5 TV Shows To Avoid On Netflix

In 2012, Netflix changed its business model. Anyone using the service at that point was familiar with its red DVD envelopes used to rent and return movies and TV shows, but with the 2012 release of "Lilyhammer" on its then-fledgling streaming service, it officially helped kick off the streaming era of television in which we now reside. (One of the entries on this list is usually credited with being Netflix's first original series, but technically, it actually is "Lilyhammer.") 

Since then, Netflix has released so many original TV shows and movies that it's legitimately hard to keep track of all their drops, particularly because it operates on a binge-watching model. Unlike competing services like Hulu and Apple TV, Netflix either releases full seasons of shows all at once or releases episodes in batches over multiple parts, which makes its product feel more fleeting than most. So if you're trying to figure out which Netflix series to add to your queue next, how do you choose?

That part is up to you, actually. I'm not here to tell you which Netflix shows to watch; actually, I'm here to tell you which Netflix shows you should strenuously avoid. Narrowing it down to just five picks was actually a little tough, given the sheer volume of Netflix's output over the past several years, but these picks aren't just bad; at least one of them feels spiritually evil. Here are five Netflix shows that you should avoid like the plague, and yes, they are all marked as Netflix originals. (They are, however, presented in no particular order.)

"House of Cards" — the drama that I obliquely mentioned as the series that everyone thinks kicked off Netflix's streaming era — didn't necessarily start out terribly. Even though I always thought it paled in comparison to the prestige dramas of the time like "Breaking Bad" and "Mad Men" (and it seemed to be an attempt to capitalize of the success of those two shows), "House of Cards" actually had a decently strong start thanks to the involvement of auteur David Fincher, who directed seven episodes and served as an executive producer.

When the cracks started to show, though, they really showed. After star Kevin Spacey, who originated the role of fourth-wall breaker and ruthless aspiring politician Frank Underwood on the series, was accused of several instances of sexual assault and impropriety in 2017, the show cut his character entirely and pivoted the focus to Frank's equally ruthless wife Claire Underwood (Robin Wright). Still, the damage was done, and in 2022, the drama continued when Spacey was ordered to make a hefty payment to the series' production company, Media Rights Capital, for violating his contract with his indiscretions.

Ultimately, though, the reason "House of Cards" should be avoided and feels straight-up sinister is Spacey's fault more than anything else. This isn't just because he's featured so prominently on most of the show, but because in the years that followed, Spacey started releasing increasingly bizarre and unsettling "apology" videos about his misconduct — videos that were nothing more than sad attempts to get back into Hollywood's good graces — in character as Frank. That's what "House of Cards" left as its legacy, and that is bleak. 

My personal distaste for Emily in Paris, especially as someone who quite literally lived in Paris as an American when the show first premiered in 2020, is legendary here at /Film. Still, there was absolutely no way I could leave it off a list of terrible Netflix shows, because for me? It's le pire (which means the "worst," obviously).

As a quick refresher, the stupidly named Darren Star-led series "Emily in Paris" is about — who else? — Emily Cooper, a cultural terrorist and human-shaped demon played by Lily Collins (who does the best with the meager material she's given). Across multiple seasons of "Emily in Paris," Emily settles into her life in the French capital, and by that, I mean she refuses to learn French, mocks the country's cultural norms, and keeps earning completely overblown praise for fixing work problems that she creates in the first place. Nothing ever actually happens on "Emily in Paris," though. Emily totters around Paris in genuinely insane stilettos (which, take it from me, will just lead to a twisted ankle at best and a broken neck at worst if you try that yourself), teleports without taking the wildly convenient Paris metro, and never, ever considers anyone else's feelings or needs. It's not even "so bad it's good" — it's just incredibly dull and painful to witness.

In one way, I guess "Emily in Paris" is useful. It's a tutorial on everything you shouldn't do when visiting or moving to a foreign city. It is not, however, a good show. Save yourself some trouble and put on one of those 4K drone-shot videos of Paris or something instead; it's legitimately better than this series.

I'll be honest with you: I wanted to flat-out put "Squid Game" on this list because I think it's a dreadful show that has some good moments in Season 1 and takes a sharp downturn from there. Still, it's one of the most popular shows in the history of Netflix as a whole and has earned pretty widespread political acclaim, so I settled for a compromise: I'll talk about how the reality series "Squid Game: The Challenge" is one of the most cravenly evil shows I've ever had the displeasure of watching.

If you are, somehow, not familiar with the basic conceit of "Squid Game," it's this: a bunch of people voluntarily enter a prison-like compound and play children's games — with dangerous and deadly twists — to win a life-changing amount of money. That "deadly" part, though, is important because there can only be one winner, and everyone else will die in the process. Why the powers that be at Netflix thought this should and could translate into a reality competition show is utterly inexplicable to me, and the product is gross. Obviously, nobody dies — though players getting "shot" with paintball guns is a really unsettling nod to how the characters in "Squid Game" typically meet their brutal end — but it's a real-life crowd of people who genuinely need the prize money trying to step on other people to win it. "Squid Game: The Challenge" is sad, grotesque, and a perfect example of how Netflix executives sometimes seem to put their weight behind absolutely anything if they think people will watch it.

To say that Ryan Murphy's shows vary greatly in quality is an understatement, but fortunately for him, his dreadful 2025 series "All's Fair" is on Hulu, so it won't be listed here. Don't worry, though! We've still got a Murphy special on this list in the form of "Ratched," the attempted and ultimately botched backstory of the legendarily sadistic Nurse Ratched from the 1975 film "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" (adapted by director Miloš Forman from Ken Kesey's novel of the same name). Ryan Murphy regular and actress who's too good for this project, Sarah Paulson stars as Mildred Ratched, and it's an understatement to say that she has big shoes to fill considering that Forman's Ratched, Louise Fletcher, won an Oscar for her role ... but even Paulson can't make this wretched series work at all.

Prequels are tricky; the only franchise or creator doing them well that comes to mind immediately is Suzanne Collins, who expands the world of the "Hunger Games" through some genuinely great prequel novels. "Ratched," though, offers nothing new or novel about Mildred Ratched and relies on shock value, senseless gore, and nonsensical plotlines — including one where she's trying to break her murderer foster brother, played by fellow Murphy regular Finn Wittrock, out of Lucia State Hospital. "Ratched" isn't worth your time. It's not really worth anything. Just watch "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" instead.

If it weren't for one big problem, "The Ranch," a series created by Don Reo and Jim Patterson, would just be a middle-of-the-road show that doesn't really matter much in the grand scheme of things. As it stands, though, "The Ranch" is now infamous for serving as a comeback for Danny Masterson alongside his "That '70s Show" co-star Ashton Kutcher. Kutcher and Masterson portray brothers Colt and Rooster Bennett, who help their father, Beau (Sam Elliott), run the titular ranch in Colorado. 

Masterson, in case you forgot or missed this entirely, was convicted in 2023 of brutally sexually assaulting two women — a third assault of a third woman couldn't be decided owing to a hung jury — and, as of this writing, is serving 30 years to life for his crimes. (As a horrifying cherry on top here, Masterson, a devout Scientologist, used Scientology to find his victims.) As a result, "The Ranch" has aged like ranch dressing left out in the sun. Don't revisit "The Ranch," and if you don't want to be completely grossed out by "That '70s Show," maybe avoid that one too. 

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).