That ’90s Show, Black Mirror, and the 10 worst Netflix shows of 2023

Even in a year filled with massively successful, fan-favorite Netflix shows like The Night Agent, Outer Banks, The Diplomat, Ginny & Georgia, and plenty more, there were still quite a few shows that just missed the mark.

From returning shows that didn’t live up to their own high expectations to new shows that weren’t up to the quality we had been hoping for, Netflix released a fair amount of duds in 2023. The nostalgia craze wore thin for That ’90s Show, the return of Black Mirror didn’t hit like it used to, Manifest ended on a low note, and we’re still wondering what’s up with FUBAR.

Our hopes were higher for this collection of 10 Netflix shows, maybe even too high, but we were ultimately let down. The Netflix Life team has gathered a list of the most disappointing Netflix shows of the year, beginning below with Black Mirror’s sixth season.

Black Mirror

Oh Black Mirror, how far you’ve fallen. The sixth season of Black Mirror is one of the least memorable of the entire series and, no, I actually don’t think it’s because Charlie Brooker has pivoted away from purely tech-based horrors.

I actually don’t think it’s a bad thing that Brooker has been branching out, although it does make for some muddled viewing at times when episodes feel like they’d be more at home in a horror anthology like Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities (also on Netflix). Still, I didn’t really enjoy any episodes from season 6. Even the “darkest” additions to the series like “Loch Henry” and “Beyond the Sea” were lacking in the smart writing and tension that made the first few seasons so good.

I felt like “Beyond the Sea” had a lot of promise, but the episode should have really picked up where it ended rather than dragging us through the rest of the story. “Joan is Awful” was particularly timely, but the episode itself fell flat.

There are still good concepts and things to explore, but overall Black Mirror doesn’t necessarily fill me with the gut-churning sense of being disturbed like it used to. However, it’s still better than a lot of other Netflix Originals, but I hope it gets back on track with its upcoming seventh season.

Written by Maddy Lennon