The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Worst)
Seasons: 1
Starring: Morfydd Clar, Robert Aramayo, Sophia Nomvete, Markella Kavenagh
Description: “The Rings of Power” takes us back thousands of years into the history of Middle-Earth, long before there was ever a Hobbit to destroy the One Ring and save the world. We get to see battles between elves and monsters and how the world of “Lord of the Rings” was formed.
Why it’s a stinker: No, “The Rings of Power” isn’t a terrible show, but it clearly didn’t know how to best present its source material – of which there wasn’t a great deal in the first place. It doesn’t have the sincere movie magic of Peter Jackson’s first trilogy, and character choices have turned people away from the show.
Lore (WORST)
Seasons: 2
Starring: Aaron Mahnke, Robert Patrick, Holland Roden, Colm Feore
Description: Amazon has given us an anthology hybrid horror-docuseries that provides us with a taste of vampires, werewolves, possessed dolls, and more. Blending dramatic scenes, animation, archive, and narration, "Lore" reveals the hidden truths behind our favorite horror legends. The series combines both documentary and cinematic footage to tell horror stories and their origins.
Why it's a stinker: As a podcast, "Lore" was highly addictive. As a television show, it didn't succeed at truly distinguishing itself in any way. Pass!
Hunters (WORST)
Seasons: 2
Starring: Al Pacino, Logan Lerman, Josh Radnor, Jerrika Hinton, Kate Mulvany
Description: If you're into history, drama, and Al Pacino, this next one is for you. The series inspired by real events, "Hunters," follows a group of Nazi hunters in New York City in 1977. The diverse band of Nazi hunters learns hundreds of Nazis fled to the United States. When they learn that there's a conspiracy to create a Fourth Reich in the U.S. - they seek to aim for justice and get revenge.
Why it's a stinker: With a solid cast and an even stronger sense of justice, there's something about "Hunters" that somehow feels "off" to us. Perhaps season two will manage to do the show with a promising premise justice?
The Terminal List (Worst)
Seasons: 1
Starring: Chris Pratt, Constance Wu, Taylor Kitsch
Description: Navy SEAL Commander James Reece decides to turn to vengeance as he investigates the mysterious murder of his entire platoon. He applies everything he’s learned after spending all that time in the military’s most elite group, hunting down the people responsible.
Why it’s a stinker: Somehow, this show was able to strip Chris Pratt of his unique charisma and replace it with almost nothing. It has a certified rotten score on Rotten Tomatoes. It becomes little more than a by-the-book revenge story that also doesn’t portray the military all that well. It’s earned genuinely terrible reviews except on Amazon (and it’s hard to trust those), and this show has little more to offer than something to throw on for the big Pratt fan in the family.
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.