The Worst Television Shows of 2008

There are great shows . . . and then there are those shows that leave us wondering, "What were those station executives thinking?" From a television series based on the blockbuster Crash to a series based on Paris Hilton trying to, like, totally find a new BFF, the year 2008 saw its fair share of horrible, and I mean horrible, television programming. Here's a look at five of the worst television series.

90210

Who didn't love the original 90210, huh? I mean, it was a . . . you know, pretty good show, filled with pretty good drama. To be honest, the 90210 of the 90's was a pretty beloved series that lives on in popular culture. But not through this 2008 remake. No, the remake kind of sapped the juice out of the original, didn't live up to expectations, and just plain didn't satisfy the anticipating public. Maybe the CW shouldn't have tried to work yet another teen drama into its mix of abundant teen-drama series. I guess it just goes to show the old proverb is true: "If it ain't broke, don't remake and break it."

The Ex List

This show actually seemed to have some potential. What doesn't work about a woman who's evidently met, and dated, the one but has dated so many guys she can't figure out who he is? The show was clever, witty, funny . . . and then the producer quit. Yup, apparently the network was getting in the way of the creative juice flow, so Diane Ruggiero, the woman who got the juices flowing in the first place, stuck a plug in the bottle and ran. The series didn't make it past four episodes. Too bad, CBS . . . you could have had a winner here. Instead of, you know . . . a dud.

Kath & Kim

Yes, we took the Office from England and made it a hit here. But apparently the same magic doesn't translate to Australian comedy. The original was completely over the top, and completely hilarious. The remake was over the top, but not really in a good way. Viewers almost felt sorry for Molly Shannon, the once lauded SNL alum whose return to television plopped, fizzed, and drizzled out in this sub-par comedy. Maybe NBC should stick with drinking from the well of Great Britain; long live the Queen Country of Comedy!

Knight Rider

Okay, let's just get one thing straight: the original Knight Rider was not exactly the greatest thing since sliced bread. So to take a kind-of-cool-but-not-really show and try to revamp it for the modern age when the rest of the world has pretty much moved on from the novelty of a talking car was probably not the greatest idea ever. And while the original wasn't the best, you just don't-I repeat, don't-try to redo the classic KITT. What made the original pretty good was the cheesiness; unfortunately, NBC took all the cheese out and replaced it with . . . well, nothing better.

Hole in the Wall

I imagine the conversation behind the creation of this show went something like this: "Hey, boss, I just had this great idea for a television show!" "Let's here it, Jim." "Well, we get these contestants, right?" "Yeah, Jim." "And we put them on a game show called 'Hole in the Wall.'" "Oh, that sounds intriguing, Jim! What's it about?" "Well, there's this wall, see, with a hole in it. And the contestants have to get through the hole." "Er . . . I see, Jim . . ." "So, is that a go-ahead?" "No, Jim. No it's not." "Ah, I see . . . say, do you like tequila?" "Why, sure, Jim!" (Twenty tequilas later) "So, about that show, boss . . ." "Whatever you say, Jim! Rock on that hole in the wall!" And thus we got FOX's Hole in the Wall. We all know reality television is usually pretty bad . . . but this was just sad beyond reason.