Top 10 Worst CGI Effects on TV
TV CGI can often be a bit wonky, but these shows took it to another level of bad! For this list, we’ll be looking at the lowest points of computerized special effects shown on television, though we won't be including TV movies on our list. Our countdown includes The Dragons from “Once Upon a Time” (2011-18), The Submarine from “Lost” (2004-10), The Leviathans from “Supernatural” (2005-20), Flash & Fuerza’s Fight Against Psych from “The Flash” (2014-), and more! What’s the worst CGI you’ve seen on TV? Let us know in the comments.
#10: Lazarus
“Doctor Who” (1963-89; 2005-)
For a show that’s been on as long as “Doctor Who,” you’d think that the special effects would’ve improved over the years. Sure, if you compare the likes of the original back in the 20th century to what we have now, there’s certainly been improvement. Yet even still, the show has tended to lean on the cheese a bit when it comes to CGI. One notable example comes in season three’s “The Lazarus Experiment.” In a “fountain of youth” experiment gone wrong, Professor Richard Lazarus turns into some kind of creature. Looking more like something out of “Doom,” it completely kills the episode, making us wonder what they were trying to do here.
#9: The Submarine
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“Lost” (2004-10)
For shows that air on broadcast TV, the budgets and timeline for special effects are often slim. Producing upwards of twenty-four episodes a year is costly, so CGI is often left to more cost-saving production houses. Such was the case with ABC’s “Lost.” Things like the smoke monster, or even some of the polar bears weren’t always great, but viewers could tolerate it. One particularly poor showing of special effects was the departure of the Dharma Initiative’s submarine. Clearly done on a shoestring budget, the sub looks like something out of a bad 1990s video game. The contrast of the clearly fake CGI against the very real jungle background makes it stand out for all the wrong reasons.
#8: The Deer
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“The Walking Dead” (2010-)
Often as a show stays on the air longer, the budgets get bigger and allow for better effects. So with plenty of zombies and more than its fair share of fights, there’s no doubt that much of the money spent on “The Walking Dead” goes towards locations and makeup. The lack of effort put into its CGI was on full display in season seven’s “Say Yes.” As Rick climbs up a fallen ferris wheel, he’s got his sights on a deer. The only problem is that it looks like it was literally copied and pasted from somewhere else. The detail is way off, and the fur looks like a smudged pencil crayon. Rick may have spared it but we weren’t so lucky.
#7: The Leviathans
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“Supernatural” (2005-20)
For any show that wants to depict various types of supernatural entities, there’s going to be a combination of both makeup and CGI. With the latter, it can be hit and miss. Such was the case for the “Supernatural’s” season seven baddies, the Leviathans. It’s hard to take these villains seriously after they open their “mouths.” Instead of being frightened, we can’t help but chuckle at the low-grade special effects being used to try and convince us they’re real. Even at this point in the show they should’ve had enough money to spring for something a little more convincing.
#6: The Deer Sucker
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“Smallville” (2001-11)
Special effects have come a long way over the years, but there seems to be one thing they can’t quite get right: eating. When Amy Adams guest-starred in season one of “Smallville,” we were subjected to a really terrible moment when her character Jodi stretches her jaw and bites into a deer. Even with the effects of 2001 it still looks laughable. Sure, we know it’s TV but what should be somewhat scary is more like a joke gone bad. We’re reminded of the guinea pig moment in 1983’s “V,” you know, back in the early days of CGI.
#5: Crowd Fire
“Spartacus” (2010-13)
It’s expensive enough trying to deliver a period piece in episodic television. With all the costumes, set pieces and practical effects required, it leaves very little room for high-quality CGI. During season two’s “Libertus” episode, “Spartacus” gives us a fabulous battle scene in the arena which ultimately is undermined by atrocious CGI. Sure, closeups are clearly real, but watching the crowd give way to the fire from a distance immediately suspends any belief in what you’re seeing. They try to cover this up by cutting to and from closer reaction shots, but every time you see the wide crowd and burning seats, all you can do is shake your head at how fake it looks.
#4: Flash & Fuerza’s Fight Against Psych
“The Flash” (2014-)
All cards on the table, the “Arrowverse” has been iffy over the years with their use of CGI. “The Flash” in particular has had some pretty bad moments. Team Flash’s use of Firestorm in season two was pretty awful but our pick for the show’s worst effects comes in mid-season seven. Suspended mid-air by Psych, Barry looks more like a stick figure than the Flash. Then to add insult to injury, we get their version of Fuerza, who looks more like a badly drawn Hulk with purple tights and long hair. Sure, it’s TV CGI, but even still, there’s no way this friend of the Flash looks even remotely realistic.
#3: The Dragons
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“Once Upon a Time” (2011-18)
Fun fact: “Once Upon a Time” and “Game of Thrones” both debuted in 2011. Any guesses as to which show had the better CGI for its dragons? Given that the latter had less than half the total episodes of the former, it’s easy to see where the money went. Since “Once Upon a Time” averaged about twenty-two episodes a season, it didn’t leave a lot of money left for great special effects. One of the most notable shortcomings came in season four when Lily is seen as a dragon. The shot doesn’t last very long, but the graphics are so bad, it’s impossible to suspend any kind of disbelief looking at that cartoonish figure.
#2: The Dinosaurs
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“Terra Nova” (2011)
When Steven Spielberg gave us “Jurassic Park” all the way back in 1993, he essentially wrote the book on what dinosaurs should look like when depicted on-screen. Ever since then, any prehistoric creature shown to audiences has always been compared to that movie. So when “Terra Nova” came out on Fox, audiences were sorely disappointed by what they saw. Although the show did gain some praise for its effects, watching it now is cringeworthy. Not only do they look awful, but when contrasted against any of the characters, it’s pretty clear the actors are playing to a tennis-ball and were never in any real peril.
#1: Medusa’s Hair
“Inhumans” (2017)
Originally slated to be a full movie, “Inhumans” landed as a short-run series on ABC back in 2017. It was torn apart by the critics for the dull characters, flat story, and laughable special effects. One particular aspect of the CGI that irritated both viewers and critics was that of Medusa’s hair in the first episode. Whether she’s trying to hide Black Bolt’s alarm or strangling someone, it all looked so incredibly fake. It may have been passable if the entire character was computer generated. But given that there’s an actual actor in these scenes, it just makes the effects unbearable to watch.
