12 TV Shows That Don't Live Up To Great Premises

Will Arnett is one of comedy’s sure-fire producers of laughs. From Arrested Development to Hot Rod to bit parts in various sitcoms, he’s somewhat of a one-trick pony, but that one trick is pretty much always funny. Flaked, his Netflix sitcom, sounded like a winner, with Arnett playing a self-help guru who blusters his way into a web of lies and trouble.

Unfortunately, it turned out to be something of a stinker. Arnett commits a cardinal scene when creating a sitcom to star in: he makes himself way too cool. His character is brash, reckless, and cynical, and yet other characters are forever telling him how great of a bloke he is.

The show also doesn’t quite know what it wants to be, veering clumsily between loudmouthed comedy and surprisingly complex melodrama. It’s densely plotted at times, but there’s little to care about – it’s just stuff happening for the sake of it.

Arnett is his usual self, but here his overbearing persona is played less for laughs. He’s the centre of the show, the hero, and quickly proves that a little of his schtick goes a long way. He does have a great Netflix show under his belt – BoJack Horseman – but this one’s a dud.