The world of TV is in a very weird place right now as studios try to figure out what a ratings hit actually is in the age of streaming, ensuring the line between success and failure is more blurred than ever.
But the mere act of getting a show made and released is itself a minor miracle, no matter the end result, requiring hundreds of artisans and crafts-folk to pool their knowledge and re
Yet for all the hard work that goes into even the worst of TV shows, often the writing is on the wall long before a series makes it to our eyeballs.
And that sure seems to be the case with these 20 TV series, each of which have thrown up some major red flags often before even a single frame has been filmed.
Perhaps those in charge whiffed the casting right out of the gate, maybe there’s been too long between seasons, or simply it’s just a show nobody actually wants to see.
Whatever the reason, these 20 TV shows are, barring a miracle, almost certainly doomed to fail – but here’s hoping otherwise…
20. God of War
A TV show based on Sony’s legendary God of War video game franchise makes all the sense in the world, but even with Battlestar Galactica’s Ronald D. Moore serving as showrunner, this production seems positively cursed.
In January 2026, Ryan Hurst was confirmed to be playing Kratos in the series, but roughly five months into filming, Hurst suffered a torn bicep, and with his anticipated recovery time going far beyond Amazon’s allotted shooting schedule, the decision was made to recast.
Dave Bautista was soon confirmed to be replacing Hurst as Kratos, requiring all four previously shot episodes to be re-filmed to account for the ageing of Atreus actor Callum Vinson.
Though Bautista is a theoretically fine casting choice, there were some understandable concerns, both between him being nearing 60 years of age and having slimmed down considerably in recent years.
Some fans are also unsure about the casting of Atreus, with some feeling that Vinson simply looks too young to convincingly play the character.
Furthermore, it was recently announced that Atreus will be recast for the second season to account for the time jump between the last two God of War games, only compounding the perception that they cast the part too young.
Hit shows have weathered worse than this, but it’s definitely not an encouraging set of circumstances moving forward.
Contributor
Jack PooleyContributor
Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus’ wishes).
General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.
