TV Shows We Regret Watching

Taking on a new TV show is a big commitment. When you're going to give several hours of your life to a series, you want it to be something worth your while. Most of the time, it only takes a single episode to work out if a show is for you or not. However, sometimes it's harder to judge the quality of a series based on just one installment. We've all been there — we decide to ignore our gut feeling and give a bad TV show the benefit of the doubt, only to realize later on that we've made a big mistake.

While some people are willing to cut their losses after a few episodes, many of us will feel like we've already invested too much time to simply give up on a subpar show. Instead of doing the sensible thing, we'll ignore our instincts and stick with it to the bitter end. When the credits finally roll on that final episode, relief is usually followed by a burst of regret. It's not a pleasant feeling, but fear not — we've compiled a list of TV shows that we totally regret watching to save you from falling into the same trap.

From superhero flops and forgettable sitcoms to animated duds that got it terribly wrong, these are our biggest TV show regrets.

After the success of the teen drama "Euphoria," viewers were looking forward to creator Sam Levinson's next endeavor. In 2021, it was announced that Levinson was working with singer-songwriter Abel Tesfaye (better known as The Weeknd) to develop the HBO series "The Idol," chronicling the toxic relationship between a pop star (Lily-Rose Depp) and a manipulative club owner and cult leader (Tesfaye). Buzz surrounding the show continued to grow even as rumors of behind-the-scenes drama emerged. Whether it was morbid curiosity or a genuine interest that drew audiences to the series, lots of people watched it — and the majority of them hated it.

"The Idol" has a damning Rotten Tomatoes score of just 19%, and audience reactions across social media echoed the critical distaste, with X user @martyrculture calling it "a waste of everyone's time." Among the most regrettable things about "The Idol" is the wasted potential. The show set out to explore the dark underbelly of the music industry and power dynamics, but somewhere along the way that message got lost — insiders told Deadline that Tesfaye felt the show was too concerned with the "female perspective," which led to big changes. We don't know what would have happened had original director Amy Seimetz not quit the series, but we do know that we regret watching the finished product.

The success of Netflix's "That '90s Show" proved that there was still life in the formula laid down by the hit sitcom "That '70s Show," but did you know that there was a failed attempt to make a similar show set in the decade that came between them? Premiering in 2002, "That '80s Show" was unable to capture the same attention as its predecessor, relying too heavily on nostalgia for a decade that viewers hadn't had enough time to become nostalgic about. "Track records show that about 20 years need to go by before you can poke fun at a period of history and turn it into a hit show," Eric Kohanik of the Calgary Herald pointed out, citing successful nostalgic shows like "Hogan's Heroes" and "Happy Days."

Bearing that criticism in mind, surely "That '80s Show" has aged into a cult classic by now? Regrettably, that's not the case. The stereotypes and nostalgia-bait jokes that were panned by critics and audiences in the early 2000s have only become more stale over time. Perhaps those who experienced the '80s in their teens can appreciate some of the low-hanging fruit, but, overall, "That '80s Show" is best left in the past. Even if you're a fan of "That '70s Show" and "That '90s Show," chances are you'll regret watching this forgettable sitcom, which doesn't feature any of the characters from the original.

In 2011, ABC aired a reboot of the hit '70s series "Charlie's Angels," hoping to introduce the franchise to a new generation. The idea was to put a modern spin on the crime-fighting trio, but by replacing the show's signature, campy tone with an overly serious one, everything that made the original series so iconic was stripped away. The show belongs to the most unenviable of clubs — it has a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. But what is it that makes this reboot so bad, exactly? The biggest issue was that nobody involved in it really seemed to believe in it, and that becomes apparent if you watch it.

"'Charlie's Angels' feels utterly unloved by anyone," NPR pop culture correspondent Linda Holmes wrote in her review. "Not the people acting in it, not the writers, not the creators, not anyone. It feels like pre-chewed food: intended for easy digestion, it comes out (1) unappetizing, (2) textureless, and (3) devoid of character." Having sat through all eight episodes (the last one didn't even make it to air but later came out on streaming), it's easy to see why network president Paul Lee was offered the chance to apologize for ruining a classic. He told The Hollywood Reporter: "I don't think we breathed life into that franchise but I think it was a strong attempt." The Hollywood trade actually mocked his comment, calling it a "gem."

One of the most infamous television failures of all time, "Cop Rock" is a musical police procedural created by Steven Bochco of "Hill Street Blues" and "NYPD Blue" fame. This ambitious, short-lived experiment aimed to blend juxtaposing genres into television gold. The result was certainly unique, just not in a good way. The awkward tonal shifts are highly jarring and make for an uncomfortable to watch. Low ratings combined with a negative critical reception led to "Cop Rock" getting the chop after just 11 episodes.

You could argue that police procedurals are already cheesy enough without the musical element. The idea of mixing the seriousness of law enforcement with the lightheartedness of musicals feels like a "Saturday Night Live" sketch gone wrong. Sure, singing prosecutors and dancing criminals is good for a giggle, but there are less time-consuming ways to get a laugh. Even if you're curious about it, we don't recommend checking out "Cop Rock" today — like us, you'll no doubt regret it.

With numerous iterations spanning several decades, the Scooby-Doo franchise has cultivated a dedicated fanbase across generations. It's safe to say that no piece of Scooby-Doo media has come under as much scrutiny as the 2023 HBO Max series "Velma," a modern, adult-orientated interpretation of the Mystery Inc. origin story from the perspective of Velma (Mindy Kaling). It's typical for change to be regarded with some skepticism where beloved franchises are concerned, so "Velma" was always going to have a tough time pleasing everyone. However, what we discovered upon watching it is that the show certainly doesn't help itself.

"Velma" was met with a brutal backlash, fueled by both valid and not-so-valid criticisms. While some people review-bombed the series for reasons that have nothing to do with the quality of the show, we decided to give "Velma" a fair chance to subvert our expectations. Unfortunately, in its attempt to do so, "Velma" comes across as overly self-aware and try-hard, dragging down its already unfocused and overstuffed plot in the process. Darren Franich of Entertainment Weekly summed this up in a review, calling out the show for "lame jokes, prequelitis, and bad meta." Did "Velma" deserve to become IMDb's worst-rated animated show of all time? Perhaps not, but we definitely regret watching it.

Shows like "The Office" and "Shameless" prove that American remakes of British shows aren't always terrible, but the U.S. version of "Skins" is a prime example of it going terribly wrong. The American version never even managed to make it past one season before it was canceled due to low ratings and controversy surrounding its mature content. Following a group of teens navigating the complexities of adolescence, the U.S. "Skins" attempted to recreate the raw and gritty realism of the U.K. version. The trouble is, you can get away with a lot more on British TV. The remake was met with outrage from concerned groups and advertisers, despite the U.S. version actually being somewhat tame in comparison to the original.

If you're a fan of the original show and you're thinking about watching the American one, don't bother — there are plenty of other shows like "Skins" that you should check out instead. The MTV-made, Toronto-set remake tried to please everybody and, in doing so, pleased nobody: It's more risqué than most American shows, but it didn't go far enough because of Stateside sensibilities. The result was something in the middle that most people — us included — came to regret watching. In a Reddit thread discussing the show, many users cited the butchering of British humor and the obvious censorships as some of the reasons why "Skins" failed in the States.

Looking back on the reality series "Toddlers & Tiaras" today, it's baffling to think that such a show ever aired. This TLC series about child beauty pageants sucked in a huge amount of curious viewers back when it began airing in 2009, and it ran for a total of seven seasons. It's unlikely that this kind of show would get greenlit in the 2020s, but it's not like people weren't aware that it was unethical at the time — reviewing the series in 2012, IMDb user vze3vhtf called it "the most disturbing TV show I have ever seen," and they are far from the only person who regrets watching it.

The TV-viewing public's fascination with the world of child beauty pageants seemed to override larger concerns about the practice and the show that brought it to the masses. People loved seeing cutesy, entitled tots being paraded around on stage at the hands of their overbearing mothers, so much so that TLC made three spin-offs: "Eden's World," "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo," and "Cheer Perfection." We'd wager that there isn't a single person who watched these shows that doesn't regret doing so. Even the kids who took part regret it, with former cast member Madison "Tootie" Berg revealing that it impacted her mental health. Writing in The Sun, she said, "When I look at old pictures, I can't help thinking: 'How in the world did I think this was normal?'"

The CW's genre-bending teen drama "Riverdale" proves that too much camp can kill your show. Loosely based on characters from Archie Comics, the series follows a bunch of teens in the titular town, a place full of mystery and secrets. Season 1 starts off well enough, dipping its toe into the waters of subversion, but as the series progresses, it goes off the deep end. By the time "Riverdale" leans fully into the supernatural by setting Season 6 in an alternate universe, you'll be asking yourself why you started watching it in the first place. We certainly regret watching it, and we aren't alone.

Based on all the critical memes and video essays, the consensus is that "Riverdale" went from guilty pleasure to just plain awful over the course of its run. Even its dedicated viewers are open about the show's shortcomings. "I genuinely don't know why I still watch it but I can't stop," one Reddit user said. "The entire thing feels like a fever dream. I literally have no idea what this show is even about but it has a chokehold on me." It can be hard to give up a show when you've put so much time into it, but if you're sticking with "Riverdale" hoping that things will become clear down the line, be prepared for disappointment — there are lots of "Riverdale" plot holes that we still can't explain.

"Insatiable" is about a formerly overweight teenager who becomes a beauty pageant contestant with the help of a disgraced coach after sticking to a strict diet. We follow 17 year old Patty (Debby Ryan) as she plans to exact revenge on those who made her life hell before she lost all the weight. The show attempts to satirize beauty standards and societal expectations by using dark humor, but "Insatiable" simply goes too far with tired stereotypes and misguided social commentary. Critics and viewers alike were quick to call out the series for pretending to be something it clearly isn't.

"Let me assure you: It is not satire. 'Insatiable' is satire in the same way someone who screams profanities out a car window is a spoken-word poet," Linda Holmes wrote in her review for NPR. "Satire requires a point of view; this has none." The show was the subject of a petition before it dropped on Netflix, with over 130,000 people expressing concern that the body shaming involved in the story would have a negative impact on teen viewers. This isn't the only reason you'll regret watching it — "Insatiable" isn't funny or entertaining. With a score of just 11% on Rotten Tomatoes, it's clear that the vast majority of critics were angry about having to sit through this dud.

If you forgot all about the ABC sitcom "Cavemen," we can't say that we blame you. This well-intentioned but ultimately unwatchable show from 2007 was inspired by the popular GEICO Cavemen ads. Centered around a group of Cro-Magnons navigating modern-day San Diego, "Cavemen" attempted to tackle weighty issues with its comedy, though the pilot episode triggered a backlash. "The pilot was set in Atlanta, only heightening the uncomfortable sense that the slights directed at cavemen awkwardly mirrored African-American stereotypes, from their legendary sexual prowess to the view of them as something less by snooty Southerners," Variety said in its review.

The setting was changed and the comedy fine-tuned, but this wasn't enough to save the show — a combination of bad reviews and the Writers' Strike of 2007-2008 spelled the end for "Cavemen." It didn't really come as a surprise to viewers, many of whom couldn't actually believe the show even made it to air in the first place. TV blogger Jamahl Epsicokhan wrote: "Am I the only person who thinks that ABC's willingness to venture out on a limb and pick up the half-hour sitcom pilot 'Cavemen' is one of the stupidest moves by a major television network this year? Greenlighting 'Cavemen' is about as bright as greenlighting ... well, I'm at a loss to think of something comparable."

Marvel's "She-Hulk: Attorney at Law" offers moments of enjoyment amidst its glaring flaws, but not enough to make it worth your while. It does well in breathing new life into Marvel's signature blend of humor and action, but the show's ambitious scope becomes its downfall. Kelly Lawler of USA Today wrote that the show "doesn't fully commit to any of the three or four different shows it's attempting. It is at once a comedy, a legal drama, a superhero show, a romance, a 'Fleabag'-style fourth-wall breaker and a hangout sitcom." In trying to tick a lot of boxes, it appeals to nobody, but that's not the only issue.

The distracting visual effects in "She-Hulk" were among the biggest grievances viewers shared. Another was the show's handling of feminist satire, with its well-rounded female perspective ultimately being belittled by its "girl boss" and "men suck" shtick. "It's not just that this vibe feels dated as all hell, it also speaks to how far behind the MCU is with female superhero representation that it feels the need to catch up in such a lazy and clichéd way," Kirsten Howard wrote in a review for Den of Geek. Viewers regretted watching the show (it has an audience score of 32% on Rotten Tomatoes and an IMDb rating of 5.3/10), and so did we.

It's no exaggeration to say that Marvel's "Inhumans" was a massive flop. It was originally announced as a film that was set to be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's third slate, but Marvel ultimately retooled the project as a TV series. It aired on ABC for one season before its cancelation due to low ratings and poor reception. Expectations were high when the studio announced that the first two episodes would debut on IMAX screens, but IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond later admitted that this was a mistake, blaming a "misalignment of customer expectations." According to Deadline, this was "corporate-speak [for] movie ticket buyers realized they had paid top dollar for a TV show."

If "Inhumans" had just went straight to TV, would it have made any difference? That's unlikely, because the show was a let down in every way. The small budget – a far cry from the multimillion-dollar investments typical of Marvel movies — ultimately undermined its potential. Attempting to replicate the spectacle of big-screen Marvel productions within these constraints led to low-quality visual effects, a major point of contention for fans. This, combined with the slow, disjointed storytelling and butchering of character portrayals, really solidified our regret in watching Marvel's "Inhumans."