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.
2007: Cavemen
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.
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.
2006: Emily's Reasons Why Not
Emily's Reasons Why Not was based on Carrie Gerlach's novel of the same name. The story revolves around a successful career-driven woman, Emily Sanders, who has been unsuccessfully dating in Los Angeles. So she seeks advice from a therapist who recommends that she lists 10 reasons why each of her romantic relationships had failed. As she continues perusing love, she decides that if she can list 5 reasons to break up with a guy, then she does it. Doesn't sound too outlandish, but the execution was poor, and the show was canceled by ABC, after airing just one episode on January 9, 2006. It literally only took them one episode for the network to realize that the show was a total failure.
Criticisms of the show stated that it was full of gay stereotypes and toxic homophobic behaviors, to others it was seen as a less risqué copycat of Sex and the City...one thing for sure it that it turned out to be yet another example of a series that should have remained a book.
2016: Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders
Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders, was a spinoff of CBS's hit police drama series “Criminal Minds”. It's premise followed an elite FBI team tasked with investigating crimes and rescuing Americans in danger while on international soil. The series never achieved the same high ratings of its parent program and was consequentially canceled after 2 seasons.
Among the negative criticisms the show received, it was heavily criticized for its inaccurate depictions of Singapore in the episode "Cinderella And The Dragon". It was also said that Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders promoted xenophobia. "Moving on from the prevalent misogyny of the original 'Criminal Minds,' CBS' new spinoff 'Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders' is a pure distillation of xenophobia.". The theme of the spinoff seems to be 'you win some, you lose some'.