Making the call about the quality of a television series is a subjective thing because of personal preferences and biases. It is usually done by a combination of reviews and ratings by critics and fans. If the viewership is high on a series, then it usually makes the cut to return for another season, unless there are other mitigating factors. Writers may have a great idea for a show, and it can take years to put the show together. By the time it hits the air, multiple people have been involved including directors, producers and the actors. If there is a reasonably good plot and there is chemistry between the actors, the show stands a good chance of becoming popular. If the show isn’t something that viewers can relate to, it isn’t likely to be successful. Here are 20 television shows that fell far below expectations.
1. “Mulaney”
The television series “Mulaney” is an autobiographical sitcom that came across much like the series “Seinfeld.” It was based on the standup comedy of John Mulaney who had written “Saturday Night Live” for six years and earned a fair amount of success in the venture. His sitcom however; was another story. Fox picked up the show and it aired for 13 episodes from October of 2014 through February of 2015. It was a general consensus that the show wasn’t what viewers were expecting. It scored low in ratings and didn’t pull in the viewership that was needed for success. One of the chief complaints was that it was “too much like ‘Seinfeld.’ This was not one of John Mulaney’s greatest eras and after the show was canceled, he moved his comedy to the touring circuit and Broadway. The expectations for the show were high because of Mulaney’s previous success as a writer and stand-up comedian, but the show fell flat and didn’t make it to a second season.
2. “Iron Fist”
This is another show that didn’t make the grade. Marvel teamed up with Netflix and gathered a following of fans for the series, but it didn’t live up to the high standards that were set by its predecessors “Luke Cage,” Jessica Jones” and Daredevil.” The show hasn’t been canceled and will be back for a second season, but it will have a new showrunner. Raven Metzner who penned for “Clue,” “Six Degrees” and “Sleepy Hollow” is coming on board to replace Scott Buck because of the lackluster appeal that it had in its’ first run. Execs are hopeful that a new writer can bring the series up to the levels that fans are hoping to see once the changes are made. It isn’t that the show is bad, it’s just that it could be a lot better and Marvel fans know this, so do the critics.
3. “Ironside”
This is an NBC series that first aired in 2013 for a nine-episode season. The ratings were so bad that it was canceled. Negative reviews and low viewership were also factors in the networks decision to let the series go in its’ first season. It was intended to be a remake of the series from the 1960s, starring Raymond Burr, which was a great success. The cast of the show included Blair Underwood and Kenneth Choi and Pablo Schreiber, but it lacked the chemistry of the original series. There was little positive that anyone had to say about the show. There were high expectations, especially from fans of the previous successful series, but the remake didn’t live up to the standards set decades ago and went away abruptly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2iWsGmycVY
4. “Truth Be Told”
David Nash is the writer who is responsible for the idea for this television series that aired in 2015. He enjoyed previous success with “‘Til Death” as well as “Growing Up Fisher,” but critics gave it a low score and it wasn’t well received by viewers either. The series starred Mark-Paul Gosselaar of “Saved by The Bel,” Vanessa Lachey, Bresha Webb and Tone Bell. The response to the series was so negative that it wasn’t even allowed to run for the last two episodes which had already been prepared.
5. “Rob”
Successful actor Rob Schneider, best known for his roles in “Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo,” “The Benchwarmers,” “The Hot Chick” and “The Animal,” appeared in a new CBS television series in 2012. The character that he played in the show had the same first name but that was coincidental. The series had nothing to do with him personally outside of his portrayal of the character. The show centered around an architect with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, who married a Mexican-American and attempted to form ties with her family. Joining his were actors Claudia Bassols, Cheech Marin and Maria Riva. The show received record low ratings and didn’t last long. Fans expected a little more from a show with such funny and popular actors, but sadly, it didn’t deliver and was not asked back.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_Ml9zWF6Oo
6. “Damien”
Bradley James starred in the A&E network’s television series “Damien.” James portrayed Damien Thorn in a series that was loosely based upon “The Omen” horror franchise. The show made its premiere in 2016 and focused on the life of the title character as an adult. He had completely forgotten about the events in his Satanic and violent past. The attempt to revive the franchise on television was a miserable failure. The score received very low ratings from both fans and critics alike. It was a good idea, but something was lost in the translation between concept and reality. With a low viewer base and terrible reviews, the sow was promptly canceled. The release of the series was highly anticipated, particularly among horror genre fans. After the first few episodes, all of the hype and excitement turned into bitter disappointment.
7.”The Kennedys: After Camelot”
This is possibly one of the worst television shows that has been made. The writers attempted to piggyback off the miniseries “The Kennedys” from 2011. While Katie Holmes did a decent job of portraying Jackie Kennedy in the original and in the attempted series, it wasn’t enough to make a difference. The mini-series was assessed to be a failure, regardless of Katie’s’ fair representation of the former first lady. Critics found little to lend merit to either series because they were as lackluster as a show can get. The show wasn’t funny and there was no real excitement involved. It is as though the writes were stuck on telling the bland details of a story that everyone already knew, and there was no attempt to humanize it or insert a drawing card that people could relate to. This was truly an epic fail. Katie Holmes, however, has moved on and is currently involved in a “Ocean’s Eight” project that we’ll be seeing in theaters in 2018.
8. “Hunters”
This television series had sci-fi fans feeling hopeful, until a few episodes into the season. It generated a little hype that became a letdown. “Hunters” was a television series that was inspired by the Whitley Strieber novel “Alien Hunter.” Nathan Phillips starred in the leading role of Flynn Carroll. Flynn’s wife was abducted by alien hunters. He was the guy that was chosen to deal with humankind’s next greatest threat. Part of the problem with “Hunters” is that it appeared on the Syfy network and was placed in a time slot that was near midnight. There aren’t a lot of people out at this time of the night, so this could account for low viewership. Even if this could be seen as a valid excuse, the fact remains that there weren’t’ many positive ratings and the program did nothing for the Syfy network so it was axed during the first season prior to the airing of the finale.
9. “Friends with Better Lives”
This was a sitcom that only aired for two months of 2014. It was a CBS television series that starred James Van Der Beek of “Dawson’s Creek” fame, Majandra Delfino of “Roswell” and Zoe Lister-Jones, the current star of “Life in Pieces.” There were a few other good actors in the series, but the show fell flat after just a few episodes. In all there were thirteen installments completed, and after eight, the network stopped airing them. If you are one of the few fans of the show, you can still purchase them on DVD.
10. “Allen Gregory”
“Allen Gregory” was created in 2011 and was hyped to be the hit animated series coming to Fox. The show focused on the title character who is a seven years old, who is being raised by two fathers. The kid is sarcastic and he has exquisite taste, but somehow, he didn’t appeal to viewers. Jonah Hill is the creator of the series. He developed it in collaboration with Jarrad Paul and Andrew Mogel, who are frequent work associates of Hill. Fox had big plans for the animated new show, but it didn’t work out to meet the expectations of viewers or critics. Even though Jonah Hill provided the voice of Allen Gregory, the quality and the content was just not there. The show was cancelled.
11. “Rosewood”
Here is yet another television series that was highly anticipated, but failed to meet expectations. Morris Chestnut stars in th is procedural drama that lasted on Fox for two seasons. Even though it received a royal bashing throughout its’ run, the show has just recently been canceled this year. Morris Chestnut is a veteran actor who starred in popular television series’ along with films including “American Horror Story,” “Boyz n the Hood” and “The Call.” Although he’s had some high moments in his acting career, this wasn’t one of them.
The character that he portrayed in “Rosewood” is the protagonist Beaumont Rosewood, Jr., a Miami based pathologist. He assisted law enforcement with their investigations in ongoing cases. Part of the problem with the show is that it told the stories of the episodes fairly clearly, but it had no real chemistry and there wasn’t anything for fans to really look forward to in the upcoming episodes. It was a bland presentation that could have been so much better. There was hope for it initially, and this may be the reason why Fox kept it going a year beyond when they should have. Perhaps the network was waiting for the writers to do something inspirational…we’ll never know.
12. “Saint George”
Actor George Lopez was still riding high from the series of his previous success as a standup comedian, and for his hit show “The George Lopez Show.” He’s reached some very high places as an actor and comedian, but the rocky road that his career has taken has had some equally low bad times. One of the worst episodes was when he starred in a new series called “Saint George.” The television sitcom aired on FX for just one season, and was cancelled because the ratings were remarkably low. In addition, there were multiple negative reviews associated with the show. Lopez went on to star in a sitcom about himself that is semi-autobiographical. “Lopez” currently airs on the TV Land network and has been renewed for the second season. It appears that he’s having better luck with his current television series than he did with “Saint George.”
13. “Betrayal”
Joining the list of disappointing television series is “Betrayal” which stared Henry Thomas and Hannah Ware. ABC gave producers the greenlight to move ahead with the series because of the success of “Revenge.” Patty Jenkins directed the pilot and also served as the executive producer. She is known for her work in “Wonder Woman. The series seemed set up for success when it first began and fans had high expectations which were not met during the first few episodes of the show. There were 13 episodes planned for the first season, but the ratings were so low that it was not renewed for a second season. This was a disappointment not only for the viewers, but for the cast who didn’t make the impact with this series as they have in some of their other ventures. James Cromwell who also starred in the series has moved on to appear in the new “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” which is set for release in 2018.
14. “Hank”
Kelsey Grammer earned accolades for his role in “Cheers” and later in the popular sitcom “Frasier.” There was every reason to believe that his new series about a failed Wall Street businessman would be a successful venture. He played the role of the title character who moved his family back to the state of Virginia where he made the effort to become a better father and husband post-Wall Street. The creator of the show, Tucker Cawley, known for “Everybody Loves Raymond” has had a successful track record as a writer and creator. It was a surprise when the show hit the air in 2009 with an unimpressive impact on viewers. The ratings were shockingly low for a Kelsey Grammer/Tucker Cawley project. There was a total of ten episodes made and out of these, only five were aired before the series was canceled. Grammer took it in stride and was heard joking about it on the “Jay Leno Show.”
15. “I Hate My Teenage Daughter”
Jaime Pressly and Katie Finneran stared in this sitcom that was aired on Fox in 2011 and 2012. It was placed in the time slot that came immediately after the American version of “The X Factor,” and that show didn’t fare very well either. All of the actors appearing in “I Hate My Teenage Daughter” were successful in their previous gigs, but this show just didn’t bring it for audiences. Thirteen episodes were planned for the first season, but only seven of them actually made it to the air. The show centered around two moms who had the fear that their teenage daughters would grow up to be bullies. The show didn’t live up to the expectations of the American audience, but it did go on for a little longer in New Zealand, Australia, Mexico and Brazil where all of the thirteen episodes for the first season aired.
16.”Dr. Ken”
“Dr. Ken” was a television series in the sitcom genre, shown on ABC. The show stared comedian Ken Jeong in the lead role. he is well known for success in “The Hangover” movies and the “Community” TV show. When he attempted to branch out with his own sitcom, the results weren’t as positive. The funny thing about this is that Ken Jeong is actually a licensed physician in addition to being a comedic actor. The show didn’t get very good ratings, but was allowed to return for a second season. A total of 44 episodes were aired, but the critical reviews remained negative so the series was cancelled after the second season. Jeong continues to act and his most recent projects include the films “Crazy Rich Asians” and “Amusement Park.”
17. “Work It”
Times were tough for the characters of this ABC sitcom that centered around two men who dressed like women to find jobs. The recession made the competition stiff so they donned their feminine attire to go after the jobs that women seem to be getting in favor of the males. This was a risky venture to say the least. The topic is a bit controversial land it was bound to fuel a few fires. Out of the thirteen episodes of the series that were planned, only two of them aired during the first season. The ABC network had enough after just two installments were aired. This show was one of the most massive flops in the history of television. It was bad enough that the viewers and critics didn’t like it, but to make matters worse, the network gave up just two shows in. Apparently, they didn’t “work it” well enough.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eE15Q3L5FTI
18. “We Are Men”
“We Are Men” is a CBS sitcom that aired in 2013. This is another show that didn’t quite live up to expectations. Rob Greenberg who made a name for himself as writer and producer of “How I Met Your Mother,” and “Frasier” is the creator. The stars, Kal Penn, Jerry O’Connell and Tony Shalhoub were the main characters in the show. It followed a man who was jilted at the altar by his bride to be, and finds himself attempting to pick up the pieces. He develops a friendship with three other guys who are divorced for moral support. The show had terrible ratings and reviews and was cancelled after just two episodes.
19. “Dads”
The cast of “Dads” was a good indicator that it would be a great new series and this built high expectations. The show featured Seth Green, Giovanni Ribisi, and Brenda Song. How can a show with this lineup go wrong? The talent was certainly there, but the Fox network had a disappointing and rude awakening when the negative reviews started rolling in. The network remained hopeful and aired all 19 episodes which were planned for season one, but the reviews didn’t change, so there was no choice than to end the series and not renew it for a second season.
20. “Charlie’s Angels” (Reboot)
This show was a reboot of the hit series starring Farrah Fawcett, Jaclyn Smith and Kate Jackson. In 2011, ABC tried to reboot the series. Rachel Taylor, Minka Kelly and Annie Ilonzeh starred as the angels, but the show didn’t have the appeal that was expected. In fact, the reboot was so bad that it didn’t even make it to the finale of the season before network executives gave it a big fat veto and canceled it. There was really no need to continue with the remaining episodes because there were not many people who were willing to spend their time watching it.
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