Dumbest Things TV Did In 2018
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WESTWORLD'S ON A (RICK)ROLL
The HBO sci-fi drama's executive producers promised to give away many Season 2 secrets via video if Reddit users upvoted a post a thousand times. So fans eagerly clicked... and instead received a video of star Evan Rachel Wood singing Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" while co-star Angela Sarafyan accompanied her on piano. Analysis mode: Mocking fan enthusiasm for your show? Super lame, Westworld.
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D'OH!
On the heels of the 2017 documentary The Problem With Apu, which addressed the stereotypical portrayal of The Simpsons' Kwik-E-Mart proprietor, the long-running Fox cartoon fired back with a completely tone-deaf response. In the April 8 episode, Lisa and Marge bemoaned how the "inoffensive" Apu had suddenly become "politically incorrect" — and showrunner Al Jean later gave a half-hearted apology for the widely criticized scene, promising to "find an answer that is popular."
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DAYTIME DRAMA
We're not going to get into the confusing minutiae of why All My Children vet/Anacostia star Jennifer Bassey had a 2018 Daytime Emmy taken away from her... mainly because we barely understand it ourselves. But a similar mess happened in another category this year, and the winner got to keep his statuette. So what gives, National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences?
TRACEE ELLIS ROSS, ANTHONY ANDERSON
RIDICULOUS-ISH
At the last moment, ABC spiked a black-ish episode that dealt with the Black Lives Matter movement — despite having seen the script before production started — and created an environment that eventually saw series creator Kenya Barris flee to Netflix.
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DID YOU HAVE A BRAIN TUMOR FOR BREAKFAST?
We went from having so much hope for Paramount Network's wickedly witty reboot Heathers to doubting the reboot would even see the light of day, thanks to some massively convoluted moves on Paramount's part. Sure, the network had no idea that two mass shootings would interfere with the show's rollout. But to reset the premiere, then scrap the series entirely, then change their minds and air it over five nights but hold back two of the episodes? [Bleep] us gently with a chainsaw.
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SINCLAIR ERRS
Sinclair Broadcast Group, which owns television stations all over the country and which has been criticized for its conservative bent, had local news anchors read a scripted message attacking other news outlets for publishing "fake stories without checking facts first." Sinclair said the promos "served no political agenda." John Oliver — and a whole bunch of others — thought otherwise.
Timeless - Season 2
TRYING TIMES
NBC ceremoniously "un-cancelled" Timeless only to dump Season 2 of the family-friendly drama on Sundays at 10/9c, leading out of a mish-mash of reality-TV/game shows. Talk about being clock-blocked.
Officers Killed Verdict, Sacramento, USA - 09 Feb 2018
COMMERCIAL LOSSES
Not long after ABC aired a misleading pro-GOP ad during The Conners, NBC followed suit with a race-baiting pro-Trump spot, which drew a comparison between convicted immigrant Luis Bracamontes (pictured) and the migrant caravan coming to the border from Central America. NBC later pulled the pricey ad, which initially ran during Sunday Night Football, but the damage had already been done.
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THE VOICE'S SOUR NOTES
We'd just given up grumbling about the NBC sing-off's Season 14 addition of The Block — which, in barring a coach from recruiting a contestant, can also inadvertently prevent the vocalist from joining their preferred team — when Season 15 introduced The Comeback Stage to give a second chance to a Blind Auditioner who hadn't inspired any chair turns.
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YOUTUBE'S QUICK SHIFT
In November, YouTube announced it was pulling back on scripted content, meaning shows like Cobra Kai and Impulse will become outliers on the streaming video service instead of the start of a robust scripted slate.
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QUEEN OF AW HELL NO
Yes, they're both African-American women of a certain age with glorious voices and style for days. But there's no excuse for mistaking deceased Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin with the very much alive Patti LaBelle — as Fox News Channel did in a graphic the day Franklin died — and even less excuse for the sloppy reasoning the network eventually gave for the gaffe.
MITCHELL EDWARDS, NATHAN FILLION
THE ROOKIE'S BAD BEAT
ABC scheduled the otherwise-promising The Rookie in the network's infamous Tuesday "death slot," where leading out of a low-rated comedy and against stiff drama competition it almost immediately dropped below a 1.0 demo rating.