There are a few promising shows coming to TV this fall. Unfortunately, there are plenty of not-so-promising ones, too. Some are average, some dip below mediocre, and some are so appallingly bad, you have to wonder how they made it to air. Watch the trailers if you must (actually, some of them are so bad they are funny), but save your time and precious DVR space for shows that are actually entertaining.
In descending order from bad to truly horrific, read on for my top six TV picks to avoid at all costs.
6. Beauty and the Beast
The CW has served up yet another show about a girl falling in love with some mythical creature—and yes, melodrama, crying, and lots of whispered love confessions ensue. This is a remake of the 1980s CBS drama series by the same name (which was inspired by its namesake fairy tale), but fans of the original should skip tuning in. The trailer bears little resemblance to the original cult classic.
5. The Family Tools
It’s hard to successfully pull off a show about someone returning back home as a failure. And this attempt, in which a guy comes home to take over his family’s handyman business, definitely doesn’t do it. There’s not a single laugh in the trailer, and the puns take it from terrible to truly cringe-worthy. “To get the family back in business, he’d better nail it!”—really?
4. The Neighbors
A family moves into a suburb of aliens. And they’re—scary? Because they look like friendly sidekicks from a Pixar movie? Oh, wait, they’re nonviolent aliens. And, oh, the men get pregnant, and they cry out of their ears! So many questions, and yet no one really answers the question that would have ended the show after 30 seconds: Why doesn’t this family just move?
3. Made in Jersey
Because it’s about time someone shed light on the never-before-seen fish-out-of-water experience that is a New Jerseyan working in New York City.
2. How to Live With Your Parents (for the Rest of Your Life)
It’s unclear what the comedy folks at ABC were thinking when they picked this one up—the setup is trite and borderline nonsensical (Sarah Chalke’s parents suddenly don’t know how to act around children?). But what really sucks is remembering how funny Sarah Chalke was on Scrubs. Unfortunately, even her impeccable comedic timing can’t save this blazingly unfunny mess.
1. Malibu Country
Are you a fan of Reba McEntire? Hopefully, the answer is no, and you won’t be tempted by this in the slightest. And if you are, you can probably disregard my opinion. But, if you’re indifferent, take note. Trailers like this make me sad because, come November 2, some poor soul is going to be subjected to 22 minutes of this atrocity about Reba moving to Malibu to start over after her husband’s affair. But thanks to this article, it hopefully won’t be you.