š Share this article This Drifting Poo Was Far Too Meaningful! These Are the Television Disappointments of the Past Year. Looking back, we reflect on the TV landscape of the recent year, a selection of shows stand out not for their excellence, but for their spectacular failures. From cringe-inducing spin-offs to confusingly bad documentaries, here are the productions that had us utterly bewildered or just reaching for the remote. The 'Sex and the City' Sequel Where to begin with this divisive spin-off? Burdened with woeful writing, cringe-inducing arcs (justice for Miranda!), and a paltry 71 seconds of beloved Samantha, the show struggled to find its footing. Briefly, as the third series started, it looked like it had at last hit its stride. Then came an episode centered on Seemaās natural deodorant. No wonder the showrunner announced this would be the last season. It ended on a bum note; the closeup of Mirandaās loo flooded with poo was simply too on-the-nose. Yet, viewers undeniably had a hoot dissecting every single āwtf?ā episode. And as Carrie ā a single woman once more ā twirled around her palatial townhouse to Barry White, who didnāt release a little sob? The Kim Kardashian Drama āCan Kim Kardashian act? Of course she canāt.ā But that was practically the smallest of this show's issues. The recipient of a very rare zero star review, it was hard to know where to begin enumerating the flaws. The laughably wooden writing? The tedious glorification of affluence and materialism? The seemingly deliberate parade of tropes? Acting so bad they felt borderline spiteful? Suffice it to say āall of the aboveā and forget about this series again. However, a second season has been ordered, so weāre probably going to have to. The Charlie Sheen Documentary Considering the restraining orders, abuse claims and parental shortcomings, itās reasonable to say Charlie Sheen has been a bad boy. Not that youād truly have known it from this multi-part documentary which chuckled along at Sheenās various bouts of self-destructive hedonism while struggling to tell us a single thing we weren't already aware of. Instead, it felt as if this loose cannon was being pandered to, so any pity this series might induce should be reserved for the people who have had to endure proximity with this charming but flippant egotist. The Supercomputer Drama Naturally we knew it was ridiculous from the get-go: a thriller about a AI known as Charlie Big Potatoes that could either save the world ā or annihilate all of humanity. We persevered out of pure admiration for its stars ā¦ but by the end, it felt like even they had stopped bothering. One barely reacted when his character died, and the other ended up hacking Charlie with an axe ā¦ in painfully slow-motion. Talk about giving up the ghost. The Gangster Drama Dodgy figures convening in empty boxing gyms? A certain band's Firestarter jackhammering away in club scenes? The late 90s called and demands its gangland drama back. In truth, that is unfair on the gangland dramas of the late 90s. Many seem a little old-fashioned now, but at least they didnāt endure the embarrassment of having to accommodate unconvincing accents. But there were many other issues. Mainly that it was just really boring; a dispute over narcotics territory between various London rogues which felt rather simplistic. The Meghan Markle Series Considering the degree to which she grinds the gears of certain ostentatiously angry commentators, itās temptingly tempting to admire the Duchess of Sussexās various ventures into twee homemaking as intentional provocations. But then you watch them and are compelled to concede that actually, they may have a point. Itās like watching a homeware magazine come to life; a poster for evening drinks with delusions of grandeur; a parade of sleeping dogs, buzzing beehives, Hallmark sayings and forgettable crafting ātipsā youāll forget instantly. All supported by immense, mostly unearned wealth. Ugh. Victoria Beckham There are obviously fascinating things to be discussed about both Victoria Beckham and her struggles with vocation, self-image, self-worth. But for whatever reason, this documentary series opted not to explore them. Rather, the experience was akin to reading a marketing catalogue. She obviously has every right to bridle at what she describes as her āmiserable cowā 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 cultural phenomenon ā except even more extravagant, with a glamorous star as a deceased benefactor and a sharp-tongued personality overseeing her inheritance. What more could you want? As contestants battled it out, there was plenty of backstabbing and arguing. But the rules quickly became incomprehensible: itās even now too complicated to explain what precisely was happening. Even more disappointingly, we only saw brief appearances of the star via filmed videos. The series ended up reeking of a programme that was trying way too hard to emulate something way beyond it. Too Much How does one succeed a show that captured a generation? The expectation was immense for this starry romantic comedy about Jessica, a rosy-eyed New Yorker who lands in London with a shattered romance. The star 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 not enough. Plus, the abundance of famous cameos involved felt icky. Mitchell & Webb Are Not Helping Not good enough to be āpatchyā. Given the shrewd inclusion of talented younger comics, expectations were high. But sadly, most of it fell flat. A recurring sketch was a single joke milked to a dry pulp but repeated in every episode. One star seemed too willing to slip into a well-known irate mode. The writing room sketches, in contrast, simply inspired the idea that they should probably have stayed 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 solely showcased the viewpoint of Amanda Knox. So, while there undoubtedly is an compelling drama to be made about the tragic 2007 murder, this was not it. The material needed to be handled sensitively. Instead, the series struggled painfully to find the right voice, lumbering from oddly breezy, somewhat mannered farce to ultimately, real-life horror. Twisted? Perhaps. A complete mess? Very much so. The Maths Genius Thriller We love the lead actor ā¦ but did we believe him playing the most brilliant maths genius since, a man so intelligent heās on the brink of a breakthrough that could destabilise society? Nope! This globe-trotting thriller about government agencies targeting ā and killing off ā academics honestly 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 sexual exploits as she prepared for her biggest feat yet. What on earth would possess her? What we wanted was way more interrogation of her true psyche, plus those of the men in the line. They could at least have spoken to the now-famous mum who appeared to drag her son away from the queue. What we got was horrific imagery and absolutely no interrogation of her notoriety whatsoever. It's staggering to consider, the filmmaker has a teenage daughter too.