đ Share this article This Drifting Excrement Was Way Too Symbolic! These Are the Television Disappointments of the Past Year. As we reflect on the TV offerings of the recent year, a handful of shows stand out not for their brilliance, but for their notable shortcomings. Ranging from awkward spin-offs to confusingly bad documentaries, here are the productions that left us utterly bewildered or just reaching for the remote. And Just Like That How to start with this love/hate follow-up? Burdened with woeful scripts, painful character development (justice for Miranda!), and a mere 71 seconds of fan-favourite Samantha, the series struggled to justify its existence. For a moment, as the third series began, it seemed as if it had at last hit its stride. Then arrived an episode centered on Seemaâs natural deodorant. No wonder the creator declared this would be the last season. It concluded on a bum note; the lingering shot of Mirandaâs loo flooded with poo was simply too on-the-nose. Still, fans undeniably found joy dissecting every single âwtf?â episode. And as Carrie â once again single â twirled around her palatial townhouse to Barry White, who couldn't let out a small sob? Allâs Fair âIs Kim Kardashian an actress? Of course she canât.â But that was practically the least of this drama's issues. The subject of a very rare no-star review, it was hard to know where to start listing the problems. The laughably leaden dialogue? The tedious veneration of affluence and consumption? The almost wilful parade of cliches? Performances so bad they felt borderline malicious? Suffice it to say âeach and every oneâ and never speak of this show again. Except, a new season has been commissioned, so weâre likely going to have to. The Charlie Sheen Documentary Considering the legal troubles, abuse claims and fatherly failures, itâs reasonable to say Charlie Sheen has been a bad boy. Not youâd truly have known it from this multi-part documentary which smirked its way at Sheenâs various episodes of reckless hedonism while struggling to tell us a single thing we didnât already know. Instead, it felt as if this loose cannon was being pandered to, so any pity this show might evoke should be reserved for the people who have had to suffer proximity with this charismatic but flippant narcissist. The Supercomputer Drama Of course we understood it was preposterous from the get-go: a thriller about a supercomputer known as Charlie Big Potatoes that could either solve global crises â or destroy all of humanity. We stuck with it out of pure love for its leads ⊠but by the end, it felt like even they had stopped bothering. One barely reacted when his character died, and the other ended up slicing Charlie with an axe ⊠in super slow-motion. That's what you call admitting defeat. MobLand Dodgy figures convening in deserted boxing gyms? The Prodigyâs Firestarter jackhammering away in club scenes? The late 90s called and wants its gangland drama back. Actually, that is unfair on the crime shows of the late 90s. Many look a little dated now, but at least they didnât endure the ignominy of having to indulge unconvincing dialects. But there were many other issues. Mainly that it was just profoundly boring; a dispute over narcotics territory between various London picaresques which seemed rather simplistic. With Love, Meghan Given the degree to which she provokes the ire of certain ostentatiously angry commentators, itâs temptingly easy to admire the Duchess of Sussexâs televised ventures into twee lifestyle as deliberate provocations. But then you view them and are compelled to concede that in this case, they might have a point. Itâs like watching a lifestyle magazine come to life; a meme for wine oâclock with delusions of grandeur; a parade of sleeping dogs, buzzing beehives, sentimental platitudes and forgettable crafting âtipsâ youâll forget instantly. All supported by immense, largely unearned wealth. Ugh. Victoria Beckham There are obviously interesting things to be discussed about regarding Victoria Beckham and her journey with vocation, identity, self-worth. But for some reason, this documentary series chose not to explore them. Instead, the viewing was like reading a sales catalogue. She clearly has every right to resent what she describes as her âmiserable cowâ image. But unfortunately, she failed to do herself any helps with this guarded non-event of a series. The Inheritance It had the potential to be the next cultural phenomenon â except even more extravagant, with a glamorous star playing dead 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 squabbling. But the rules quickly became bewildering: itâs even now too complicated to explain what precisely was happening. Even more disappointingly, we only saw glimpses of the star via prerecorded videos. The series ended up smelling of a programme that was straining desperately to emulate something far greater than it. Too Much How do you follow a show that defined a generation? The pressure was enormous for this starry romcom about Jessica, a rosy-eyed New Yorker who arrives in London with a shattered romance. The lead actress seized the opportunity by the horns and was joyous to watch, embodying Austen levels of romantic notions. But it was all very slick and, ironically, was insufficient. Plus, the abundance of famous cameos involved felt uncomfortable. The Sketch Show Return Not good enough to be âunevenâ. Given the smart inclusion of talented emerging comics, hopes were high. But sadly, most of it didnât land. A particular sketch was a one-note joke stretched to a dry pulp but repeated in every episode. One star seemed too ready to slip into a familiar irate mode. The writing room sketches, meanwhile, simply provoked the thought that they should probably have remained in there a while 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 viewpoint of Amanda Knox. So, while there undoubtedly is an interesting drama to be made about the horrific 2007 murder, this was not it. The material needed to be handled with care. Instead, the series laboured awkwardly to find the right voice, lumbering from strangely jaunty, slightly stylised farce to inevitably, real-life horror. Complex? Arguably. A complete mess? Absolutely. The Maths Genius Thriller We admire the lead actor ⊠but did we buy him playing the most brilliant maths genius in history, a man so smart heâs on the brink of a breakthrough that could destabilise society? No! This international thriller about government agencies spying on â and killing off â academics frankly got more absurd by the second. Formulaic nonsense. 1000 Men and Me: The Bonnie Blue Story This hagiography followed the content creator notorious for explicit exploits as she prepared for her biggest challenge yet. What on earth would possess her? What we craved was far greater examination of her true psyche, 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 disturbing shots and zero critical analysis of her infamy whatsoever. And to think, the filmmaker has a teenage daughter too.