The Worst TV Shows of 2024

As a seasoned television critic with a keen eye for style and a knack for wit, I must say that 2024 has been a year of both triumph and tribulation in the realm of small screen storytelling. While there have been some undeniable gems that have graced our screens this year, there are also a handful of shows that left me scratching my head and muttering “quelle catastrophe!

Watching an enormous variety of TV shows across networks and streaming platforms can sometimes feel overwhelming due to the vast options available. It’s frustrating when you invest valuable time into a series that ultimately doesn’t live up to its potential, occupying mental space unnecessarily. A critic’s role involves recommending the best programs, naturally. However, it also means shielding others from the letdowns we experience ourselves by steering them towards shows worth watching.

This year’s roster of disappointing TV shows features numerous reboots and remakes, underscoring the need for Hollywood to seek out fresh concepts and emerging talent. Additionally, there are series with intriguing premises that squandered their potential by not fully utilizing their star power and high-concept ideas. As we bid farewell to 20XX, TV critics Aramide Tinubu and Alison Herman have singled out 10 shows that you might want to avoid – unless, of course, you enjoy indulging in a bit of hate-watching! (Click here for Alison Herman’s list.)

Aramide Tinubu’s 5 Worst TV Shows

5. “Land of Women” (Apple TV+)

Drawing inspiration from Sandra Barneda’s popular novel, the Apple TV+ series “Land of Women,” starring Eva Longoria as Gala Scott, chronicles Gala’s life-altering journey. After her husband abandons her to evade a substantial debt, she, along with her mother Julia (played by Carmen Maura), and 17-year-old daughter Kate (Victoria Bazua), flee to Julia’s hometown of La Muga in Northern Spain. Although the series has a solid foundation, particularly in exploring Julia’s past, its storyline is reminiscent of a Hallmark movie, becoming painfully predictable and excessively dramatic. By the end, it’s unlikely that viewers will be invested in Gala’s fate, her deceitful spouse’s actions — or anyone else’s. (Link to full review.)

4. “Cruel Intentions” (Prime Video)

In my opinion, I find myself disappointed with the recent trend in Hollywood, particularly on Prime Video, where they seem to keep remaking old stories as reboots. The television adaptation of “Cruel Intentions” unfortunately falls short of being a success. This new series is set at Manchester College and follows the turbulent relationship between stepsiblings Caroline Merteuil (Sarah Catherine Hook) and Lucien Belmont (Zac Burgess). Similar to the 1999 film, the narrative revolves around a bet, where Caroline aims to safeguard the college’s Greek life by persuading freshman Annie Grover (Savannah Lee Smith), who is the daughter of the U.S. Vice President, to join her sorority. If Lucien manages to convince Annie, he will receive something he’s long desired: a sexual encounter with his stepsister. However, in today’s era post-#MeToo, “Cruel Intentions” seems outdated, strange, and fails to resonate with the current generation of college students or offer any fresh insights into the original tale. (Link to full review.)

3. “The Creep Tapes” (Shudder/AMC+)

In the footsteps of their critically acclaimed horror films “Creep” and “Creep 2”, Mark Duplass and Patrick Brice revisited the franchise with Shudder/AMC+’s six-part series, “The Creep Tapes”. Similar to the movies, this series chronicles the chilling tale of serial killer Peachfuzz (Duplass), who ensnares and subsequently murders his unknowing victims. However, the series falls short due to insufficient character development and overused found-footage style, resulting in a lack of suspense rather than fear. Viewers may find themselves more bored than frightened throughout this series. (Link to full review.)

2. “Universal Basic Guys” (Fox)

Similar to many genres, adult animation boasts some exceptional, captivating shows, as well as a fair share of disappointments. Unfortunately, Fox’s latest animated offering, “Universal Basic Guys,” falls squarely within the category of letdowns. This series is conceived by real-life siblings Adam and Craig Malamut, who also provide the voices for brothers Mark and Hank Hoagies. The story revolves around these two men, residing on a $3,000 monthly income after losing their jobs at the local hot dog factory in Glantontown, N.J., following their town’s downfall. However, this is as engaging as the series gets. Laden with uninspired and tired jokes, “Universal Basic Guys” centers around frustratingly annoying and uneducated men whose crudeness never manages to translate into humor. (Source: Full review.)

1. “Good Times” (Netflix)

Perhaps one of the most baffling and outrageously bad television series in recent years is Netflix’s mind-numbing animated series, “Good Times.” When the original show premiered in 1974, it became the first to depict a two-parent Black American family, and though the animated series created by Ranada Shepard keeps this same structure, it is stuffed full of repetitive stereotypes, stale jokes and bizarre choices. It became abundantly clear upon viewing why Netflix refused to send out screeners for review. It depicts Chicago as a dilapidated, bullet-riddled city, with the new generation of Evanses living in the apartment in the Cabrini Green projects. (The last of those highrises were actually demolished in 2011.) From a singing roach (played by Jimmie Walker, who played J.J. in the original series) to a drug-dealing baby, the series reduces Black people to a one-dimensional minstrel show. (Link to full review.)

Alison Herman’s 5 Worst TV Shows

5. “Before” (Apple TV+)

It’s often the case that comedians try their hand at more serious roles but fail miserably. However, “Before” stands out as exceptionally bad due to its portrayal of Billy Crystal’s dramatic role, which turns a central mystery into an agonizing journey through a gloomy version of Brooklyn. The meager intrigue in Crystal’s character, a widowed psychologist drawn to a troubled boy, quickly drowns in a sea of repetitive emotional scenes. By the time implausible solutions are revealed, the viewer is so bored that they can barely muster a smirk, let alone feel satisfied. (Link to full review.)

4. “Sausage Party: Foodtopia” (Amazon Prime Video)

In simpler terms, the animated prequel series that recently came out on Amazon Prime Video, almost a decade since the original film, feels quite “rough” or “unsophisticated.” This is not just about the humor, which includes constant adult-themed and food jokes that can become repetitive over eight episodes, but also about the animation quality. It’s blocky, vivid, and far from creating an engaging environment to watch. Despite their success with shows like “Palm Royale” on Apple TV+ and upcoming projects like “The Studio,” Seth Rogen and Kristen Wiig seem to be stuck in a less refined phase as voice actors in this series, which Rogen co-created. (Link to full review.)

3. “Sugar” (Apple TV+)

Some viewers appreciate the neo-noir series featuring Colin Farrell, as it boldly challenges the genre with an unexpected twist that reinterprets familiar tropes as a form of self-reflection. However, when it’s revealed that Farrell’s character, a freelance fixer, is actually an alien from outer space, this twist primarily underscores that his detective work lacked credibility. The series “Sugar” improves significantly in subsequent episodes, but the jarring difference between the earlier and later instalments makes it hard to accept as a cohesive whole. Perhaps Season 2, despite its shocking premise, will be more easily digestible. (Link to full review.)

2. “The Girls on the Bus” (Max)

A girl-power politics show released in an election year was likely doomed from the start. But “The Girls on the Bus,” a misbegotten fusion of CW-style froth and real-life reporting experience, made a bad situation worse. Why does Melissa Benoist’s heroine commune with the ghost of Hunter S. Thompson? How does this show expect us to react to a sympathetic Fox News type in 2024? Who was crying out for a fictionalized retelling of the 2020 Democratic primary? With its cancellation, these questions about “The Girls on the Bus” will remain unresolved, but they linger on the mind long after the actual storylines. (Link to full review.)

1. “The New Look” (Apple TV+)

This year saw an upsurge in TV shows focusing on fashion designers, but “The New Look” on Apple TV+ kick-started this trend with a disappointing beginning. Instead of delving into the artistry of Christian Dior (Ben Mendelsohn) and Coco Chanel (Juliette Binoche), it portrayed them as run-of-the-mill characters, reducing iconoclastic innovators to dull personalities. Mendelsohn’s performance as a prodigy in French high fashion was questionable, while Binoche struggled to balance the script’s inconsistencies regarding Chanel’s association with Nazism. The series appeared indifferent towards fashion and failed to persuade viewers about its significance or why they should be interested in further exploration of the subject matter (Link to full review).

2024-12-19 22:48

Aramide Tinubu’s 5 Worst TV Shows