For all the great shows we were given this year, 2020 has seemed to rear its ugly head in just about every facet of our lives. Unfortunately, television isn’t exempt from this years tentacles. It should be expected considering that most streaming services (Netflix in particular) opted to dump everything they possibly could while we remained stuck in our homes. With the rate with which we all consumed television this year, we were bound to encounter some duds.
Let’s take a quick look at 4 of the worst shows in 2020.
Quick note (ya I know, another disclaimer for the obvious): there were a lot of shows that made of worst of lists among critics, and despite how much television I did consume, I managed to miss or skip most of them. I’m sure there are quite a few more shows that are worthy making this list, but I am only going off the tv shows I watched this year. And to be completely fair, I watched way more good shows than bad, and managed to avoid a vast number of shows that I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed to begin with.
So, without further ado, let’s take a look at some shows we wished we didn’t watch this year.
“Utopia” (Amazon)
This one is a little unfair as I didn’t really hate the show. “Utopia” is more a victim of not holding its own against the best shows rather than earning their keep on the worst of list. Though well acted and a decent enough premise, “Utopia” suffers from being a bit too dark and too complex for its own good. Likewise, making the entire first season about a pandemic hits little too close to home to be fully enjoyed. It’s not bad, but it isn’t great either. You can read my full review here.
“Space Force” (Netflix)
As a huge fan of “The Office” and a sucker for current time satires, no one should’ve liked “Space Force” more than myself. On paper, this was a can’t miss hit that somehow misfired on just about every single level. The show is proof that just because you have a premise and a star studded cast, letting them figure it out on the spot doesn’t make for good, compelling television. I forced myself through this show, begrudgingly hoping for it to get better to justify its existence. It never did, and for all the money and talent involved, “Space Force” is a series that earns its spot on the worst list.
Netflix renewed it for a second season.
“Cursed” (Netflix)
I’m all for derivatives and reimagining classic stories, but “Cursed” is a prime example of to get it all wrong. Everything from the story to visuals to whatever it’s suppose to be about, the retelling of Merlin and the Lady of Lake is about as narratively confusing as a toddler trying to explain King Arthur. It’s riddled with subplot overload that never really go anywhere, adding to the narrative cacophony. “Cursed” is also just not as interesting as it thinks it is or wants to be. As I said in my review (which you can read here), if everything and everyone is important, eventually nothing is. Ironically, “Cursed” commits many of the same mistakes as another show that also deservedly makes the list.
“Warrior Nun” (Netflix)
That’s right, the last show on the list of worst shows of 2020 is “Warrior Nun.” This show was such a slog to get through I actually gave myself a pat on the back for finishing it. I genuinely hated this show, and because I watched “Cursed” shortly after, I almost labored much of my eire for “Warrior Nun” on it for making the same dumb mistakes. This aversion to non linear story telling and over abundance of characters and plot points stretches the narrative farther than its premise can handle. “Warrior Nun” is an absolute mess, which is infuriating because the premise is actually a decent one. It is a complete waste of time, and may take the cake for the worst show of 2020. And if my feelings about “Warrior Nun” (more of which you can read here) wasn’t enough, someone somewhere thought we needed MORE of this disaster and greenlit and second season. On the brightside, if season 2 gets released next year, I may already have a worst of 2021 contender already.
There you have it, my worst television watching experiences of 2020. What were some of the worst shows you watched in 2020?
