10 Great TV Shows That Are Ugly On Purpose
Not every show needs to look like Euphoria or Westworld!
You could argue that TV has always been a medium that has walked hand in hand with ugliness. The world of the small screen was once considered a lesser medium, with low budgets leading to ugly VFX and a blasé attitude towards cinematography. Thankfully, times have changed.
The days of TV being cheap and unpleasant visual experiences are long gone. Nowadays, the average well-budgeted series can look like a spectacular treat, with impactful editing, profound use of colour and stunning cinematography.
But, of course, just because you can make television look amazing doesn't mean you have to. Sometimes, you've got to delve right back into ugliness to serve your story best.
Watching an ugly TV show can feel like a chore at times. Either you'll be cringing at the aesthetic or failing to escape into fantasy and feeling stuck in the real world. But that's where shows like the following ten have thrived as they throw unpleasantries your way to make you laugh, feel and become immersed.
By confronting you with something that doesn't look shiny, glossy and cinematic, you can explore a whole different kind of entertainment.
10. The Mighty Boosh
If you're not familiar with the bizarre world of The Mighty Boosh, then you're in for the kind of ride that can only be described as trippy.
Mighty Boosh is a show created by the comedians Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt. It's a wacky series full of silly scenarios and surrealism that often borders on the nonsensical. Plus, it's full of vulgarity, cheapness, goofy costumes and, worst of all, jazz. All of this melts together in a melting pot to create a mind-boggling aesthetic that is one of the show's key selling points.
The series thrives on its ugly roots. Since the first episode, it has been full of practical effects with creatures, monsters and all sorts of odd props. There's a crack fox, a man made of cheese, mutant zoo animals and a fish person, and that's only scratching the surface.
They're all made with a deliberately cheap quality, looking like they were patched together with random pieces of household items found the day before shooting. But that "homemade" feeling and the general grossness of the creations is an integral part of the show's appeal.