Many of the worst television shows originate from some highly questionable concepts that make you wonder how they ever got approved.
The 50 worst TV shows in modern history, according to critics
Many of the worst TV shows of all time have originated from seriously misguided concepts, like ABC's Geico-ad-based "Cavemen" and Fox's cruel reality show "I Wanna Marry Harry."
ABC's "Cavemen" series in 2007, for instance, was based on characters from a short-lived Geico commercial. And Fox's 2014 reality show "I Wanna Marry Harry" saw 12 women compete for the chance to marry a Prince Harry look-alike who they thought was the real Prince of Wales.
Both shows were critical disasters, and each lasted only one season — as many of the worst reality shows, dramas, and sitcoms have.
To find out which programs critics have hated the most, we turned to the review aggregator Metacritic for its list of the worst TV shows, which goes back to 1995. The list ranks show seasons by their composite critical reception.
Check out the 50 worst TV shows from least to most objectionable, according to critics:
50. "Twenty Good Years" (NBC, Season 1)
Critic score: 29/100
User score: 5.9/10
What critics said: "
49. "South Beach" (UPN, Season 1)
Critic score: 29/100
User score: 8.6/10
What critics said: "
48. "Hidden Hills" (NBC, Season 1)
Critic score: 29/100
User score: Unavailable
What critics said: "
47. "American Inventor" (ABC, Season 1)
Critic score: 29/100
User score: 5.1/10
What critics said: "A bloated disappointment that spends more time on the judges than the inventors and their inventions.
46. "Big Brother" (CBS, Season 1)
Critic score: 29/100
User score: 5.2/10
What critics said: "
45. "Rob" (CBS, Season 1)
Critic score: 29/100
User score: 3.8/10
What critics said: "
44. "Ghost Whisperer" (CBS, Season 1)
Critic score: 29/100
User score: 8.3/10
What critics said: "
43. "The Return of Jezebel James" (Fox, Season 1)
Critic score: 29/100
User score: 5.2/10
What critics said: "
42. "Sex Box" (WE, Season 1)
Critic score: 28/100
User score: 3.0/10
What critics said: "
41. "Painkiller Jane" (Syfy, Season 1)
Critic score: 28/100
User score: 6.1/10
What critics said: "
40. "The War at Home" (Fox, Season 1)
Critic score: 28/100
User score: 3.9/10
What critics said: "
39. "Love Inc." (UPN, Season 1)
Critic score: 28/100
User score: 7.5/10
What critics said: "
38. "Murphy's Law" (ABC, Season 1)
Critic score: 28/100
User score: Unavailable
What critics said: "
37. "Rules of Engagement" (CBS, Season 1)
Critic score: 28/100
User score: 7.5/10
What critics said: "
36. "Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders" (CBS, Season 1)
Critic score: 28/100
User score: 3.8/10
What critics said: "
35. "$#*! My Dad Says" (CBS, Season 1)
Critic score: 28/100
User score: 4.4/10
What critics said: "'
34. "Marvel's Inhumans" (ABC, Season 1)
Critic score: 27/100
User score: 3.9/10
What critics said: "
33. "Dirty Dancing" (CBS, Season 1)
Critic score: 27/100
User score: Unavailable
What critics said: "
32. "Does Someone Have To Go?" (Fox, Season 1)
Critic score: 27/100
User score: 3.3/10
What critics said: "'Lord of the Flies'-meets-a-telephone book, and just about as entertaining."
31. "In Case of Emergency" (ABC, Season 1)
Critic score: 27/100
User score: 6.9/10
What critics said: ""
30. "Desire" (My Network TV, Season 1)
Critic score: 27/100
User score: 7.5/10
What critics said: ""
29. "Truth Be Told" (NBC, Season 1)
Critic score: 26/100
User score: 4.1/10
What critics said: ""
28. "Get This Party Started" (UPN, Season 1)
Critic score: 26/100
User score: 3.6/10
What critics said: ""
27. "How to Get the Guy" (ABC, Season 1)
Critic score: 26/100
User score: 7.2/10
What critics said: ""
26. "Dr. Ken" (ABC, Season 1)
Critic score: 26/100
User score: 3.0/10
What critics said: ""
25. "Hawaii" (NBC, Season 1)
Critic score: 25/100
User score: Unavailable
What critics said: "
24. "Happy Hour" (Fox, Season 1)
Critic score: 25/100
User score: 8.3/10
What critics said: "
23. "The Trouble With Normal" (ABC, Season 1)
Critic score: 25/100
User score: Unavailable
What critics said: "
22. "Tucker" (NBC, Season 1)
Critic score: 25/100
User score: Unavailable
What critics said: "
21. "Killer Instinct" (Fox, Season 1)
Critic score: 25/100
User score: 8.5/10
What critics said: "
20. "Unan1mous" (Fox, Season 1)
Critic score: 24/100
User score: 3.1/10
What critics said: "
19. "Woops!" (Fox, Season 1)
Critic score: 24/100
User score: Unavailable
What critics said: "
18. "Modern Men" (WB, Season 1)
Critic score: 24/100
User score: 5.6/10
What critics said: "Bad sitcom, bad." — Chicago Sun-Times
17. "10.5 Apocalypse" (NBC, Mini-Series)
Critic score: 23/100
User score: 4.2/10
What critics said: "The calamities and catastrophes occur with such frequency and ferocity that, yes, indeed, 'Apocalypse 10.5' suffers the curse of being unintentionally funny — even hilarious." — The Washington Post
16. "I Wanna Marry Harry" (Fox, Season 1)
Critic score: 23/100
User score: 3.0/10
What critics said: "" — The AV Club
15. "October Road" (ABC, Season 1)
Critic score: 23/100
User score: 3.0/10
What critics said: "" — Chicago Tribune
14. "Identity" (NBC, Season 1)
Critic score: 22/100
User score: 8.4/10
What critics said: "" — Philadelphia Inquirer
13. "The Game" (The CW/BET, Season 1)
Critic score: 22/100
User score: 8.2/10
What critics said: "It just isn't funny. At all. Ever" — USA Today
12. "Do Not Disturb" (Fox, Season 1)
Critic score: 21/100
User score: 3.5/10
What critics said: "This is a show that could bury the [sitcom] genre altogether." — The Hollywood Reporter
11. "Sons of Hollywood" (A&E, Season 1)
Critic score: 21/100
User score: 3.9/10
What critics said: "Once again, reality TV invites us to marvel at the idiocy, futility, and self-destructive tendencies of the rich and famous. But this petty, home-movie-level material wouldn't even fly on YouTube." — Boston Globe
10. "Uncle Buck" (CBS, Season 1)
Critic score: 21/100
User score: Unavailable
What critics said: "" — Newsday
9. "Knight Rider" (NBC, Season 1)
Critic score: 21/100
User score: 6.0/10
What critics said: "" — Chicago Tribune
8. "Momma's Boys" (NBC, Season 1)
Critic score: 19/100
User score: 4.3/10
What critics said: "" — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
7. "The Real Wedding Crashers" (NBC, Season 1)
Critic score: 19/100
User score: 4.3/10
What critics said: "" — The Washington Post
6. "Cavemen" (ABC, Season 1)
Critic score: 19/100
User score: 5.2/10
What critics said: "'" — Boston Globe
5. "Work It" (ABC, Season 1)
Critic score: 19/100
User score: 1.1/10
What critics said: "'" — USA Today
4. "Category 7: The End of the World" (CBS, Mini-Series)
Critic score: 18/100
User score: 3.7/10
What critics said: "" — Detroit Free Press
3. "Stalker" (CBS, Season 1)
Critic score: 17/100
User score: 7.4/10
What critics said: "" — Los Angeles Times
2. "Dads" (Fox, Season 1)
Critic score: 15/100
User score: 3.7/10
What critics said: "" — Miami Herald
1. "The 1/2 Hour News Hour" (Fox News, Season 1)
Critic score: 13/100
User score: 2.8/10
What critics said: "" — The New York Times