The 12 most disappointing new TV shows of the year

The post-"Dexter" TV world hasn't been friendly to serial killer shows. NBC finally succumbed to the numbers and canceled "Hannibal" last year. And ABC's "Wicked City" got the dubious honor of being the first canceled new show of the TV season.

There was some excitement around the show's formidable cast, with "Gossip Girl" alum Ed Westwick playing a serial killer, and "Six Feet Under" alum Jeremy Sisto and "American Horror Story's" Taissa Farmiga as the detective and reporter, respectively, tailing him.

But only about 2.5 million people tuned into the show until it was canceled after just three episodes.

Based on the Biblical Books of Samuel, "Of Kings and Prophets" was ABC's grab at the recent success of both series based on the Bible and HBO's "Game of Thrones."

Critics gave the series mixed reviews, and audiences didn't show up. With an average 2.8 million viewers, the series was canceled after just two episodes.

Two words to describe why this show was hyped: Wesley Snipes.

Taking advantage of the recent immigration of stars from movies to TV, NBC nabbed the "Blade" star for "The Player." The problem was that if you tuned in for Snipes, you would find that, one, he's not the action hero here, and two, he's pretty sidelined.

It also failed to convince critics that the story had legs. Ratings were terrible but certainly not the worst NBC had seen. Nevertheless, NBC effectively killed "The Player" when it cut its episode order.

With “Breaking Bad” writer/producer Moira Walley-Beckett as its creator, naturally expectations were high for “Flesh and Bone.” There is much to appreciate here: great casting, the beautiful ballet numbers, gorgeous art direction, and impeccable styling. It’s just too bad that they had to recite those lines and act out those heavy, predictable, and sensational storylines. Starz may have seen it all coming when mid-production it abruptly downgraded the show to a one-season limited series.

Having had a good TV run so far with "The Killing" and "Luck," Golden Globe winner Joan Allen probably deserved to lead a better show than ABC's "The Family."

While Allen's performance has received good marks from critics, the show's story about a missing child who returns to his family out of the blue lost critics and viewers.

ABC was so excited about bringing back the "Muppets" franchise that it gave the series the green light on just a short pitch video. The company thought that by combining the iconic variety show with mockumentary elements of "Modern Family" and "The Office," it had found a new way to package the Muppets for a young audience, but also keep their nostalgic parents watching.

Instead, the show steadily fell in the ratings. ABC hoped a new showrunner and creative tinkering would make the difference, but few people stuck around to see the results.

It's probably time to pull the curtain on this production.

After the glorious end to “Sons of Anarchy,” creator Kurt Sutter quickly jumped back into TV with the poorly envisioned “The Bastard Executioner.” FX may have wanted a piece of the “Game of Thrones” action with this period series, but viewers weren’t biting. No one was surprised when Sutter and FX co-canceled the low-rated series via strategically placed ads.

Another stab at rebooting an old franchise, "Heroes Reborn" earned a lot of chatter in the media. Promising some returning stars mixed with new characters, the Tim Kring-created series just floated ratings-wise among the middle of NBC's scripted show pack. And virtually no one spoke of it.

After playing one of TV's greatest characters, Sue Sylvester on "Glee," Golden Globe winner Jane Lynch as a quirky guardian angel probably seemed like a slam dunk for CBS.

But critics found Lynch's character overacted and obnoxious. CBS ended up pulling the awful, though not horribly rated, show off the air after just five episodes.

Neil Patrick Harris won over Hollywood again years after “Doogie Howser MD” by hosting every awards show possible, strutting his stuff on Broadway, and becoming a gay role model. Who else to host a new live variety show on NBC? The problem was the show seemed absolutely random, moved at a pace that would cause someone with ADD to ask for a breather, and seemed utterly without soul. NBC canceled the show soon after it wrapped its run.

HBO was sure it had a hit on its hands. With names like Martin Scorsese, Terence Winter, and Mick Jagger attached, we don't blame the network. It was so sure of the series' success that it reportedly spent $30 million on the two-hour pilot and then renewed it for a second season after just one episode.

Then the reality of the situation hit. The premiere was viewed by under a million live viewers and things went downhill from there. What's worse, for HBO specifically, is that "Vinyl" failed to inspire that kind of water-cooler talk the network is used to getting.

Now showrunner Terence Winter (whose relationship with the network dates back to "The Sopranos") is out over creative differences as HBO tries to figure out how to make people care about "Vinyl's" second season.