Seasons: 1
Starring: Lily Rabe, Amy Brenneman, Hamish Linklater
Description: Originally written as a show for TNT, this show purports to be a complex thriller revolving around three mysterious characters that have intersecting motives. Emma is a woman who is in love with a dangerous killer, John is a former serial predator looking for redemption, and Mary is a grieving mother obsessed with finding her missing daughter.
Why it’s a stinker: With rug-pulls, timeline-shifting plot points, and oodles of melodrama, the show is just too in the weeds for its own good. The secrets that are promised in the title are barely worth the time the show gives them, and it’s clear this series languished on the shelf for too long before Amazon Prime picked it up.
I Know What You Did Last Summer (Worst)
Seasons: 1
Starring: Madison Iseman, Bill Heck, Brianne Tju
Description: An adaptation of the famous slasher series from the late nineties, this series has basically the exact same plot as the original movie, with a group of teen friends being stalked by a killer a year after they witness a fatal accident. Is that a spoiler? We’re not sure anymore.
Why it’s a stinker: Critics called the show, a whole eight episodes, a tough slog. Even the original movie isn’t an amazing film, and it drags. Stretching that plot out to eight forty-five-minute episodes makes this one a snoozer you can easily miss. In addition, the dialogue seemed out of touch. Pairing up the teens of today with slashers just doesn’t seem to mesh that well.
Solos (Worst)
Seasons: 1
Starring: Uzo Aduba, Nicole Beharie, Morgan Freeman
Description: A seven-part anthology series that explores what it means to be human through a fantasy and science-fiction lens, “Solos” has some big names like Anne Hathaway, Anthony Mackie, Helen Mirren, and more. Each one has its own little story; there’s plenty of slick production and some fun high-concept science-fiction ideas.
Why it’s a stinker: Just like with so many pieces of art, the writing is terrible. The actors and actresses have to do their best with overwritten globs of text, mostly thanks to writer David Weill. Every confession has to be full of tears; there are far too many current-year pop-culture gags and despite the show’s best attempt at “Black Mirror” episodes, none of them are able to get elevated above even middling.
Jungle (Worst)
Seasons: 1
Starring: Junior Okoli, Chas Appeti, Kurban Kassam
Description: A combination of UK rap culture and crime drama brings a show like never before. In near-future London, a pair of young men try to improve their lives but end up constantly facing the consequences of their actions. It’s a musical that has tons of rap, and characters are constantly speaking in rhymes.
Why it’s a stinker: First off, it has the same title as the Daniel Radcliffe movie from 2017, so just finding it is a hassle. Second, it’s obvious immediately that some members of the cast are a lot better at rapping than others. These actors have a hard time carrying their weight, eliciting groans every time they take the stage. There’s plenty of style in the show, just not enough substance.
Mammals (Worst)
Seasons: 1
Starring: James Corden, Melia Kreiling, Sally Hawkins
Description: The complexities of modern marriage and fidelity are explored in this dark comedy from an award-winning writer and starring James Corden. The show is about what happens when you’ve found “The One.” Have you really found the one? Aren’t we all just mammals when we get right down to it?
Why it’s a stinker: One of the biggest immediate problems with the show is that it stars James Corden, who we are assured is not actually a real person, just an experiment that has Hollywood trying to make a star and failing miserably. The show also drags quite a bit of the time, and the tone is hard to discern, no matter what is going on. Plus, remember, James Corden. Not a great start.