TV's 10 Worst of 2010 from The Fien Print: 'True Blood,' 'Glee' and more...
Were 'True Blood' or 'Glee' among the year's worst? One critic says so...
Dishonorable Mentions
BOTTOM 10 NOTE: As I said on the Worst of 2010 podcast with Sepinwall, my Bottom 10 can only include shows I watch regularly, or at least semi-regularly. There are probably worse shows on TV than some of the shows on this list, but these are shows I watched enough times that I was about to be annoyed, frustrated or infuriated by them. Some of the shows are just plain awful, but some are shows that have the potential to be so much more and yet squander that potential.
And congratulations to perennial Bottom 10 favorite "Criminal Minds": I only watched a single episode this year, the backdoor pilot for the spinoff. It was really bad. But only watching one episode isn't enough for inclusion on this list...
Dishonorable Mentions:
"House"
"Sons of Tucson"
"The Marriage Ref"
"Scoundrels"
"Rizzoli & Isles"
"Outlaw"
"Miami Medical"
"Memphis Beat"
"Survivor: Nicaragua"
"Pretty Little Liars"
"Entourage"
Photo Credit: FOX
Comments
Option 1
Comment instantly as a guest GuestOption 2
Option 3
Login or create a HitFix account Login Signupshanemd
January 1, 2011 at 2:49AM EST Reply to CommentGotta disagree in regards to Pretty Little Liars. Had no interest when it premiered, but after hearing some positive things about the show, I gave it a look and thought it was a decent little show.
Not the most compelling show, but solid considering the network it's on and it's doing Gossip Girl a lot better than Gossip Girl.
Also with Greek ending in March, I need a show on ABC family to make up for the awful Secret Life of the American Teenager.
dan Shane - "Make It or Break It" is 10x the show "Pretty Little Liars" is. Did you seriously just make me WRITE that? Geez... Anyway, though, it is... I've keep watching "Pretty Little Liars," but it's badly written and even more poorly acted...
January 1, 2011 at 2:54AM ESTAnyway, though, it was only a "dishonorable mention." I'll be saying more about "Pretty Little Liars" on Sunday or Monday when I write about its return and the return of "Greek" (which isn't *definitely* ending in March... folks are just assuming it will because it almost didn't come back)...
-Daniel
shanemd I forgot about "Make It or Break It". You are right, it is a better show than PLL. Maybe I'm giving PLL too much credit, it has bee a while since I watched it.
January 1, 2011 at 7:20PM ESTVery happy to hear that these next 10 episodes of "Greek" may not be the last we see of the show. It's one of my favourites.
January 1, 2011 at 4:59AM EST Reply to CommentNot a surprise Gravity was number one. Starz has way too many misses when they make shows, and im not looking forward to seeing what they're doing with Torchwood.
Borh
January 1, 2011 at 5:11AM EST Reply to CommentI disagree with House. Still strong in its seventh season.
cletus van damme
January 1, 2011 at 7:38AM EST Reply to CommentYou must have accidently switched some of your Top 10 with your Flop 10. ;)
To mention True Blood (call me if there is ever a great character like Jason, Franklyn or Eric ..or a magnetic performance like O'Hares in Vampire Diaries...don't call if you even think about Somerhalder) and Glee on this kind of list is a travesty. Most disappointing (in your point of view) would be acceptable, but worst of 2010? No way, Jose. House, Entourage, Outsourced and The Event don't deserve that "honor" either.
Gravity is in no way worse than shows like Mike and Molly or any reality series, but it really was spectacularly bad..and even more disappointing because Starved was a great comedy.
January 1, 2011 at 9:51AM ESTNow, I'm not saying Alan Ball is a racist misogynist, but I wish he wouldn't try quite so hard to change my mind.
dan Cletus - Jason and Eric are interesting characters established well in previous seasons that didn't rank in by Bottom 10 and then wasted or underused in this particular season. This season of "True Blood" doesn't get credit for continuing to keep those good characters around as background furniture. And Franklin? Really? A scenery chewing vampire rapist from straight out of a rejected Tennessee Williams play who became semi-interesting exactly 10 seconds before he became goo? I get that he was weird and scary, but I'd really hesitate to call him great...
January 1, 2011 at 2:09PM EST-Daniel
Don True Blood and Glee are entertaining train wrecks and perfectly watchable for a short period of time, compared to a lot of the other things that were on this list, but they're still train wrecks and not very good, even if they're entertaining.
January 1, 2011 at 4:55PM ESTThe sad thing is that both could be much better if they weren't so plot-crazy and would actually be able to create believable and consistent characters. But then again, the plot-craziness is what keeps them enjoyable. If they didn't have the plot-craziness and still had such inconsistent writing, they would be just as bad as the rest on this list.
Craig Ranapia
January 1, 2011 at 10:01AM EST Reply to CommentAnother black mark on Glee - Coach Beiste. Oh come on... am I the only person noting the irony of a show run by arguably the highest profile gay man in American television who isn't Neil Patrick Harris, and supposedly about tolerance and diversity and acceptance...
...introducing a female football coach who (pardon my French) ticks every misogynistic/borderline homophobic box about "mannish" ladies who like sports. Dot-Marie Jones should get a public apology, and script approval written into her contract, for the vile storyline she got in '"Never Been Kissed'.
Chrissy
January 1, 2011 at 12:31PM EST Reply to CommentI watch/ed both Happy Town and The Event, and I sort of wish their spots on the list were switched, mostly for the reasons you noted in your Event write-up. Neither show is good, but at least Happy Town was a bit of fun that embraced its weirdness. It also featured actors who seemed to be in on the joke, which is more than I can say for The Event.
In short, I sort of like Happy Town. There, I said it.
dan Chrissy -- I'm not overwhelmingly wedded to a lot of the individual placements. I knew these were the shows I wanted in my Bottom 10 (or 13). Then I put them in one order when I wrote out the blurbs and then I put them in a completely different order when I made the gallery. "True Blood" was No. 10 both thins and Gravity was No. 1 both times. Everything in-between moved around. So feel free to believe that I reversed the order...
January 1, 2011 at 2:13PM EST-Daniel
Chrissy That makes sense. I just wanted an excuse to say something nice about Happy Town, honestly.
January 1, 2011 at 3:47PM ESTCalaway
January 1, 2011 at 2:09PM EST Reply to CommentAs a die hard True Blood fan, I kind of have to agree. I have read all of the books (some of them 2 or 3 times). I was VERY annoyed by the drawn out presence of the Maenad in Season 2. She was a very small insignificant part of the books. She should have stayed that way. Season 3 has been the best so far.
After listening to Alan Ball in interviews a few times,I think they did what they intended on the show. The books are all written from Sookie's point of view. He decided that he needed to keep Sookie from having to film 12 hour days, BUT I think he over did it. I only hope he keeps true to the books for Eric's amnesia stint in Season 4. I'm on Twitter @calawaycomments if you want to comment or follow me.
LJA At least the drawn-out presence of Maryanne allowed season 2 to culminate in an exciting and interesting finale that engaged most of the entire cast. I'll take that over what we got this year - lots of separate stories with much lower stakes - any day.
January 1, 2011 at 3:05PM ESTdan LJA- *Exactly*. I may be old-fashioned, but I like my seasons of TV to arc towards a finale that brings the various elements together as if everything that came before was leading up to a point. When that happens, I know that the person telling me a story is in control of the story they're telling. I kept waiting for any of the disparate, nonsensical bits of S. 3 to gel into something meaningful, but they didn't. None of it did...
January 1, 2011 at 3:17PM EST-Daniel
Guest This show is such a pain in the butt, just like Glee. The only thing that makes it better is the HBO (raunch) factor. I can't resist either one of them, but they could both be so much better. I'm told that I'm in the minority of TB fans who consider Season One to be the best and most promising of the three, Season Two to be a catastrophic disappointment, and Season Three to be a frustrating bore with flashes of brilliance. One can only hope that Season Four brings more Lafayette, Eric, Pam and Jessica, more naked, sexy Jason (as opposed to comic, stupid Jason) and much, much, MUCH less Tara.
January 1, 2011 at 4:08PM ESTChrissy I'm with Guest (and would add Hoyt to the list of more-please characters). I also think the Jason story lines need to be particularly well thought out. Lafayette and Jessica are charming enough, likable enough characters that I look forward to their screen time even if their stories are weak. If Jason is surrounded by inanity, he becomes unbearable, in my opinion. This season exemplified that phenomenon (and did not end in a confidence-building manner).
January 1, 2011 at 10:30PM ESTAction_Kate
January 1, 2011 at 2:22PM EST Reply to CommentWere you watching S5 of House, maybe, when they were trying to make it the "all 13, all the time" show? Because this season has been totally fine so far. I am enjoying the relationship negotiations between House and Cuddy, and the episode where Rachel might or might not have swallowed a dime was hilarious. I enjoyed the smallpox ep, and even the new fellow isn't too obnoxious. I have no idea why you'd rate it so low.
dan Action_Kate - I never cared for a second about House/Cuddy as a romantic relationship and that's all that "House" has become this season. The actual procedural medical mysteries which used to be what the show was about have become *extra* dull and half-hearted. But if you were happy with "House" dedicating a whole episode to House and Wilson being inept babysitters, then we simply watch the show for different things... And that's OK!
January 1, 2011 at 2:58PM EST[And regarding your question on Alan's post, 95% of the world has been calling "Feces My Dad Says" "Shat My Dad Says" since the show was announced...]
-Daniel
Action_Kate Re "Shat": thank you. I am clearly woefully behind the zeitgeist. :)
January 1, 2011 at 9:59PM ESTRe House: I watch for Hugh Laurie, and the medical mysteries are merely a showcase for his astonishing talent. And as you say, that's okay.
Anna Episodes such as the one where House and Wilson babysit Rachel are precisely the reason why viewers are leaving in droves, "Action Kate." What IS this show? It's practically unwatchable, Hugh Laurie or not. This show has not lived up to the standard that it set for itself in the first two or three years. It's become silly, predictable, and continually insults the viewers' intelligence by tinkering around with the characters and timeline to suit their current fascination with the dreadful House/Cuddy faux-mance.
January 11, 2011 at 6:54PM ESTLJA
January 1, 2011 at 3:02PM EST Reply to CommentI'm really glad to see someone call House out. This past fall was the season I finally deleted it from my DVR and have never looked back. It's unwatchable. Not even Hugh Laurie can bring me back, and I love the man. Flush.
Glee is atrocious. What's worse is that it's so goddamned pleased with itself. Good taste is dead.
I loved season one of True Blood, liked season 2 well enough, but your criticism of season 3 is totally on-point. I don't give a crap if Alan Ball follows the books or not, in fact, I've never read the books, I have zero investment in that. But Ball has utterly lost control of the narrative, good characters are being wasted (cough Jessica, Lafayette cough), and there's very little left storywise that is compelling. At this point, I watch for the beefcake (Manganiello, Skarsgard) and the kitch factor. I want Jason and the children of the corn to spinoff to a different show so I never have to see them again.
Don
January 1, 2011 at 4:49PM EST Reply to CommentGreat accurate list. Makes me pity you a lot of if you had to watch all of the episodes of the shows in question. Also, Gravity turned me off within the first two minutes, which is kinda sad, because the concept itself (suicide survivors!) was an interesting one, even for a comedy (not to mention that I loved Krysten Ritter on both Veronica Mars and Breaking Bad).
Steven Flores
January 1, 2011 at 5:21PM EST Reply to CommentI have a question. Who in the hell keeps giving Eric Schaffer funding for projects? I've seen his films and TV stuff and they're crap. I feel sorry for the people who worked with him and had to deal with some egomaniac who can never create a fully-realized character.
dan Steven - That's truly the question to end all questions. Obviously he works cheap. If he writes, directs, produces and stars, you can save the money that might otherwise have gone to a talented writer, director, producer and star. A bigger question is why do semi-talented -- Ving Rhames and Krysten Ritter, mostly -- actors continue to work with him?
January 1, 2011 at 6:24PM EST-Daniel
Mulderism
January 1, 2011 at 10:21PM EST Reply to CommentDan,
Well of course I agree with "Survivor: Nicaragua". The most unwatchable season of Survivor ever. I'm hoping that they never bring these guys back for a all-star season. Especially you-know-who.
I watched a few episodes of "the Marriage Ref" and that's about all I could stand. So $%^$% smarmy and full of itself. Not funny at all.
Agreed as well on Entourage. That show has been on far too long. The only time the show is interesting is when the guys are struggling but the producers don't have the balls to keep them suffering too long. I predict that Vince will bounce out of rehab in the first episode and make a Robert Downey Jr-like comeback and all will be right again. Boring...
January 1, 2011 at 11:38PM EST Reply to CommentWow. I thought I watched a lot of TV! But many of you here seem to watch a lot of TV, plus a lot of *bad* TV! I guess I'm wondering A) if you need to watch most of a season before realizing you actually didn't want to watch it, B) really like bad TV, C) have even more time on your hands than I do!
I think you probably just love watching TV. Which is fair. I just don't think I could make a list like this because coming up with a list based on viewing one, or less than one, episode would be difficult. Not to mention I think I'd have a hard time remembering.
Regardless, thanks for the warning re: which shows to avoid (I watch a lot of already-aired TV, much of which I discover from reading this blog.)
Mike
January 3, 2011 at 3:06AM EST Reply to CommentHave to agree with you on GLEE - it became a parody of itself before it could even complete one full season. The pilot through 'Sectionals' showed fun, quirky potential in its writing and great performances from the entire cast. Now it is just nauseating in it's cliche plot twists and elementary school styled character development. As soon as maximizing itunes downloads and auto tuned copies (as opposed to new versions) of standards became more important than telling a story -- it's potential as a new and interesting TV series went down the drain. All of the performances are annoying stereotypes now -- which is not the fault of the actors. Once the young teens who bought into the concept last year begin to mature and get sick of the shows unintelligent repetition -- I don't see this show lasting more than another season at best. What a shame!
January 6, 2011 at 12:30AM EST Reply to CommentNice to see someone who doesn't love "Glee!" I am quasi-obsessed with "True Blood", but I can see why some people would hate it.
iamtrue2bill
January 7, 2011 at 2:48PM EST Reply to CommentYes, AB et al did let the "cast of thousands" get in the way of tight, coherent, dense plotlines at times. However, S3 was, by and large, a successful season of gore, intrigue, maneuverings, and madness in a fun mix that was scary, and sometimes silly.
Jessica continues to be endearing and nerve-racking. Tommy was an annoying but heart-wrenching addition. Russell was fantastic - smart, smooth, dangerous, and mad. Franklin was super crazy, and so much fun to watch. Bill, Sookie, Eric, and Pam had great scenes and good storylines, and the magister (drawing a blank on the actor's name) was delicious! And don't let's forget Nan Flanagan-superb, as always.
Poor Jason got the shaft. Crystal? HotShot? uh... no. Not working. Tara? Still too tortured, although it looks like that may be turning around - I'm hopeful. Sam? I actually enjoyed his messed up Mickens family reunion. Tommy has potential. Lafayette and Jesus? IDK. They have chemistry, but the psychedelic "V" trip was worrisome. Faeries? Again, AB and crew may have opened a Pandora's box of fantasy overload. We'll have to wait and see.
My conclusion is that there were some flaws, but the season was a good one, based on outstanding performances, well written scenes (especially for the lead characters I mentioned), and the outstanding production value (RE's mansion, real wolves, Sophie-Ann's residence, the lighting, music, editing, costumes, special effects - all top notch).
Alan Ball is brave and takes risks. Some work better than others, but one of the worst shows of 2010? NO, no way. It still is great fun on a Sunday night.
iamtrue2bill
January 7, 2011 at 3:15PM EST Reply to CommentI have only watched "Outscourced" twice, both for approximately 5-10 minutes. I could not bear it. I may differ with you and other critics as to best and worst and in between, but this show is, IMO, unwatchable.
May 17, 2011 at 4:32AM EST Reply to CommentYou forgot what they have done to Sue on Glee. Once an amusing character is stuck in a holding pattern as she tries to destroy the Glee Club every week. What is she Wil E Coyote? At least he got what was coming to him.
Sue is a caricature now. Not funny anymore just like Terri.
May 17, 2011 at 4:36AM EST Reply to CommentNo Gossip Girl or "V"?
No Reality Programs?
stranger
June 7, 2011 at 9:24AM EST Reply to CommentI agree with Borh.
House is still very strong.
In its 7th season they always find new stuff to keep it interesting. It is really a pitty that good shows can be so underevaluated...
Fire Fly, Life, Flash Forward, Caprica,.....
Concerning Glee, i pretty disagree with most comments here. I think from the beginning on it was a caricature of US society. Every scene is sarcasm, I pretty much like the show.