🔗 Share this article This Drifting Poo Was Way Too Symbolic! It's the TV Letdowns of the Year. Looking back, we reflect on the TV offerings of the recent year, a handful of series emerge not for their excellence, but for their spectacular shortcomings. From cringe-inducing spin-offs to confusingly bad docuseries, here are the programmes that left us utterly bewildered or simply reaching for the remote. The 'Sex and the City' Sequel Where to begin with this divisive follow-up? Plagued with dreadful writing, cringe-inducing arcs (we demand better for Miranda!), and a paltry 71 seconds of fan-favourite Samantha, the series fought to justify its existence. For a moment, as the final series began, it looked like it had at last hit its stride. Then came an installment centered on Seema’s natural deodorant. Little surprise the creator announced this would be the last season. It concluded on a low point; the closeup of Miranda’s loo full of poo was just way too symbolic. Yet, viewers certainly had a hoot picking apart every single “what on earth?” episode. And as Carrie – a single woman once more – twirled around her palatial townhouse to Barry White, who couldn't release a small sob? All’s Fair ‘Can Kim Kardashian act? The answer is a resounding no.’ But that was almost the least of this show's issues. The recipient of a very rare zero star assessment, it was hard to know where to start listing the problems. The laughably wooden writing? The mind-numbing glorification of affluence and materialism? The seemingly wilful parade of cliches? Performances so poor they felt borderline malicious? Let’s just say “each and every one” and never speak of this series again. Except, a second season has been ordered, so we’re probably going to have to. AKA Charlie Sheen Given the legal troubles, domestic violence allegations and fatherly shortcomings, it’s reasonable to say Charlie Sheen has been a troubled figure. Not that you’d really have known it from this multi-part documentary which smirked its way at Sheen’s various episodes of reckless hedonism while struggling to tell us anything we weren't already aware of. Rather, it felt as if this volatile personality was being indulged, so any sympathy this show might induce should be reserved for the people who have had to suffer close contact with this charming but dismissive narcissist. The Iris Affair Naturally we knew it was ridiculous 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 sheer love for its stars … but by the end, it felt like even they had given up trying. One barely reacted when his character died, and the other ultimately slicing Charlie with an axe … in painfully slow-motion. That's what you call giving up the ghost. The Gangster Drama Shady figures convening in deserted boxing gyms? The Prodigy’s Firestarter blaring in club scenes? The late 90s called and wants its gangland drama back. In truth, that is unfair on the gangland dramas of the late 90s. Many seem a bit old-fashioned now, but at least they didn’t endure the embarrassment of having to indulge baffling dialects. But there were many other problems. Primarily that it was just really dull; a conflict over narcotics territory between various London rogues which seemed a bit basic. With Love, Meghan Considering the extent to which she grinds the gears of the nation’s performatively enraged commentators, it’s temptingly tempting to applaud the Duchess of Sussex’s televised ventures into quaint homemaking as intentional statements. But then you watch them and are compelled to concede that actually, they might have a point. It’s like watching a homeware catalogue come to life; a meme for evening drinks with delusions of grandeur; a parade of snoozing dogs, buzzing beehives, Hallmark sayings and forgettable crafting “tips” you’ll forget instantly. All supported by immense, largely unearned wealth. Ugh. The Beckham Documentary There are clearly interesting things to be said about both Victoria Beckham and her struggles with career, identity, self-acceptance. But for whatever reason, this three-part series chose not to explore them. Rather, the experience was akin to reading a sales catalogue. She obviously has every right to bridle at what she describes as her “stern” image. But unfortunately, she failed to do herself any helps with this cagey letdown of a series. The Inheritance It should have been the next cultural phenomenon – except even camper, with a famous star as a deceased benefactor and a sharp-tongued personality managing her estate. What more could you ask for? As contestants competed, there was plenty of backstabbing and arguing. But the rules quickly became incomprehensible: it’s still too complicated to explain what precisely was happening. Even more disappointingly, 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. Too Much How does one follow a show that defined a generation? The pressure was enormous for this starry romantic comedy about Jessica, a hopeful 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, embodying Austen levels of romantic notions. But it was all very slick and, paradoxically, was not enough. Plus, the sheer amount of celebrity cameos involved felt icky. The Sketch Show Return Not even good enough to be ‘patchy’. Given the shrewd inclusion of talented younger comics, expectations were high. But unhappily, most of it fell flat. A recurring sketch was a one-note joke stretched to a husk but repeated in every episode. One star seemed too ready to slip into a familiar irate mode. The behind-the-scenes 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 overseen 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 was not it. The material needed to be handled sensitively. Instead, the series struggled painfully to find the right voice, lurching from oddly breezy, somewhat stylised farce to inevitably, real-life horror. Complex? Perhaps. A total mess? Absolutely. Prime Target We love the lead actor … but did we buy him playing the greatest maths genius in history, a man so smart he’s on the brink of a breakthrough that could ruin society? No! This international thriller about government agencies spying on – and eliminating – academics honestly got more absurd by the second. Formulaic nonsense. The Bonnie Blue Documentary This uncritical portrait followed the content creator notorious for sexual exploits as she undertook her biggest challenge yet. What on earth would possess her? What we wanted was far greater interrogation of her actual psychology, plus those of the men in the queue. They could at least have spoken to the legendary mum who showed up to drag her son out of the queue. What we got was horrific shots and absolutely no interrogation of her infamy whatsoever. It's staggering to consider, the filmmaker has a teenage daughter too.