7 Classic TV Shows With Criminally Low Rotten Tomatoes Scores

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While Rotten Tomatoes isn’t the only source for movie and TV reviews, a lot of people use it to get a quick idea of what most critics think. It’s important to remember that Rotten Tomatoes didn’t become widely popular until after many classic shows had already aired, so viewers familiar with those older programs might be surprised to see how low their scores are on the site.

TV shows often run for several seasons, and Rotten Tomatoes calculates their overall score by averaging positive reviews from all those seasons. Because review opinions can change a lot from season to season, some shows don’t have a single overall critic score, even if they do have an audience score. This scoring system can cause some variation in the scores you’ll see on this list, but every show here has surprisingly low ratings.

7) Friends

Everyone knows Friends – it’s one of the most famous and popular sitcoms ever made, and people still love quoting it today. Even though the show ended over twenty years ago, it continues to attract new viewers, which shows how enduring it is. Because it’s so well-loved, many people assume Friends would have a very high rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Surprisingly, that’s not actually true.

As of today, Friends has a 78

6) Glee

The show Glee had a huge impact on a generation, and many fans actually prefer Glee‘s versions of songs to the original recordings. It launched the careers of several now-famous performers, addressed a wide range of important topics, and received numerous awards. Despite all its success, though, it surprisingly received a low score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Okay, so I was looking at Glee‘s scores on Rotten Tomatoes, and it’s a bit of a mixed bag. Overall, the critics gave it a 70

5) Ally McBeal

Ally McBeal was a hugely influential legal drama of the late 90s and early 2000s, running for five seasons and paving the way for many legal shows that followed. Despite its popularity, the show received mixed reviews, with an overall score of 61

4) Home Improvement

The sitcom Home Improvement was a major hit that made Tim Allen a star. Though it’s not as popular to re-watch today, the show has had a lasting impact on popular culture, with many moments – including Allen’s famous grunt – becoming widely shared memes. While there isn’t an overall critical score for the series, two seasons have ratings on Rotten Tomatoes: season one at 64

3) Saved by the Bell

Originally airing from 1989 to 1993, Saved by the Bell clearly left a big mark on pop culture, inspiring both a sequel and a remake. The show was hugely popular during the 90s, and many teenagers grew up watching Zack, Kelly, and the rest of the Bayside crew. Interestingly, despite its popularity, there aren’t any official critic scores available for the series. However, viewers seem to enjoy it, giving it a 61

Considering how many people enjoyed the show, this number is surprisingly low. It’s possible that viewers who originally rated it have simply moved on as time passed and their tastes changed.

2) Growing Pains

Running for seven seasons with 166 episodes, Growing Pains was a huge hit in the 1980s. Despite its popularity, it didn’t receive consistently positive reviews from critics. While there isn’t an overall score for the series, the first season currently has a rating of just 27

1) Family Guy

Both Family Guy and The Simpsons are hugely important animated comedies for adults, so it’s surprising how much the show’s reviews have changed over the years. For example, Rotten Tomatoes gives season 1 a 46

Ratings for Family Guy vary greatly across seasons: Season 11 and 16 both scored 100

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2025-12-30 03:45