The Bear, Season 3
Although definitely the best on this list, season 3 of Hulu’s “The Bear” is meandering and
aimless with a heavy focus on flashbacks and building on characters, which is interesting,
but leaves a season in which not much progresses. It removed the quick, aggressive energy
seen in the first two seasons and replaced it with stunt-casting and a slower, more somber
feel.
The Sympathizer
Based on the novel by Viet Thahn Nguyen starring Robert Downey Jr, The Sympathizer had
all the potential of an award winning show yet it falls flat. Turns out cramming a 384 book
into seven episodes creates a rushed and hard to follow series which falls more gimmickyeven with the incredible cast. Robert Downey Jr’s multiple characters feel like they are missing something but you do have to give credit to the incredible costuming and makeup.
The Walking Dead, season 7
In my opinion, it’s impossible to talk about letdowns in series without discussing the
controversial season of The Walking Dead. Season 7 gets rid of the charm of early seasons
by replacing the morally gray situations and replacing it with over-the-top violence and
shock-value deaths. Moreover, the pacing itself is slow and tedious and forces characters to
make, frankly, dumb decisions.
The Idol
Sam Levison, of euphoria fame, described the show as the “sleaziest love story in
Hollywood” which can only make you think: was it intentionally grotesque? The Idol is a
show with potential but is squashed by scenes where you don’t know whether to laugh or
vomit. The acting is subpar at best and embarrassing at worst with the general consensus
being the show is just torture porn. Nethertheless, it did provide some interesting discourse
on what should be allowed on TV.
Game of Thrones, season 8
With a decade-long build up the finale to the iconic show left fans feeling disappointed and
empty due to its defamation of its characters and its rushed pacing. Part of the charm of the
early seasons of Game of Thrones was its slow burn-progression, the final season butchers
this and rushes its character from point A to B. This cramming of too much plot in too little
time leads to character inconsistencies and illogical choices.