TV's Dumbest Moves Of 2015
Saturday Night Live - Season 41
TRUMP UN-DUMPED
After ending its business relationship with him in June due to his offensive comments regarding Mexican immigrants, NBC allows White House hopeful Donald Trump to host Saturday Night Live — resulting in the most creatively bankrupt (albeit high-rated) episode in recent memory.
frankenstein-code-second-chance
THE MONSTER MUSH
Fox dumbs down the title of its back-to-life supernatural drama from The Frankenstein Code (fka Frankenstein) to the arcane Lookinglass... and then waters it down again to the bafflingly generic Second Chance (which could've easily been the name of a short-lived Nancy Travis sitcom from the mid-'90s).
19-kids-counting-scandal
TLC takes almost two months to cancel 19 Kids & Counting after the Josh Duggar molestation scandal comes to light. (Surely, network brass knew the right move in their guts after two seconds.)
kalinda-alicia-good-wife-scandal
The Good Wife compromises a promised reunion between frenemies/fan-fave characters Alicia and Kalinda by using body doubles and CGI — capping a confounding, almost three-season streak in which series star Julianna Margulies and the exiting Archie Panjabi did not share the screen together.
SYTYCD-stage-street
So You Think You Can Dance switches to a ho-hum "Stage vs. Street" format — and hires the woeful Jason Derulo as judge.
freeform-abc-family
After reviewing a reported 3,000 possible monikers, ABC Family decides to rename itself Freeform — yes, Freeform (effective Jan. 12) — leaving us to wonder just how dismal the other 2,999 options might've been.
hindsight-cancelled
In March, VH1 renews its delightful '90s-set Hindsight for Season 2, and then five months gives fans the worst "Just kidding!" ever by changing its mind — leaving the series to end on quite a cliffhanger, with protagonist Becca entering the mysterious time-traveling elevator after once again destroying her friendship with BFF Lolly.
Aquarius NBC
Touting the solid sampling of episodes that had been pre-released online, NBC renews Aquarius after a handful of modestly rated, tepidly reviewed primetime outings. The '60s-set crime drama then is shuttled to Saturdays, where it barely musters a million viewers and a 0.2 (!) demo rating.
fear-walking-dead-worst-title
AMC saddles its hotly anticipated Walking Dead spinoff with the unspeakably lukewarm title Fear the Walking Dead. (Reports that the runner-up was Freeform the Walking Dead have yet to be confirmed.)
Cops on the Rocks
THE LAST LAUGH
CBS thus far has declined to formally announce the cancellation of Mike & Molly — let alone give the long-running Melissa McCarthy/Billy Gardell series a well-promoted farewell tour, leaving the cast to disseminate the bad news via social media.
crazy-ex-girlfriend
The CW picks up Crazy Ex-Girlfriend from Showtime, where the quirky musical-comedy had originally been developed — and unnecessarily doubled its half-hour running time in the process.
Parks and Recreation - Season 7
Employing a scheduling strategy typically saved for potential embarrassments, NBC burns through Parks and Recreation's lovely farewell season with back-to-back Tuesday airings over the course of just two months.