Nobody sets out to make a bad episode of a television show, but it happens. All of a sudden, a new, misjudged installment will air - one which forces you to come to terms with the idea that a show you love isn't quite perfect after all, or wasn't as consistently-realised as you thought. It doesn't necessarily mean the show is ruined; just that, for an hour, it screwed up. 2015 was a great year for television, of course, but it has also marked a time at which certain television shows hit their lowest points ever, airing their worst episodes to date. Episodes that didn't have you quite so desperate to come back for the next installment the following week, or finally convinced you to close the laptop, stop the binging and go to bed. Here, then, are 10 television shows - all of which are at least already into at least their second season - which aired what were clearly their most lackluster offerings to date across the span 2015. Be it because they were unusually boring, awkwardly jumped the shark, or took the show in a direction that nobody was a) expecting or b) really wanted...
Honourable Mention: The Abominable Bride - Sherlock
Original Air Date: January 1, 2016 Sherlock, the BBC's rather inspired modern take on Arthur Conan Doyle's iconic character, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, no less, hardly put a foot wrong in its first three seasons. The show thrived on great acting, clever twists and strong writing. And then along came this "Christmas Special" on New Year's Day 2016, a release date which relegates it from inclusion on the main list, sadly (given its close proximity to 2015, though, an honourable mention seems fitting). Set in the Victorian era, The Abominable Bride should have been non-canon - a true "one off" with zero ties to the actual series. Unfortunately that wasn't to be, as writers Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss delivered a bewildering 90 minute mess that tried so hard to be clever it ended up feeling like a load of old tosh. Turns out the whole thing was just a dream (or something), as The Abominable Bride - which started off promising - failed to gel with the show's modern continuity.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
