With more A-list stars, directors, and producers creating television than ever before, many are calling this the next golden age of TV. But regardless of who's involved, there are bound to be some shows that don't shine quite as brightly.
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The 18 worst new TV shows of the year so far, according to critics
The critics have weighed in, and these are the new shows — from a Netflix blunder to network dramas — that didn't make the grade.
Finn Jones stars on "Marvel's Iron Fist."
More outlets are creating TV content, from streaming companies like Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu to cable networks increasingly getting into the scripted-show game, like Bravo, E!, and Spike.
But what's worth your time and what isn't? In times like these, you should let the experts watch so you don't have to.
Metacritic keeps track of a curated group of critics, assigns each review a number according to how positive or negative it was, and then creates a weighted average score for each show.
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CBS, NBC, and Fox tied with four shows each among the shows least liked by critics. But some of the newer companies also produced stinkers. Netflix, for example, netted itself a zero instead of a superhero. Which other networks had the misfortune of landing shows on the list?
Here are the 18 worst-reviewed TV shows of 2017 so far, using Metacritic scores:
18. "Time After Time" (ABC)
Metacritic score: 59
A remake of the 1979 movie of the same name, "Time After Time" mirrors the film's centuries-spanning chase of the charismatic Dr. John Stevenson, aka Jack the Ripper (Josh Bowman), by a dashing H.G. Wells (Freddie Stroma), the author of "The Time Machine" and "The War of the Worlds," among many other notable novels. The famous 19th-century serial killer has stolen the author's time machine and escaped to modern-day New York City. Wells ventures after him to bring him back to the past.
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17. "Doubt" (CBS)
Metacritic score: 58
"Doubt," which has already been canceled, follows Katherine Heigl's character, defense attorney Sadie Ellis, and her colleagues at a boutique law firm. Sadie is defending a wealthy client, but things get complicated when she begins to fall in love with him. Laverne Cox and Dule Hill also starred on the legal drama.
16. "Chicago Justice" (NBC)
Metacritic score: 57
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The latest in NBC's "Chicago" franchise, "Chicago Justice" follows the members of the state attorney's team of prosecutors and investigators who must balance the public opinion and city politics with their execution of the law.
15. "Powerless" (NBC)
Metacritic score: 57
"Powerless" is the first comedy series set in the DC Comics universe. It revolves around a company that invents things to protect average people in a world where the clashes between super villains and mutant heroes make for a dangerous world for the powerless.
14. "Superior Donuts" (CBS)
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Metacritic score: 56
In the comedy, Arthur (Judd Hirsch) is trying to keep his traditional doughnut bakery in business. But his Chicago neighborhood is quickly gentrifying, and a doughnut isn't cool anymore unless it's mashed with another form of pastry. Enter Franco (Jermaine Fowler), a fast-talking young man who's convinced he can bring the shop and Arthur into the modern era.
13. "The Collection" (Amazon)
Metacritic score: 56
Set in postwar Paris, "The Collection" follows clothing designer Paul Sabine's (Richard Coyle) struggle to return the city to its previous fame as the center of the fashion world.
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12. "Six" (History)
Metacritic score: 54
The drama follows the Navy's SEAL Team Six, whose 2014 mission to eliminate a Taliban leader in Afghanistan goes awry when they uncover a US citizen working with the terrorists.
11. "Frontier" (Netflix)
Metacritic score: 52
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Set in the 18th century, "Frontier" stars "Game of Thrones" actor Jason Momoa. The period drama follows the lives of those involved in the fur trade and the often complicated dealings with competitors, native tribes, and the harsh natural environment.
10. "The Mick" (Fox)
Metacritic score: 50
Mickey, a terribly self-centered person and self-professed degenerate, finds herself responsible for the care of her teen niece and young nephews in affluent Greenwich, Connecticut.
9. "24: Legacy" (Fox)
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Metacritic score: 49
With a "real-time" countdown similar to "24," "Legacy" follows agent Eric Carter (Corey Hawkins) who returns from abroad only to realize danger has followed him. While trying to stave off the people hunting him down, Eric has to stop the biggest terrorist attack on US soil.
8. "Beyond" (Freeform)
Metacritic score: 48
On "Beyond," Holden (Burkely Duffield) awakes from a 12-year coma. Not only is he an adult in a world that has moved on without him, but he discovers that he has special powers. As Holden tries to put together the pieces of the past 12 years, he discovers that he can't trust anyone.
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7. "Emerald City" (NBC)
Metacritic score: 47
For today's viewers, NBC's remake of the classic "Wizard of Oz" story is decidedly edgier and sexier than the original. The basic tenets of the story are all there, but it has a diverse cast and a much more epic scope, and it takes place in a violent period for the magical land. Tarsem Singh Dhandwar ("Mirror Mirror," "The Cell") serves as an executive producer and directs the series.
6. “Taken” (NBC)
Metacritic score: 46
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A prequel to the 2008 action film "Taken," NBC's show is executive produced by the movie's producer and writer Luc Besson. It follows a younger Bryan Mills (Clive Standen) 30 years before the events of the film. Reeling from the tragic loss of a loved one, Bryan is recruited by the CIA and continues his quest for revenge.
5. "Ransom" (CBS)
Metacritic score: 46
Inspired by the real-life crisis negotiator Laurent Combalbert, this drama stars Luke Roberts as Eric Beaumont. He and his team are called in to resolve some of the toughest kidnapping and ransom cases in the country.
4. "APB" (Fox)
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Metacritic score: 45
A tech billionaire spends millions of dollars to create a private police force with the most advanced crime-fighting technology in one of the toughest districts in Chicago.
3. "Star" (Fox)
Metacritic score: 45
Lee Daniels' second series for Fox after "Empire" also takes place in the music business. It follows Star, a young orphaned girl who puts together a girl group to conquer the seedy music scene of Atlanta.
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2. "Training Day" (CBS)
Metacritic score: 38
Based on the popular 2001 film of the same name, CBS's "Training Day" stars the late Bill Paxton as a rogue detective whose new partner, a rookie narcotics officer played by Justin Cornwell, is spying on the veteran cop.
1. "Marvel's Iron Fist" (Netflix)
Metacritic score: 38
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After a stellar record with its "Defenders" series, Netflix missed the mark on "Iron Fist." It follows Danny Rand (Finn Jones), who returns to New York City after having been missing for 15 years. Believed dead after a plane accident that claimed his wealthy parents' lives, Danny survived and was rescued by a mystical sect of monks. Schooled in kung fu and entrusted with the power of the invincible iron fist, Danny is back to reclaim his family's company, but he has to choose between his familial obligations and his duties as the Iron Fist when a dangerous threat arrives.
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