Welcome to our annual anti-Emmys telecast — the awards show that celebrates the least, the last and the lost. There’s no hype here, no celebration here. These are 2016’s anti-winners, shows that were vivid reminders that not all that glitters is necessarily gold.
Congratulations to all. This wasn’t easy, but you made it look easy.
These shows didn’t go far. These shows were unloved by critics. But these shows were interesting for the most part. Interesting failures are always better than boring failures, so … you are all winners!
(A program note: These are only the shows I actually watched this year. Don’t take it personally. There’s only so much time in the misbegotten day.)
15. “Vinyl,” HBO
Promise: Jagger! Scorsese! Cannavale! HBO! The ’70s rock scene! New York!!!
Reality: Replace those “!” with “?” and we can begin this discussion. “Vinyl” was an idea in search of a story — or a story worth caring about.