10 Recent TV Shows That Failed Hard (But Should Have Been Great)

The distinct director Tarsem bets big when attached to a project. Although his broad strokes approach can miss the mark, when it's coupled with a strong script, his exclusive stylings can make for stellar work.

So, the prospect of him directing every episode of a reimagined Wizard Of Oz by way of Game Of Thrones was an exciting prospect. Here, matched with Josh Friedman - the former show-runner of the criminally underrated Sarah Connor Chronicles - we had the potential for a scorching network TV event.

Weirdly enough though, despite Tarsem’s ‘go hard or go home’ approach to filmmaking, the show managed to be dreadfully uninteresting.

Sure, there were plenty of thoughtful compositions and off-the-wall costuming to fit his aesthetic, but the main mandate felt like 'Edgy Fantasy 101' and lacked a pulse. Even the ever charismatic Vincent D’onofrio - deliciously cast as a grounded version of The Wizard - lumbers through proceedings with zero excitement.

It didn’t help that the trend of gritty fairytale reimaginings had run their course, and this show brought nothing new to the table to reverse those connotations. Its attempt at being dark were predictable, its fantasy adventure tropes were obvious, but most importantly, its connections to the source material felt completely superfluous and downright silly.