🔗 Share this article That Drifting Poo Was Far Too Meaningful! It's the Television Disappointments of the Past Year. Looking back, we reflect on the TV offerings of the recent year, a handful of shows stand out not for their brilliance, but for their notable failures. Ranging from awkward sequels to bafflingly bad docuseries, here are the programmes that left us scratching our heads or just reaching for the remote. And Just Like That How to start with this love/hate spin-off? Plagued with woeful scripts, painful arcs (we demand better for Miranda!), and a paltry 71 seconds of beloved Samantha, the series struggled to find its footing. For a moment, as the third season started, it seemed as if it had at last hit its stride. Then arrived an episode all about Seema’s natural deodorant. No wonder the creator declared this would be the final season. It ended on a low point; the lingering shot of Miranda’s loo full of poo was just way too symbolic. Yet, fans undeniably found joy picking apart every single “wtf?” moment. And as Carrie – once again single – danced around her palatial townhouse to Barry White, who couldn't let out a small sob? The Kim Kardashian Drama ‘Can Kim Kardashian act? The answer is a resounding no.’ But that was practically the smallest of this show's issues. The recipient of a exceedingly uncommon zero star review, it was difficult to know where to start enumerating the problems. The hilariously wooden dialogue? The mind-numbing veneration of affluence and materialism? The almost wilful parade of cliches? Acting so poor they felt borderline malicious? Suffice it to say “each and every one” and forget about this series again. However, a new season has been ordered, so we’re likely going to have to. AKA Charlie Sheen Given the legal troubles, domestic violence allegations and fatherly failures, it’s fair to say Charlie Sheen has been a bad boy. Not you’d truly have known it from this multi-part docuseries which smirked its way at Sheen’s various episodes of self-destructive hedonism while struggling to tell us a single thing we weren't already aware of. Instead, it felt as if this loose cannon was being indulged, so any pity this series might evoke should be saved for the people who have had to suffer proximity with this charismatic but dismissive narcissist. The Iris Affair Naturally we knew it was preposterous from the get-go: a drama about a supercomputer known as Charlie Big Potatoes that could either save the world – or destroy all of humanity. We stuck with it out of pure love for its leads … but by the end, it felt like even they had stopped bothering. One barely cared when his character died, and the other ended up hacking 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 blaring in club scenes? The late 90s called and demands its gangland drama back. Actually, that is unfair on the gangland dramas of the late 90s. Many seem a little old-fashioned now, but at least they didn’t endure the embarrassment of having to accommodate baffling dialects. But there were plenty of other issues. Mainly that it was just profoundly dull; a dispute over drug-selling territory between various cockney rogues which felt a bit basic. The Meghan Markle Series Considering the extent to which she provokes the ire of certain performatively enraged commentators, it’s almost tempting to admire the Duchess of Sussex’s televised forays into quaint lifestyle as intentional statements. But then you view them and are forced to admit that in this case, they might have a point. It’s like watching a lifestyle magazine come to life; a meme for wine o’clock with delusions of grandeur; a procession of snoozing dogs, humming beehives, Hallmark platitudes and forgettable crafting “tips” you’ll not remember instantly. All supported by vast, largely unearned wealth. Ugh. Victoria Beckham There are obviously fascinating things to be discussed about regarding Victoria Beckham and her journey with career, self-image, self-acceptance. But for some reason, this three-part series chose not to say them. Rather, the experience was like reading a marketing catalogue. She clearly has good reason to bridle at what she describes as her “miserable cow” image. But unfortunately, she failed to do herself any favours with this guarded non-event of a series. The Inheritance It should have been the next big hit – except even camper, with a famous star playing dead and a well-known personality overseeing her estate. What more could you want? As contestants competed, there was plenty of backstabbing and squabbling. But the rules quickly became incomprehensible: it’s even now too complicated to explain what precisely was happening. Even more disappointingly, we only saw glimpses of the star via filmed videos. The show ended up smelling of a programme that was straining desperately to emulate something way beyond it. The Lena Dunham Romcom How do you succeed a show that defined a generation? The expectation was enormous for this glitzy romcom about Jessica, a rosy-eyed New Yorker who lands in London with a shattered romance. The lead actress took her biggest role by the horns and was joyous to watch, reveling in Jane Austen levels of romantic notions. But it was all very slick and, paradoxically, was not enough. Plus, the sheer amount of famous friends involved felt uncomfortable. Mitchell & Webb Are Not Helping Not even good enough to be ‘patchy’. Given the shrewd inclusion of talented emerging comics, expectations were high. But unhappily, most of it fell flat. A recurring sketch was a single joke stretched to a dry pulp but recurring in every episode. One star seemed too ready to slip into a familiar ranting mode. The writing room sketches, meanwhile, simply inspired the idea that they should probably have remained in there a bit longer. The Knox Dramatisation This dramatisation of the story of Amanda Knox was executive produced by Amanda Knox and pretty much exclusively presented the perspective of Amanda Knox. So, while there probably is an interesting drama to be made about the tragic 2007 murder, this isn’t it. The material needed to be handled sensitively. Rather, the series struggled painfully to find the right voice, lumbering from oddly breezy, somewhat stylised farce to inevitably, real-life horror. Twisted? Perhaps. A complete mess? Very much so. Prime Target We admire the star … but did we believe him playing the greatest maths genius since, a man so intelligent he’s on the verge of a breakthrough that could destabilise society? Nope! This globe-trotting thriller about secret services targeting – and killing off – academics honestly got more absurd by the second. Formulaic nonsense. The Bonnie Blue Documentary This uncritical portrait followed the online personality renowned for sexual exploits as she undertook her most extreme feat yet. What on earth would motivate her? What we wanted was far greater interrogation of her actual psychology, plus those of the men in the line. They could at least have spoken to the now-famous mum who appeared to drag her son out of the queue. What we got was disturbing imagery and absolutely no critical analysis of her infamy whatsoever. And to think, the filmmaker has a young daughter too.