đ Share this article This Drifting Poo Was Way Too Meaningful! It's the TV Disappointments of the Year. Looking back, we consider the television landscape of the past year, a handful of shows stand out not for their excellence, but for their notable shortcomings. Ranging from awkward sequels to confusingly bad documentaries, 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 writing, painful character development (justice for Miranda!), and a paltry 71 seconds of beloved Samantha, the show struggled to justify its existence. Briefly, as the final series began, it looked like it had finally found its groove. Then came an episode centered on Seemaâs natural deodorant. No wonder the creator declared this would be the last series. It ended on a low point; the closeup of Mirandaâs loo full of poo was just way too on-the-nose. Still, viewers certainly found joy picking apart every single âwhat on earth?â episode. And as Carrie â once again single â twirled around her palatial townhouse to Barry White, who couldn't release a small sob? Allâs Fair âCan Kim Kardashian act? Of course she canât.â But that was practically the smallest of this show's problems. The recipient of a very rare zero star assessment, it was difficult to know where to begin enumerating the problems. The laughably wooden dialogue? The mind-numbing glorification of wealth and materialism? The almost deliberate procession of tropes? Acting so poor they felt almost malicious? Suffice it to say âeach and every oneâ and forget about this show again. Except, a second season has been commissioned, so weâre likely going to have to. The Charlie Sheen Documentary Considering the restraining orders, domestic violence claims and fatherly failures, itâs fair to say Charlie Sheen has been a troubled figure. Not youâd really have known it from this multi-part documentary which smirked its way at Sheenâs various bouts of reckless excess while failing to tell us anything we didnât already know. Rather, it felt as if this volatile personality was being indulged, so any pity this show might evoke should be reserved for the people who have had to endure proximity with this charming but dismissive narcissist. The Supercomputer Drama Naturally we understood it was ridiculous from the get-go: a drama about a AI known as Charlie Big Potatoes that could either save the world â or annihilate all of humanity. We persevered out of pure admiration for its stars ⌠but by the end, it felt like even they had given up trying. One scarcely cared when his character died, and the other ultimately slicing Charlie with an axe ⌠in super 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 demands its crime drama back. Actually, that is harsh on the gangland dramas of the late 90s. Many look a bit dated now, but at least they didnât suffer the embarrassment of having to indulge baffling accents. But there were plenty of other issues. Mainly that it was just really dull; a conflict over drug-selling territory between various cockney picaresques which felt a bit basic. The Meghan Markle Series Considering the extent to which she grinds the gears of the nationâs ostentatiously angry commentators, itâs temptingly easy to applaud the Duchess of Sussexâs televised forays into twee homemaking as intentional statements. But then you watch them and are forced to admit that in this case, they may have a point. Itâs like watching a homeware catalogue animated; a poster for wine oâclock with delusions of grandeur; a parade of snoozing dogs, buzzing beehives, Hallmark sayings and pointless crafting âtipsâ youâll forget instantly. All underpinned by immense, mostly undeserved wealth. Ugh. Victoria Beckham There are obviously fascinating things to be said about both Victoria Beckham and her journey with career, identity, self-acceptance. But for some reason, this documentary series chose not to explore them. Instead, the viewing was like reading a marketing catalogue. She obviously has good reason to bridle at what she describes as her âmiserable cowâ image. But unfortunately, she failed to do herself any favours with this cagey non-event of a series. The Game Show It had the potential to be the next cultural phenomenon â except even camper, with a famous star playing dead and a sharp-tongued personality overseeing her estate. What more could you ask for? As players competed, there was plenty of betrayal and squabbling. But the rules quickly became bewildering: itâs even now too confusing to detail what precisely was happening. Even more regrettably, we only saw brief appearances 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. The Lena Dunham Romcom How does one succeed a show that captured a generation? The expectation was immense for this starry romantic comedy about Jessica, a hopeful New Yorker who arrives in London with a broken heart. The star took her biggest role by the horns and was joyous to watch, embodying Jane Austen levels of romantic notions. But it was all very glossy and, paradoxically, was insufficient. Plus, the abundance of famous cameos involved felt uncomfortable. The Sketch Show Return Not good enough to be âpatchyâ. Given the shrewd inclusion of gifted younger comics, expectations were high. But unhappily, most of it didnât land. A particular sketch was a single joke stretched to a husk but recurring in every episode. One star seemed too ready to slip into a familiar irate mode. The behind-the-scenes sketches, meanwhile, simply provoked the idea that they should probably have stayed in there a bit longer. The Knox Dramatisation This retelling 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 probably is an compelling drama to be made about the tragic 2007 murder, this isnât it. The subject matter needed to be handled sensitively. Rather, the series laboured awkwardly to find the right voice, lurching from strangely breezy, somewhat stylised farce to ultimately, real-life horror. Complex? Arguably. A total mess? Absolutely. Prime Target We admire the lead actor ⌠but did we believe him playing the greatest maths genius in history, a man so smart heâs on the verge of a discovery that could destabilise society? No! This globe-trotting thriller about government agencies targeting â and eliminating â intellectuals frankly got more farcical by the second. Silliness-by-numbers. 1000 Men and Me: The Bonnie Blue Story This hagiography followed the content creator notorious for explicit escapades as she prepared for her biggest feat yet. What on earth would motivate her? What we craved was far greater interrogation of her actual psyche, plus those of the men in the line. They could at least have spoken to the legendary mum who appeared to haul her son out of the queue. What we got was disturbing shots and zero interrogation of her infamy whatsoever. It's staggering to consider, the filmmaker has a teenage daughter too.