8 TV Shows That Were Terrible (But We Couldn’t Stop Watching)

5. 13 Reasons Why

13 Reasons Why is one of Netflix's biggest success stories. It broke a number of social media records when it first debuted, generating huge amounts of hype alongside binge-watching sessions, and it's developed a loyal, obsessive fanbase that most shows can only dream of.

In some ways, what 13 Reasons Why attempts to do is admirable, insofar as having a dialogue about issues such as suicide and sexual assault in a show that's predominantly aimed at teenagers. And there's at least one good performance in there, from star-in-the-making Katherine Langford. But the issues far outstrip those positives.

The series falls victim to so many Netflix troubles - bloat, pacing, padding - but it's exaggerated by two things. The first is that, while it approaches worthy subjects, its handling of them leaves something to be desired (to put it mildly), whether that's formulating blame narratives, perpetuating the idea of suicide as revenge fantasy, lacking a conversation about mental health, or just generally not going deep enough into its points. This is all made worse by the second issue, which is that it really should've been a one-and-done show.

Of course, its success meant Netflix brought it back for Season 2 (and it'll return for S3 later this year), but without any story to tell, the reliance on shock value and sheer contrivance was much, much worse - but that doesn't matter when everyone's talking about it.