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Netflix has a pretty big 2024 despite the fact it faced a bunch of production delays throughout 2023. That said, when you release over 600 Netflix Original movies and series in a year (that is the number they dropped!), there’s bound to be a few turds. Below, Kasey and I have picked three series that left us with a foul taste throughout the year.
Jacob’s Picks of the Worst Netflix Shows of 2024
The Umbrella Academy (Season 4)
Picture: The Umbrella Academy – Netflix
After following The Umbrella Academy for several years, I was excited and anxious to see how the final season would end. What started as excitement to see my favorite dysfunctional superpowered family in action once more swiftly turned to disappointment. To better understand my disappointment and confusion by the final season’s quality (or lack thereof), I went back and watched the first season of TUA.
This rewatch made it abundantly clear that the dip in quality between the first season and its last was immense. It was like watching two entirely different television shows, and somewhere along the way, after two fantastic seasons and an average third season (which suffered greatly due to COVID restrictions), the fourth season seemingly forgot why we fell in love with the Hargreeves family in the first place. All of the actors involved did the utmost best with the material they were given, and they were still fun to watch for the most part; however, the story seemingly was determined to assassinate every last character it could and provide us with one of the least satisfying endings in the history of Netflix.
That 90s Show
Picture: That 90s Show – Netflix
In an era of sequels, prequels, reboots, soft reboots, and more, there isn’t much That 90s Show brings to the table to set itself apart from That 70s Show. Thanks to the current era of television, where nostalgia and “member berries” run rampant through writer’s rooms, I can’t help but shake the feeling that the series is just several years too late to the party.
The return of Debra Jo Rupp as Kitty Forman and Kurtwood Smith as Red Forman is the glue that holds the show together as they continue to be the funniest characters in the series. But that creates its own problems when I would rather see more of what Kitty and Red are up to over the teenagers in the series. No doubt it’s a tough act to follow when you look back on the cast of That 70s Show (That 80s Show also learned that the hard way), but the charm and charisma that fans fell in love with are seriously lacking in the new series. That’s not to say those involved are bad actors, but the quality of the writing and jokes is incredibly sub-par, and as a sequel to a beloved show, That 90s Show will always be held up against what came before.
Mr. McMahon
Picture: Mr. McMahon – Netflix
The internet has been integral in not only peeking behind the curtain of professional wrestling but blowing it wide open. Thanks in part to the internet, the art of Kayfabe died a long time ago.
In the modern era, wrestling fans are more attentive to what’s happening behind the scenes of wrestling promotions, and thanks to the WWE being the biggest wrestling promotion in the world, its history is already well documented across YouTube videos, articles, interviews, books, biographies, and more. Even the most casual wrestling fans will have heard of some of the most historically controversial moments in the WWE. However, I will concede that for casual wrestling fans and those new to professional wrestling, Mr. McMahon is a good watch for learning the history of one of the sport’s most controversial figures.
The documentary fails to press the issue further on the abhorrent actions and crimes Mr. McMahon has recently been accused of. The first five and a half episodes act more like a history lesson on Vince McMahon over an indictment of his behavior. It isn’t until 37 minutes into the final episode that the documentary finally covers the crimes Vince McMahon has been accused of, which led him to part ways with the WWE as its CEO and eventually TKO Holdings.
Ultimately, the documentary feels like an attempt to educate Netflix subscribers who are new to wrestling on one of the most important figures in WWE and wrestling history and why he is no longer with the company as the WWE transitions to Netflix in 2025. Overall, for most wrestling fans, it failed to add anything truly new or meaningful to the already wildly reported life of Vince McMahon.
Kasey’s Picks of the Worst Netflix Shows of 2024
Buying London
Ever since I caught a glimpse of Buying London at Next on Netflix early in the year, I knew I was going to hate this show. While I see the appeal of Selling Sunset, it’s by no means my cup of tea. That said, it’s popular, and the personalities, while a bit left of field, are at least relatable, and there’s a playful banter. A more gritty British version of the reality format makes sense on paper, but you’d be wrong. Dead wrong.
The biggest problem with the show is that everyone in this show is a giant knobhead. Not one has any redeeming qualities, and although some of the houses are nice, the fact that you’ve probably thrown any object you can get your hands at the TV will make it impossible to do so. It’s the equivalent of browsing RightMove with heavy metal blaring at you and someone peeing on you simultaneously.
The show is so bad that, for the first time I’ve ever seen it, The Guardian gave it a 0 out of 5 rating. Heck, I didn’t know their ratings went that low. Although there was some development on a second season, Deadline confirmed over the summer that it’s one and done for this horrible, obnoxious, and vile reality series. Rest in piss.
Good Times: Black Again
It’s been a rough year for adult animation on Netflix. While they’ve had some pretty good titles (Twilight of the Gods being a standout for me), the rest have either failed to really land an audience or pick up flack from either end of the political divide. Attracting the awe of mostly the left was Good Times, an animated reboot of the show of the same names that aired during the 1970s. It was a poignant and important show during that era for several reasons. Given that we’re fifty years from that original show, would a reboot do it justice? Nope.
Although Norman Lear is listed as an executive producer, most agreed that this show failed to capture anything that made the original sitcom special or accessible in exchange for cheap gags and pretty horrendous stereotypes. It missed the mark entirely and failed to make any impact beyond outrage on social media.
La Palma
Picture: Netflix
My last pick definitely has a recency bias with me regarding La Palma, a Norwegian show about a family who goes to a remote island for vacation only to find themselves going up against an exploding volcano. Perhaps I’ll be in the minority here, given that this series has broken view already viewership records. That fact shouldn’t come as a huge surprise, given that international disaster titles always translate well worldwide regardless of quality.
Let’s start with the positives. The visual effects were undeniably stunning and some of the best I’ve seen in an international Netflix production. That’s good, you see because I was rooting for the natural disaster by the end of the short four-episode series.
Perhaps I didn’t like it because the dialogue was so cheesy that every line felt like it belonged on a discount Valentine’s Day card, the fact that most characters had ridiculous levels of plot armor, which they needed because, holy crap, some of the decisions made dumb. And while I loved the visuals, the show certainly featured some upside-down physics that seemed like ChatGPT Sora generated them. All of these factors combined into a frustrating watch made it play more like a spoof than a serious series that the creators had set out to achieve, and that I wanted.
Those are our picks – now, what are yours? Let us know in the comments, and stay tuned for our worst movie picks shortly.
