27 best horror shows to watch (and 14 shows you should skip)

Horror shows: Ratched

• Seasons: 1
• Created by: Evan Romansky, developed by Ryan Murphy
• Starring: Sarah Paulson, Finn Wittrock, Cynthia Nixon, Jon Jon Briones, Charlie Carver, Judy Davis and Sharon Stone
• Streaming: Netflix

Based on the iconic villain Nurse Ratched from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Ratched is meant to be some sort of origin story for the character. I find it strange that the show takes such a sympathetic approach to a character we know becomes a horrible person, and that’s just one of many reasons the recent series fell so flat.

Set in 1947, Nurse Mildred Ratched arrives in Northern California seeking a new job at a psychiatric hospital where unsettling experiments have been taking place on unwilling patients. Mildred appears to be the picture-perfect nurse, but we all know there is something much darker brewing beneath the surface. Unfortunately, the show can’t decide if Ratched is supposed to be the hero or the villain, it’s hard to root for her when we know the kind of person she eventually becomes.

That said, the show is beautiful and stylish to look at it with great production design and excellent performances from the majority of the cast. But otherwise, most of it falls prey to those plot holes and inconsistencies Ryan Murphy has become known for, especially in his horror shows. If you do enjoy the show, there is another season on the way.

Verdict: SKIP