TV Shows Critics Hated But Audiences Loved

Ever notice how the worse the reviews are for a show, the more people tune in? You're not alone. Almost since the invention of television, critically reviled shows have been irresistible to television audiences. Here are a select few shows that prove this rule.

Two and a Half Men was never a critical darling during its 12-season run. At best, critics conceded it was occasionally funny, but most of the time, reviews had a decidedly negative slant. Graeme Blundell of The Australian, for instance, called it "one of those shows that are just on while you do something else, like cutting your toenails." Still, buoyed by things like guest appearances from Megan Fox, Jodi Lyn O'Keefe, and whichever attractive actress they could shanghai into an episode or two, the show regularly drew 10 million fans.

Though Out of This World just missed the 100-episode mark traditionally required for syndication sales (it only ran for 96 episodes), the cast can rest easy knowing they ticked off a lot of critics before cancellation. Few reviews offered praise for the show, which starred Maureen Flannigan as a girl who discovers on her 13th birthday that her father is an alien and she has special powers. Not even the involvement of seasoned pros Donna Pescow (as her mom) and Burt Reynolds (as the voice of her dad, who periodically chimed in via an alien communication device) could stem the tide of scorn. Critics have continued to express their disdain for the show over the years, with Splitsider's Brian Boone calling it "the worst sitcom ever." Despite the bad reviews, the average viewer liked it enough to keep it on for four seasons—and it offered steady employment for Scott Baio, who directed 11 episodes.

If you've never heard of Shasta McNasty, later just called Shasta, don't worry. You're not alone. But despite its short time on television, this Jake Busey-led show was both the people's darling and the critics' bane. In 2000, it received a People's Choice Awards nomination for Favorite Television New Comedy Series. At the same time, critics called it things like a "mega-shallow celebration of hyperstimulated libidos." But it wasn't poor reviews that got the show canned. An early effort from the fledgling UPN Network, it actually fell victim to the dreaded moving-timeslot curse, which has taken out countless shows over the years (including cult classics such as Firefly).

One of many Tyler Perry projects with Perry's name ahead of the title, Tyler Perry's House of Payne was deemed quite painful to watch by more than a few critics. From the get-go, the show endured harsh criticism for its "grating laugh track" and bleak premise (after his drug-addicted wife burns down their house, a fireman and his kids move in with his parents), in addition to its aimless narrative and "languorous pacing." TV viewers disagreed, granting House of Payne the largest audience for a basic-cable sitcom at one point and prompting a pair of spinoffs along the way.

Of all the shows on this list, perhaps none proved a lightning rod for critical negativity as consistently as Here Comes Honey Boo Boo. The reality hit about a child beauty pageant contestant and her family prompted allegations of bad parenting and neglect, reinforced by the fact that a number of the adults featured on the show had criminal records. It's no surprise that critics took any available opportunity to voice their disdain for the show, which the A.V. Club's Ryan McGee called a "horror story posing as a reality television program." Regardless of the reasons for these adverse reactions, viewers loved Here Comes Honey Boo Boo—even if it was for the same reason people slow down to look at car wrecks.