10 Television Shows That Missed The Mark In 2014

10. Brooklyn Nine Nine

As a fan of US detective show Psych, I can’t help but both notice and find myself extremely irritated by the similarities in the humour and one-liners used in this show, which at times appear to have been ripped straight out of an unused script. Not only does this show feel ripped off, it feels ripped off poorly. Andy Samberg probably should have stuck to making comedy music. It has gradually improved in it’s second season though and does seem somewhat popular… much to my personal disapproval.

9. Two And A Half Men

This show was always a guilty pleasure of mine. Very guilty. Loaded with misogyny and vulgarity, I’m not entirely sure what originally attracted me to the show, but it did have some hilarious lines. For however much I despised Charlie Sheen the actor as well as his character Charlie Harper, it’s undeniable that his absence hasn’t gone unnoticed. It really isn’t the same without him. The good news is that he’s rumoured to be making an appearance in the series finale in February 2015.

8. Doctor Who

Doctor Who has certainly been a controversial one this year and despite not having watched it personally, I could almost piece the story together by the heated debates that have filled up my news feed. From what I gather, Peter Capaldi’s casting as the latest reincarnation of the doctor was not the major issue here, but in the development of others characters along with serious timing issues bringing episodes rushing to a fast resolution. For that reason, it makes the list, although it has certainly not been one of the worst offenders…

7. Supernatural

Let me start by saying I love this show and everyone involved with it, so much. But I have to admit it, season 9 just didn’t pull my interest so much as in previous years and it seems I’m not alone. There are only so many times Sam and Dean can part ways only to have an emotional brotherly love moment that reunites them before it gets old. And isn’t there some kind of universal law dictating how many times they can be killed, eternally damned and brought back to life? Not that I want them to die… I’m so conflicted!

6. American Horror Story

After the huge success of previous season Coven, current season Freak Show just doesn’t seem to be resonating with the audience in the same way, with many fans commenting that they feel like something is lacking in terms of storyline, making it little more than a slide-show of creepy images with no real purpose other than shock factor. However, it is a show for which there has never been a real general consensus – everybody seems to have a different favourite season and highly contrasting opinions on individual episodes.

5. How I Met Your Mother

I doubt that I even need to elaborate upon this one. The seemingly rushed final series culminating in an ending which was handled with a great deal of insensitivity brought disappointment to many fans, who waited 8 long years for the big reveal of the mother’s identity and then longer to find out Ted’s motives for drawing out the story all that time. I don’t know a single person that was 100% satisfied with the finale.

4. The Big Bang Theory

No apartment-based comedy was ever going to top Friends, so I suppose in that way we should commend TBBT on its success in its first few years running. However, this show feels like it’s way past its prime now and its constant plays on E4 have almost completely destroyed any urge to ever turn over to that channel. With the actors allegedly earning $1m per episode in the upcoming season, there are rumoured to be major plot twists such as an intelligent, professional Penny working in pharmaceuticals. Could this save the show or is it already beyond redemption?

3. Selfie

Why, #why, y?!  would we want a show representing the most irritating people on the internet? Thankfully, network ABC couldn’t answer that either and it was cancelled within its first season. This modern take on My Fair Lady, which followed the journey of an obnoxious social media addict into a well-rounded young woman was a step too far in trend-chasing television, with character dialogue seeming unnatural and inhuman. The character’s eventual epiphany that online ‘friends’ aren’t real friends is old news to us as an audience who are well immersed in the technological age.

2. Family Guy

In my humble opinion, this show is equivalent to that bottle of milk that’s well past its ‘use by’ date. Your friends are like ‘Nah man, it’s cool’, as you start to retch at the sight of the putrid chunks that should have been trashed long ago. This show had me hooked in its early days but it soon grew dull and repetitive for me, eventually to the point where I questioned how I could have even found it funny in the first place. Worse, it became a show better known for it’s shock value than actual comedy, with sickening lines such as the one about rape in this year’s long anticipated Simpsons crossover episode.

1. Stalker

A new show that surfaced on US network CBS in October this year provides us with a disturbing step-by-step guide on how to stalk somebody. Now, I admit to being the kind of person who is morbidly curious about any show that sounds messed up (Dexter, anyone?), but this show failed to entertain me on any level. Consisting of scenes of needlessly glorified horrific violence against women coupled with painfully dull plot lines, if it was supposed to be making a statement then it has failed miserably. As the only show on the list that I would actively campaign to get cancelled, it earns first place as the most disappointing show of 2014.