Bad TV show ideas

Somewhere, someone is pitching a TV show right now. The Department of Doubt has reviewed what it imagines they are pitching. Here are 15 bad TV show ideas, all invented, all harmless, and every one stamped I DON'T THINK SO. Tap any pitch to stamp it yourself.

Reality and competition

1. A cooking competition where nobody is allowed to taste anything. The judges would have to guess. So would the audience.
2. A home makeover show where they only change one light bulb. Calming. The big reveal is a little bit brighter.
3. A dating show for houseplants. The Department checked. Houseplants are not interested.
4. A talent show where every act is someone folding a towel. Quality varies. The final is mostly the same towel.
5. A game show where the prize is finally knowing the rules. The rules are never explained. The prize is never won.

Drama and mystery

1. A detective series where every case is a missing sock. Season one is solved in the washing machine.
2. A heist drama where the team spends every episode arguing about the plan. Realistic. Nothing is ever stolen.
3. A spy thriller where the spy is extremely bad at whispering. The whole mission is over in the opening scene.
4. A courtroom drama about who ate the last biscuit. Gripping, but the evidence was eaten.
5. A space adventure where the ship never leaves the car park. Excellent parking. Very little space.

Bold, confident and wrong

1. A nature documentary about the inside of a fridge. Dramatic music, mostly cheese.
2. A twelve-part series on waiting for the kettle to boil. Each episode is the same three minutes.
3. A sitcom where nothing funny is allowed to happen. The laugh track is just someone sighing.
4. A live show of someone trying to find the remote. You would not be able to change the channel.
5. A talk show where the guests are not allowed to talk. The host does all the work. The ratings do not.

Why these would not get a second season

A TV show has to keep going. A bad idea runs out in one episode: the sock is found, the kettle boils, the light bulb is changed. Good shows give their characters something new to deal with every week. The Department has reviewed the pitches above and found nothing new after minute four.

More rejected pitches

For the big-screen version, see bad movie ideas. The Department has also turned down terrible app ideas, bad business ideas and bad band names, and keeps a list of funny bad ideas. Got a pitch of your own? Stamp it in Stamp Anything. All guides are on the guides page.

Questions about bad TV show ideas

What is a bad TV show idea?

A pitch that sounds fine for one sentence and falls apart by episode two, like "a cooking competition where nobody is allowed to taste anything". The funny ones are harmless and obviously doomed.

Are these real TV shows?

No. Every pitch on this page is invented for a joke and reviewed by the Department of Doubt. Any resemblance to a real show is a coincidence, and probably a worrying one.

What makes a TV show idea work?

Something that can last more than one episode: characters people care about, a situation that keeps changing, and a reason to come back next week. Most of the ideas below have none of those.

Are there bad movie ideas too?

Yes. The Department has reviewed and rejected a full list of bad movie ideas as well. It is linked below.

Part of Bad ideas, officially reviewed.

The Department of Doubt is satire. Every show on this page is invented and meant as a joke. See the satire notice.