🔗 Share this article That Drifting Poo Was Far Too Symbolic! These Are the Television Letdowns of the Past Year. Looking back, we reflect on the TV offerings of the past year, a handful of series emerge not for their excellence, but for their spectacular shortcomings. Ranging from cringe-inducing spin-offs to confusingly bad docuseries, here are the programmes that had us scratching our heads or just reaching for the remote. The 'Sex and the City' Sequel Where to begin with this love/hate follow-up? Plagued with dreadful writing, painful arcs (we demand better for Miranda!), and a paltry 71 seconds of fan-favourite Samantha, the show fought to find its footing. For a moment, as the final season started, it seemed as if it had at last hit its stride. Then arrived an installment centered on Seema’s natural deodorant. Little surprise the showrunner declared this would be the final series. It concluded on a low point; the closeup of Miranda’s loo flooded with poo was just way too symbolic. Still, fans undeniably had a hoot picking apart every single “what on earth?” moment. And as Carrie – once again single – danced around her sprawling townhouse to Barry White, who couldn't release a little sob? All’s Fair ‘Is Kim Kardashian an actress? The answer is a resounding no.’ But that was almost the smallest of this show's issues. The subject of a very rare no-star review, it was hard to know where to begin enumerating the problems. The laughably wooden writing? The tedious veneration of wealth and materialism? The almost wilful procession of tropes? Acting so poor they felt borderline malicious? Let’s just say “all of the above” and forget about this show again. However, a second season has been commissioned, so we’re likely going to have to. AKA Charlie Sheen Considering the restraining orders, abuse claims and fatherly failures, it’s fair to say Charlie Sheen has been a bad boy. Not you’d truly have known it from this three-part docuseries which chuckled along at Sheen’s various episodes of self-destructive hedonism while struggling to tell us anything we didn’t already know. Instead, it felt as if this volatile personality was being indulged, so any pity this series might evoke should be reserved for the people who have had to suffer proximity with this charismatic but dismissive narcissist. The Iris Affair Of course we understood it was preposterous from the get-go: a drama about a supercomputer 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 stars … but by the end, it felt like even they had stopped bothering. One scarcely reacted when his character died, and the other ended up slicing Charlie with an axe … in super slow-motion. That's what you call giving up the ghost. The Gangster Drama Shady characters 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. Actually, that is harsh on the gangland dramas of the late 90s. Many seem a little dated now, but at least they didn’t endure the embarrassment of having to accommodate baffling accents. But there were many other issues. Primarily that it was just really dull; a conflict over drug-selling territory between various London rogues which seemed a bit basic. With Love, Meghan Given the extent to which she grinds the gears of certain ostentatiously angry commentators, it’s almost tempting to admire the Duchess of Sussex’s various ventures into twee homemaking as deliberate statements. But then you watch them and are forced to concede that actually, they may have a point. It’s like watching a lifestyle magazine come to life; a poster for evening drinks with delusions of grandeur; a parade of snoozing dogs, buzzing beehives, Hallmark platitudes and forgettable crafting “hacks” you’ll not remember instantly. All underpinned by immense, mostly undeserved wealth. Ugh. The Beckham Documentary There are clearly interesting things to be discussed about regarding Victoria Beckham and her journey with vocation, self-image, self-worth. But for some reason, this three-part series chose not to say them. Instead, the experience was like reading a sales brochure. She clearly has every right to bridle at what she describes as her “stern” image. But unfortunately, she failed to 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 camper, with a glamorous star as a deceased benefactor and a sharp-tongued personality managing her estate. What more could you want? As players competed, there was plenty of backstabbing and squabbling. But the rules quickly became incomprehensible: it’s even now too confusing to explain 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 emulate something way beyond it. Too Much How does one follow a show that captured a generation? The pressure was enormous for this glitzy romcom about Jessica, a hopeful New Yorker who arrives in London with a shattered romance. The lead actress took her biggest role by the horns and was a delight to watch, reveling in Austen levels of romantic notions. But it was all very glossy and, ironically, was not enough. Plus, the sheer amount of famous cameos involved felt icky. Mitchell & Webb Are Not Helping Not good enough to be ‘uneven’. Given the smart inclusion of talented younger comics, hopes were high. But sadly, most of it didn’t land. A particular sketch was a one-note joke stretched to a dry pulp but repeated in every episode. One star seemed too willing to slip into a familiar irate mode. The behind-the-scenes sketches, meanwhile, simply provoked the thought that they should probably have stayed in there a bit longer. The Knox Dramatisation This dramatisation of the story of Amanda Knox was overseen by Amanda Knox and pretty much solely presented the perspective of Amanda Knox. So, while there probably is an interesting drama to be made about the tragic 2007 murder, this was not it. The subject matter needed to be treated sensitively. Rather, the series struggled painfully to find the right tone, lumbering from oddly breezy, somewhat mannered farce to ultimately, real-life horror. Twisted? Arguably. A total mess? Absolutely. Prime Target We love the lead actor … but did we buy him playing the greatest maths genius since, a man so intelligent he’s on the brink of a discovery that could destabilise society? No! This globe-trotting thriller about secret services targeting – and killing off – intellectuals honestly got more absurd by the second. Silliness-by-numbers. The Bonnie Blue Documentary This hagiography followed the online personality renowned for sexual exploits as she undertook her biggest challenge yet. What on earth would motivate her? What we craved was way more examination of her true psychology, plus those of the men in the queue. They could at least have interviewed the now-famous mum who appeared to drag her son away from the queue. What we got was horrific imagery and zero interrogation of her notoriety whatsoever. It's staggering to consider, the filmmaker has a young daughter too.