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The worst TV show of 2018 on each network - from Fox to Netflix to HBO
The worst TV show of 2018 on each network - from Fox to Netflix to HBO
John LynchMay 11, 2018, 20:43 IST
Showtime
The first half of 2018 has seen the release of some great television, but it's also brought on a number of shows that are not so stellar.
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From Netflix's Kathy Bates-led, weed-dispensary sitcom, "Disjointed;" to Stephen Colbert's lackluster, animated Trump parody, "Our Cartoon President;" duds abound in the crop of new and returning shows that have aired so far this year.
To figure out which shows are worth avoiding, we turned to the reviews aggregator Rotten Tomatoes to select the most critically loathed scripted show that each network and service has released in 2018 so far.
We excluded children's shows, talk shows, and docuseries, and we only selected from networks with multiple scripted shows that aired episodes in a 2018 season that had enough reviews to receive a "Fresh" or "Rotten" designation.
We also excluded a number of networks whose lowest-rated show was not under 70% on the critic scale, and used audience scores to break any ties within networks.
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Here is the worst TV show of 2018 on each network so far, according to critics:
Summary: "Lena and Martin were once madly in love. But, like many marriages, time and circumstance eventually took their toll, and they decide that everyone's lives would be better if they got a divorce."
What critics said: "Oh, the romantic comedy series. Such a vexing format. When did this work? Does it ever?" — Newsday
Summary: "A multi-generational epic telling of the story of America's birth as a superpower through the bloody rise and fall of one Texas oil empire."
What critics said: "Simmering moral conflict within Alex is meant to create the hub of tension around which McMafia revolves, but that pot doesn't quite boil down as the writers may have intended." — Salon
Summary: "A woman diagnosed with terminal cancer learns she is going to live after all and must learn to live with the choices she made when she lived liked she was dying."
What critics said: "Life Sentence picks one of the least dramatically satisfying paths, one that doesn't leave room for much truth either." — IndieWire
Summary: "A multi-racial family made up of husband, wife, three adopted children from Somalia, Vietnam and Colombia and one biological child, find their bonds tested when one of the children begins seeing things which the rest cannot."
What critics said: "So overwrought that it makes 'The Handmaid's Tale' look like a light-hearted romp by comparison." — Decider
Summary: "Jim Sturgess and Agyness Deyn play detectives Charlie Hicks and Elaine Renko, partners and enemies, who seek to enforce the law and protect their loved ones in a world that every day slips closer to certain destruction."
What critics said: "'Hard Sun,' it should be noted, is not subtle, or close to subtle, or even anywhere in the same continent as subtle." — The Atlantic
Summary: "As former CIA agent Bryan Mills deals with a personal tragedy that shakes his world, he fights to overcome the incident and exact revenge."
What critics said: "While the target audience will probably dig the extensive action sequences and vivid violence, there's no reason anyone else should be 'Taken' for a ride." — New York Post
Summary:"Danny Rand resurfaces 15 years after being presumed dead. Now, with the power of the Iron Fist, he seeks to reclaim his past and fulfill his destiny."
What critics said: "There's not enough weed in the Golden State to wring consistent laughs from a show that's mostly as stale as an unwashed bong." — CNN
Summary:"From executive producer Stephen Colbert comes this hilarious look into the Trump presidency, animation style."
What critics said: "If you're going to enter this hall of mirrors, you'd better have a distinct, original idea about your subject. 'Our Cartoon President,' an animated sitcom, seems to have none besides being a cartoon about the president." — The New York Times
Summary:"The untold story of Superman's grandfather as he fights for justice on his home planet."
What critics said: "Any series that looks and feels, at least 50 percent of the time, like a spoof is already in a pretty bad spot. But if that series gives off the vibe that the characters inside it look completely uninspired, then you have a whopper of a problem." — The Hollywood Reporter
Summary:"Crime reporter John Moore meets with psychologist Dr. Laszlo Kreizler to investigate a serial killer in New York during the late 19th century."
What critics said: "What must have come to life in the pages of the book struggles to find so much as a spark on the screen -- difficult, admittedly, through the pall of smoke and shadows that tend to choke it." — Newsday
Summary:"An intersection between reality and unconscious thought, follow three strangers who slowly realize that they are dreaming parts of a bigger, more sinister tragedy."
What critics said: "Unfortunately, 'Falling Water' makes the mistake of prioritizing intrigue over interest, failing to take any of its concept or conspiracy and connect it to meaningful characterization or narrative stakes." — The AV Club
