🔗 Share this article That Drifting Poo Was Way Too Meaningful! These Are the Television Letdowns of the Past Year. Looking back, we reflect on the television offerings of the recent year, a selection of shows stand out not for their brilliance, but for their spectacular shortcomings. From cringe-inducing spin-offs to confusingly poor documentaries, here are the productions that had us utterly bewildered or simply reaching for the remote. And Just Like That Where to begin with this divisive spin-off? Plagued with woeful scripts, painful arcs (we demand better for Miranda!), and a paltry 71 seconds of fan-favourite Samantha, the series struggled to find its footing. Briefly, as the third series started, it looked like it had at last hit its stride. Then arrived an episode centered on Seema’s natural deodorant. No wonder the creator declared this would be the last series. It ended on a low point; the lingering shot of Miranda’s toilet full of poo was simply too on-the-nose. Yet, viewers undeniably had a hoot picking apart every single “wtf?” moment. And as Carrie – a single woman once more – danced around her palatial townhouse to Barry White, who couldn't let out a little sob? All’s Fair ‘Is Kim Kardashian an actress? Of course she can’t.’ But that was almost the least of this show's issues. The recipient of a exceedingly uncommon zero star review, it was hard to know where to begin listing the flaws. The laughably leaden writing? The mind-numbing glorification of wealth and materialism? The seemingly deliberate procession of tropes? Acting so poor they felt borderline spiteful? Suffice it to say “all of the above” and forget about this show again. However, a new season has been commissioned, so we’re probably going to have to. The Charlie Sheen Documentary Given the legal troubles, domestic violence allegations and parental failures, it’s reasonable to say Charlie Sheen has been a bad boy. Not you’d really have known it from this three-part documentary which smirked its way at Sheen’s various episodes of reckless hedonism while struggling to tell us a single thing we weren't already aware of. Rather, it felt as if this volatile personality was being indulged, so any sympathy this show might evoke should be saved for the people who have had to suffer close contact with this charismatic but dismissive narcissist. The Supercomputer Drama Of course we knew it was preposterous from the outset: a thriller about a AI known as Charlie Big Potatoes that could either solve global crises – or destroy all of humanity. We persevered out of pure admiration 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 hacking Charlie with an axe … in super slow-motion. Talk about admitting defeat. MobLand Shady figures convening in deserted boxing gyms? A certain band's Firestarter blaring in club scenes? The late 90s called and demands its gangland drama back. Actually, that is harsh on the crime shows of the late 90s. Many seem a little old-fashioned now, but at least they didn’t suffer the ignominy of having to indulge unconvincing accents. But there were plenty of other issues. Primarily that it was just really dull; a dispute over drug-selling territory between various London picaresques which felt rather simplistic. The Meghan Markle Series Considering the degree to which she grinds the gears of the nation’s ostentatiously angry commentators, it’s temptingly tempting to applaud the Duchess of Sussex’s televised ventures into quaint lifestyle as intentional statements. But then you view them and are forced to concede that actually, they might have a point. It’s like watching a lifestyle magazine come to life; a meme for evening drinks 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 immense, largely undeserved wealth. Ugh. The Beckham Documentary There are clearly fascinating things to be discussed about regarding Victoria Beckham and her struggles with vocation, identity, self-acceptance. But for whatever reason, this three-part series chose not to say them. Instead, the experience was akin to consuming a marketing brochure. She obviously has good reason to resent what she describes as her “miserable cow” image. But sadly, she failed to do herself any favours with this cagey non-event of a series. The Inheritance It had the potential to be the next big hit – except even camper, with a famous star as a deceased benefactor and a sharp-tongued personality overseeing her inheritance. What more could you ask for? As players competed, there was plenty of backstabbing and arguing. But the rules quickly became incomprehensible: it’s still too complicated to detail what precisely was happening. Even more regrettably, we only saw brief appearances of the star via filmed videos. The series ended up smelling of a production that was trying way too hard to emulate something way beyond it. The Lena Dunham Romcom How do you succeed a show that captured a generation? The expectation was enormous for this starry romcom about Jessica, a rosy-eyed New Yorker who arrives in London with a shattered romance. The star seized the opportunity by the horns and was a delight to watch, embodying Jane Austen levels of romantic notions. But it was all very glossy and, ironically, was insufficient. Plus, the abundance of celebrity cameos involved felt icky. Mitchell & Webb Are Not Helping Not good enough to be ‘uneven’. Given the shrewd inclusion of gifted younger comics, expectations were high. But unhappily, most of it didn’t land. 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 well-known irate mode. The writing room sketches, in contrast, simply provoked the thought that they should probably have remained in there a bit longer. The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox This retelling of the story of Amanda Knox was executive produced by Amanda Knox and pretty much solely presented the viewpoint of Amanda Knox. So, while there undoubtedly is an interesting drama to be made about the tragic 2007 murder, this was not it. The subject matter needed to be treated with care. Instead, the series laboured awkwardly to find the right tone, lurching from strangely breezy, somewhat stylised farce to inevitably, real-life horror. Twisted? Perhaps. A total mess? Absolutely. The Maths Genius Thriller We admire the lead actor … but did we buy him playing the greatest maths genius since, a man so smart he’s on the verge of a discovery that could ruin society? No! This international thriller about secret services targeting – and killing off – intellectuals honestly got more absurd by the second. Silliness-by-numbers. The Bonnie Blue Documentary This hagiography followed the online personality notorious for explicit escapades as she prepared for her biggest challenge yet. What on earth would possess her? What we craved was far greater examination of her actual psychology, plus those of the men in the line. They could at least have interviewed the now-famous mum who appeared to drag her son out of the queue. What we got was disturbing imagery and zero critical analysis of her infamy whatsoever. And to think, the filmmaker has a teenage daughter too.