Beloved TV Shows That Critics Were Wrong About
Admit it — there are some television shows you watch even though you know they’re trashy, or clichéd, or just silly. There’s no shame in watching bad TV, or in disagreeing completely with a critical drubbing. Here are shows that critics hated and audiences liked just fine, which saved some from cancellation … but not all. Here are the first-season ratings from Rotten Tomatoes for critical loathing and audience love.
Related: Beloved Movies Unfairly Panned by Critics
Critic Rating: 33%
Audience Score: 73%
Critic Quote: “The show comes off as neither authentic nor amusing, just another lame exercise in recyclery.” — The Washington Post
Many critics slammed this show as a tepid, unfunny sitcom, but after a whopping nine seasons there was grudging respect, with Variety conceding, “On the home stretch of its ninth and final season, this genial series is seldom laugh-out-loud funny, but Kevin James and Leah Remini remain the most likable and real among TV's trademark fat-guy-plus-hot-wife couplings.”
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Critic Rating: 42%
Audience Score: 82%
Critic Quote: “We'll have to wait until later in the series to find out who gets the funeral, but on the evidence of episode one I'd be happy for the Grim Reaper to visit any of them.” — The Daily Telegraph
A series take on the 1994 movie starring Hugh Grant and Andie MacDowell lasted just one season on Hulu. Despite being adapted by Mindy Kaling (“The Office” actor/writer had more success with “The Mindy Project” and “Never Have I Ever”), the show was dismissed as charmless and cynical.
Critic Rating: 9%
Audience Score: 74%
Critic quote: “A show so bad you feel really, really sorry for it.” — Globe and Mail
This TV series starring Morris Chestnut (“Boyz n the Hood”) follows Miami pathologist Dr. Beaumont Rosewood Jr. as he uses fancy lab equipment to solve crimes by searching for clues left behind in dead bodies. Critics found the show to be poorly written and humorless, but that didn’t stop Fox from renewing it for a second season.
Critic Rating: 36%
Audience Score: 73%
Critic Quote: “Netflix revival series is an irritating mix of sappy and meta.” — The Wrap
Bringing together “Full House” stars Candace Cameron Bure, Jodie Sweetin, and Andrea Barber, this spinoff gave a dose of nostalgia for fans of the original. Critics said the stories were stale and the humor lacking, but the show turned out to be critic-proof and lasted five seasons on Netflix.
Critic Rating: 8%
Audience Score: 71%
Critic Quote: “‘Betrayal’ may be the most bland look at finding one's soulmate in another's husband or wife ever dreamt up.” — The Hollywood Reporter
This drama about married people who find themselves drawn to one another despite a murder trial was dismissed as dull by critics, but the show managed to draw in an average of more than 3 million viewers an episode. Still, ABC gave “Betrayal” the boot after one season.
Critic Rating: 14%
Audience Score: 67%
Critic Quote: “[Star Jim] Belushi's gusto is all this show has going for it.” — People
This inoffensive sitcom starred Belushi as a doting dad and husband, but critics found it to be a dimwitted and tired family-friendly series. The Washington Post grumbled of the first season, “It's disconcerting to think that since TV transmissions travel almost infinitely into the universe, channel-surfing extraterrestrials might get a glimpse of this show, thus lowering their opinion of Earthlings still further.” Still, the show managed to stick around for an impressive eight seasons.
Critic Rating: 7%
Audience Score: 60%
Critic Quote: “A family comedy has to have heart and humor, and ‘Dr. Ken’ has neither.” — Los Angeles Times
While comedian Ken Jeong has had success in “Community,” “The Masked Singer,” and “The Hangover” movies, his short-lived sitcom (it lasted for 44 episodes) didn’t impress critics. While audiences found the series passable, critics lambasted it for a lack of humor despite its diverse cast.
Critic Rating: 11%
Audience Score: 83%
Critic Quote: “The performers are fine, but they are left hanging by the script, as it drifts in and out of confusion.” — The Boston Globe
A series about a teen girl (Debby Ryan) who loses weight and takes revenge on her bullies should be an over-the-top high school comedy, but critics felt it was cynical and uneven. After two seasons, Netflix pulled the plug.
Critic Rating: 0%
Audience Score: 59%
Critic Quote: “Clunky dialogue and an uninspired visual style seal 'Hunters' fate, despite [actor Julian] McMahon's best efforts.” — Collider
This SYFY show lasted only for a season, despite the involvement of Gale Anne Hurd (producer and co-writer of 1984’s “The Terminator”) as executive producer and McMahon (“Nip/Tuck”) as one of the stars. Critics said it looked low-budget — and that was just one of the show’s problems.
Critic Rating: 33%
Audience Score: 80%
Critic Quote: “‘Baby Daddy’ is as stale as an old Diaper Genie, a series of poopy one-liners, powdered with little ‘Aw’-inducing moments of heart.” — Variety
A 20-something bartender finds his ex-girlfriend has dumped their baby on his doorstep and decides to raise the child with the help of his friends — this series sounds a lot like “Three Men and a Baby.” It had none of the humor or charm of that film, though, and critics derided it for a lack of creativity and a saccharine sweetness. “Baby Daddy” still lasted for six seasons.
Critic Rating: 37%
Audience Score: 65%
Critic Quote: “A show about scheming, oversexed Manhattan high schoolers shouldn't be as boring as the ‘Gossip Girl’ reboot.” — The Independent
While the “Gossip Girl” that aired for six seasons starting in 2007 had a higher rating with critics than audiences (84% versus 78%), that can’t be said of the reboot. While the new version was given praise for a more diverse cast in terms of race and sexuality, the series was lambasted for being unfocused and boring. Still, the show is said to be coming back to HBO Max for a second season this year.
Critic Rating: 20%
Audience Score: 81%
Critic Quote: “The problem with ‘Stalker’ is not the violence, creepiness or depravity. It's that the violence, creepiness and depravity appear to be the point, because nothing of value is offered in balance.” — Los Angeles Times
Despite impressive talent (Dylan McDermott of “The Practice” and “Nikita” star Maggie Q), this series was considered an offensive clunker by critics who disliked the violence and gruesome imagery. Despite audiences responding to this crime series about a group of detectives tracking stalkers in Los Angeles, the show was canceled after one season.
Critic Rating: 10%
Audience Score: 50%
Critic Quote: “If you're into Trainwreck Television, go for it. Otherwise, avoid this at all costs.” — AV Club
Two divorced moms struggling to manage their bratty teenage daughters seems like typical sitcom fodder, but it turns out that very unlikeable teens are a turnoff. Despite half of the fans on Rotten Tomatoes giving the show a pass, it disappeared from the airwaves quickly despite Jaime Pressly (“My Name Is Earl”) starring as one of the moms.
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Critic Rating: 17%
Audience Score: 42%
Critic quote: “[John] Mulaney's child-man act just doesn't translate here.” — The Wrap
Mulaney has been a break-out star from “Saturday Night Live” (he’s even hosted the show), but critics felt this series, which also starred Martin Short and Elliot Gould, was a weak “Seinfeld” copycat. It was pulled from the air after 13 episodes. Still, audiences weren’t as unhappy with the show as critics.
