The Most Controversial TV Shows Of 2024, Ranked By Outrage

The Show: Quiet on Set focuses on the accusations of abuse and controlling behavior by Dan Schneider during the height of his power at Nickelodeon. In addition, it raises troubling questions about the nature of child acting in Hollywood. 

The Controversy: Despite receiving praise for the way it revealed the uglier secrets of the entertainment industry, Quiet on Set wasn’t without its detractors, some of whom included its very interview subjects. Both Raquel Lee Bolleau and Alexa Nikolas, for example, took the show to task for leaving out important context and information, going on to accuse the series of using their own trauma in an exploitative way meant to mine the story for more salacious appeal. They also claimed they were lured into the interviews using false pretenses, and they ultimately felt more horrified than validated by the final product.

For his part, Dan Schneider defended himself against the accusations lodged in the documentary series, going on to sue the show for defamation. 

The Show: Ryan Murphy’s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story focuses on the title characters, who were sentenced to life imprisonment in 1996 for the brutal murder of their parents. The series chronicles the events of the murder itself, the circumstances, and the aftermath, in the process providing insight into the brothers’ motives as well as the others involved in the case.

The Controversy: Any true crime story is almost certainly going to ignite controversy, and Monsters is no exception. Most of the criticism surrounding the show focuses on Murphy's tendency to lean into the salacious side of true crime, as he did in the previous season focusing on Jeffrey Dahmer. The series also flirts with the idea the brothers may have had an incestuous relationship, though there’s no evidence this was the case. 

Unsurprisingly, the Menendezes themselves spoke out against the show, with Erik being particularly vocal about how it portrays them and their motives.

The Show: X-Men '97 is a continuation of the popular X-Men animated series from the 1990s. In this case, Professor Xavier, who has been taken to space to be healed after an assassination attempt, is no longer leading the X-Men. Instead, the task falls to none other than Magneto, and the series, like its predecessor, uses the stories of this group of superheroes to explore contemporary problems and issues in the real world.

The Controversy: X-Men '97 ended up being at the center of no small amount of controversy after series creator and head writer Beau DeMayo was fired (after having finished writing two seasons). DeMayo’s comments about everything from whitewashing to a character’s nonbinary identity had attracted attention from fans, much of it unfortunately negative.

The circumstances of his firing were shrouded in mystery. While DeMayo claimed it was because of a gay pride post he put on social media, Marvel claims it was because of gross misconduct turned up during an investigation. 

The Show: Time Bandits is based on the film of the same name by Terry Gilliam. The center of the film is young history nerd Kevin, whose life is turned more than a little upside down when he joins a group of thieves and ends up going on an adventure across time and space.

The Controversy: Despite being a family-friendly series, Time Bandits had more than its fair share of controversy. Much of it centered around accusations by actor Charlyne Yi, who claimed they were physically assaulted and psychologically abused by an actor on the set. They subsequently argued they were forced to quit so the studio could protect its own image and that of the production and that they were denied workers’ compensation. 

The studio acknowledged that steps were taken to address Yi’s concerns, though a source close to the show pushed back on the claim Yi was coerced into quitting.

The Show: Batman: Caped Crusader is an animated series focusing on the superhero as he fights against corruption in Gotham City. The series is notable for the extent to which it draws on a noir sensibility, both in terms of its visual aesthetic and in the way it explores the deep psychology of its various characters. 

The Controversy: The series makes a number of changes to the traditional Batman characters, arguably none more so than the Penguin. Though this particular villain has been male in past iterations, in this version the Penguin is a woman, Oswalda Cobblepot, voiced by Minne Driver. This gender-swapping aroused quite a lot of criticism among some elements of the fan base.

For her part, Minnie Driver defended the change, arguing that the version still stays true to the characters’ fundamental traits and expressing hope viewers would look at Oswalda with a more open mind.

The Show: In some ways the docuseries Mr. McMahon is as outlandish as its subject. Like many other productions produced in the #MeToo era, this one focuses a great deal on the accusations of sexual misconduct that have been lodged against Vince McMahon, the co-founder of the modern WWE. 

The Controversy: Despite his own participation in the documentary, McMahon publicly accused it of being a deceptive presentation of him, his life, and his career. He took particular issue with the way the series seemed to blur the line between his real self and his wrestling persona.

However, the attorney for Janel Grant, one of those who accused McMahon of various types of assault, praised the series for bringing his reprehensible actions to light.