The 10 Worst SF & Fantasy TV Shows Of The Decade

10 HEX
18 episodes • 2004-5 • Sky One

After a pretty decent first series (which at five episodes probably counts as more of a mini-series), Hex lost it big time with its second series. Rarely has a show plummeted in quality so badly. What started out as an enjoyably kinky, British Buffy, descended into a banal, confusing, slightly seedy, desperate-to-titillate mess. The plot – about fallen angels Hell-bent on bringing about a new apocalypse – sounds exciting but never got much further than teenagers shagging, as the overall arc collapsed into a repetitive series of dead ends and cheap gimmicks. Trying to follow the story was pointless because it simply made no sense, as if each writer had to produce their scripts in a vacuum. The second season also featured Ella, the wettest witch in TV history, who was introduced as a kick-ass babe only to spend most of her time weeping. Only the constantly entertaining Jemima Rooper as lesbian ghost Thelma came out of the show with any dignity, which is saying something considering the shamelessly slutty costumes she had to wear.

The nadir: The final episode, the big showdown between good and evil, was such an anticlimax and so inconclusive, most people were left wondering if there was another episode to come. It wasn’t enigmatically interesting just irritatingly inept. Don't take our word for it: here’s a posting from a fan on TV.com: “1. Why did Cassie leave? 2. Why did Azazeal leave? 3. What ever happened to Troy? 4. Was Jo just evil or insane? 5. Was this university of a high school? 6. Did the writers know that this was going to be the series finale? I can't believe that they did, because this was wholly useless as far as finales go!"

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