đ Share this article This Drifting Excrement Was Far Too Symbolic! It's the TV Disappointments of the Past Year. Looking back, we consider the television landscape of the recent year, a handful of shows emerge not for their brilliance, but for their notable shortcomings. Ranging from cringe-inducing sequels to bafflingly poor docuseries, here are the productions that left us scratching our heads or just reaching for the remote. And Just Like That Where to begin with this divisive follow-up? Burdened with woeful scripts, cringe-inducing arcs (justice for Miranda!), and a paltry 71 seconds of beloved Samantha, the show fought to find its footing. For a moment, as the third series started, it seemed as if it had finally hit its stride. Then came an installment centered on Seemaâs natural deodorant. Little surprise the showrunner announced this would be the last series. It concluded on a bum note; the lingering shot of Mirandaâs loo full of poo was just way too on-the-nose. Yet, viewers certainly had a hoot dissecting every single âwtf?â episode. And as Carrie â once again single â twirled around her sprawling townhouse to Barry White, who didnât let out a little sob? The Kim Kardashian Drama âCan Kim Kardashian act? Of course she canât.â But that was almost the least of this show's issues. The subject of a very rare no-star assessment, it was difficult to know where to start listing the problems. The laughably leaden writing? The tedious glorification of wealth and materialism? The almost deliberate procession of cliches? Performances so poor they felt borderline malicious? Suffice it to say âeach and every oneâ and never speak of this show again. However, a second season has been ordered, so weâre likely going to have to. AKA Charlie Sheen Given the legal troubles, abuse claims and fatherly failures, itâs fair to say Charlie Sheen has been a troubled figure. Not that youâd really have gleaned it from this three-part documentary which chuckled along at Sheenâs various episodes of reckless excess while struggling to tell us a single thing we didnât already know. Instead, it felt as if this loose cannon was being indulged, so any sympathy this show might induce should be saved for the people who have had to endure proximity with this charismatic but flippant egotist. The Iris Affair Naturally we understood it was preposterous from the get-go: a drama about a AI known as Charlie Big Potatoes that could either solve global crises â or destroy all of humanity. We persevered out of sheer love for its stars ⌠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 ⌠in painfully slow-motion. Talk about giving up the ghost. MobLand Shady characters convening in empty boxing gyms? A certain band's Firestarter jackhammering away in club scenes? The late 90s called and wants its crime drama back. In truth, that is unfair on the crime shows of the late 90s. Many seem a little old-fashioned now, but at least they didnât endure the ignominy of having to indulge unconvincing accents. But there were many other problems. Primarily that it was just profoundly dull; a conflict over drug-selling territory between various cockney picaresques which seemed a bit basic. The Meghan Markle Series Considering the degree to which she grinds the gears of certain performatively angry commentators, itâs temptingly easy to applaud the Duchess of Sussexâs televised forays into quaint lifestyle as deliberate provocations. But then you view them and are compelled to concede that actually, they may have a point. Itâs like watching a homeware magazine animated; a poster for evening drinks with delusions of grandeur; a procession of sleeping dogs, buzzing beehives, sentimental platitudes and pointless crafting âtipsâ youâll not remember instantly. All underpinned by vast, mostly undeserved wealth. Ugh. Victoria Beckham There are obviously interesting things to be discussed about both 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 marketing brochure. She clearly has every right to resent what she describes as her âsternâ image. But unfortunately, she didnât do herself any favours with this guarded non-event of a series. The Inheritance It had the potential to be the next big hit â except even more extravagant, with a famous star as a deceased benefactor and a well-known personality managing her estate. What more could you want? As players competed, there was plenty of betrayal and squabbling. But the rules quickly became bewildering: itâs even now too complicated to explain what precisely was happening. Even more regrettably, we only saw glimpses of the star via filmed videos. The series ended up smelling of a programme that was straining desperately to emulate something far greater than it. The Lena Dunham Romcom How do you follow a show that captured a generation? The pressure was immense for this starry romantic comedy 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, reveling in Jane Austen levels of romantic ideals. But it was all very glossy and, ironically, was not enough. Plus, the abundance of celebrity cameos involved felt uncomfortable. The Sketch Show Return Not good enough to be âpatchyâ. Given the smart recruitment of gifted emerging comics, expectations were high. But sadly, most of it fell flat. A particular sketch was a single joke milked to a husk but recurring in every episode. One star seemed too willing to slip into a well-known ranting mode. The behind-the-scenes sketches, meanwhile, simply provoked the idea that they should probably have stayed in there a while longer. The Knox Dramatisation This dramatisation of the story of Amanda Knox was executive produced by Amanda Knox and pretty much solely presented the perspective of Amanda Knox. So, while there undoubtedly is an compelling drama to be made about the horrific 2007 murder, this isnât it. The subject matter needed to be handled sensitively. Rather, the series struggled painfully to find the right tone, lurching from oddly jaunty, somewhat mannered farce to inevitably, real-life horror. Twisted? Arguably. A total mess? Absolutely. The Maths Genius Thriller We admire the star ⌠but did we buy him playing the greatest maths genius since, a man so intelligent heâs on the brink of a discovery that could destabilise society? No! This globe-trotting thriller about secret services targeting â and eliminating â intellectuals frankly got more farcical by the second. Formulaic nonsense. 1000 Men and Me: The Bonnie Blue Story This hagiography followed the online personality notorious for explicit escapades as she undertook her biggest feat yet. What on earth would possess her? What we craved was far greater examination of her actual psychology, plus those of the men in the queue. They could at least have interviewed the legendary mum who appeared to drag her son out of the queue. What we got was horrific shots and absolutely no critical analysis of her notoriety whatsoever. It's staggering to consider, the documentary-maker has a teenage daughter too.