8 TV Shows People Love to Hate
Cable TV is filled to the brim with shows everyone seems to hate, yet they remain inexplicably on [...]
Bachelor in Paradise
Bachelor in Paradise takes all the twisted social warfare of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, and ups the ante. The show adds cast members and removes some stakes, as a final proposal is not imminent. However, the Tropical location ensures at least some drunken beachside drama.
prevnextThe Walking Dead
Some time in the last two years or so, The Walking Dead crossed a threshold for many viewers. It could have been any one of countless, grisly deaths featuring a beloved hero. Suddenly, even dedicated fans found themselves wondering: what is this headed towards? The post-apocalyptic nightmare showed no signs of an upturn, and the surviving characters had all been scarred far beyond comprehension countless times already. Still, many of the hangers on continue to watch, grumbling all the while.
prevnextDance Moms
Dance Moms is one of those shows that an unitiated viewer looks at and wonders why anyone would watch it. Then, by the end of that episode they are a true convert. The show draws and holds attention like a powerful magnet, completely rearranging the standards for childhood competitions. The fact of the matter is, shows that don't get ratings don't get made, and Dance Moms is coming back -- along with Abby Lee Miller -- this year.
prevnextBig Bang Theory
Big Bang Theory is constantly panned on social media as the archetypal mainstream sitcom. The show is considered predictable and formulaic, especially after 11 long seasons. Somehow, the people who mock the show tend to have an in-depth knowledge of all its characters, relationships and storylines. Meanwhile, CBS successfully funds the show, its constant celebrity guests, and its cast members' massive salaries.
prevnextThe Newsroom
Aaron Sorkin made a political classic with The West Wing on NBC. Years later, with The Newsroom on HBO, he made another TV show. The Newsroom was filled with long monologues that many viewers found preachy and overwrought, not to mention unrealistic. Few people get to speak as long uninterrupted as Sorkin's characters do. However, the show made it through three seasons, all with huge viewerships.
prevnextHoarders
In many ways, Hoarders is not so different than shows like Intervention. In one particular way, however, it is: there are piles and piles of junk. The show has achieved a unique longevity among reality shows since it has all of its subjects' neuroses physically manifested in their stuff. Beyond that, many people watch the show with a guilty fixation, wondering if their own messy rooms are a slippery slope to real mental illness.
prevnextLost
Lost took over the pop culture conversation for years, though many viewers were not satisfied with its controversial ending. Still, once the show reached online streaming platforms, many people began binge-watching Lost, either as a re-watch or for the first time. To this day, it is hotly debated among TV classics, with many trying to convince their friends to watch the show knowing that they won't like the end.
prevnextHouse Hunters
HGTV programming follows a simple template, and many of the shows look the same. Yet none of them seem to inspire as much vitriol as House Hunters, the show that sets unrealistic stakes for its prospective homeowners. The segments have developed into something of a meme, mocking how the show's contestants always seem to have enormous budgets for their dream houses and obscure, niche jobs that do not sound lucrative.
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