Project Runway
This year, my favorite reality show was effectively killed by the Real World producers. I know, I SAID I wasn't gonna watch any more after last year's Gretchen debacle, but I thought it might get better. It did not. It got worse. SO MUCH WORSE. Anya and Josh were waved through, winning challenges they never should have won, including the entire competition. There's no point in watching a talent show if they disregard all the people with talent. I'll be watching the All-Stars show because it's full of designers that I LOVE (and some that I hate - we'll all know the apocalypse has arrived if Kenley wins PR A-S), but after that I'm out for good.
No Mad Men
There were no new episodes of Mad Men in 2011. This is a tragedy, but we are putting it behind us, because Season 5 starts in March! Hurrah! Dust off your highball glasses and your cigarette holders, kids, it's time to celebrate! Sally, go make me a Tom Collins.
New Girl
This show is terrible. Manic Pixie Dream Girl meets traditional sitcom gender-role hooey. A lot of people hate it, but other people inexplicably love it! *sigh* Such is the world. If only Zooey Deschenel would stop singing forever, it would be a much happier place. Even just looking at Google Image results for "new girl zooey deschenel terrible" makes me a little nauseous.
Tracy Morgan (& 30 Rock)
Not only did Tracy Morgan out himself as a total nightmare homophobe, thus ruining all of the past, great seasons of 30 Rock, but 30 Rock itself became a complete mess, losing their edge and their laughs and making almost all their jokes about how Liz is ugly and fat ("jokes"). Somebody else will have to tell me if the new, Community-destroying season is any good, because I refuse to watch Tracy Morgan and his apologizers and enablers. I don't care what has come since, anybody who thinks or ever thought that violently murdering your gay son could be a joke is not an okay person and should be taken off of the television. You can think differently, but you're wrong. I honestly can't look at Tina Fey the same way anymore.
Fat Mac (& It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia)
Look, I don't watch this show (beyond the few episodes I've seen that made it clear that this is not the show for me), but the fact that the dude who plays Mac decided that it would be funny to gain 50 pounds and play the character as a fat person isn't just offensive to fat people, it's offensive to comedy. That. Is. Lazy. And if your show is already gross and offensive, it also has to be smart (see: Arrested Development). Lazy comedy just pisses me off (see: Family Guy).
Whitney Cummings
Go away forever, please. And tell Chelsea Handler to put some eyeliner on while you're at it.
NBC
Booooooooooooooooooooooo. Until you bring back Community, we're not friends anymore.
Glee
Pretty much all of Glee in 2011 has been terrible. Oh, it has its bright, funny spots here and there, and I still want to be the cream in a Corey Monteith/Harry Shum, Jr. sandwich (sorry, gross), but mostly it has been terrible. And that last Xmas episode was ESPECIALLY, breaking-new-ground-in-terribleness terrible. And speaking of things that are offensive, Glee's repeatedly-botched handling of sexuality (particularly the nuances of bisexuality/queerdom) being lauded in the press is just painful. There are episodes that I still just can't talk about without getting enraged, but the lack of character continuity made it possible for me to stay with it until now. But the combination of Santana's unrealistic, misleading, and contrived plotline and that #1 Most Terrible Xmas episode has made it possible for me to finally quit Glee. I don't care anymore, and the music, instead of hooking me in, has only made things worse.
So congratulations to Glee and Tracy Morgan, for tying for first place as The Worst Television Thingies of 2011. Your prize is my scorn and your own impending cultural irrelevancy. Happy New Year!
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