Worst New TV Shows Of 2016

Every year, the race is on at TV upfronts for pilots to hopefully get picked up by network television and eventually hit the small screen.

And every year there are total flops and total wins, among a long list of rejected pilots that never get picked up in the first place.

The currently landscape of how television series are distributed and even made is continuing to change into a more cinematic approach, with 10 hour long “films” rather than episodic one-hour standalones.

In fact, we’re constantly questioning if audiences even watch television shows on a weekly basis anymore or just wait until a few episodes are available to watch at once – also known as THE BINGE.

But we can’t possibly leave out at least one Netflix series, just because you can watch it all at once doesn’t make it any better.

2016 fall television was definately the year of the reboot, rehash, prequel, sequel, film adaptation of past titles that used to be big money-makers and ratings chasers…in the 80s.

2016 also proved to be quite a difficult year for new programming on CBS, as most of the new fall television series’ fell flat, like Kevin Can Wait, Pure Genius, and whatever new Criminal Minds spinoff they tried to pull.

If we weren’t ONLY counting new shows in 2016, fan-favorite The Walking Dead would surely be on this list- primarily because ratings are dropping like dead flies and the audience is struggling to hang in there.

Keep in mind that this list is comprised of our picks in no particular order, based on ratings, cancellations, and just…overall bad TV.

Let’s take a look at the Worst New TV Shows Of 2016…

Conviction

Alright, this one might be a bit personal but either way the show itself is pretty horrible and can’t stand on it’s own two feet.

Conviction, which airs on ABC, stole actress Haley Atwell away from starring in Marvel’s Agent Carter.

Agent Carter was cancelled on rather large cliffhanger, leaving fans both furious and sad, while Haley Atwell was whisked away to star in a new legal drama called Conviction.

Just what we need, right? More television dramas focused on…the legal system.

It’s not that Conviction isn’t a good enough television series, it’s that no one is watching it.

In a recent report by Variety, ABC has effectively cancelled Conviction:

“Should “Conviction” be officially cancelled, it would become the first new show of the fall season to be axed. However, ABC’s “Notorious” is more-than-likely cancelled, as the order was trimmed from 13 episodes to 10 episodes. (The network insists that “Notorious” is not cancelled, as they are retaining actor options.)

The most recent episode of “Conviction,” which aired last night, brought in a small audience of just 3.64 million viewers — the lowest numbers yet for the show.”

Rotten Tomatoes shows a 19% “rotten” rating with the site’s critical consensus reading: “While Hayley Atwell proves a strong and likable lead, her charisma alone cannot elevate Conviction from its worn and familiar trappings.”

Now, do the right thing and give us our Agent Carter back!

 

 

 

Notorious

Wait, isn’t this the same exact show as Conviction?

Either way, we can’t tell the difference. Both are seemingly interchangable and both have been cancelled by ABC.

Remember last year when ABC’s new thriller Wicked City only made it to a few episodes before it was ditched?

What are you guys doing over there?

Notorious is also another female-led legal drama series that no one really cared to watch.

Sorry.

According to Variety, “While ABC won’t go on record to confirm that the series have been axed, “Notorious” and “Conviction” were the first-and-only broadcast shows to have their episode orders trimmed. But there’s still hope for more mediocre TV: the net kept options open on the cast members.”

Rotten Tomatoes shows a 25% “rotten” rating with the site’s critical consensus reading, “Implausible and populated with unlikeable characters, Notorious forsakes dramatic credibility in favor of flash and fluff.”

 

 

MacGyver

For some reason, CBS felt the need to reboot one of televisions most original shows at the time (the early 90s) and stick it in a Friday time slot, otherwise known as the dead zone.

Who is this kid? Why did they have to give him the same haircut? He isn’t the REAL MacGyver and this bothers us.

Sure, he gets out of some sticky situations using office supplies, but we’ve already seen this!

These are some thoughts that roll through our heads while attempting to watch this half-assed reboot of the original MacGyver series, which we all knew and loved.

MacGyver did not need a reboot, it’s simply another example of television networks running out of original ideas and trying to ride on the coat tails of a previously successful series.

The series just got a full season order so it isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, so maybe check out at least the first episode, directed by Aquaman helmer James Wan.

Rotten Tomatoes shows a 25% rotten rating with the sites critical consensus reading, “Despite using spare parts from countless successful TV procedurals, the new MacGyver fails to cobble together a compelling show.”

Angus “Mac” MacGyver is an operative of a secret U.S. government organization where he uses his extraordinary talent for problem solving and his extensive knowledge of science to save lives.

“With skills that are only limited by his creativity, Mac saves the day using paper clips instead of pistols, birthday candles instead of bombs, and gum instead of guns.”

MacGyver returns to CBS on January 6, 2017.

The Ranch

While it may be easy to get into Ashton Kutcher’s new Netflix show, The Ranch, it’s probably because of the auto play feature.

In other words, the next episode queues up faster than you have time to find the remote and turn it off.

The show takes place on the fictional Iron River Ranch in Garrison, Colorado, detailing the life of the Bennetts, a dysfunctional family consisting of two brothers, their rancher father, and his separated wife and local bar owner.

The Ranch was recently picked up by Netflix for a second season as a sitcom, however that doesn’t mean it’s funny.

It seems as though Ashton Kutcher is grasping on to any thread of stardom he may have left, but as we all know he peaked with That 70’s Show.

The Ranch isn’t necessarily the worst show of 2016, but there are many better ways to spend your TV viewing time, including any of Netflix’s original programming.

That is, unless you’re really into swearing, drinking and tough love down on The Ranch.

In fact, despite what we think, it has an aggregate “fair” rating of 56% on Rotten Tomatoes with a critical consensus of, “A formulaic set-up and predictable plotting are elevated by The Ranch’s surprising sensitivity and strong performances.”

Many of you may be wondering why on earth we didn’t pick Fuller House considering how awful it is. 

Our simple answer to that looming question is…nostalgia works for some viewers, especially for us 90s kids. 

 

Vinyl

We had such high hopes for this new HBO period drama based on the age of music and maybe that’s why it was such a complete failure. 

Because cable dramas play on an uneven field compared to network television, they are judged a bit more harshly.

It’s rare these days that anything on HBO gets cancelled as quickly as Vinyl did. In fact a lot of people loved the show, but it’s too bad they will never see it again…ever.

The first few episodes were such a let down that they were hardly watchable and honestly we have to watch anything and everything like it’s our job…because it is.

Even with big names backing Vinyl like Mick Jagger, Martin Scorsese, Rich Cohen and Terence Winter and what was supposed to be Bobby Cannavale’s breakout role, Vinyl still didn’t deliver anything other than a total mish mash of episodic sludge.

The series was renewed shortly after the premiere, only to have HBO say nevermind and cancel it anyway.

Like the 70s music scene itself, Vinyl was full of so much excess that just clogged up the storyline for many viewers.

Remember The Get Down on Netflix? That’s a great example of how to do a period drama about music the right way, even if Baz Luhrmann’s style is a bit hard to handle.