Presenting the 50 worst decisions in American TV history

[TMC]

https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movi...ns-1234796350/

THE HISTORY OF television is a vast wasteland of terrible decisions. For every groundbreaking show like Breaking Bad, Star Trek, and All in the Family that got on the air, there are 50 duds like Capitol Critters, Homeboys in Outer Space, and Joanie Loves Chachi. For every brilliant network idea, like NBC allowing Jerry Seinfeld to make a “show about nothing,” there are 100 insane ones, like ABC allowing Jim Belushi to create 182 episodes of According to Jim across eight seasons.

It wasn’t easy, but we combed through six decades and picked out the 50 worst decisions in the history of television. The goal wasn’t to center this on “Jumping the Shark” moments, which is why you won’t see entries about Felicity getting a haircut or Cousin Oliver moving in with the Brady Bunch. We instead focused on choices made at the network level by clueless suits. That said, a few dumb writing decisions — like the infamous Armin Tamzarian episode of The Simpsons — were hard to avoid.

This list could have easily been six times longer, since buffoons have been running networks since the earliest days of television, so feel free to add your own ideas on X (formerly Twitter) using the hashtag #BadTVDecisions. (If you’re interested in how a similar level of weapons-grade stupidity can play out in the world of music, here’s our list of the 50 Worst Decisions in Music History from last year.)

Warning: Some of these are agonizing to relive, especially when you consider that we could all exist in a world where Lost ended in a satisfying way, MTV never aired an episode of Ridiculousness, and NBC didn’t pave the way for Donald Trump’s presidency.

[icecream]

Not cool trashing one of the best game shows ever Greed as a Who Wants to be a Millionaire? knockoff. Only mistake FOX made there was cancelling Greed too soon. The Sopranos never would have worked on FOX with its profanity and explicit sexual material.

[TMC]

Regarding Saturday Night Live, having Jean Doumanian take over from Lorne Michaels as the executive producer in the sixth season (1980-81) has to be a bigger blunder than what Rolling Stone listed on there. I mean, to this day, Season 6 is generally considered to be the worst season in SNL history. Ironically, that was the season that first gave us Eddie Murphy and even Doumanian initially, wasn't completely tuned in on how talented Murphy truly was.

[TMC]

Here's the full list in case you're wondering:

>50. 'Jeopardy' allows Mike Richards to anoint himself host (2020)
>49. 'America's Next Top Model' asks contestants to swap ethnicities (2005)
>48. The Geico Cavemen get their own sitcom (2007)
>47. Disney+ refuses to let Lizzie McGuire grow up (2019)
>46. 'Saturday Night Live' fires Adam Sandler and Chris Farley (1995)
>45. HBO tries to make a 'Sex and the City' for men (2001)
>44. Two words: 'Cop Rock' (1990)
>43. The ungodly horror that is 'The Swan' makes women hate themselves (2004)
>42. Fox News tries to make their own daily show (2007)
>41. Geraldo takes viewers inside Al Capone's vault (1986)
>40. Ren and Stimpy's '"Adult Party Cartoon"' is allowed to happen (2003)
>39. MTV gives up and becomes the 'Ridiculousness' channel (2011)
>38. 'Family Matters' disappears Judy Winslow (1993)
>37. 'Star Trek' and 'Gilligan's Island' are both cancelled after just three seasons (1969 and 1967)
>36. ABC gives us way too much 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire' (1999-)
>35. 'Mad About You' reboots on Spectrum (2019)
>34. HBO Max dumps the 'HBO' (2023)
>33. Fox News and CNN create streaming platforms (2018 and 2023)
>32. Dan Rather fails to vet supposed George W. Bush documents (2004)
>31. 'Quantum Leap' reboots without Scott Bakula (2022)
>30. The Academy Awards asks James Franco to co-host (2010)
>29. 'Laverne and Shirley' dumps Shirley (1982)
>28. 'The Simpsons' reveals that Principal Skinner is an imposter (1997)
>27. Joey Tribbiani gets his own show (2004)
>26. NBC poaches Megyn Kelly from Fox (2017)
>25. 'Glee' brings in a new Glee class (2012)
>24. ESPN decides that Rush Limbaugh would make a good football commentator (2003)
>23. CNN moves Don Lemon to mornings (2023)
>22. 'Arrested Development' breaks the format with convoluted Netflix season (2013)
>21. 'The State' leaved MTV for CBS (1995)
>20. UPN greenlights 'The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer' (1998)
>19. 'Seinfeld' kills off Susan in heartless fashion (1996)
>18. 'Lost' blows its ending (2010)
>17. 'The Brady Bunch Hour' becomes a thing (1976)
>16. The Ropers quit 'Three's Company' for an ill-fated spinoff (1979)
>15. 'Star Trek: TNG' fires Gates McFadden before season two (1988)
>14. 'Westworld' confuses the **** out of everyone (2018)
>13. 'The Office' keeps going without Steve Carell (2011)
>12. NBC cancels 'Baywatch' after one season (1989)
>11. Quibi burns $1.75 billion in eight months (2020)
>10. David Caruso leaves 'NYPD Blue' after one season (1994)
>9. The networks call Florida for George W. Bush in 2000 (2000)
>8. HBO, TNT, Showtime and FX all turn down 'Breaking Bad' (2007)
>7. Fox gives Chevy Chase his own talk show (1993)
>6. NBC royally ****s up the Leno/Conan situation (2009)
>5. Roseanne torches her career with a racist tweet (2018)
>4. Norm MacDonald is fired from 'SNL' over (Hilarious) OJ Simpson jokes (1998)
>3. Fox passes on 'The Sopranos' (1999)
>2. NBC turns Donald Trump into a television titan (2004)
>1. NBC cancels 'Freaks and Geeks' (2000)

[blueberrymuffin]

I will not tolerate Capitol Critters slander!

[dee2364]

I hate listicles like this, because it's always written by a millennial or GenZ who knows nothing about pop culture and just does research from second-hand sources and has huge gaps of knowledge about stuff before their time.

For instance, it wasn't a bad decision to cancel Gilligan's Island or Star Trek, because the writing had either become repetitive or was beginning to slide towards the end. So, the networks actually did these shows a favor by canceling them when they did.

Cop Rock should've been number one, because it was already a critical failure before it aired but ABC insisted on running it, still hoping it would do well.

Smothers Brothers cancellation isn't on the list.

Rural purge should've been way up on the list.

A lot of talk shows could've been on this list, like Chevy Chase Show, Magic Johnson and Jerry Lewis.

There were a number of damaging show format changes and network schedule switches that could've been on the list, like Hazel dumping the Baxters.

The cancellation of Almost Human, Firefly and Dark Angel should've been on the list. Firefly and Dark Angel because they were huge cult hits, and Almost Human because it was critically acclaimed. FOX was so filled with regret that it canceled AH that it replaced it with another high concept TV show based on the movie, Minority Report.

What about the Quiz show rigging of the 1950s? It almost destroyed game shows.

Lastly, the point of a reboot is to have a new storyline with characters. That's why Scott Bakula wasn't invited back for Quantum Leap. On top of all that, how did the author know that Bakula was interested in returning? He's become a Star Trek actor now and that has more prestige than QL.

[TMC]

Originally Posted by dee2364

I hate listicles like this, because it's always written by a millennial or GenZ who knows nothing about pop culture and just does research from second-hand sources and has huge gaps of knowledge about stuff before their time.

For instance, it wasn't a bad decision to cancel Gilligan's Island or Star Trek, because the writing had either become repetitive or was beginning to slide towards the end. So, the networks actually did these shows a favor by canceling them when they did.

Cop Rock should've been number one, because it was already a critical failure before it aired but ABC insisted on running it, still hoping it would do well.

Smothers Brothers cancellation isn't on the list.

Rural purge should've been way up on the list.

A lot of talk shows could've been on this list, like Chevy Chase Show, Magic Johnson and Jerry Lewis.

There were a number of damaging show format changes and network schedule switches that could've been on the list, like Hazel dumping the Baxters.

The cancellation of Almost Human, Firefly and Dark Angel should've been on the list. Firefly and Dark Angel because they were huge cult hits, and Almost Human because it was critically acclaimed. FOX was so filled with regret that it canceled AH that it replaced it with another high concept TV show based on the movie, Minority Report.

What about the Quiz show rigging of the 1950s? It almost destroyed game shows.

Lastly, the point of a reboot is to have a new storyline with characters. That's why Scott Bakula wasn't invited back for Quantum Leap. On top of all that, how did the author know that Bakula was interested in returning? He's become a Star Trek actor now and that has more prestige than QL.

I was just thinking, how can Anne Hathaway and James Franco hosting the Oscars be on that list but not the notorious 1989 Academy Awards ceremony that was produced by Allan Carr? That is typically ranked up there as one of the worst Academy Award ceremonies of all time. The event was "highlighted" by an up and coming actress named Eileen Bowman cosplaying as Snow White and singing "Proud Mary" with Rob Lowe.

Also among sports related moments, how can you leave the Heidi Game off the list? I would even take Dennis Miller as a color commentator on Monday Night Football.

[dee2364]

Originally Posted by TMC

I was just thinking, how can Anne Hathaway and James Franco hosting the Oscars be on that list but not the notorious 1989 Academy Awards ceremony that was produced by Allan Carr. That is typically ranked up there as one of the worst Academy Award ceremonies of all time. The event was "highlighted" by an up and coming actress named Eileen Bowman cosplaying as Snow White and singing "Proud Mary" with Rob Lowe.

Also among sports related moments, how can you leave the Heidi Game off the list? I would even take Dennis Miller as a color commentator on Monday Night Football.

OMG, yes! Especially Monday Night Football. Nothing says "football" like an Ivy League snob dropping obscure literary references and ancient history as in, "I haven't seen a fumble this bad since The Battle of Actium."

I think that pretty much ruined Dennis Miller's career, too. That was the last time I remember him being in the spotlight. Now it's like he doesn't exist.

And yes, that Oscars is noted as the worst ceremony of all time, and it's what most likely led to Billy Crystal getting hired.

It's junk like that RS article that make me want to start a site of my own to correct all the mistakes.

[TMC]

Originally Posted by dee2364

OMG, yes! Especially Monday Night Football. Nothing says "football" like an Ivy League snob dropping obscure literary references and ancient history as in, "I haven't seen a fumble this bad since The Battle of Actium."

I think that pretty much ruined Dennis Miller's career, too. That was the last time I remember him being in the spotlight. Now it's like he doesn't exist.

And yes, that Oscars is noted as the worst ceremony of all time, and it's what most likely led to Billy Crystal getting hired.

It's junk like that RS article that make me want to start a site of my own to correct all the mistakes.

Don Ohlmeyer orchestrated Dennis Miller's hiring on Monday Night Football just like he orchestrated Norm MacDonald's ouster from Weekend Update on SNL. Ohlmeyer while as the West Coast President of NBC said in 1997, that he hoped that the World Series between the Florida (now Miami) Marlins and the Cleveland Indians (now Guardians) ended in a four game sweep so that it wouldn't preempt NBC's "Must See TV" block. The 1997 World Series by the way, went the full seven games.

[TMC]

Originally Posted by TMC

Here's the full list in case you're wondering:

>50. 'Jeopardy' allows Mike Richards to anoint himself host (2020)
>49. 'America's Next Top Model' asks contestants to swap ethnicities (2005)
>48. The Geico Cavemen get their own sitcom (2007)
>47. Disney+ refuses to let Lizzie McGuire grow up (2019)
>46. 'Saturday Night Live' fires Adam Sandler and Chris Farley (1995)
>45. HBO tries to make a 'Sex and the City' for men (2001)
>44. Two words: 'Cop Rock' (1990)
>43. The ungodly horror that is 'The Swan' makes women hate themselves (2004)
>42. Fox News tries to make their own daily show (2007)
>41. Geraldo takes viewers inside Al Capone's vault (1986)
>40. Ren and Stimpy's '"Adult Party Cartoon"' is allowed to happen (2003)
>39. MTV gives up and becomes the 'Ridiculousness' channel (2011)
>38. 'Family Matters' disappears Judy Winslow (1993)
>37. 'Star Trek' and 'Gilligan's Island' are both cancelled after just three seasons (1969 and 1967)
>36. ABC gives us way too much 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire' (1999-)
>35. 'Mad About You' reboots on Spectrum (2019)
>34. HBO Max dumps the 'HBO' (2023)
>33. Fox News and CNN create streaming platforms (2018 and 2023)
>32. Dan Rather fails to vet supposed George W. Bush documents (2004)
>31. 'Quantum Leap' reboots without Scott Bakula (2022)
>30. The Academy Awards asks James Franco to co-host (2010)
>29. 'Laverne and Shirley' dumps Shirley (1982)
>28. 'The Simpsons' reveals that Principal Skinner is an imposter (1997)
>27. Joey Tribbiani gets his own show (2004)
>26. NBC poaches Megyn Kelly from Fox (2017)
>25. 'Glee' brings in a new Glee class (2012)
>24. ESPN decides that Rush Limbaugh would make a good football commentator (2003)
>23. CNN moves Don Lemon to mornings (2023)
>22. 'Arrested Development' breaks the format with convoluted Netflix season (2013)
>21. 'The State' leaved MTV for CBS (1995)
>20. UPN greenlights 'The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer' (1998)
>19. 'Seinfeld' kills off Susan in heartless fashion (1996)
>18. 'Lost' blows its ending (2010)
>17. 'The Brady Bunch Hour' becomes a thing (1976)
>16. The Ropers quit 'Three's Company' for an ill-fated spinoff (1979)
>15. 'Star Trek: TNG' fires Gates McFadden before season two (1988)
>14. 'Westworld' confuses the **** out of everyone (2018)
>13. 'The Office' keeps going without Steve Carell (2011)
>12. NBC cancels 'Baywatch' after one season (1989)
>11. Quibi burns $1.75 billion in eight months (2020)
>10. David Caruso leaves 'NYPD Blue' after one season (1994)
>9. The networks call Florida for George W. Bush in 2000 (2000)
>8. HBO, TNT, Showtime and FX all turn down 'Breaking Bad' (2007)
>7. Fox gives Chevy Chase his own talk show (1993)
>6. NBC royally ****s up the Leno/Conan situation (2009)
>5. Roseanne torches her career with a racist tweet (2018)
>4. Norm MacDonald is fired from 'SNL' over (Hilarious) OJ Simpson jokes (1998)
>3. Fox passes on 'The Sopranos' (1999)
>2. NBC turns Donald Trump into a television titan (2004)
>1. NBC cancels 'Freaks and Geeks' (2000)

I would've put The Bradys on that list ahead of The Brady Bunch Variety Hour. At least, the variety show you could argue had kitschy, it's so bad it's good, morbid curiosity to its vibe. And it didn't out and out "kill" the overall goodwill of the franchise. The Brady Bunch in itself, was already you could say, kind of a cheesy or corny show to begin with.

With The Bradys, which was a short-lived continuation of The Brady Bunch that aired on CBS in early 1990, it made the ill-suited or advised attempt at being a one hour long dramedy in the vein of Thirtysomething. So the show ostensibly "tragedy/trauma porn" before that was such a thing. It also didn't help that the most popular Brady kid, Maureen McCormick wanted nothing to do with it and Robert Reed once again clashed with the producers.

I mean, going back to The Brady Bunch Variety Hour, how can you make a list about awful variety shows and not have Pink Lady and Jeff on it? It was among a litany of stupid ideas that Fred Silverman came up with while at NBC. Maybe the show could've had a reasonably good shot had the two women in Pink Lady been able to actually speak English. It may have also had a better chance at lasting had it not come at the tail end of the variety show genre's life cycle.

[James]

182 episodes of According to Jim are better than 259 episodes of Married ... with Children. Heck, 182 episodes are better than ONE episode of Married ... with Children!

Why isn't FOX ignoring those protesters from Michigan against the content of MWC one of the 50 choices? The other networks would have done the nation a favor by inviting them on their news talk shows like Good Morning America!

[JamesG]

Originally Posted by James

182 episodes of According to Jim are better than 259 episodes of Married ... with Children. Heck, 182 episodes are better than ONE episode of Married ... with Children!

Why isn't FOX ignoring those protesters from Michigan against the content of MWC one of the 50 choices? The other networks would have done the nation a favor by inviting them on their news talk shows like Good Morning America!

lol, how about just not watching.

That whole protest backfired as more viewers tuned into MWC to see what it was all about. Terry Rakolta was even referenced on MWC as a "nod".

[dee2364]

Originally Posted by James

182 episodes of According to Jim are better than 259 episodes of Married ... with Children. Heck, 182 episodes are better than ONE episode of Married ... with Children!

Why isn't FOX ignoring those protesters from Michigan against the content of MWC one of the 50 choices? The other networks would have done the nation a favor by inviting them on their news talk shows like Good Morning America!

Married with Children was the show that put FOX on the map as a network. Without it and The Simpsons, it would've never gotten as big as it did. How would that have been a great decision to cancel it?

[James]

Originally Posted by JamesG

That whole protest backfired as more viewers tuned into MWC to see what it was all about. Terry Rakolta was even referenced on MWC as a "nod".

The commie media spun the story wrong and should have taken the point of view of the protesters.

[James]

Originally Posted by dee2364

Married with Children was the show that put FOX on the map as a network. Without it and The Simpsons, it would've never gotten as big as it did. How would that have been a great decision to cancel it?

First, because there would be no protests. Do you think God would have prevented any (if not all) of the tragedies and disasters that have happened since then to happen had FOX canceled MWC? FOX should have gotten on the map thanks to their news channel.

Second, because it would lessen the probability of The Wonder Years being canceled in 1993.