25 iconic TV shows that are so bad they're good Louis PeitzmanSeptember 30, 2025 at 7:30 AM 0 25 iconic TV shows that are so bad they're good While we may have moved beyond the era of peak TV, there are still an overwhelming number of great shows to watch.
- - 25 iconic TV shows that are so bad they're good
Louis PeitzmanSeptember 30, 2025 at 7:30 AM
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25 iconic TV shows that are so bad they're good
While we may have moved beyond the era of peak TV, there are still an overwhelming number of great shows to watch. A look at the September 2025 Emmy winners reveals several fantastic options, from buzzy new shows like "The Studio" and "The Pitt" to acclaimed ongoing series like "Hacks" and "Severance." But as satisfying as it is to sit down with a great show that's worthy of our attention, sometimes we feel the pull of, well, garbage. We're talking about the series that are so bad they're good—the lower the quality dips, the more compelled we feel to keep tuning in.
There are different reasons for sticking with bad shows. The term "hate-watching" refers to the specific concept of a series whose clunky acting, nonsensical plots, or overall mediocrity evoke feelings of anger. Psychologists say the appeal of hate-watching could be caused by anything from elitism to nostalgia to morbid curiosity. Current series like "Emily in Paris" and "The Morning Show" often get referenced in the hate-watching conversation. Part of the appeal for many viewers is the way they can connect with friends or an online community in discussing just how absurd these shows are. After all, hate-watching is a communal experience.
In other cases, a show's badness is not a source of frustration, but of delight. Some series are so silly, low-budget, and over-the-top that they become camp. While shows we hate-watch often started with prestige before slipping into trashy territory, campy series were usually always ridiculous, meaning we knew exactly what we were getting into from the jump. Think goofy high-concept shows like "Xena: Warrior Princess" or "Cop Rock." It's impossible to get angry at these kinds of programs—except maybe at yourself for spending your one precious life watching hours of dreck. But whatever guilt these pleasures might induce, there's no denying how much fun they are.
Interested in diving in but unsure where to start? We've got you covered. Stacker researched bad but beloved shows and spotlighted 25 that live in a horrible part of television history. Whether you prefer true hate-watches or series that were never really striving for greatness, this comprehensive list will give you plenty to choose from. But if you get hooked watching a hot mess you can't look away from, don't say we didn't warn you. Read on to see what terrible TV made the cut.
And Just Like That…
- Years on the air: 2021-2025
Few series have captured the hate-watch ethos better than HBO Max's "Sex and the City" continuation, "And Just Like That…" When the show announced that it would conclude with its third-season finale in August 2025, writers who had spent years complaining about it acknowledged how much they would miss it. It's true that 'AJLT' never really resembled the beloved original show it spawned from, instead giving us baffling storylines, massive plot holes, and Che Diaz. It's also true that we enjoyed discussing it. Star and executive producer Sarah Jessica Parker said she didn't really care about people hate-watching the show, but those who did will continue to lament its passing.
Emily in Paris
- Years on the air: 2020-present
In Alissa Wilkinson's analysis of hate-watching for The New York Times, she singled out "Emily in Paris," describing it as "a Netflix extravaganza of stereotypes and bafflement … chronicling the goofy adventures of a peppy young American abroad." That about sums it up. Other writers have copped to their embarrassing obsession with the show, which stars Lily Collins as the titular fish out of water (who still isn't fluent in French, mind you). The cast and creatives have even conceded that critics have some points, but "Emily in Paris" still refuses to ground itself (or Emily) in reality—and that's what makes it such escapist fun.
American Horror Story
- Years on the air: 2011-present
The first Ryan Murphy show on this list, but far from the last, "American Horror Story" is an anthology series that varies wildly from season to season. Viewers will sing the praises of Seasons 2 ("Asylum") and 3 ("Coven"), while struggling to find kind things to say about Seasons 9 ("1984") and 12 ("Delicate"). Nevertheless, they keep watching—or at least, many of them do, as the series' notable drop in quality has forced former diehards to bow out completely. The reality is that even the worst installments of "AHS" offer award-winning actors, terrifying monsters, and sleek production design. On some level, whether it's "good" or not is beside the point.
Outer Banks
- Years on the air: 2020-present
If you're over a certain age or don't have a child under a certain age, you might not have heard of "Outer Banks," a teen soap on Netflix that quickly became one of the streamer's biggest hits when it debuted in 2020. At the time, SFGate columnist Drew Magary called it "quality trash" and "the kind of show that's flawed in ways that are fun to argue about." He also noted that amid a glut of prestigious series that get all the attention, there's a real appeal to something like "Outer Banks," which has far more modest ambitions. And yes, fans are still having a blast picking apart "insane" scenes years later.
The Morning Show
- Years on the air: 2019-present
"Why can't we quit 'The Morning Show'?" Critic Inkoo Kang asked that in a 2023 New Yorker article. To say that the Apple TV+ series, led by Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, has never been particularly well-received might be an understatement. Kang quotes an X post from novelist Rumaan Alam, who says watching "The Morning Show" is "like getting a lobotomy, it's past camp, there should be academics working on this." Its ridiculousness and uncanny valley vibes are its selling points, meaning bad reviews don't really matter. On the other hand, critics have warned that the fourth season, which premiered on Sept. 17, 2025, is "so bad it's just bad," which could spell its doom.
Pretty Little Liars
- Years on the air: 2010-2017
If a teen mystery runs long enough, it's bound to wind up in some questionable terrain, but "Pretty Little Liars" started there. This was an ABC Family (now Freeform) series centered on one of the teen girls, who was in a relationship with—and eventually married—her teacher. That's only one of the dozens of things about "Pretty Little Liars" that never made any sense, but the weirder the series got, the more hooked we became. Besides, we had to stay tuned for the resolution to its increasingly convoluted mystery, which (spoiler alert) ultimately involved a secret evil twin.
Baywatch
- Years on the air: 1989-2001
"Baywatch" wasn't the first popular bad show, but it certainly had one of the biggest pop culture impacts of the series that fall into that category. That's true on a global scale—the show holds the Guinness World Record for largest TV audience thanks to an estimated 1.1 billion weekly viewers at its peak, which is especially impressive when you consider that it was perpetually maligned. "Baywatch" made star Pamela Anderson a household name, but she struggled to be taken seriously as an actor, given the series' critical consensus. While she has since enjoyed a reappraisal, "Baywatch" itself never has, and that's probably for the best. We can safely acknowledge that it was always just a vehicle for its slow-motion running scenes.
Baywatch Nights
- Years on the air: 1995-1997
If you thought "Baywatch" was trashy, consider its spin-off, "Baywatch Nights," which earned even worse reviews. A mystery procedural headed by "Baywatch" star David Hasselhoff—without spoiling too much, this won't be his last show on the list—"Baywatch Nights" is especially notorious for its second season, a shameless attempt at capitalizing on the success of "The X-Files" by giving the show a supernatural spin. Nevertheless, the series has a cult following, if only because it's hard to find anything as weird as "Baywatch Nights" on television.
Riverdale
- Years on the air: 2017-2023
Here are some things that happened on The CW's teen soap, "Riverdale," over the course of its seven-season run: Archie fought a bear, Tabitha found the Holy Grail, and Cheryl used superpowers to stop a comet, which sent everyone back in time to 1955. When you consider that "Riverdale" was based on a comic series, it gets a little less strange—but only a little. Nothing wrong with that, however. As Collider noted in a review of the show's bizarro final season, "We love 'Riverdale' because it's ridiculous, campy, and absolutely hilarious in its outrageousness. If you don't make the mistake of taking the show too seriously, you'll find joy in this final ride in the jalopy."
True Blood
- Years on the air: 2008-2014
When "True Blood" concluded in 2014, there was a general sense that the HBO show had jumped the shark. Critics analyzed the series, wondering what went wrong, and highlighted "True Blood" as an example of what happens "when good TV goes bad." There's no question that the show went more off-the-rails after it branched out from vampires to include fairies, maenads, and, yes, werepanthers. At the same time, it was always kind of a mess, as retrospective reviews have been more willing to acknowledge. "Sometimes you recognize a show is broken beyond repair, yet you can't bring yourself to stop watching it," Joshua Axelrod remarked in a look at "True Blood" for its 10th anniversary. "Why do we watch objectively bad TV?"
Virgin River
- Years on the air: 2019-present
Another Netflix series that's either incredibly important or completely non-existent, depending on who you ask, "Virgin River" has managed to become one of the platform's biggest hits without leaving a significant cultural footprint. It's no surprise that the romantic drama, led by Alexandra Breckenridge as Mel Monroe, has found an audience at a time when most of us are eager for a comforting watch. But "good" may be overselling things a bit, with one blogger admitting that "Virgin River" is "so dumb." Even as fans complain about clumsy storylines and awful characters, though, they keep tuning in for the cozy vibes.
Smash
- Years on the air: 2012-2013
Fade in on a show that popularized the concept of hate-watching. In 2012, New Yorker critic Emily Nussbaum admitted to watching NBC's musical drama "Smash" despite not liking it, and a phenomenon was born. The Hollywood Reporter's Tim Goodman covered the rise of hate-watching in relation to "Smash" the following year, and in 2025, Vulture proclaimed the series "the best hate-watch of all time." What made "Smash" so bad? The same things that made it must-see-TV: inconsistent characterization, confusing plotlines, wooden performances, and Debra Messing's scarves.
Xena: Warrior Princess
- Years on the air: 1995-2001
A spin-off of the (equally silly) "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys," "Xena: Warrior Princess" is still finding new viewers decades after it went off the air—though some take to Reddit to ask if the show gets better after the early episodes, or if people watched it "because it's really stupid." The answer depends on who you ask, though it's not surprising Lucy Lawless' star-making turn in the title role earned plenty of fans, and the show as a whole became beloved by LGBTQ+ viewers for its not-so-subtle lesbian subtext. Still, even its Reddit defenders concede that, at best, it's really just "campy fun," not that there's anything wrong with that.
CSI: Miami
- Years on the air: 2002-2012
Today's Andy Dehnart did not mince words when he reviewed "CSI: Miami" in 2008. The show is "one of the most ridiculous, implausible, and badly written series in the world," he wrote. "Despite that, it's still watchable and almost incomprehensibly compelling, even if it is one of the worst examples of the art form that television has become in recent years." To be fair, "CSI: Miami" knew what kind of show it was, as evidenced by the cringe-inducing one-liners that David Caruso's Horatio Caine unleashed in every episode. "Why is a show this bad so entertaining?" Dehnart wondered in his review. A valid question, but there are a few things more compelling than bad puns.
Once Upon a Time
- Years on the air: 2011-2018
Some might argue that "Once Upon a Time" really jumped the shark with its final season, in which almost the entire cast was replaced and the storyline became so convoluted that it was beyond repair. But in retrospect, the show had its problems from the beginning, with a 10th anniversary piece noting the shoddy effects and sloppy plotting of the first season. If you don't think too hard, there's certainly fun to be had with ABC's Disney-centric fairy tale soap—just try not to be bothered by things like the series shoehorning in a messy "Frozen" storyline to capitalize on the success of the film.
Cop Rock
- Year on the air: 1990
In the annals of TV history, few shows are more of a punchline than "Cop Rock," which blended the genres of police procedural and musical for a total of 11 episodes. Widely regarded as a colossal failure, the show has earned a reappraisal in recent years—OK, not exactly, but it has at least been celebrated for producing one legitimately good song. Ultimately, the badness of "Cop Rock" is its calling card, and it's what has kept the single-season show in the cultural conversation after all this time. When the full series was released on DVD in 2016, co-creator Stephen Bochco remarked, "I'm sorry it didn't work, but I've never been ashamed of it or embarrassed by 'Cop Rock.'"
Entourage
- Years on the air: 2004-2011
Over the course of its run, HBO's "Entourage" was called out for racism, homophobia, and misogyny—not terms we typically associate with "so bad, it's good" shows. To be fair, "Entourage" did have its defenders across the spectrum, though those dwindled toward the end. When the series returned for a 2015 movie, it was savaged by critics and audiences. But as a USA Today article argued at the time, "Yes, the 'Entourage' movie is terrible. That doesn't mean it's not worth seeing." Sometimes, a begrudging appreciation for the characters and the situations they find themselves in is enough to keep us watching, regardless of the actual quality at hand. (And sometimes, the experience is too torturous to endure.)
Knight Rider
- Years on the air: 1982-1986
While it's not the only talking car show on our list, "Knight Rider"—another David Hasselhoff (no pun intended) vehicle—is probably the most entertaining. As long as you're willing to go with the premise of an artificially intelligent car helping The Hoff solve crimes, there's fun to be had. Although contemporary critics blasted the show as "tirelessly silly," retrospective reviews have found appreciation for the lower bar of '80s television, identifying "Knight Rider" as "a relic from a simpler time, when audiences demanded less from their TV." Keep in mind that the series was also made at a time when AI was more a ridiculous science fiction concept than a harrowing reality.
Walker, Texas Ranger
- Years on the air: 1993-2001
In a 2010 look back at "Walker, Texas Ranger" for Slate, writer Mason Currey noted, "Like a lot of so-bad-it's-good television, part of the fun of watching Walker comes from its repetition of certain show-specific tropes." It's true, you won't find a lot of originality when viewing the Chuck Norris series, but you will see plenty of roundhouse kicks, and what more could you ask for, really? You can quibble with the legacy of "Walker, Texas Ranger"—mostly Chuck Norris memes—or you can simply enjoy a series that doesn't expect much from its audience, and expects even less of itself.
Glee
- Years on the air: 2009-2015
Another Ryan Murphy series to make the list (and not the last!), "Glee" was so disjointed that it led to Emily St. James' famous "3 Glees Theory," which posits that the show is inconsistent because its three creators switched off writing episodes that were each reflective of their individual and wildly divergent perspectives on what "Glee" should look like. The result was a hot mess that worsened as the series progressed. But "Glee" being bad never made it unwatchable, even as its incomprehensible plot developments provoked genuine anger from the audience. The truth is, the worst episodes of "Glee" are the most fun to revisit.
Scream Queens
- Years on the air: 2015-2016
"We tried to like it, but 'Scream Queens' is just terrible," Gizmodo's Cheryl Eddy conceded in a 2015 review. Perhaps the key, then, is to embrace the bad and watch the show anyway. Another Ryan Murphy project—co-creators Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan also deserve "credit"—"Scream Queen" was a satirical slasher that featured Emma Roberts and Lea Michele alongside future big names Keke Palmer and Glen Powell. Even while acknowledging that the show had run its course in his review of the series finale, Vulture recapper Brian Moylan admitted, "I'm willing to give 'Scream Queens' a pass because, at its best, it's a campy treat that doesn't need logic."
Revenge
- Years on the air: 2011-2015
"The so-bad-it's-good cultural artifact has a storied history in America," Slate's Michelle Dean explained in her 2012 review of ABC's "Revenge," "but the peculiar tradition to which 'Revenge' belongs is the rich, campy primetime soap opera." Starring Emily VanCamp as Emily Thorne and Madeleine Stowe as her ice queen nemesis Victoria Grayson, the show was at its best when it leaned into the high drama, but by the second season, critics and viewers were saying it had lost its luster. For those of us who stuck with "Revenge," the series never really got better—we simply learned to accept that Stowe's line readings were worth the price of admission.
Supernatural
- Years on the air: 2006-2020
The first five seasons of "Supernatural" told a fairly tight story that combined monster-of-the-week episodes with a larger mythology about demon hunters Sam and Dean Winchester fighting the forces of darkness. Then the show continued—for another 10 seasons. It's commonly accepted within the fandom that the decade after Season 5 represented a significant dip in quality for the show, which means that "Supernatural" is more bad than good. However, even those later seasons included some classics that are regularly cited on lists of the show's best episodes. As long as you're willing to put up with endless mumbo jumbo about angels, you can enjoy the thrilling highs and abysmal lows of one of the longest-running fantasy TV series ever made.
My Mother the Car
- Years on the air: 1965-1966
We promised another talking car show on the list, and we wouldn't want to let you down. "My Mother the Car," a 1960s sitcom about, you guessed it, a man whose mother is reincarnated as a car, is widely regarded as one of the worst TV shows of all time. How much you'll get out of the 30 episodes that aired is tough to say. As a Vulture review noted, it's often regarded as "the epitome of dated, stupid, campy, embarrassing, lowest common denominator television," and with good reason. That same review points out, however, that "My Mother the Car" is often so weird that you can't look away, with its standard absence of a laugh track creating some especially uncanny vibes. Whether it's so bad it's good or "actually not that bad" at all, it's well worth seeing.
Viva Laughlin
- Year on the air: 2007
If you're interested in watching "Viva Laughlin," good luck finding it—this CBS musical adaptation of the British show "Blackpool" was such an unmitigated disaster that it only aired two episodes before being canceled. At the time, New York Times critic Alessandra Stanley wondered, "'Viva Laughlin' on CBS may well be the worst new show of the season, but is it the worst show in the history of television?" Earning obvious comparisons to "Cop Rock," "Viva Laughlin" is notable for being an early American role for Hugh Jackman, though it's also infamous for its appearance on "The Soup." Wondering if it's really so bad it's good? Just try to watch this clip without laughing.
Story editing by Cynthia Rebolledo. Copy editing by Robert Wickwire.
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#LALifestyle #USCelebrities 25 iconic TV shows that are so bad they're good Louis PeitzmanSeptember 30, 2025 at 7:30 AM 0 25 iconic TV shows that are so...
