10 TV Shows That Are Hard to Enjoy for Off-Screen Reasons
There are “guilty pleasures”, and there are shows that could put someone to shame. The average television enjoyer may not be immune to questionable shows, and there’s no shame in tuning into programs that aren’t the best of tastes. On the other side of the spectrum are television shows that may not be necessarily bad, but watching them can be a challenging experience due to what’s happening behind the scenes.
They say that art should be separated from the artist. But there’s no denying the direct connection between the people audiences watch on the screen, and the actual cast and crew members working behind the cameras. At the end of the day, their real-life attitudes bear consequences that translate not just into their personal lives, but also towards the craft they’ve presented to the public. Without further ado, here are 10 shows that are hard to enjoy for off-screen reasons.
10
‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ (1997-2003)
Allegations against Joss Whedon
Joss Whedon is best known for creating the supernatural drama cult classic, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Years later, he would expand his resume with his involvement in both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Extended Universe. For the latter, he served as co-writer for Justice League, which eventually became the catalyst of his imminent expose. In mid-2020, Ray Fisher, who played Victor Stone/Cyborg in Justice League, accused Whedon of “misconduct” and “blatant racism.”
In 2021, Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Charisma Carpenter posted a lengthy Twitter post showing her support for Fisher. Her statement details how Whedon abused his power on set, and how he’s responsible for creating “hostile and toxic work environments since his early career.” Carpenter’s personal accounts with Whedon include being called “fat” all while she’s 4 months pregnant and berating her for getting a rosary tattoo.
- Release Date
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1997 – 2003
- Network
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The WB
- Showrunner
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Joss Whedon
- Directors
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Joss Whedon
- Writers
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Joss Whedon
9
‘The Family Stallone’ (2023-2024)
Sylvester Stallone had marriage troubles during filming
The Family Stallone is the Hollywood figure’s attempt to show that, despite his immense wealth and fame, he’s just like any other human being. He might’ve been the no-nonsense Rocky Balboa on screen, but when he’s back home with his wife and daughter, he’s just a simple family man. With his daughters all grown up and ready to move out, Stallone and his wife Jennifer Flavin Stallone must slowly adjust to their new lives as empty nesters.
But reality TV isn’t so realistic after all. Despite the couple’s harmonious spirit on the show, something else happened behind the scenes. Filming for The Family Stallone took place around August 2022 — the same time Jennifer had filed for divorce from their husband. Their separation hadn’t gone unnoticed by the press, with Sly referring to their relationship as “irretrievably broken.” However, in September 2022, the divorce filing was dropped. Although there’s no shame in divorce, the fact that the Stallones suppressed their marital issues for the sake of entertainment makes The Family Stallone difficult to watch.
8
‘Love is Blind’ (2020-)
Allegations of workplace abuse
Love is Blind is full of walking red flags, but there’s absolutely no room for abuse. The hit Netflix dating series has become a global sensation, but throughout the years, the show has also attracted the wrong kind of attention. Former contestants such as Briana Holmes, Nick Thompson, and Danielle Ruhl have expressed their poor experiences with the show’s production, to the point Ruhl is driven to having suicidal thoughts. Holmes shares that production insisted on continuing filming while she was having a panic attack on set.
Last year, Season 5’s Renee Poche sued the company for “unlawful employment practices” and “unfair competition”. Poche recounts that the show forced her to remain engaged to fellow contestant Carter Wall, despite the former not being too comfortable with Wall’s alleged “erratic and alarming behavior and emotional instability.” This is the second time Love is Blind received a lawsuit — the first from Tran Dang who accused the show of being falsely imprisoned by the production team.
7
‘Sex and the City’ (1998-2004)
Chris Noth’s sexual assault allegations
When the Sex and the City revival series And Just Like That… decided to kill off Chris Noth’s Mr. Big very early in the show, fans are left in a bewildering revelation — both on and off screen. Noth was initially slated for a more consistent role in the revival. However, that all backfired in 2021 when multiple sexual allegations were made against the actor. In conjunction with the show’s reboot, two women, Zoe and Lily, shared separate accounts of Noth’s inappropriate misconduct dating back to 2004 and 2015.
Despite the growing number of claims, Noth insists that he’s innocent. In a personal statement, he denies the claims and even calls them false, saying, “The accusations against me made by individuals I met years, even decades, ago are categorically false.” He continued, “These stories could’ve been from 30 years ago or 30 days ago — no always means no — that is a line I did not cross.” Due to the controversy, Noth’s cameo from the season finale is completely cut.
6
‘Deadliest Catch’ (2005-)
Crew deaths, substance abuse, and sexual assault allegations
The ultimate dad reality show, Deadliest Catch shows the harsh realities of striking ocean gold in the Alaskan Bering Sea. With choppy currents, Armageddon-like storms, and frequent foreign threats, seasoned captains take their chance to earn hundreds of thousands of dollars by hauling pots of king crab and snow crab. The Emmy-nominated has never intended to sugar-coat life on the sea, but the off-screen battles and disputes the crew has had to face behind the scenes bring a grim perspective when watching the show. Deadliest Catch is no stranger to sudden deaths. In 2024 alone, Todd Kochutin and Nick Mavar passed away unexpectedly while at work.
Kochutin died due to “injuries sustained while on board F/V Patricia Lee,” while Mavar was found dead in a boatyard in Naknek, Alaska. Due to the demanding nature of the job, crew members are also susceptible to substance abuse, with Matt Bradley battling addiction. One of the more painful realities of the show is the allegations made towards Edgar Hansen. For more than three decades, Hansen had been a respected member of the Sig Hansen’s Northwestern crew. Unfortunately, his legacy is tarnished after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl.
5
‘Glee’ (2009-2015)
Co-star beef and untimely deaths
Glee revolutionized and made singing cool again, but life on set can sometimes be far from harmonious. Things weren’t always so pitch-perfect among cast members. Lea Michele was accused of bullying, with Samantha Marie Ware stating that the actress had caused “traumatic microaggressions” when they worked together. Acknowledging Ware’s statement, Michele has made an apology, recognizing that her behavior was “unnecessarily difficult” and that she would “take responsibility for [her] actions.”
But even more distressing were the deaths of Glee’s three main stars. In 2013, Cory Monteith, who played lead quarterback Finn Hudson, passed away from a drug overdose. His death was addressed in a Season 5 tribute episode titled “The Quarterback”. Five years later, Mark Salling, who played bad boy Noah “Puck” Puckerman, was caught in a child pornography case before committing suicide in prison — making his death an extremely difficult matter. In 2020, Naya Rivera died from accidental drowning on a boat trip with her son in Lake Piru, California.
4
‘The Baldwins’ (2025-)
Insensitive response towards the Halyna Hutchins incident
Unlike The Family Stallone, The Baldwins is an attempt to resuscitate Alec Baldwin’s career following the aftermath of the Rust shooting incident. In October 2021, a prop gun held by Baldwin discharged a live round, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza. Initially charged with involuntary manslaughter, Baldwin was later dismissed from the charges. Instead, the film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was sentenced for the same crime.
Baldwin might be scot-free from the incident on a legal technicality. However, the biggest flaw in The Baldwins is this narcissistic need to portray the actor as the one true victim of the incident. Adding salt to the wound, if the trauma from the incident was truly deteriorating (as Baldwin claims with his PTSD symptoms), there shouldn’t be a need for a television show to document (and profit off) his pain. The Baldwins aren’t the only family hurting in this situation.
3
‘House of Cards’ (2013-’18)
Kevin Spacey’s sexual misconduct allegations
House of Cards was reveling in its Emmy nominations streak, but by 2017, lead actor Kevin Spacey was accused of sexual misconduct. The first public accusation came from actor Anthony Rapp, who stated that Spacey had made a sexual advance on him at a 1986 party when Rapp was 14. In the same year, House of Cards was renewed for its sixth and final season. Due to the controversy surrounding Spacey, the actor was disgracefully terminated from his contract, and co-star Robin Wright took on the leading role.
Since then, Spacey hasn’t entirely let go of his Frank Underwood persona. From 2018 to 2023, Spacey uploaded an annual video every Christmas Eve. While staying in character, Spacey vehemently denies the real-life allegations made against him. Most recently, Guy Pearce accused Spacey of targeting him during the production of LA Confidential, to which Spacey responded, “Grow up.”
2
‘Euphoria’ (2019-)
Drama surrounding creator Sam Levinson
Euphoria is essentially Sam Levinson’s attempt at creating a groundbreaking show that portrays the harsh realities of teenage life. However, unlike its equally provoking and jaw dropping British counterpart Skins, Levinson continuously relies on amplifying the shock factor on his characters and fails to acknowledge that underneath their flaws, they’re only human. Case in point: Levinson oversexualizes and victimizes his female characters, who are all teenagers in the show. Levinson has also been claimed of ripping off Petra Collins’ work, but she was not hired and left uncredited.
Levinson’s problematic behind-the-scenes attitude would later be revealed in an expose by Rolling Stone. Originally directed by Amy Seimetz, The Idol was later taken over by Levinson, sparking a chain reaction of alleged toxic work environments. Later on, 13 unnamed members of the show’s cast and crew revealed the drastic story changes that occurred following Levinson’s involvement, with one statement claiming, “It was like any rape fantasy that any toxic man would have in the show -”
When Chevy Chase left Community during Season 4, he made sure to do it on a sour note. A man of many feuds, Chase butted heads with show creator Dan Harmon and remarked that the show “wasn’t funny enough” for the National Lampoon’s Vacation actor. Upon hearing Chase’s criticism, co-star Joel McHale responded that Chase could have just left whenever he wanted, and it wasn’t like he was sentenced to that show.
Creative differences, what’s truly disappointing about Chase is his inappropriate hurling of racial slurs on set. Co-star Donald Glover humorously addressed this when presenting the Sargent Award to Paul Simms during the 75th Annual Writers Guild Awards. During his speech, Glover quips, “Chevy Chase once called Herb one of the funniest writers working in television. Chevy Chase once called me… You know what, this is about Paul.”
