Which TV shows in your view would you say have aged badly or wouldn't even get past the greenlit stage?

1 hour ago, Mack. said:

Which TV shows in your view would you say have aged badly or wouldn't even get past the greenlit stage?

I’m a regular re-watcher of Bad Girls and Footballers Wives but I hate admitting they are both of their time in certain ways. I can watch again and again and they’re almost comfort shows but a lot of the language used, some characters created for certain purposes etc couldn’t be used in 2026.

Certain sketches of Little Britain yes - it's mad how much the scope of humour has changed in 20-25 years.

My other half has watched Ugly Betty recently and there's definitely some elements where the conversation has moved on since it was on.

I know people will say Friends as well - again, I think this is similar to other programmes from the time. They still hold up but there are elements that are dated.

I'm old enough to remember Little Britain discourse in the 00s and tbh I think even at the time the themes were very much not OK.

To be fair to Little Britain, it was more mocking people who genuinely held such beliefs/mindsets displayed in the show.

But a lot of it is certainly too much on the nose now for a modern audience. My favourite skits were actually the ones with Mr Mann which would still pass today OK.

Not just little Britain but basically any of the lucas and Walliams programmes, like come fly with me as well

Half of the sketches in the catherine tate show probably wouldnt be allowed today

I know its not a tv show but im very suprised we have a new Ali G film this month

Would early Shameless get away with what they did today

14 minutes ago, 777666jason said:

Not just little Britain but basically any of the lucas and Walliams programmes, like come fly with me as well

Especially the Precious segments.

In 2003, Channel 5 made a TV film starring Hugh Bonneville called "Hear the Silence", which purported to be based on real events about a doctor, who was fighting against corrupt government and medical officials who were trying to stop his important research into paediatric treatment for children being released.

A brave man standing along against a corrupt system. It's a common film trope, so what's the problem?

The "Doctor"? He was Andrew Wakefield, the doctor responsible for the discredited idea that the MMR vaccine causes autism. It was bad enough Channel 5 producing producing pro-Wakefield propaganda, but it coming out when the link was already pretty discredited was just wrong. Don't think it'll ever be repeated, understandably.

Black and White Minstrel Show for obvious reasons.

Ladette to Lady

Balls of Steel

Playing It Straight

Beauty & The Geek

I think Balls Of Steel would be mostly fine today apart from Militant Black Guy.

As much as I love it, there are some plot lines in Desperate Housewives that are a bit questionable

Two and a Half Men, I never watched it but I've seen some clips on tiktok recently which makes me think the "humour" in it was of it's time.

Even something more recent like How I Met Your Mother, particularly with Barney

35 minutes ago, Dobbo said:

I think Balls Of Steel would be mostly fine today apart from Militant Black Guy.

And the couple viewing homes to buy. 😂

18 minutes ago, Scene said:

And the couple viewing homes to buy. 😂

Ah yeah I forgot about them.

How I Met Your Mother is one of the biggest examples here. Some absolutely insane scenes that basically romanticize putting women in dangerous situations. One of the worst tv shows ever.

Most of US sitcoms until 2010s had at least one absolutely unhinged male character who obsesses over and stalks women but is portrayed as a ‘nice guy’. You can remove the laugh track and add suspenseful music and they will turn into horror.