Plenty of excellent TV shows have graced the small screen over the years, and quality titles have also debuted amid the 2025 TV schedule. Of course, there are many shows that some fans may not consider all that good, even if they do have an affinity for them. To that point, a recently posted subreddit asked fans to name some of their favorite “bad” TV series. Pretty Little Liars – the polarizing teen mystery series – came up a few times along with some Ryan Murphy-produced shows, and they were far from the only shows named.
We can chalk this subreddit up to a user by the name of Frosty-Muffin6997, who classified these particular shows as programs that audiences love despite poor writing, acting, critical reception and more. If I’m being completely honest, given their reputations, I’m not too surprised that PLL and some Murphy-headed productions made their way into this roster. Also included here are a couple of other young adult drama series, a procedural or two and a superhero series that aired on Fox years ago. Take a look:
- Pretty Little Liars is every type of bad show there is. It’s good, it’s fun, it’s bad, it’s boring, and it’s unwatchable. Luckily, it’s the first two until like season 5 and a half. – Locke108
- Blindly started watching Scream Queens during Halloween and I simply couldn’t stop. It was terrible but addicting. Had a similar experience with Insatiable. Show was absolutely absurd but I loved it. – mygamethreadaccount
- Nip/Tuck. It was pretty trashy but enjoyable, at least the first few seasons. Then it got bonkers and I couldn’t watch it anymore. RIP Julian McMahon. – CarefulClassic9204
- Riverdale was such a wild ride. At first, I watched it because it was so bad. But then I had some sort of Stockholm Syndrome happen and I embraced how crazy it is. – Lucetar
- Did anyone say Gotham yet? What a very ridiculous and silly show but a lot of fun and very unserious. It really felt like the Schumacher Batman’s from the ’90s! Is it camp? I dunno… – Hari_Azole
- Not trying to be controversial, but I’ve seen every episode of every Taylor Sheridan show, and that’s what I think of first when thinking about favourite bad TV. Particularly, Yellowstone, 1923, Tulsa King, Landman are watchable, but at times so silly that I’m watching for the unintentional lols. – TabootLlam
It seems fans have some strong feelings about the shows they enjoy and, of course, each is entitled to their opinion. For years, many have criticized PLL for getting too twisty and superfluous as time went on and, like the aforementioned Riverdale, someone could argue that the show ran too long. Nevertheless, the ABC Family show does still have its share of admirers, and many still keep tabs on the Pretty Little Liars cast.
On the other hand, while Ryan Murphy has received his share of acclaim for many of his shows, many of them have also received criticism. This thread alone also features comments from fans talking about the shortcomings of Glee, Nip/Tuck and 9-1-1 (a first responder show that just sent some characters to space).
And, of course, there’s the recently released All’s Fair, which has been trashed by critics. However, Hulu subscription holders have seemingly been tuning in, given the show was just renewed for a second season. Speaking of shows that are still airing, there’s more to say on that front.
Fans Talk About Shows That Are Still On The Air
What’s interesting to see here is how the amount of comments on classic shows compares to the number of messages regarding series that are currently airing. In terms of the latter category, The Rookie, All’s Fair and Taylor Sheridan’s shows were far from the only ones to be called out. Check out a few more responses regarding shows that are still on the air:
- All’s Fair. I’m not ashamed to admit that it’s addictive, even though it’s hard to watch Kim trying hard to act – AggressiveDrinker
- Some of the dialogue in Reacher genuinely makes me cringe but on the whole I really enjoy it. It’s sort of just dumb fun, and Alan Ritchson’s performance as Reacher is great, as is his chemistry with Neagley. – ImHully
- I’ve been watching The Neighborhood. It’s a very cheesy sitcom full of classic sitcom tropes and life lessons. But there are a million seasons and it is always my comfort show when I don’t want to look for a show. – winothirtynino
- Spartacus and now House of Ashur. It is just violence and softcore porn. I love it. – availablelol
- Tracker. It’s badly acted, poorly scripted, but for some reason me and my gf enjoy watching it. A visual guilty pleasure. – Kindgott1334
- The Rookie is dumb as fuck and turned fresh recruits into a Navy SEAL team within like 2 seasons doing black ops missions in another country but damn, it was so stupid it was entertaining. – demmka
- The Hunting Wives on Netflix. It is crazy and convoluted, but I binged watched the first season. I was NOT expecting it to be what it is based on the little scene that shows when you hover over the show, but I love it. – cutietarantula
Reacher, Tracker and The Hunting Wives have avid fanbases, and I’m curious as to whether some might take offense to the critiques listed above. But, then again, those comments are coming from those who admit to enjoying the shows and are just offering their honest appraisals. On the whole, I really appreciate the candiness from these fans, as I myself can admit to enjoying some TV shows that aren’t exactly critical darlings. So let’s let fans enjoy Pretty Little Liars, Ryan Murphy shows and anything else without judgement.