🔗 Share this article That Floating Poo Was Way Too Symbolic! These Are the Television Letdowns of the Past Year. Looking back, we consider the television landscape of the past year, a handful of shows emerge not for their brilliance, but for their notable failures. Ranging from cringe-inducing spin-offs to bafflingly bad documentaries, here are the productions that left us utterly bewildered or just reaching for the remote. The 'Sex and the City' Sequel Where to begin with this divisive follow-up? Plagued with dreadful writing, cringe-inducing character development (we demand better for Miranda!), and a paltry 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 finally hit its stride. Then arrived an episode all about Seema’s natural deodorant. No wonder the showrunner announced this would be the final season. It ended on a low point; the closeup of Miranda’s toilet flooded with poo was just way too on-the-nose. Yet, viewers certainly had a hoot dissecting every single “wtf?” moment. And as Carrie – a single woman once more – twirled around her palatial townhouse to Barry White, who couldn't let out a little sob? All’s Fair ‘Can Kim Kardashian act? Of course she can’t.’ But that was practically 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 flaws. The hilariously wooden writing? The mind-numbing glorification of wealth and consumption? The almost wilful parade of tropes? Acting so poor they felt borderline malicious? Suffice it to say “each and every one” and never speak of this series again. Except, a new season has been ordered, so we’re probably going to have to. The Charlie Sheen Documentary Considering the legal troubles, domestic violence allegations and parental failures, it’s fair to say Charlie Sheen has been a bad boy. Not you’d truly have known it from this three-part documentary which smirked its way at Sheen’s various bouts 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 pandered to, so any pity this series might evoke should be saved for the people who have had to suffer close contact with this charming but flippant narcissist. The Iris Affair Naturally we knew it was ridiculous from the get-go: a thriller about a AI known as Charlie Big Potatoes that could either solve global crises – or annihilate all of humanity. We stuck with it out of pure admiration for its leads … 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 painfully slow-motion. Talk about admitting defeat. MobLand Dodgy figures meeting in empty boxing gyms? The Prodigy’s Firestarter blaring in club scenes? The late 90s called and demands its crime drama back. Actually, that is harsh on the crime shows of the late 90s. Many look a little old-fashioned now, but at least they didn’t endure the ignominy of having to accommodate unconvincing dialects. But there were plenty of other issues. Mainly that it was just really boring; a conflict over drug-selling territory between various London rogues which seemed rather simplistic. The Meghan Markle Series Given the extent to which she provokes the ire of certain ostentatiously angry commentators, it’s almost easy to applaud the Duchess of Sussex’s various forays into twee homemaking as intentional statements. But then you watch them and are compelled to admit that actually, they may have a point. It’s like watching a homeware catalogue come to life; a poster for evening drinks with ideas of grandeur; a parade of snoozing dogs, buzzing beehives, sentimental platitudes and pointless crafting “hacks” you’ll forget instantly. All supported by immense, largely undeserved wealth. Ugh. Victoria Beckham There are obviously interesting things to be discussed about regarding Victoria Beckham and her journey with vocation, identity, self-acceptance. But for whatever reason, this documentary series opted not to say them. Rather, the viewing was akin to reading a sales catalogue. She clearly has good reason to resent what she describes as her “stern” image. But sadly, she didn’t do herself any favours with this cagey letdown of a series. The Game Show It had the potential to be the next cultural phenomenon – except even more extravagant, with a glamorous star as a deceased benefactor and a sharp-tongued personality overseeing her inheritance. What more could you ask for? As contestants competed, there was plenty of backstabbing and arguing. But the rules quickly became incomprehensible: it’s even now too confusing to explain what precisely was happening. Even more regrettably, we only saw brief appearances of the star via prerecorded videos. The show 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 enormous for this starry romcom about Jessica, a rosy-eyed New Yorker who lands in London with a shattered romance. The star took her biggest role by the horns and was joyous to watch, reveling in Jane Austen levels of romantic ideals. But it was all very glossy and, ironically, was insufficient. Plus, the sheer amount of celebrity cameos involved felt icky. The Sketch Show Return Not good enough to be ‘patchy’. Given the smart recruitment of gifted emerging comics, hopes were high. But unhappily, most of it didn’t land. A recurring sketch was a one-note joke stretched to a husk but recurring in every episode. One star seemed too ready to slip into a well-known irate mode. The writing room sketches, meanwhile, simply inspired the thought that they should probably have remained in there a bit 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 perspective of Amanda Knox. So, while there undoubtedly is an compelling drama to be made about the horrific 2007 murder, this was not it. The subject matter needed to be treated with care. Instead, the series laboured awkwardly to find the right voice, lurching from strangely jaunty, somewhat stylised farce to inevitably, real-life horror. Twisted? Perhaps. A total mess? Very much so. Prime Target We love the star … but did we buy him playing the most brilliant maths genius in history, a man so intelligent he’s on the brink of a discovery that could destabilise society? No! This international thriller about government agencies targeting – and eliminating – intellectuals honestly got more farcical by the second. Formulaic nonsense. The Bonnie Blue Documentary This hagiography followed the content creator renowned for explicit exploits as she undertook her biggest challenge yet. What on earth would motivate her? What we wanted was far greater interrogation of her true psyche, plus those of the men in the queue. They could at least have spoken to the legendary mum who showed up to haul her son out of the queue. What we got was disturbing shots and absolutely no interrogation of her notoriety whatsoever. It's staggering to consider, the filmmaker has a young daughter too.