7 TV series to skip this year
I'm saving you from some disappointments
Hello!
The idea for writing about which TV shows to skip came to me after I wrote about 10 TV series I have enjoyed so far this year. With so many productions out there, a list of things to skip sounds counterproductive, but most of the TV shows listed here seem appealing on paper but fail to be worth your while. So maybe I won't save you time finding something good (as I hope I usually do), but I might save you some disappointments.
Before we move on to the list, I would like to point out that I haven't finished all of the series listed here. Usually, when I'm doing a review, I watch it completely, of course, because how can you know if it's good or not if you don't? Because I am just listing them, I will include those I haven't finished because they were just not worth my while.
Moreover, they aren't ranked (from bad to worse, or anything like that).
Firstly, the ones I saw in full:
Savage River (Prime Video)
What is it about? Miki Anderson (Katherine Langford) returns to her hometown in Savage River, Australia, after serving a 10-year prison sentence in the hopes of finally moving on with her life. She was sentenced for the death of her best friend, as we soon discover. Upon her return, someone in the town is murdered, and she becomes the leading suspect.
Why skip? It's an interesting enough premise. It's not so common for women to be killers, and why would this girl kill her best friend? Also, how can you get your life back after such a sentence? Even with its compelling premise, this series is as flat as the Netherlands. I don't know if it's the text, the actors, or what, but it is a big skip. Neither the usual plot twists in these types of thrillers nor the tiny portraits of refugees' abuse in Australia could help.
Glamorous (Netflix)
What is it about? Marco Mejia (Miss Benny) is an aspiring makeup influencer. He loves how makeup is such a powerful tool to express his queerness. One day, he lands a job working for legendary makeup mogul Madolyn Addison, and lives a glamorous life at his now glamorous job.
Why skip? I wrote a review about Glamorous, so I'm just linking that here. But, TLDR, Glamorous is cute and nice in its queerness but too unrealistic in its relationships and work life in general.
That ‘90s Show (Netflix)
What is it about? That ‘90s Show is a spin-off of the beloved comedy That '70s Show. Donna and Eric's daughter, Leia Forman, visit her grandparents for the summer. Red and Kitty watch over her as she bonds with a new generation of kids in Point Place, Wisconsin.
Why skip? Okay, this one isn't terrible. I started watching it with very low expectations because spin-offs usually don't work, and it wasn't as bad as I expected. Debra Jo Rupp, as Kitty Foreman, carries the whole thing herself. It is fun watching all the characters from That '70s Show return in different episodes. Still, some of the young actors are pretty inept at acting, and their characters are almost the same as the first iteration, but with changes in their gender or ethnicity. It's not a definite skip, but it's not worth our time either.
The Patient (FX/Disney+)
What is it about? A patient, Sam Fortner (Domhnall Gleeson), who reveals himself to be a serial killer, holds therapist Alan Strauss (Steve Carrell) hostage in his basement. Sam kidnaps his therapist Alan because he wants to be treated to stop the urge to kill.
Why skip? Besides having a great premise, this one also has great actors. Still, it doesn't work. You are hooked because you want to see Steve Carrell's Alan survive and run away from his deranged patient. But it is boring; it feels fake. Mostly, it feels like you are watching actors act and never really immersing yourself in the story. I can't tell you exactly why, but that's how it felt.
Great Expectations (FX/Disney+)
What is it about? In Great Expectations, an orphan named Pip, who grew up in a poor village near a port by the river Thames, working as a blacksmith, is transformed into a high society member when he receives a windfall from an unknown benefactor.
Why skip? Talking about excellent actors, not even Olivia Coleman could save this one. Again, I had great expectations (pun intended) about this series. It's a Dickens adaptation, it's BBC, and it has Olivia Coleman starring. But it's just so unremarkable. Even if the production is quite good, they have great locations, nice clothes, and well-done scenes. After watching it, I just felt empty. It's completely unremarkable. Funny enough, Great Expectations was produced by Tom Hardy, who also produced Taboo, a BBC show also portrayed in 1800s London and also pretty boring.
I couldn't finish:
The Power (Prime Video)
What is it about? The Power is based on Naomi Alderman’s novel of the same name. The Power's world is our own, but it has one twist. Teenage girls and women develop the ability to electrocute people at will. It follows characters from different parts of the world as it questions: How would the world be if women were more powerful than men in the physical sense of it?
Why skip it? Okay, I would say that maybe if I had finished this one, I could have enjoyed it. It has well-thought-out parts. My main problem with it is that the metaphor is too on the nose. It's a fascinating train of thought to follow, but still, I didn't find it good enough speculative fiction. It doesn't feel grounded enough.
The Diplomat (Netflix)
What is it about? During an international crisis, Kate Wyler (Keri Russell), a career diplomat, lands a high-profile job as US ambassador to the UK, which she didn't want and is not suited to. Her appointed position has major implications for her marriage and political future.
Why skip it? In this one, I couldn't get through the first two episodes. It seemed like a very impressive production, but, in general, I'm not very interested in watching shows or movies on geopolitics that focus on the US perspective. It always feels imperialistic to me. Sorry.
Did you watch any of those shows? Do you disagree with me? Do you have something you watched this year that you think was a complete disappointment?
Most of these shows I haven’t heard of, but I did watch a couple episodes of That ’90s Show just to see Kitty and Red again. But yeah, this show needed something else, perhaps a new idea — just doing the next generation of teenagers in Point Place is too obvious, too safe. And no decent replacements for Midge and Bob next door either.
New seasons of several existing shows or spinoffs came along that either I did not finish or watched with growing impatience: The Witcher, Ahsoka, even Only Murders in the Building, which felt like it was just going through the motions, although Selena Gomez can still be fun to watch.
I did enjoy the new season (3 longish episodes) of Van der Walk, although like the Wallander series that Kenneth Branagh did in Sweden, it has a curious feel, with British actors pretending to be Dutch. Did we need another police detective show? I guess we did.
This was fun to read, I love a “to skip” list 😂