The worst New Year's Eve show in history, where everything that could go wrong went wrong

New Year’s Eve programs have become standardized. After all, they are very aware that they barely have a real audience: they serve either for lonely people who will go to bed after the twelve chimes, or as a backdrop for a home celebration where they serve as background music and little more. However, sometimes something happens that makes everything go haywire. A true television outrage, an impossible program made real, a rare bird that stands out for how horrendous it is. This is what happened in 2013, when Jamie Kennedy set up, almost unintentionally, […]

End-of-year programs have become standardized. After all, they are very aware that they barely have a real audience: they either serve lonely people who will go to bed after the twelve chimes, or they act as a backdrop for a home celebration where they serve as background music and little more. However, sometimes something happens that makes everything go haywire. A true television outrage, an impossible program made real, a rare bird that stands out for how horrendous it is. This is what happened in 2013, when Jamie Kennedy almost unintentionally created the worst special in television history.

Do you like terrifying specials?

You may be wondering who Jamie Kennedy is, and why he was given a New Year’s Eve special dedicated to him. Well, you might recognize him as Randy Meeks, the know-it-all from the Scream franchise, or as the creator of the reality show The Jamie Kennedy Experiment. Always trying to take everything to the extreme, on the last night of 2012 and the first of 2013, two independent television stations in Orange County and Sacramento trusted him to welcome the new year. In his own way, of course.

Live, from the Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles, Kennedy massacred the concept of a New Year’s Eve special, causing horror among the few who watched it. In his defense, and as he stated later, he always wanted to do an “anti-New Year’s Eve show” without rehearsing and impossible to predict, but really, besides that, it was also filled with technical errors (“Come on, man, don’t mess with me” and “Where’s the guy with the camera?”, could be heard right at the start), with sketches that made no sense, problems between the direction and the host, microphones that constantly appeared in the shot… And I wish this were the worst.

At one point, the press agents of Carl’s Jr, which was one of the event’s sponsors, saw how someone was forced to eat a Turkey Jalapeño Burger in the most sexual way possible. You can imagine the anger. The people from the Commerce casino in Los Angeles didn’t fare well either, as Kennedy portrayed a Mayan trying to win back his fortune playing poker in a tremendously racist and indescribable sketch. You would think that, at least, he would welcome the new year as tradition dictates, right? Well,…

To begin with, Macy Gray came out to sing at 11:50 PM thinking it was 11:15 PM, and as soon as she finished, Kennedy started the countdown, but since he couldn’t find a clock anywhere, he ended up ten seconds late. And after New Year’s Eve? Terribly risqué jokes (including a puppet show about rapes) and a fight on stage. Even on New Year’s Eve, no one was drunk enough to tolerate such a thing. Interesting from an artistic point of view? Maybe. But from pure entertainment? Not at all.

There are those who, in hindsight, compared it to the disaster that was the Star Wars Holiday Special, and those who pointed out that, regardless of what Kennedy wanted to create, it was certainly not the final result. You might be surprised, but the following year no one called Jamie Kennedy to do his show on television. After the disaster, he wasn’t even very surprised that he couldn’t wish for a chaotic year 2014. However, years later he added a reality: “We wanted it to be a mess. Did we know it was going to be that bad? No. But if we had done it well, would I be talking to you now? I didn’t stab anyone, I didn’t shoot anyone, I just made a New Year’s special. Is that so bad?”. Well, it depends on who you ask, for sure.

Gen Z still wants to watch movies. The problem is that they no longer represent them

The UCLA Center for Academics and Narrators presented its annual report on adolescents and screens, titled Get Real: Relatability on Demand. This study offers surprising findings about the tastes and preferences of young media consumers. According to the report, teenagers and young people seek authentic representation and an emotional connection with the content they consume. They want characters to be like them. The research reveals that young people increasingly value authenticity in characters and narratives. As diversity and inclusion become central themes in content production, teenagers […]

The UCLA Center for Academics and Narrators presented its annual report on teenagers and screens, titled Get Real: Relatability on Demand. This study offers surprising findings about the tastes and preferences of young media consumers. According to the report, teenagers and young people seek authentic representation and an emotional connection with the content they consume.

Let them be like me

The research reveals that young people increasingly value authenticity in characters and narratives. As diversity and inclusion become central themes in content production, teenagers show a growing desire to see themselves reflected in what they watch on screens and digital platforms. This phenomenon highlights the need for content creators to understand and respond to these demands from young people.

Among the most notable findings, the report indicates that teenagers prefer stories that highlight real experiences and everyday challenges, rather than idealized or decontextualized narratives. This trend may influence the future production of series, movies, and video games, where stories need to be more representative and allow for a deeper connection with the youth audience.

The implications of this study are significant for the entertainment and technology industry. Content developers will need to adjust their strategies to capture the attention of a generation that seeks not only to be entertained but also to resonate with their experiences and realities. As the media ecosystem continues to evolve, authenticity will establish itself as a fundamental criterion in the creation of content aimed at young people.

The 5 best cliffhangers in television history

There was a time when television was not consumed like fast food, and it needed some way to hook people from episode to episode. To ensure that when a season ended, they would be there for the next one because they needed to know how everything continued. The technique was not invented by television, of course: cliffhangers had existed since the paperback novel and were later adopted by movie serials, where the protagonists always ended up in an impossible situation from which they possibly could not survive. Or could they? Come back next week to find out! But, without a doubt, if […]

There was a time when television was not consumed like fast food, and it needed some way to hook people from episode to episode. To ensure that when a season ended, they would be there for the next one because they needed to know how everything continued. The technique was not invented by television, of course: cliffhangers have existed since the pocket novel and were later adopted by movie serials, where the protagonists always ended up in an impossible situation from which they possibly could not survive. Or could they? Tune in next week to find out!

But, without a doubt, if anyone has taken the cliffhanger to the level of art, it is television, which over the years has created more and more implausible situations that leave you on the edge of your seat wondering what just happened. Today we are going to review 5 times an episode left us wanting more and more, spending days (in the best case) or months (in the worst) until the question was resolved. Ready to dive into a sea of memories and frustration? Let’s go!

24 – The president is behind it all

The fifth season of 24 was the craziest of all, right from its first scene, where they killed off memorable characters that had been with viewers since the first of Jack Bauer’s endless days. However, things kept escalating and escalating until the end of episode 16, where we discovered that behind all the scheming, evil deeds, and plots was Charles Logan, the very President of the United States, who became the ultimate villain. The series peaked here, and it was impossible to reach this level of surprise mixed with genuine fascination again. A marvel.

Friends – I Take You, Rachel

In the summer of 1998, I watched this last minute of season 4 over and over like a crazy person, repeating that “I take you, Rachel” and letting it engrave in my memory as a canonical event. It was the first time, I think, that a television series really left me in suspense, not knowing what was going to happen next. By the way, in that same episode, it was revealed that Chandler and Monica had a night of passion, which led to one of the best couples in sitcom history. If Friends was incredible, what the hell.

Paradise – We live where we live

Last season we had all kinds of crazy TV cliffhangers, from the incredible surprise of Sugar to, of course, the ending of the first episode of Paradise, where it was revealed that the two timelines of the series were divided between life before living locked in an underground city and after, with very few having survived the end of the world. If after that ending you don’t want to keep watching to see what happens next, then nothing can surprise you anymore.

Lost – We have to go back!

We spent 3 seasons trying to escape from the island of Lost, and the mysteries piled up until the creators decided to blow everything up by revealing that Jack’s flashback was actually a flash-forward to the future, where he meets Kate and says the iconic line “We have to go back!”. No matter the more disappointing moments the series gave us later on: just for experiencing this surprise live, the journey was worth it.

Game of Thrones – The Rains of Castamere

If you had read the novels, you knew what was about to happen in the famous Red Wedding. In the penultimate episode of season 3 of Game of Thrones, everything blew up suddenly during the wedding of Edmure Tully and Roslin Frey. There, Robb Stark and his people are murdered and, in the end, Catelyn’s throat is slit. An unfair but very crazy ending. So much so that it was the only thing talked about for months. We all thought that, like in the books, Catelyn would return as Lady Stoneheart, but nothing happened, leaving us sad and heartbroken throughout Westeros.

Your big mistake leading up to Christmas: ignoring the television of a lifetime

A recent report from LG Ad Solutions reveals that 32% of television users in the United States find traditional television ads useful for getting information about holiday gifts, while a slightly higher percentage, 34%, feel the same about ads on streaming platforms. This study was conducted among 1,243 American adults over 18 years old with access to internet-connected television during June 2025, reflecting a representative sample of the U.S. census by age and gender. Without TV and without beer, Homer loses his mind With the holiday season approaching […]

A recent report from LG Ad Solutions reveals that 32% of television users in the United States find traditional television ads useful for obtaining information about holiday gifts, while a slightly higher percentage, 34%, feels the same about ads on streaming platforms. This study was conducted among 1,243 American adults over 18 years old with access to internet-connected television during June 2025, reflecting a representative sample of the U.S. census by age and gender.

Without TV and without beer, Homer loses his mind

With the holiday season in sight, brands and advertisers must take into account the growth of streaming when planning their advertising campaigns. Research suggests that CTV ads (connected television) offer an effective combination of entertainment and relevance, which can capture viewers’ attention more effectively than traditional methods. To maximize impact, it is recommended to adapt the creativity of campaigns by creating content that integrates gift guides, limited-time offers, and shoppable videos.

The rise of streaming has drastically changed the advertising landscape. Today’s consumers seek more interactive and personalized experiences, and ads that deliver useful and entertaining content are more likely to resonate with the audience. Therefore, those who underestimate the potential of connected TV at this time of year could miss a valuable opportunity to connect with their target audience.

The report also highlights that streaming ads are becoming an essential tool for marketers, as they meet viewer intent in a space where relevance and utility intersect. As we enter the holiday shopping season, it will be interesting to see how brands implement these strategies in their marketing campaigns.

No one talks about this series, but it's the strangest thing I've ever seen in my life

What is the strangest series you have ever heard of? It could be a strange concept like Heil Honey, I’m Home!, a sitcom where Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun turn out to be alive and are neighbors of a Jewish couple. Or maybe My Mother, The Car, where a woman, upon dying, becomes her son’s family car, a bit like Knight Rider but with humor (and love). Or, for example, have you heard of Manimal, the series about a professor who could turn into an animal to help the […]

What is the strangest series you have ever heard of? It could be a bizarre concept like Heil Honey, I’m Home!, a sitcom where Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun turn out to be alive and are neighbors of a Jewish couple. Or perhaps My Mother, The Car, in which a woman, upon dying, becomes her son’s family car, a bit like Knight Rider but with humor (and love). Or, for example, have you heard of Manimal, the series about a professor who could turn into animals to help the police solve crimes? Well, all of them pale in comparison to the oddity we are going to show you today.

They come from another world!

The list of bizarre shows is inevitable, from Mr. Smith, where a talking orangutan becomes a genius, to Teen Angel, where a teenager dies from eating a hamburger that was six months expired and returns to Earth as an angel to protect his best friend. Well, none of them will seem as strange as Aliens in the Family, a comedy that seems to have come from the intergalactic television of Rick and Morty and that, despite everything, had an incredible team behind it that could have turned it into a cult series if it had premiered today.

True to its title, Aliens in the Family introduces us to a single father, Doug, who meets a single mother, Cookie. What’s the problem? She is an alien with alien children, and now they have to try to live a normal life on Earth after their parents get married. Of course, the family consists of one boy and two human teenagers and three aliens who have no choice but to coexist. It may seem bizarre and you might wonder who greenlit such nonsense… until you see who is behind it.

Aliens in the Family is a creation of Jim Henson’s company, which was sold in a package along with the more interesting Muppets Tonight, which did last two seasons. What was the problem? That ABC wanted the Muppets, but not this other strange series, and they didn’t give it a chance: after airing two episodes in its TGIF format (a couple of hours of comedy every Friday night), they quickly pulled it and let it die four months later on Saturday mornings. And of course, it was never heard from again.

That said, those who saw it at the time as adults now remember it as little more than an aberration and a senselessness as original as it was failed, with humor similar to that of Family Guy (which would start three years later). In fact, although it wasn’t being sought, even at that time it was compared to Martian Chronicles, which had premiered just a couple of months earlier and did indeed go down in history (with no less than 6 seasons and 139 episodes).

The series would be absolutely lost if it weren’t for the work of the Internet Archive, which has it well preserved. And it has hardly been re-aired, there is no physical edition and streaming services seem to have the slightest interest in it. Who knows? What if we are looking at a cult series? Spoiler: it only takes watching a couple of videos to realize that, no matter how much Jim Henson is behind it, this is a horror.