The Worst New TV Shows of 2020

by Jason Dietz, Metacritic Features Editor – December 22, 2020

What were the biggest television duds of the past year? Above are the lowest-scoring first-year primetime TV series (including limited series and specials) debuting in the United States between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020. Shows are ranked by Metascore (an average of grades from top professional critics on a 0-100 scale) prior to rounding based on scores from December 19, 2020, and must have at least 4 reviews from professional critics to qualify.

6 of 11 photo by Greg Lewis/NBC

36 #6: Indebted (NBC)

Canceled after a dozen episodes, this early 2020 NBC sitcom starred Adam Pally and Abby Elliott as a married couple raising two kids who agree to take in his parents (Fran Drescher and Steven Weber) after they run into major debt problems. Critics liked the cast but found the series dated and uninspired—and devoid of humor.

“Indebted takes one of the hoariest sitcom premises imaginable and struggles to execute it with even a modicum of consistency or confidence.” —Dan Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter

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