by Dave Griffiths

Created on: February 05, 2013

Over the years there have been some brilliant drama shows on television, but sadly for every great show there seems to be some absolute duds that have come along. Some seem to sink without a trace yet others seem to last a little longer clogging the airwaves while they desperately wait for somebody to watch them. Let’s take a look at some of the worst drama shows to ever surface.

"Nikita" (2010–present): Back in the late 1990s we had "La Femme Nikita," a brilliantly put-together action-drama that was based on the film of the same name. The show was brilliantly written and featured a sassy and tough Nikita played by Australian actress Peta Wilson. Therefore fans of the series were more than excited when it was announced that a revamped "Nikita" would hit television screens in 2010. Sadly, the new show was a complete disappointment, Maggie Q made for one lame Nikita while the writing meant that comparing the two shows was like comparing a secondhand rust bucket with a Ferrari.

"The Strip" (2008): Australia has developed some brilliant police dramas over the years; "Stingers," "Police Rescue" and "Blue Heelers" spring straight to mind, but every now and then it dishes up a complete dud. "The Strip" was supposed to be a sexy police drama set on the sunny Gold Coast that looks a lot like "CSI: Miami." But instead the show, which starred Aaron Jeffrey and Vanessa Grey, was an absolute fizzer that didn’t even last one season due to its weak storylines and poor acting from former soapie stars like Bob Morley.

"Charlie’s Angels"(2011): The retro television series of "Charlie’s Angels" was a must-see and the spin-off movies, starring Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu and Drew Barrymore, were all blockbusters, so surely a modern-day television revamp would be a success, right? Wrong! The producers managed to create a program with some cheesy dialogue that made "MacGyver" look like "Hamlet" and stunts that barely raised a whimper. As a result, the show never managed to gain an audience and the ones that did watch seemed to dislike the new Angels – Rachael Taylor, Minka Kelly and Annie Ilonzeh.

"The Secret Life of an American Teenager" (2008–present): It is hard to believe that "The Secret Life of an American Teenager" is still on the air today, because it is one of the worst shows to ever grace our television screens. The show centers around Amy Juergens (Shailene Woodley) a teenager who way back in season 1 became pregnant. It sounded like it could have been a great teenage drama in the vein of "One Tree Hill" and "Dawson’s Creek." Instead, the writers of the show made it a huge talk-fest that seems to sap any form of drama out of it while the wooden acting (even from seasoned professionals like Molly Ringwald) make every episode an absolute bore to watch.

"Chances" (1991-1992): Australia had been looking for a sexy drama since the demise of "Number 96" and while "Chances" seemed to fill the void for a little while, the show soon lost its way. While young stars such as Jeremy Sims, Peter Phelps and Marcus Graham quickly earned the show a strong fan base, those fans soon tuned out when the storylines turned bizarre and soon featured things as extreme as Nazis. When the fans clicked off, the show was terminated.

The shows mentioned above are some of the worst dramas you are ever likely to come across, so if you ever see them on the shelf of your local DVD shop keep walking and if they happen to appear on your television screen change channels quickly!

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