Letdowns of 2013: Why ‘True Blood,’ ‘Dexter,’ ‘Big Brother 15,’ and ‘American idol’ disappointed (vote)

For our latest edition in CarterMatt’s Best of 2013 series, we’re actually looking at something that does not really qualify as the “best” at all. We’re talking instead about the disappointments, or the shows that we had a lot of faith in going into this year, but completely let us down.

The major qualifications here are simple: We had to go into them with at least a certain expectation, and this was not met on any level. There is a distinction between Most Disappointing Show (what you are voting on here) and Worst Show of 2013, and you’re not going to likely see any crossover between the two lists. That is the one silver lining that these shows have: There are some out there that are even worse.

American Idol (Fox) – Oh, how the mighty face-planted this year. “American Idol,” once the crown jewel in Fox’s lineup, was a boring and at time unwatchable mess during season 12. Despite having a few great singers (Candice Glover, Kree Harrison, Janelle Arthur), it was a ballad party every week with songs we’ve heard a million times, terrible judging from people who didn’t really want to be there, and an atrocious lineup of guys that made it feel stacked so that a girl would win this season. The only reason that “The X Factor” is not on this list is because we never really had any expectations for season 3 to be good.

Basketball Wives (VH1) – Yes, it’s a ridiculous reality show that was created intentionally to just capitalize on the “wives” fanaticism. But, somehow VH1 managed to screw this up and make it even worse. Watching the downfall of Evelyn Lozada was depressing, and Tami was struggling with deep emotional problems as well as her mother battling cancer and there was nothing else that really could cheer you up afterwards. To also make matters worse, you had the contrast of these serious, real-life problems with Tasha Marbury complaining about birthday party etiquette. Seriously.

Big Brother (CBS) – Everyone was so excited about a season of all new players, especially us as a big-time fan of the show and its live feeds. But then came the racism, then came the elimination of Nick Uhas week 2, then came Elissa being our last hope, then came bad gameplay decisions, then came more racism, then came the worst final three of all time with the most annoying alliance of all time, and then came the houseguests trying to justify their racism after the show. What an awful, awful season this was, and now, everyone’s begging for an all-stars and we’ll probably never see an all new cast ever again.

The Crazy Ones (CBS) – A great idea. A great cast. Robin Williams! Kelly Clarkson in a cameo! The problem here is different than the previous three shows in that “The Crazy Ones” is a show that we expected to be amazing; instead, it’s merely okay, and it feels too often like an opportunity for everyone to just stand around awkwardly and let Robin do improv. We wanted to see at least something a little more enticing on a weekly basis.

Dexter (Showtime) – The worst series finale in recent memory. You didn’t provide closure for the supporting characters, you continued the ridiculous Hannah McKay – Argentina nonsense that never had the emotional punch people were looking for, and then you (SPOILER) killed Deb, had Dexter abandon Harrison, and made Dexter into a lumberjack. Basically, season 4 Dexter wants to lock this final season up in a kill room forever. What a sad way to end what was once a great show.

The Michael J. Fox Show (NBC) – This is “The Crazy Ones” all over again. you have great actors in Michael J. Fox and Betsy Brandt, and you expect some sort of wonderful, funny family sitcom. Instead, you have what is basically an ordinary family sitcom that suffers from some major flaws. There’s just not enough to Fox’s character, and while Brandt is the best part of the show by a mile, she can only do so much.

True Blood (HBO) – Sit back and realize that out of these ten episodes, it took a good six or seven of them to even have most of the main characters around each other. “True Blood” was never as good as “Dexter,” but it used to be a blast. Season 6 felt for a good while like a chore. There was improvement at the end, but that can’t make up for having to sit through those Alcide / Sam Merlotte stories … or continuing to make Lafayette into the “friend.”

The results of the poll will be announced on Friday, December 20, along with all of the other categories that were a part of these awards this year.