There are countless TV shows with a Rotten Tomatoes score of under 30%. Guess what? Some of them aren’t nearly as bad as you might expect.
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What Makes a “Rotten” Tomato?
When a new TV show or film comes out, it isn’t long before the website Rotten Tomatoes gets to work and assigns it a rating. Called the Tomatometer, this score is based on a consensus of professional critics’ reviews and represents the percentage of reviewers who liked the content. If something receives a score of 60% or higher, it’s considered “Fresh” and is awarded a bright, red whole tomato as an icon. A rating of 75% is considered “Certified Fresh,” the highest score available. These titles are represented by a special variation of the red tomato, featuring a seal or badge wrapped around it.
If a series or movie gets a score of under 60% on the Tomatometer, it’s considered “rotten” and is represented by a green splat icon. For this exercise, I didn’t just look for content that was “rotten.” I went even lower and only watched TV shows with a rating of 30% or lower. I selected five completed series, and all but one of these shows I hadn’t watched until now. Admittedly, I didn’t watch all the episodes of each show that’s available. However, I watched three of each to get a better sense of what was good and bad about the show.
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Inhumans (2017-2018)
Stream Inhumans on Disney+
Not everything that Marvel Comics releases is a success. Inhumans is one of those projects that didn’t live up to expectations. Comprised of just eight shows over a single season, the series was decidedly overly dramatic in a non-Marvel way. It followed the Inhuman Royal Family, who lived in a secret city called Attilan and were formed to flee to Earth.
The first negative I recognized about Inhumans was its poor production values. I’m not sure how much ABC budgeted for CGI, but whatever it was, it wasn’t enough. The script was also severely lacking, as dialogue was often dull and the weekly stories sadly confusing.
I managed to watch four episodes of this drama, which ran for 60 minutes, including commercials. I couldn’t watch anymore because I didn’t like most of the characters and the stories being told. But, it was the cheapness of the sets and CGI that I couldn’t look past the most. If the producers had spent a little more on effects, I probably would have at least made it through all eight episodes. Throw in at least two characters that were fun to watch, and I might have wanted a second season. As it stands, suffering through Inhumans has made me appreciate all the good content Marvel Comics has released over the years even more.
4
Truth Be Told (2019-2023)
Stream Truth Be Told on Apple TV+
Inevitably, TV shows with poor Tomatometer scores are more likely to get a cancellation notice after just one season. That wasn’t the case for Truth Be Told, one of the first original TV series to air on Apple TV+. It aired for three seasons, but only the first has a Tomatometer rating, which is just under 28%. Despite this, the Rotten Tomatoes Popcornmeter score, which is the site’s audience score system, is much more forgiving, giving the series an average rating of 70% by this metric.
Truth Be Told is the only series on this list that I had already seen beforehand. I had watched the first two seasons when they were released, but never started the third. Each season centers on Poppy Parnell, played by Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer, an investigative journalist who becomes a true-crime podcaster. Each season focuses on a different case that Poppy takes on through her podcast.
The episodes I watched were engaging, and I especially liked the depth Spencer brought to the character. The supporting cast, which changed season to season, was also excellent and included some big names, such as Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad), Kate Hudson, and Gabrielle Union.
I conducted some research and found that many reviewers disliked this show due to its occasionally slow pacing and often clichéd storytelling. Fair enough, but I think you can probably say that about many TV shows, including ones like Law & Order: SVU that have been telling similar stories for over two decades. This might be a case where the critics gave up on the series too soon, and their initial impression was incorrect.
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Insatiable (2018-2019)
Stream Insatiable on Netflix
The black comedy-drama television series Insatiable debuted with a somewhat controversial premise. It followed Debby Ryan as Patty Bladwell, a teenager who had lost a significant amount of weight, and then sought revenge against everyone who had bullied her when she was heavier.
I went into Insatiable not knowing what it was about. I did, however, read a few of the early reviews, and they were scathing. Most of the negative reviews criticized the show for fat-shaming and being insulting. After trying to get through three episodes, I agree with those assessments.
Insatiable does a good job of highlighting how many people treat larger individuals in the world. However, much of the dialogue about those people is presented in such a cruel way that I’m not quite sure what kind of message the producers intended to convey. I have no idea how the show ended because I couldn’t continue after three episodes. I didn’t care about the characters, which is almost certainly the reason why.
2
My Big Fat Greek Life (2003)
Stream My Big Fat Greek Life on Fubo
Way back in 2002, My Big Fat Greek Wedding premiered on the big screen to critical acclaim. That film, starring Nia Vardalos as the main character and bride, was then adapted into a short-lived CBS sitcom, My Big Fat Greek Life. As both titles suggest, the series followed the main character (and her husband, played by Steven Eckholdt) as they began their lives together following their nuptials.
I can remember loving My Big Fat Greek Wedding, which focused on Vardalos and her character’s large family as they accepted a non-Greek into their lives. It was a funny premise made even more amusing by a great cast of characters. I didn’t watch the series when it first aired, but I was looking forward to watching it for this exercise.
My Big Fat Greek Life brought back most of the characters from the film, and honestly, I found it just as charming. If there’s one thing I noticed about the series, it is that it didn’t move much beyond the premise of the original in terms of character development. Interestingly, that point was the focus of many negative reviews published at the time. I ended up watching all seven episodes of the series and probably would have stuck around for more. I somewhat believe that if CBS had given the series more time, it would have found its footing and found success.
1
Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders (2016-2017)
Purchase and stream Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders on Amazon Prime Video
Criminal Minds was a terrific CBS network show that aired for over 15 seasons. There’s now a popular revival show airing on Paramount+, Criminal Minds: Evolution. In between the two was Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders.
Airing for 26 episodes over two seasons, Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders should have worked, but it didn’t. Reviews at the time criticized the series for being highly xenophobic and bland, compared to the original. As someone who liked (not loved) Criminal Minds, I can see both points as valid for the sequel. And yet, through five episodes, I enjoyed the ride.
Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders isn’t a great show, but it’s a good one. I plan to watch the 19 episodes I haven’t seen to see where the story goes and whether there has been an improvement. Despite its faults, it’s worth your time, especially if you liked the original and want to watch some similar, albeit dated, episodes.
As you can see, some TV series panned by most critics are still worth watching, depending on your interests.
