There’s a reason traffic tends to slow down near an accident on the road, and it’s not just for the safety and consideration of emergency responders.
The truth is humans sometimes just can’t look away from the car crash in front of them. The same applies to certain TV shows.
Whether we like it or not, and perhaps against our better judgment, hate-watching is a major part of media consumption these days. Plenty of viewers rubberneck various TV shows they don’t exactly enjoy for the acting, cinematography, or plot, and some even tune in because they outright despise everyone and everything on their TV screen.
Whether out of morbid curiosity, a burning desire to criticize a piece of popular media, or simply because it’s become part of their routine and it’s too late to turn back now, hate-watching has transformed how we consume television. It’s even become a social experience for many TV fans, especially online where people can bond over their shared love-to-hate relationship with a series, storyline, or character.
From over-acted teen melodramas featuring preposterous plot twists and genre swaps, to guilty pleasure romantic comedy series with annoying leads, garishly over-the-top fashion, and unrealistic payoffs, sometimes we can’t help but love a TV show for just how much we hate it.
10 TV Shows People Love to Hate-Watch
From off-the-rails teen dramas to butchered spinoffs of beloved legacy series, audiences can’t get enough of hate-watching these so-bad-they’re-good TV shows.
Gallery Credit: Erica Russell
READ MORE: The Weirdest Ways Actors Were Written Off TV Shows
TV Shows We Used to Love That Are Cringe Now
We can’t say why we liked these shows, but we can certainly say why we can’t watch them now.
Gallery Credit: Emma Stefansky