was Way Too Symbolic! These Are the Television Disappointments of the Past Year. Looking back, we reflect on the television landscape of the recent year, a handful of shows stand out not for their excellence, but for their notable failures. From awkward sequels to confusingly bad docuseries, here are the productions that had us utterly bewildered or just reaching for the remote. And Just Like That Where to begin with this love/hate follow-up? Burdened with woeful writing, painful arcs (justice for Miranda!), and a paltry 71 seconds of fan-favourite Samantha, the series struggled to justify its existence. Briefly, as the third series started, it looked like it had finally found its groove. Then arrived an installment centered on Seema’s natural deodorant. No wonder the creator announced this would be the last series. It ended on a bum note; the lingering shot of Miranda’s toilet full of poo was simply too on-the-nose. Still, viewers certainly found joy picking apart every single “what on earth?” episode. And as Carrie – a single woman once more – danced around her sprawling townhouse to Barry White, who couldn't release a small sob? All’s Fair ‘Can Kim Kardashian act? Of course she can’t.’ But that was almost the smallest of this show's issues. The subject of a very rare zero star assessment, it was difficult to know where to begin enumerating the problems. The laughably leaden dialogue? The tedious glorification of wealth and materialism? The seemingly deliberate procession of cliches? Performances so poor they felt borderline spiteful? Let’s just say “all of the above” and forget about this series again. However, a second season has been ordered, so we’re likely going to have to. AKA Charlie Sheen Given the restraining orders, abuse claims and parental shortcomings, it’s reasonable to say Charlie Sheen has been a troubled figure. Not you’d really have known it from this multi-part docuseries which smirked its way at Sheen’s various episodes of reckless hedonism while failing to tell us a single thing we weren't already aware of. Instead, it felt as if this volatile personality was being pandered to, so any sympathy this series might evoke should be reserved for the people who have had to suffer close contact with this charming but flippant narcissist. The Supercomputer Drama Of course we understood it was ridiculous from the outset: a drama about a supercomputer known as Charlie Big Potatoes that could either save the world – or annihilate all of humanity. We persevered out of sheer love for its stars … but by the end, it felt like even they had given up trying. One scarcely reacted when his character died, and the other ended up slicing Charlie with an axe … in painfully slow-motion. That's what you call admitting defeat. The Gangster Drama Dodgy characters convening in empty boxing gyms? A certain band's Firestarter jackhammering away in club scenes? The late 90s called and wants its gangland drama back. In truth, that is harsh on the crime shows of the late 90s. Many seem a bit old-fashioned now, but at least they didn’t suffer the embarrassment of having to accommodate unconvincing accents. But there were many other problems. Primarily that it was just really dull; a dispute over drug-selling territory between various London rogues which felt a bit basic. With Love, Meghan Given the degree to which she grinds the gears of certain ostentatiously angry commentators, it’s almost tempting to admire the Duchess of Sussex’s televised ventures into twee homemaking as intentional statements. But then you view them and are compelled to admit that actually, they might have a point. It’s like watching a lifestyle magazine come to life; a meme for wine o’clock with ideas of grandeur; a procession of snoozing dogs, humming beehives, sentimental platitudes and pointless crafting “hacks” you’ll not remember instantly. All supported by vast, largely unearned wealth. Ugh. The Beckham Documentary There are clearly fascinating things to be discussed about both Victoria Beckham and her journey with vocation, identity, self-worth. But for whatever reason, this three-part series opted not to say them. Rather, the experience was like consuming a sales catalogue. She obviously has every right to resent what she describes as her “miserable cow” image. But sadly, she didn’t do herself any favours with this guarded letdown of a series. The Inheritance It should have been the next cultural phenomenon – except even camper, with a famous star as a deceased benefactor and a sharp-tongued personality overseeing her inheritance. What more could you want? As players competed, there was plenty of betrayal and squabbling. But the rules quickly became bewildering: it’s even now too confusing to detail what exactly was happening. Even more disappointingly, we only saw brief appearances of the star via prerecorded videos. The show ended up smelling of a programme that was straining desperately to emulate something far greater than it. Too Much How do you succeed a show that captured a generation? The expectation was enormous for this starry romcom about Jessica, a hopeful New Yorker who arrives in London with a shattered romance. The lead actress seized the opportunity by the horns and was a delight to watch, reveling in Austen levels of romantic notions. But it was all very glossy and, ironically, was not enough. Plus, the sheer amount of famous cameos involved felt uncomfortable. The Sketch Show Return Not good enough to be ‘patchy’. Given the smart inclusion of gifted younger comics, expectations were high. But unhappily, most of it didn’t land. A recurring sketch was a one-note joke stretched to a husk but repeated in every episode. One star seemed too ready to slip into a well-known ranting mode. The writing room sketches, meanwhile, simply provoked the idea that they should probably have stayed in there a bit longer. The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox This dramatisation of the story of Amanda Knox was executive produced by Amanda Knox and pretty much exclusively presented the perspective of Amanda Knox. So, while there undoubtedly is an compelling drama to be made about the tragic 2007 murder, this was not it. The subject matter needed to be handled sensitively. Rather, the series laboured awkwardly to find the right voice, lumbering from strangely breezy, slightly mannered farce to ultimately, real-life horror. Complex? Arguably. A complete mess? Very much so. The Maths Genius Thriller We admire the star … but did we buy him playing the greatest maths genius since, a man so intelligent he’s on the verge of a discovery that could ruin society? No! This globe-trotting thriller about secret services targeting – and eliminating – academics honestly got more absurd by the second. Silliness-by-numbers. 1000 Men and Me: The Bonnie Blue Story This hagiography followed the online personality notorious for explicit exploits as she prepared for her most extreme feat yet. What on earth would possess her? What we wanted was way more examination of her actual psyche, plus those of the men in the queue. They could at least have interviewed the legendary mum who showed up to drag her son away from the queue. What we got was disturbing shots and zero critical analysis of her infamy whatsoever. And to think, the documentary-maker has a teenage daughter too.