As anyone who has ever spent eight hours watching consecutive episodes of Cops (don't judge) knows, there is a fine line between bad and brilliant television. Some television is horrible because abominable writing and overacting mesh so weirdly well, that a series becomes unintentionally hilarious; other times, ridiculous conceits, tragically unfunny hosts and drunken reality subjects accidentally yield entertainment. Sadly, TV scientists have yet to isolate a foolproof formula to replicated this "bad but brilliant" genre, but Movieline has identified five programs that qualify for the category.
5. Bridezillas (WEtv)
At one point in nearly every Bridezillas episode, there is a drunken freakout sequence reminiscent of Sixteen Candles' loopiest scenes featuring Samantha Baker's bride-to-be sister Ginny. Constrained by their own bridal senses of self-importance and stress, each "star" is an exquisitely-produced reality disaster that deconstructs the myth that brides (and their big days) are meant to be perfect.
4. Deal or No Deal (NBC)
There was a time when game shows had clever set-ups, witty hosts and intelligent participants. Not so much, anymore, if only because lowest common denominator audience members would tune in to watch blue collar Americans -- just like them, but with more heart-wrenching back stories -- point and scream wildly at suitcases being held by sexy ladies. Sometimes the contestants win money, sometimes they do not. But there is always shouting. And the formula -- adapted from an international game show of Dutch origin -- is so foolproof that audience members do not even care that Howie Mandel hosts and that some of the contestants are just plain idiots (proof below). Because Deal or No Deal has been so successful in spite of its mind-numbing premise -- which is basically the TV adaptation of a scratch-off lottery ticket -- the NBC series qualifies as brilliant.
3. The Arrangement (Logo)
I think we can agree that most of Logo's reality programming qualifies as "so bad that it is actually brilliant" -- ahem, The A-List -- but The Arrangement, a new reality show that premiered this fall, might take the crown. For those who have never had the pleasure of viewing it, The Arrangement is a Top Chef-like reality show that features a cast of floral arrangers who compete in outrageous bouquet-related tasks for the coveted title of "America's Best Floral Designer." It gets better: The show is hosted by Gigi Levangie Grazer, screenwriter of the Susan Sarandon-Julia Roberts film Stepmom, ex-wife of super-producer Brian Grazer, and, I suppose, a flower enthusiast.
Each episode, contestants compete in a "Seedling Challenge" and a "Weedout Challenge" including the following, which I swear to you, are real:
· In teams of two, create arrangements on nude sushi models.
· Create a bouquet that "packs a punch" and decorate a superhero mask.
· Design a casket display for the funeral of Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth.
· Style a photoshoot celebrating flowers on television. Models for the shoots are the professors from RuPaul's Drag U.
2. Degrassi (TeenNick)
The fourth iteration of the scripted teenage franchise, Degrassi takes every bad situation that could possibly happen to teens (a feat which is brilliant and could make for a magnificent series) and melds them into an unapologetic Canadian drama in the most poorly executed ways possible. In spite of its overacting and Lifetime movie story arcs, Degrassi has gained a large audience including Kevin Smith and Alanis Morissette, who both co-starred on the series. In case you need further proof that this show is worth watching (drunk), please realize that it has at one time or another featured Billy Ray Cyrus as a limo driver who gets arrested, a modeling agency called T-Bombz, a vibrator that is accidentally turned on during class, group sex, backseat births and more.
1. Today (The 4th Hour)
The last hour of NBC's morning show is the pinnacle of the "bad but brilliant" television genre -- what dismal television strives to be. Thanks to its boozy hosts (Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb) and producers who gave up caring about coherence long ago, the Today caboose is always the least predictable and most likely to feature an alcohol-related blackout -- which means, it is consistently the most entertaining.
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