A show based on Based on the GEICO Cavemen commercials doesn’t sound promising to most, but for some reason, ABC gave it a chance anyway. Cavemen focuses on life in San Diego, California, through the eyes of three cavemen: Nick, Andy, and Joe. The show started off on a poor foot with a racist pilot that would never be aired. But the problem was that the remaining five episodes were just as tasteless. The infamous 2007 Writer’s Strike Came and did the honors of driving the show to extinction for ABC.
The reviews for Cavemen were brutal, to say the least. The Chicago Tribune listed it as one of the 25 worst TV shows ever, and TV critic Ginia Bellafante of The New York Times wrote “I laughed. But I laughed through my pain. ‘Cavemen,’ set in some version of San Diego where people speak with Southern accents, doesn’t have moments as much as microseconds suspended from any attempt at narrative.” The short-lived series was also honored with the 22nd spot on TV Guide Network’s list of 25 Biggest TV Blunders. They agreed that basing a TV show on a commercial was a bad idea from the get-go.
2007: Painkiller Jane
Based on a comic book character of the same name, the series begins with a DEA agent who discovers that she has superhuman abilities when she is pushed through a window of a 40-story building, and instead of dying upon landing, she completely recovers and is able to walk away from the scene. Just to be sure she was imagining what happened, she a runs into the middle of a gunfight and even jabs herself with a corkscrew. While she posses supernormal regenerative powers, she still feels the pain caused by her injuries in the seconds before they heal, something like X-Men's Wolverine.
Most of its viewership gave the show a thumbs down, and according to Los Angeles Times "The show is long on concept and short on execution which would actually be OK if the writing and acting were not so simply terrible." Well, there weren't enough comic con nerds to drive up the show's ratings, actually comic fans gave it the worst reviews, so like most of the failed show on this list, Painkiller Jane was canceled after only one season.
2014: I Want To Marry Harry
In 2014, Fox Jedi-mind-tricked 12 women into thinking they were actually competing for a chance to win the heart of nonother than, Prince Harry himself. That's the only way to explain it because no one in their right mind would think that young British royalty would go on American reality television to find true love. But in the place of Prince Harry was a poor look-alike named Matthew Hicks. I mean, Meghan Markle would be offended that Fox even compared Hicks to her man. I Want To Marry Harry was like The Bachelor and Joe Millionaire, but they managed to make the women appear even more foolish.
There's hope for humanity, due to low rating Fox pulled the show from the air in the US and canceled it after airing only four episodes.
2006: South Beach
Brought to us by Jennifer Lopez's production company Nuyorican Productions, South Beach had all of the glitz and glam to become the younger and more diverse version of The O.C. And with a cast starring legends like Vanessa L. Williams and Giancarlo Esposito, what could possibly go wrong? Unfortunately, viewers didn't find much substance or anything else entertaining on South Beach, thus, the show survived for a month.
"A preposterous and pretentious drama series.", needless to say, the critics were far from kind, and the show was one of the lowest rated TV series of 2006. Better luck next time JLo.
2015: Truth Be Told
The show is said to have been loosely based on the life of its creator and executive producer D. J. Nash. It revolves around two multicultural couples, one Black, and the other White, and Asian, who are best friends and neighbors. They share their observations and perspectives about different matters, including race, education and socioeconomic gaps...but instead of really tackling those issues, they kind of just bouncing around them. The show had no edge and turned out to be a watered-down version of The Carmichael Show, which grated it generally unfavorable reviews and the opportunity to join the list of 1-season sitcoms.
A critic from Vulture said about the sitcom "Not a single scene feels authentic, even if we excuse the over-explanations we often see in comedy pilots. This show is not provocative. It is not a conversation-starter, it is not thoughtful, it is not sharp, it is not enlightening." Truth be told about Truth Be Told, it was just bad. As simple as that.