đ Share this article This Floating Poo Was Far Too Symbolic! It's the Television Letdowns of the Year. Looking back, we reflect on the TV landscape of the recent year, a selection of series emerge not for their excellence, but for their notable shortcomings. Ranging from cringe-inducing spin-offs to confusingly bad documentaries, here are the programmes that had us scratching our heads or just reaching for the remote. The 'Sex and the City' Sequel Where to begin with this love/hate follow-up? Plagued with woeful scripts, cringe-inducing character development (we demand better for Miranda!), and a mere 71 seconds of fan-favourite Samantha, the show struggled to justify its existence. For a moment, as the third series began, it looked like it had finally hit its stride. Then arrived an episode all about Seemaâs natural deodorant. No wonder the creator announced this would be the last series. It ended on a low point; the closeup of Mirandaâs loo flooded with poo was just way too on-the-nose. Still, fans certainly had a hoot picking apart every single âwtf?â moment. And as Carrie â once again single â danced around her palatial townhouse to Barry White, who didnât let out a small sob? Allâs Fair âIs Kim Kardashian an actress? The answer is a resounding no.â But that was practically the least of this drama's issues. The recipient of a very rare no-star assessment, it was hard to know where to begin listing the flaws. The laughably wooden dialogue? The mind-numbing veneration of affluence and consumption? The seemingly wilful parade of tropes? Performances so poor they felt borderline malicious? Suffice it to say âeach and every oneâ and forget about this show again. However, a new season has been ordered, so weâre likely going to have to. AKA Charlie Sheen Given the legal troubles, domestic violence claims and parental shortcomings, itâs reasonable to say Charlie Sheen has been a troubled figure. Not that youâd truly have known it from this multi-part docuseries which chuckled along at Sheenâs various episodes of reckless hedonism while failing to tell us anything we weren't already aware of. Rather, it felt as if this volatile personality was being indulged, so any pity this show might evoke should be reserved for the people who have had to endure close contact with this charismatic but flippant narcissist. The Supercomputer Drama Naturally we understood it was preposterous from the outset: a drama about a supercomputer known as Charlie Big Potatoes that could either save the world â or destroy all of humanity. We stuck with it out of sheer love for its leads ⌠but by the end, it felt like even they had stopped bothering. One barely cared when his character died, and the other ended up hacking Charlie with an axe ⌠in super slow-motion. Talk about giving up the ghost. The Gangster Drama Dodgy figures meeting in empty boxing gyms? A certain band's Firestarter blaring in club scenes? The late 90s called and demands its gangland drama back. In truth, that is unfair on the crime shows of the late 90s. Many seem a bit dated now, but at least they didnât endure the ignominy of having to indulge unconvincing accents. But there were many other problems. Primarily that it was just profoundly boring; a dispute over drug-selling territory between various London picaresques which felt rather simplistic. The Meghan Markle Series Given the extent to which she grinds the gears of the nationâs ostentatiously enraged commentators, itâs temptingly tempting to admire the Duchess of Sussexâs various forays into twee lifestyle as intentional statements. But then you watch them and are compelled to admit that in this case, they might have a point. Itâs like watching a homeware magazine animated; a meme for evening drinks with delusions of grandeur; a procession of sleeping dogs, humming beehives, sentimental sayings and pointless crafting âtipsâ youâll not remember instantly. All underpinned by immense, largely unearned wealth. Ugh. The Beckham Documentary There are obviously interesting things to be discussed about regarding Victoria Beckham and her struggles with vocation, identity, self-worth. But for some reason, this documentary series opted not to explore them. Instead, the experience was akin to reading a sales catalogue. She obviously has good reason to resent what she describes as her âmiserable cowâ image. But unfortunately, she didnât do herself any favours with this cagey letdown of a series. The Game Show It had the potential to be the next cultural phenomenon â except even camper, with a glamorous star playing dead and a sharp-tongued personality managing her estate. What more could you ask for? As contestants battled it out, there was plenty of betrayal and arguing. But the rules quickly became incomprehensible: itâs even now too confusing to detail what exactly was happening. Even more regrettably, we only saw brief appearances of the star via filmed videos. The show ended up smelling of a production that was trying way too hard to emulate something far greater than it. The Lena Dunham Romcom How do you follow a show that defined a generation? The expectation was immense for this glitzy romantic comedy about Jessica, a hopeful New Yorker who arrives in London with a shattered romance. The star seized the opportunity by the horns and was a delight to watch, embodying Austen levels of romantic ideals. But it was all very slick and, paradoxically, was not enough. Plus, the sheer amount of celebrity friends involved felt uncomfortable. Mitchell & Webb Are Not Helping Not good enough to be âunevenâ. Given the smart recruitment of gifted younger comics, expectations were high. But sadly, most of it didnât land. A recurring sketch was a one-note joke milked to a dry pulp but repeated in every episode. One star seemed too ready to slip into a well-known ranting mode. The writing room sketches, in contrast, simply inspired the thought that they should probably have stayed in there a while 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 showcased the viewpoint of Amanda Knox. So, while there probably is an compelling drama to be made about the horrific 2007 murder, this isnât it. The subject matter needed to be treated with care. Instead, the series struggled painfully to find the right voice, lumbering from strangely breezy, slightly stylised farce to ultimately, real-life horror. Twisted? Arguably. A total mess? Absolutely. The Maths Genius Thriller We admire the star ⌠but did we believe him playing the most brilliant maths genius since, a man so smart heâs on the brink of a breakthrough that could destabilise society? No! This international thriller about government agencies spying on â and killing off â intellectuals frankly got more farcical by the second. Silliness-by-numbers. The Bonnie Blue Documentary This hagiography followed the online personality renowned for sexual exploits as she undertook her most extreme challenge yet. What on earth would motivate her? What we craved was way more examination of her true psyche, plus those of the men in the queue. They could at least have spoken to the now-famous mum who appeared to drag her son out of the queue. What we got was disturbing imagery and absolutely no interrogation of her notoriety whatsoever. It's staggering to consider, the documentary-maker has a young daughter too.