# Worst concept for a TV special or series ever? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 1, 2011, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-concept-for-a-tv-special-or-series-ever/566011 "2011-01-01T01:44:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2011, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-concept-for-a-tv-special-or-series-ever/566011/41 "2011-01-02T14:38:21Z")
**My Two Dads** Which wasn’t about having a gay parental unit, but being raised by two men who didn’t know who the father was. So, mom was a bit loose or into threeways before she died. ---
**Author:** ![JessMagic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c0e974/32.png) [@JessMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JessMagic)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2011, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-concept-for-a-tv-special-or-series-ever/566011/42 "2011-01-02T16:22:07Z")
Monkey Tennis? [Sorry, I couldn’t resist it.] Edit - wow, it’s even got a Wiki page. Link for non-UK dopers: > **[Alan Partridge](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey_tennis)** > > Alan Gordon Partridge is a comedic character portrayed by the English actor Steve Coogan. A parody of British television personalities, Partridge is a tactless and inept broadcaster with an inflated sense of celebrity. Since his debut in 1991, he has appeared in media including radio and television series, books, podcasts and a feature film. > Partridge was created by Coogan and Armando Iannucci for the 1991 BBC Radio 4 comedy programme On the Hour, a spoof of British current affairs broadcasti... ---
**Author:** ![Shmendrik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Shmendrik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shmendrik)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2011, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-concept-for-a-tv-special-or-series-ever/566011/43 "2011-01-02T18:07:15Z")
I’m surprised no one mentioned the recently canceled Michael Jackson autopsy special. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2011, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-concept-for-a-tv-special-or-series-ever/566011/44 "2011-01-02T18:15:11Z")
Um, see post #1. ---
**Author:** ![JessMagic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c0e974/32.png) [@JessMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JessMagic)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2011, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-concept-for-a-tv-special-or-series-ever/566011/45 "2011-01-02T18:16:46Z")
> [@Shmendrik](#): > > I’m surprised no one mentioned the recently canceled Michael Jackson autopsy special. Er… post #1? ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2011, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-concept-for-a-tv-special-or-series-ever/566011/46 "2011-01-02T18:17:00Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > (dis)Honorable mention for _Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire._ That reminds me, there was another show that came on around that time that just pinged the skeeve meter like nothing else: Temptation Island Whereas other shows try dubiously, even scandalously, to unite people through their common love of money or washed-up rockers, Temptation Island’s sole point was to break up happy couples. I cannot fathom the caliber of people who would agree to be on that show. Common challenges were for individuals in the couple to spend the night with other singles, mingling and getting lapdances or laying around in a hot tub. Then the host takes video of that and shows it to the other half of the couple while he probes their feelings. How the fuck should they feel, you jackwagon?! I watched most of the first season but couldn’t stomach the second. The biggest disappointment from most people who watched it was that nobody broke up! And the tagline for the second season? “We promise this time, someone breaks up!” I don’t know how many seasons that ran, but I felt dirty for watching it. ---
**Author:** ![Shmendrik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Shmendrik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shmendrik)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2011, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-concept-for-a-tv-special-or-series-ever/566011/47 "2011-01-02T18:45:34Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Um, see post #1. More to the point, see post #19. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Shroud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/439d5e/32.png) [@The\_Shroud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Shroud)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2011, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-concept-for-a-tv-special-or-series-ever/566011/48 "2011-01-02T19:09:24Z")
Jackie Gleason’s answer would be [You’re In The Picture](http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,872060,00.html). ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2011, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-concept-for-a-tv-special-or-series-ever/566011/49 "2011-01-02T19:17:01Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > Temptation Island > > I cannot fathom the caliber of people who would agree to be on that show. > > Common challenges were for individuals in the couple to spend the night with other singles, mingling and getting lapdances or laying around in a hot tub. Then the host takes video of that and shows it to the other half of the couple while he probes their feelings. How the fuck should they feel, you jackwagon?! > > I watched most of the first season but couldn’t stomach the second. > > I don’t know how many seasons that ran, but I felt dirty for watching it. Not to judge your feelings, but if this kind of show made you feel dirty, why would you watch it at all past the initial viewing, going back again and again to watch multiple episodes? I agree that it sounds incredibly trashy (which is why I wouldn’t watch it to begin with) but I also have to think that any “contestents” who would willingly appear on this kind of drivel are much more concerned with getting their mug on TV for a few hours than about any kind of “relationship” that they were currently in. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2011, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-concept-for-a-tv-special-or-series-ever/566011/50 "2011-01-02T19:23:22Z")
Another distasteful show that was a complete bore to watch was that lie-detector show. I can’t remember the name of it. It was based on a similar South American game show that was briefly notorious for having a wife reveal through a lie-detector test that she had once hired someone to kill her husband. From what little I watched on the Fox version, the scandals uncovered were yawn inducing. One guy stole from his employer some piddling amount, and some wife still had feelings for an old boyfriend. I mean, whoop-de-doo. That and lotsa repeating trailers and long ass pauses between answers made the damn thing a real chore to watch. No wonder it was gone so fast. ---
**Author:** ![Lucky\_13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucky_13/32/13209_2.png) [@Lucky\_13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucky_13)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2011, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-concept-for-a-tv-special-or-series-ever/566011/51 "2011-01-02T19:40:57Z")
I remember there was a show called “Married by America,” which featured several single men and women, and the viewers were supposed to vote on which man and woman would make the best match. The couple that got the most votes was to be married on live TV at the end of the show. Am I remembering this right? ---
**Author:** ![JoelUpchurch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@JoelUpchurch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoelUpchurch)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2011, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-concept-for-a-tv-special-or-series-ever/566011/52 "2011-01-02T19:41:09Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > How about a comedy set in a Nazi P.O.W. camp? > > Hogan’s Heroes really did suck. Some people allegedly have fond memories of it, but I challenge the notion that they are people. If you are going to include comedies just because the characters are surrounded by death and suffering, then shouldn’t you throw in _MASH_, _Scrubs_ and _Six Feet Under_? ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2011, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-concept-for-a-tv-special-or-series-ever/566011/53 "2011-01-02T22:40:45Z")
> [@JoelUpchurch](#): > > If you are going to include comedies just because the characters are surrounded by death and suffering, then shouldn’t you throw in _MASH_, _Scrubs_ and _Six Feet Under_? Only if you make no distinction between Nazis and disease and injury. Granted, there are certain similarities … ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-concept-for-a-tv-special-or-series-ever/566011/54 "2011-01-03T00:17:43Z")
> [@JoelUpchurch](#): > > If you are going to include comedies just because the characters are surrounded by death and suffering, then shouldn’t you throw in _MASH_, _Scrubs_ and _Six Feet Under_? Actually, I agree about _Six Feet Under_, to a point. It is a pretty disturbing concept, a family of undertakers,and that is one reason I didn’t watch it when it first ran. I am only watching it through now, and it’s a fantastic show. IMHO it is in a similar category to _Hogan’s Heroes_ – bad ideas done well enough to make you overlook the underlying settings. SFU, though, is a work of genius, and I wouldn’t go nearly as far for HH. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-concept-for-a-tv-special-or-series-ever/566011/55 "2011-01-03T00:32:27Z")
“Hogan’s Heroes” was satire, pure and simple. It was a take-off on the James Bond spy type stories that were popular in that era, and for what it was, it was very well done. It wasn’t about the Holocaust, it wasn’t set in a concentration camp, and it didn’t glorify Nazis. The actors in the show were Holocaust survivors, (at least Robert Clary was. I think John Banner also.) and they didn’t have a problem with the show. They thought they were ridiculing something worth ridiculing. Plus it was damned funny. Honest to god, maybe the movie _Bonnie and Clyde_ should be reviled as trash because it had patches of humor, and made Bonnie and Clyde look sympathetic. If you like the movie _Bonnie and Clyde_ you should be fucking ashamed of yourself. Do you know how many law officers’ children were left fatherless by those outlaws? _Bonnie and Clyde_ is one of my favorite movies, by the way. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-concept-for-a-tv-special-or-series-ever/566011/56 "2011-01-03T05:40:05Z")
[Man from Atlantis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_from_Atlantis) What do I win? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-concept-for-a-tv-special-or-series-ever/566011/57 "2011-01-03T07:37:15Z")
> [@Nobody](#): > > [Man from Atlantis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_from_Atlantis) > What do I win? We’re shooting for worst concept, not worst execution. 😉 An amnesiac with super-strength – possibly the last survivor of Atlantis, but maybe not – agrees to go to work for a government agency that can sure use his special talents? C’mon, that’s not that bad. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-concept-for-a-tv-special-or-series-ever/566011/58 "2011-01-03T07:49:59Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > An amnesiac with super-strength – possibly the last survivor of Atlantis, but maybe not – agrees to go to work for a government agency that can sure use his special talents? C’mon, that’s not that bad. :dubious: Did you type that with a straight face? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-concept-for-a-tv-special-or-series-ever/566011/59 "2011-01-03T08:33:13Z")
> [@Nobody](#): > > :dubious: Did you type that with a straight face? > > 🙂 Hey, you’re trying to top My Mother The Car and Heil Honey I’m Home; I think you’re gonna need a bigger gun than _“good-looking guy takes off his shirt a lot and uses super-strength to help government investigators”_ in the bad-concept department. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-concept-for-a-tv-special-or-series-ever/566011/60 "2011-01-03T13:33:33Z")
> [@Nobody](#): > > [Man from Atlantis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_from_Atlantis) > What do I win? It had very cool theme music. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-concept-for-a-tv-special-or-series-ever/566011.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-concept-for-a-tv-special-or-series-ever/566011.md?page=4)