History Horrible / LiveActionTV

* On December 31, 2012, local UsefulNotes/LosAngeles (well, technically Orange County) independent station KDOC decided to air a '''New Year's Eve special''' hosted by Creator/JamieKennedy. That was only the tip of the iceberg for what ''The A.V. Club'' dubbed the "''Jamie Kennedy Falling Apart At The Seams New Year's Eve 2013 Spectacular''", as the world found out after Creator/PattonOswalt [[https://twitter.com/pattonoswalt/status/286705909474922496 tweeted]] about it: there were awkward glitches and dead air, the beginning of an interview with Creator/ShannonElizabeth accidentally started with a shot of Kennedy moping about onstage, hot mics picked up strange discussions peppered with F-bombs from the host and crew, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLc_hA_XT7khL554M8KT1mX9yEwIajfrnt&v=JzTCkqTwBcU racist sketches where Jamie Kennedy played a Mayan]] (while dressed like a [[BraidsBeadsAndBuckskins stereotypical Native American]], no less) who went to the Commerce Casino to try to regain his people's lost gold, while a potentially drunk Macy Gray and an uncensored(!) Music/BoneThugsNHarmony serenaded the audience celebrating the arrival of the year 1999. Even worse, they managed to ''botch up the most important part of a New Year's special'' by having Kennedy not able to find the clock for the countdown, and counted down ten seconds late. At the end of the show, Kennedy proclaimed that he would "see you in 2024!" and that the show was ending in a fight. On cue, a fight broke out onstage during the (silent) credits. [[https://tubitv.com/movies/671886/jamie-kennedy-new-year-s-eve It has to be seen to be believed.]] Watch the lowlights [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lzWmDIY9Zk here]] or read [[https://www.avclub.com/epic-boondoggle-case-file-32-jamie-kennedy-s-first-n-1798235712 Nathan Rabin's account for the AV Club here.]] Kennedy has since [[http://www.mediabistro.com/tvspy/host-of-kdocs-chaotic-new-years-special-it-was-totally-supposed-to-be-like-that_b75731 claimed]] that [[ParodyRetcon the entire thing was meant to be that bad]].

* '''''Series/TheSecretDiaryOfDesmondPfeiffer''''' (the "P" isn't silent), a short-lived (and extremely low-rated) UPN sitcom, one of the network's worst such series aimed towards African-Americans, that aired four episodes out of the nine produced overall in October 1998. It starred Creator/ChiMcBride as the titular character, a black English nobleman in the mid-19th century who is kidnapped and sent to America on a slave ship, then becomes a [[ServileSnarker valet]] to UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln, who is portrayed as a sex-obsessed buffoon. All the other inhabitants of the White House are portrayed as hopelessly dumb. This show became notorious for being the subject of protests by African-American groups against its whimsical, flippant portrayal of slavery. Because of this controversy, the original pilot episode, where Desmond becomes Lincoln's butler and attempts to return to England, was never broadcast. It was so poorly received, it was even advertised with the tagline "Critics hate it." In fact, one person even liked it to "The American version of Heil Honey, I'm Home" (see above). The show would have been forgotten if not for various references on ''WesternAnimation/ClerksTheAnimatedSeries'' - and many people nearly had a DoubleTake after finding out that, yes, [[AluminumChristmasTrees it actually was real]]. Even more, it was also referenced in Creator/SpikeLee's ''Film/{{Bamboozled}}'' as one of the shows Pierre Delacroix (Creator/DamonWayans) mentions as a [[ModernMinstrelsy "buffoonish show"]], which only granted more mockery on this crap. Creator/BradJones did a review of this series for his ''WebVideo/DVDRHell'' series, and ''WebVideo/TVTrash'' reviewed it [[http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x27tjvh_tv-trash-the-secret-diary-of-desmond-pfeiffer_tv here]].

* '''''Series/TheSecretDiaryOfDesmondPfeiffer''''' (the "P" isn't silent), a short-lived (and extremely low-rated) UPN sitcom, one of the network's worst such series aimed towards African-Americans, that aired four episodes out of the nine produced overall in October 1998. It starred Creator/ChiMcBride as the titular character, a black English nobleman in the mid-19th century who is kidnapped and sent to America on a slave ship, then becomes a [[ServileSnarker valet]] to UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln, who is portrayed as a sex-obsessed buffoon. All the other inhabitants of the White House are portrayed as hopelessly dumb. This show became notorious for being the subject of protests by African-American groups against its whimsical, flippant portrayal of slavery. Because of this controversy, the original pilot episode, where Desmond becomes Lincoln's butler and attempts to return to England, was never broadcast. It was so poorly received, it was even advertised with the tagline "Critics hate it." In fact, one person even liked it to "The American version of Heil Honey, I'm Home" (see above). The show would have been forgotten if not for various references on ''WesternAnimation/ClerksTheAnimatedSeries'' - and many people nearly had a DoubleTake after finding out that, yes, [[AluminumChristmasTrees it actually was real]]. Even more, it was also referenced in Creator/SpikeLee's ''Film/{{Bamboozled}}'' as one of the shows Pierre Delacroix (Creator/DamonWayans) mentions as a [[ModernMinstrelry "buffoonish show"]], which only granted more mockery on this crap. Creator/BradJones did a review of this series for his ''WebVideo/DVDRHell'' series, and ''WebVideo/TVTrash'' reviewed it [[http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x27tjvh_tv-trash-the-secret-diary-of-desmond-pfeiffer_tv here]].

* '''''Series/TheSecretDiaryOfDesmondPfeiffer''''' (the "P" isn't silent), a short-lived (and extremely low-rated) UPN sitcom, one of the network's worst such series aimed towards African-Americans, that aired four episodes out of the nine produced overall in October 1998. It starred Creator/ChiMcBride as the titular character, a black English nobleman in the mid-19th century who is kidnapped and sent to America on a slave ship, then becomes a [[ServileSnarker valet]] to UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln, who is portrayed as a sex-obsessed buffoon. All the other inhabitants of the White House are portrayed as hopelessly dumb. This show became notorious for being the subject of protests by African-American groups against its whimsical, flippant portrayal of slavery. Because of this controversy, the original pilot episode, where Desmond becomes Lincoln's butler and attempts to return to England, was never broadcast. It was so poorly received, it was even advertised with the tagline "Critics hate it." In fact, one person even liked it to "The American version of Heil Honey, I'm Home" (see above). The show would have been forgotten if not for various references on ''WesternAnimation/ClerksTheAnimatedSeries'' - and many people nearly had a DoubleTake after finding out that, yes, [[AluminumChristmasTrees it actually was real]]. Even more, it was also referenced in Spike Lee's Bamboozled as one of the shows Pierre Delacroix (Creator/DamonWayans) mentions as a 'buffonish show', which only granted more mockery on this crap. Creator/BradJones did a review of this series for his ''WebVideo/DVDRHell'' series, and ''WebVideo/TVTrash'' reviewed it [[http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x27tjvh_tv-trash-the-secret-diary-of-desmond-pfeiffer_tv here]].

* '''''Series/TheSecretDiaryOfDesmondPfeiffer''''' (the "P" isn't silent), a short-lived (and extremely low-rated) UPN sitcom, one of the network's worst such series aimed towards African-Americans, that aired four episodes out of the nine produced overall in October 1998. It starred Creator/ChiMcBride as the titular character, a black English nobleman in the mid-19th century who is kidnapped and sent to America on a slave ship, then becomes a [[ServileSnarker valet]] to UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln, who is portrayed as a sex-obsessed buffoon. All the other inhabitants of the White House are portrayed as hopelessly dumb. This show became notorious for being the subject of protests by African-American groups against its whimsical, flippant portrayal of slavery. Because of this controversy, the original pilot episode, where Desmond becomes Lincoln's butler and attempts to return to England, was never broadcast. It was so poorly received, it was even advertised with the tagline "Critics hate it." The show would have been forgotten if not for various references on ''WesternAnimation/ClerksTheAnimatedSeries'' - and many people nearly had a DoubleTake after finding out that, yes, [[AluminumChristmasTrees it actually was real]]. Even more, it was also referenced in Spike Lee's [[Film/Bamboozled Bamboozled]] as one of the shows Pierre Delacroix (Creator/DamonWayans) mentions as a 'buffonish show', which only granted more mockery on this crap. Creator/BradJones did a review of this series for his ''WebVideo/DVDRHell'' series, and ''WebVideo/TVTrash'' reviewed it [[http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x27tjvh_tv-trash-the-secret-diary-of-desmond-pfeiffer_tv here]].

* '''''Series/TheSecretDiaryOfDesmondPfeiffer''''' (the "P" isn't silent), a short-lived (and extremely low-rated) UPN sitcom, one of the network's worst such series aimed towards African-Americans, that aired four episodes out of the nine produced overall in October 1998. It starred Creator/ChiMcBride as the titular character, a black English nobleman in the mid-19th century who is kidnapped and sent to America on a slave ship, then becomes a [[ServileSnarker valet]] to UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln, who is portrayed as a sex-obsessed buffoon. All the other inhabitants of the White House are portrayed as hopelessly dumb. This show became notorious for being the subject of protests by African-American groups against its whimsical, flippant portrayal of slavery. Because of this controversy, the original pilot episode, where Desmond becomes Lincoln's butler and attempts to return to England, was never broadcast. It was so poorly received, it was even advertised with the tagline "Critics hate it." The show would have been forgotten if not for various references on ''WesternAnimation/ClerksTheAnimatedSeries'' - and many people nearly had a DoubleTake after finding out that, yes, [[AluminumChristmasTrees it actually was real]]. Even more, it was also referenced in Spike Lee's "Film/Bamboozled" as one of the shows Pierre Delacroix (Creator/DamonWayans) mentions as a 'buffonish show', which only granted more mockery on this crap. Creator/BradJones did a review of this series for his ''WebVideo/DVDRHell'' series, and ''WebVideo/TVTrash'' reviewed it [[http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x27tjvh_tv-trash-the-secret-diary-of-desmond-pfeiffer_tv here]].

* '''''Series/TheSecretDiaryOfDesmondPfeiffer''''' (the "P" isn't silent), a short-lived (and extremely low-rated) UPN sitcom, one of the network's worst such series aimed towards African-Americans, that aired four episodes out of the nine produced overall in October 1998. It starred Creator/ChiMcBride as the titular character, a black English nobleman in the mid-19th century who is kidnapped and sent to America on a slave ship, then becomes a [[ServileSnarker valet]] to UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln, who is portrayed as a sex-obsessed buffoon. All the other inhabitants of the White House are portrayed as hopelessly dumb. This show became notorious for being the subject of protests by African-American groups against its whimsical, flippant portrayal of slavery. Because of this controversy, the original pilot episode, where Desmond becomes Lincoln's butler and attempts to return to England, was never broadcast. It was so poorly received, it was even advertised with the tagline "Critics hate it." The show would have been forgotten if not for various references on ''WesternAnimation/ClerksTheAnimatedSeries'' - and many people nearly had a DoubleTake after finding out that, yes, [[AluminumChristmasTrees it actually was real]]. Creator/BradJones did a review of this series for his ''WebVideo/DVDRHell'' series, and ''WebVideo/TVTrash'' reviewed it [[http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x27tjvh_tv-trash-the-secret-diary-of-desmond-pfeiffer_tv here]].

* '''''Series/TheSecretDiaryOfDesmondPfeiffer''''' (the "P" isn't silent), a short-lived (and extremely low-rated) UPN sitcom, one of the network's worst such series aimed towards African-Americans, that aired four episodes out of the nine produced overall in October 1998. It starred Creator/ChiMcBride as the titular character, a black English nobleman in the mid-19th century who is kidnapped and sent to America on a slave ship, then becomes a [[ServileSnarker valet]] to UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln, who is portrayed as a sex-obsessed buffoon. All the other inhabitants of the White House are portrayed as hopelessly dumb. This show became notorious for being the subject of protests by African-American groups against its whimsical, flippant portrayal of slavery. Because of this controversy, the original pilot episode, where Desmond becomes Lincoln's butler and attempts to return to England, was never broadcast. It was so poorly received, it was even advertised with the tagline "Critics hate it." The show would have been forgotten if not for various references on ''WesternAnimation/ClerksTheAnimatedSeries'' - and many people nearly had a DoubleTake after finding out that, yes, [[AluminumChristmasTrees it actually was real]]. Creator/BradJones did a review of this series for his ''WebVideo/DVDRHell'' series, and ''WebVideo/TVTrash'' reviewed it [[http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x27tjvh_tv-trash-the-secret-diary-of-desmond-pfeiffer_tv here]].

* That is, until 1998, when the BBC -- having not learned their lesson from last time -- decided to try again with '''''New Year Live'''''. With two well-known Scots -- comedian Fred [=MacAulay=] and Carol Smillie (of ''Changing Rooms'' and ''Series/WheelOfFortune'' fame) -- as hosts, what could possibly go wrong? Quite a lot, actually, resulting in what was easily the closest British equivalent to the Jamie Kennedy debacle of 2013 (see under KDOC-TV). The producer was an Englishwoman who was more experienced in daytime magazines than a live, prime time entertainment special, and it was clear from the start that the special was going to water down Hogmanay to "we're gonna have a rowdy party in a Scottish castle with celebrities". That tone was established within its opening, where the duo arrived at Edinburgh Castle in a [[SarcasmMode traditional Scottish]] helicopter, before being escorted onto the grounds on motorcycles, and introducing [[Music/DuranDuran a band from Birmingham]] singing [[Music/RioAlbum a song about Rio]]. The hosting was amateur (with Smillie -- who tended to be the [[StraightManAndWiseGuy Straight Woman to her co-host's Wise Guy]] -- repeatedly having to drag [=MacAulay=] back into the frame when he couldn't find the camera), and there were technical snafus (such as mistimed cues on the pre-recorded segments), unfunny comedy bits (such as Smillie being the butt of several jokes about her "Rear of the Year" award), and so on. Once again, critics from the North and abroad agreed that it was awful, and subsequent Hogmanay specials remained exclusive to BBC One in Scotland, with the rest of the network taking coverage from London instead (and the BBC putting on the much more comprehensive ''2000 Today'' the following year to welcome the new millennium).

Sometimes, you just wonder what television executives were thinking when they greenlight shows like these and [[ScrewedByTheNetwork show others the door before giving them a shot at stardom]]. These particular programs give new meaning to the term "idiot box".

* '''''ComicBook/GenerationX''''', a low-budget, poorly-conceived TV movie based on the comic book of the same name. It starred Creator/MattFrewer as a villainous ad exec that uses his mind control device [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AnTSX8UXbg&t=143 to cause mass flatulence]] at a [[BoardToDeath board meeting]]. TheNineties, ladies and gentlemen. You can read more about it at #1 on [[http://www.cracked.com/article_18797_the-7-most-offensive-adaptations-classic-comic-books_p2.html this list]].

* '''''Australia's Naughtiest Home Videos''''' was a 1992 one-off comedy special and spin-off of ''Australia's Funniest Home Video Show''[[note]]The [[ForeignRemake Australian version]] of ''Series/AmericasFunniestHomeVideos''[[/note]] that featured Doug Mulray as its host. Although its content was beyond what would be shown on, say, American television, it probably wouldn't have sparked controversy had the late Kerry Packer, then-owner of the Nine Network, not viewed bits of it at a dinner, called the network, and angrily yelled at them to "Get that shit off the air!" Within minutes, it [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDLliCShVDA cut]] to an AdBumper stating the rest of the program couldn't be shown for "[[BlatantLies technical reasons]]" and it was cancelled ''midway through its first episode'' to make way for reruns of ''Series/{{Cheers}}''. [[note]](In some timezones, it was cancelled even earlier than that. In Perth, the program wasn't even broadcast at all!)[[/note]] On August 28, 2008, the special was rebroadcast for the first time in 16 years alongside monologues from Bert Newton, and when Australian viewers tuned in they could easily see why Mr. Packer flipped his lid: Mulray made unfunny quips over clips of kangaroos getting their testicles twisted by children, animals mating in public, people performing sexual activities in front of the camera, Mulray talking about "bosoms", and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking a naked man falling out of a shower]]. A truly one-joke premise, it's astounding how it ever wound up being aired at all, let alone being preempted in the middle of its broadcast, and much of the crew who were associated with the special were fired after the controversy.

* '''''The Royal Bodyguard''''' was a vehicle for Creator/DavidJason, beloved as a star of ''Series/OnlyFoolsAndHorses'' and ''Series/OpenAllHours''. He played the incompetent head of security at a car park in Buckingham Palace, who saves the Queen from an assassination attempt and is promoted to royal bodyguard. The production team apparently thought that having a famous name in the lead guaranteed a hit, so they didn't bother to put any effort into the script, and ended up with an excruciatingly unfunny parade of slapstick cliches. Having Jason as the lead actually backfired, since fans of his earlier work felt that he deserved a far better show. Jason being 71 years old made it a difficult suspension of belief that he'd be hired as a bodyguard, and caused a similar problem as ''Life With Lucy'': the wacky stunts he'd done in past roles suddenly became a lot less funny when an older person tried to do them (there's a ''reason'' Granville left most of such stunts to the younger Leroy in ''Still Open All Hours'', the distant sequel to ''Series/OpenAllHours'' which was made after ''Bodyguard'' tanked; apparently, Jason learned from this show's mistakes). Jason himself described the show's comedy as "safe", but critics and the public were nowhere near so polite. (One critic suggested that the reason the BBC had chosen to broadcast the first episode on Boxing Day was because they knew that many viewers would be drunk.) Viewing figures dropped sharply and the show was axed after six episodes.