🔗 Share this article That Drifting Excrement Was Far Too Meaningful! These Are the Television Letdowns of the Past Year. As we consider the television landscape of the recent year, a handful of series stand out not for their brilliance, but for their notable shortcomings. From awkward sequels to confusingly bad documentaries, here are the programmes that had us utterly bewildered or simply reaching for the remote. The 'Sex and the City' Sequel How to start with this love/hate spin-off? Burdened with dreadful scripts, cringe-inducing character development (justice for Miranda!), and a paltry 71 seconds of fan-favourite Samantha, the series struggled to justify its existence. For a moment, as the final series started, it seemed as if it had finally hit its stride. Then came an episode all about Seema’s natural deodorant. Little surprise the creator declared this would be the final series. It ended on a low point; the lingering shot of Miranda’s toilet full of poo was simply too on-the-nose. Yet, fans certainly had a hoot dissecting every single “wtf?” moment. And as Carrie – a single woman once more – danced around her sprawling townhouse to Barry White, who couldn't release a small sob? The Kim Kardashian Drama ‘Can Kim Kardashian act? Of course she can’t.’ But that was practically the smallest of this show's issues. The subject of a very rare no-star review, it was difficult to know where to begin listing the flaws. The hilariously leaden writing? The mind-numbing veneration of wealth and materialism? The almost wilful procession of cliches? Performances so poor they felt almost spiteful? Suffice it to say “each and every one” and forget about this show again. Except, a new season has been commissioned, so we’re likely going to have to. The Charlie Sheen Documentary Given the restraining orders, domestic violence claims and fatherly shortcomings, it’s fair to say Charlie Sheen has been a bad boy. Not you’d truly have gleaned it from this three-part documentary which chuckled along at Sheen’s various episodes of reckless hedonism while failing to tell us a single thing we weren't already aware of. Rather, 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 close contact with this charming but flippant egotist. The Supercomputer Drama Of course we knew it was preposterous from the get-go: a thriller about a AI known as Charlie Big Potatoes that could either solve global crises – or destroy all of humanity. We stuck with it out of sheer admiration for its stars … but by the end, it felt like even they had given up trying. One barely reacted when his character died, and the other ultimately slicing Charlie with an axe … in painfully slow-motion. That's what you call admitting defeat. The Gangster Drama Dodgy figures meeting in deserted 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 harsh on the crime shows of the late 90s. Many look a little old-fashioned now, but at least they didn’t endure the embarrassment of having to indulge unconvincing dialects. But there were many other issues. Mainly that it was just profoundly dull; a conflict over drug-selling territory between various cockney picaresques which seemed rather simplistic. The Meghan Markle Series Considering the degree to which she grinds the gears of certain performatively angry commentators, it’s almost easy to admire the Duchess of Sussex’s televised forays into quaint lifestyle as deliberate statements. But then you watch them and are forced to admit that actually, they may have a point. It’s like watching a lifestyle magazine come to life; a poster for wine o’clock with ideas of grandeur; a procession of sleeping dogs, humming beehives, Hallmark platitudes and pointless crafting “hacks” you’ll not remember instantly. All supported by vast, largely undeserved wealth. Ugh. Victoria Beckham There are clearly interesting things to be discussed about both Victoria Beckham and her struggles with vocation, identity, self-worth. But for whatever reason, this documentary series chose not to explore them. Instead, the viewing was akin to reading a marketing brochure. She obviously has good reason to bridle at what she describes as her “miserable cow” image. But sadly, she didn’t do herself any helps with this cagey letdown of a series. The Inheritance It should have been the next big hit – except even more extravagant, with a famous star playing dead and a sharp-tongued personality managing her inheritance. What more could you ask for? As contestants battled it out, there was plenty of backstabbing and squabbling. But the rules quickly became incomprehensible: it’s still too complicated to detail what precisely was happening. Even more regrettably, we only saw glimpses of the star via prerecorded videos. The series ended up reeking of a production that was straining desperately to live up to something way beyond it. The Lena Dunham Romcom How does one succeed a show that captured a generation? The pressure was enormous for this glitzy romantic comedy about Jessica, a hopeful New Yorker who arrives in London with a shattered romance. The lead actress seized the opportunity by the horns and was joyous to watch, reveling in Austen levels of romantic notions. But it was all very glossy and, ironically, was insufficient. Plus, the abundance of famous cameos involved felt uncomfortable. The Sketch Show Return Not even good enough to be ‘patchy’. Given the shrewd recruitment of gifted younger comics, hopes were high. But sadly, most of it fell flat. A particular sketch was a one-note joke stretched to a husk but recurring in every episode. One star seemed too ready to slip into a familiar irate mode. The writing room sketches, in contrast, simply inspired the idea that they should probably have stayed 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 exclusively showcased the viewpoint of Amanda Knox. So, while there probably is an interesting drama to be made about the tragic 2007 murder, this isn’t it. The subject matter needed to be treated with care. Instead, the series laboured awkwardly to find the right tone, lurching from strangely breezy, slightly stylised farce to inevitably, real-life horror. Twisted? Perhaps. A total mess? Absolutely. Prime Target We admire the lead actor … but did we believe him playing the most brilliant maths genius since, a man so smart he’s on the verge of a breakthrough that could destabilise society? No! This globe-trotting thriller about secret services targeting – and killing off – intellectuals frankly got more absurd by the second. Silliness-by-numbers. The Bonnie Blue Documentary This hagiography followed the content creator renowned for explicit escapades as she prepared for her most extreme feat yet. What on earth would motivate her? What we wanted was way more examination of her true psychology, plus those of the men in the queue. They could at least have spoken to the now-famous mum who appeared to haul her son away from the queue. What we got was horrific imagery and absolutely no interrogation of her notoriety whatsoever. And to think, the filmmaker has a teenage daughter too.