đ Share this article This Floating Excrement Was Far Too Meaningful! It's the TV Letdowns of the Year. As we consider the television landscape of the recent year, a handful of shows stand out not for their excellence, but for their notable shortcomings. Ranging from awkward sequels to confusingly bad documentaries, here are the programmes that left us scratching our heads or simply reaching for the remote. The 'Sex and the City' Sequel Where to begin with this divisive spin-off? Burdened with dreadful scripts, painful arcs (we demand better for Miranda!), and a paltry 71 seconds of fan-favourite Samantha, the show fought to find its footing. For a moment, as the final series started, it seemed as if it had at last found its groove. Then came an installment all about Seemaâs natural deodorant. No wonder the creator announced this would be the final season. It concluded on a low point; the closeup of Mirandaâs loo flooded with poo was simply too on-the-nose. Yet, fans undeniably found joy dissecting every single âwtf?â episode. And as Carrie â once again single â twirled around her palatial townhouse to Barry White, who didnât let out a little sob? Allâs Fair âCan Kim Kardashian act? The answer is a resounding no.â But that was almost the least of this show's issues. The recipient of a exceedingly uncommon no-star review, it was difficult to know where to begin enumerating the flaws. The hilariously wooden writing? The tedious veneration of wealth and materialism? The seemingly deliberate parade of tropes? Performances so bad they felt almost spiteful? Suffice it to say âeach and every oneâ and never speak of this series again. However, a new season has been commissioned, so weâre probably going to have to. AKA Charlie Sheen Given the restraining orders, domestic violence claims and fatherly failures, itâs fair to say Charlie Sheen has been a troubled figure. Not that youâd really have gleaned it from this multi-part docuseries which chuckled along at Sheenâs various bouts of self-destructive excess while failing to tell us a single thing we didnât already know. Rather, it felt as if this loose cannon was being indulged, so any pity this show might induce should be saved for the people who have had to endure proximity with this charismatic but dismissive egotist. The Iris Affair Of course we knew it was ridiculous from the outset: a thriller about a AI known as Charlie Big Potatoes that could either save the world â or annihilate all of humanity. We persevered out of pure love for its stars ⌠but by the end, it felt like even they had given up trying. One scarcely reacted when his character died, and the other ultimately hacking Charlie with an axe ⌠in painfully slow-motion. That's what you call admitting defeat. The Gangster Drama Dodgy characters convening in deserted boxing gyms? The Prodigyâs Firestarter blaring in club scenes? The late 90s called and demands its crime drama back. In truth, that is harsh on the crime shows of the late 90s. Many look a little old-fashioned now, but at least they didnât endure the ignominy of having to indulge unconvincing accents. But there were many other issues. Mainly that it was just really dull; a conflict over narcotics territory between various London picaresques which felt a bit basic. The Meghan Markle Series Considering the extent to which she provokes the ire of certain ostentatiously enraged commentators, itâs almost easy to applaud the Duchess of Sussexâs various forays into quaint homemaking as deliberate statements. But then you view them and are forced to concede that actually, they may have a point. Itâs like watching a lifestyle catalogue come to life; a poster for wine oâclock with ideas of grandeur; a parade of snoozing dogs, humming beehives, sentimental platitudes and pointless crafting âtipsâ youâll not remember instantly. All supported by vast, mostly unearned wealth. Ugh. Victoria Beckham There are clearly interesting things to be said about both Victoria Beckham and her journey with career, self-image, self-acceptance. But for some reason, this three-part series chose not to say them. Instead, the viewing was like consuming a marketing brochure. She obviously has every right to bridle at what she describes as her âsternâ image. But sadly, she failed to do herself any favours with this guarded non-event of a series. The Inheritance It should have been the next cultural phenomenon â except even more extravagant, with a glamorous star as a deceased benefactor and a sharp-tongued personality overseeing her estate. What more could you want? As players competed, there was plenty of backstabbing and squabbling. But the rules quickly became bewildering: itâs still too confusing to detail what exactly 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 live up to something far greater than it. Too Much How do you follow a show that captured a generation? The expectation was enormous for this glitzy romantic comedy about Jessica, a rosy-eyed New Yorker who arrives in London with a shattered romance. The star took her biggest role by the horns and was joyous to watch, embodying Jane Austen levels of romantic notions. But it was all very glossy and, paradoxically, was not enough. Plus, the sheer amount of famous cameos involved felt icky. Mitchell & Webb Are Not Helping Not good enough to be âunevenâ. Given the smart inclusion of talented emerging comics, expectations were high. But sadly, most of it didnât land. A recurring sketch was a single joke milked to a dry pulp but recurring in every episode. One star seemed too willing to slip into a well-known ranting mode. The writing room sketches, meanwhile, simply inspired the thought that they should probably have remained in there a bit longer. The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox This retelling 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 compelling drama to be made about the horrific 2007 murder, this isnât it. The material needed to be treated with care. Instead, the series laboured awkwardly to find the right voice, lumbering from oddly jaunty, somewhat mannered farce to ultimately, real-life horror. Twisted? Perhaps. A total mess? Absolutely. The Maths Genius Thriller We love the star ⌠but did we believe him playing the most brilliant maths genius since, a man so smart heâs on the brink of a discovery that could ruin society? Nope! This international thriller about government agencies spying on â and killing off â academics frankly got more farcical by the second. Formulaic nonsense. The Bonnie Blue Documentary This uncritical portrait followed the online personality notorious for explicit escapades as she prepared for her most extreme challenge yet. What on earth would motivate her? What we wanted was way more interrogation of her true psychology, plus those of the men in the line. They could at least have interviewed the now-famous mum who showed up to drag her son out of the queue. What we got was disturbing imagery and zero critical analysis of her notoriety whatsoever. It's staggering to consider, the documentary-maker has a teenage daughter too.