🔗 Share this article This Floating Excrement Was Way Too Symbolic! These Are the Television Letdowns of the Past Year. Looking back, we reflect on the TV landscape of the past year, a selection of series stand out not for their brilliance, but for their spectacular failures. From awkward sequels to bafflingly poor docuseries, here are the programmes that left us scratching our heads or just reaching for the remote. And Just Like That Where to begin with this love/hate follow-up? Plagued with dreadful writing, cringe-inducing arcs (justice for Miranda!), and a mere 71 seconds of beloved Samantha, the show fought to find its footing. For a moment, as the final series began, it seemed as if it had at last found its groove. Then arrived an episode centered on Seema’s natural deodorant. Little surprise the creator announced this would be the last season. It concluded on a bum note; the closeup of Miranda’s toilet flooded with poo was just way too on-the-nose. Still, viewers undeniably found joy dissecting every single “wtf?” moment. And as Carrie – once again single – danced around her sprawling townhouse to Barry White, who didn’t release a small sob? All’s Fair ‘Can Kim Kardashian act? Of course she can’t.’ But that was almost the least of this drama's issues. The subject of a exceedingly uncommon zero star review, it was difficult to know where to begin listing the problems. The laughably leaden dialogue? The mind-numbing veneration of affluence and consumption? The seemingly deliberate parade of tropes? Performances so bad they felt almost spiteful? Let’s just say “each and every one” and never speak of this series again. Except, a second season has been ordered, so we’re probably going to have to. AKA Charlie Sheen Given the legal troubles, abuse allegations and parental failures, it’s reasonable to say Charlie Sheen has been a troubled figure. Not you’d truly have gleaned it from this multi-part docuseries which chuckled along at Sheen’s various episodes of reckless excess while struggling to tell us anything we weren't already aware of. Rather, it felt as if this loose cannon was being indulged, so any pity this series might induce should be reserved for the people who have had to suffer proximity with this charming but flippant narcissist. The Iris Affair Naturally we understood it was ridiculous from the outset: a thriller 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 cared when his character died, and the other ultimately slicing Charlie with an axe … in painfully slow-motion. That's what you call giving up the ghost. MobLand Shady figures meeting in deserted boxing gyms? The Prodigy’s Firestarter blaring in club scenes? The late 90s called and wants its gangland drama back. In truth, that is harsh on the gangland dramas of the late 90s. Many look a little dated now, but at least they didn’t suffer the ignominy of having to accommodate baffling dialects. But there were many other problems. Primarily that it was just really dull; a conflict over narcotics territory between various London rogues which seemed rather simplistic. With Love, Meghan Given the extent to which she provokes the ire of certain ostentatiously angry commentators, it’s temptingly easy to applaud the Duchess of Sussex’s various forays into quaint homemaking as deliberate statements. But then you view them and are compelled to admit that in this case, they might have a point. It’s like watching a homeware catalogue animated; a meme for wine o’clock with ideas of grandeur; a parade of snoozing dogs, humming beehives, Hallmark sayings and pointless crafting “tips” you’ll not remember instantly. All supported by immense, largely undeserved wealth. Ugh. Victoria Beckham There are clearly interesting things to be said about both Victoria Beckham and her struggles with career, self-image, self-worth. But for whatever reason, this documentary series chose not to explore them. Instead, the experience was like reading a marketing catalogue. She clearly has good reason to resent what she describes as her “miserable cow” image. But unfortunately, she didn’t do herself any favours with this guarded letdown of a series. The Game Show It had the potential to be the next cultural phenomenon – except even camper, with a glamorous star as a deceased benefactor and a well-known personality overseeing her estate. What more could you ask for? As players battled it out, there was plenty of backstabbing and arguing. But the rules quickly became bewildering: it’s still too complicated to explain what precisely was happening. Even more regrettably, we only saw brief appearances of the star via prerecorded videos. The show ended up smelling of a programme that was trying way too hard to emulate something way beyond it. The Lena Dunham Romcom How does one succeed a show that captured a generation? The pressure was immense for this glitzy romantic comedy about Jessica, a rosy-eyed New Yorker who lands in London with a shattered romance. The lead actress seized the opportunity by the horns and was a delight to watch, embodying Jane Austen levels of romantic ideals. But it was all very glossy and, paradoxically, was not enough. Plus, the sheer amount of celebrity cameos involved felt icky. Mitchell & Webb Are Not Helping Not even good enough to be ‘uneven’. Given the smart inclusion of gifted younger comics, hopes were high. But sadly, most of it fell flat. A recurring sketch was a single joke milked to a dry pulp but recurring in every episode. One star seemed too ready to slip into a familiar irate mode. The behind-the-scenes sketches, meanwhile, simply inspired the thought that they should probably have stayed in there a while longer. The Knox Dramatisation This dramatisation of the story of Amanda Knox was overseen by Amanda Knox and pretty much exclusively presented the perspective of Amanda Knox. So, while there probably is an compelling drama to be made about the tragic 2007 murder, this isn’t it. The subject matter needed to be handled sensitively. Instead, the series struggled painfully to find the right voice, lurching from strangely breezy, somewhat mannered farce to inevitably, real-life horror. Twisted? Perhaps. A total mess? Absolutely. The Maths Genius Thriller We love the lead actor … but did we buy him playing the most brilliant maths genius since, a man so smart he’s on the verge of a discovery that could destabilise society? No! This globe-trotting thriller about secret services spying on – and killing off – academics frankly got more farcical by the second. Silliness-by-numbers. 1000 Men and Me: The Bonnie Blue Story This uncritical portrait followed the content creator renowned for explicit escapades as she prepared for her biggest feat yet. What on earth would motivate her? What we wanted was far greater examination of her true psychology, plus those of the men in the queue. They could at least have interviewed the legendary mum who appeared to drag her son away from the queue. What we got was horrific imagery and zero critical analysis of her notoriety whatsoever. And to think, the documentary-maker has a teenage daughter too.