When TV turns sour: the shows we simply can’t stomach any more

The useful part

They were once the hottest shows on television – gripping, sexy, hilarious, zeitgeisty. For our writers, the likes of America's Next Top Model, House of Cards and The Office are now part of their viewing history they feel tainted by. When I think of the summer holidays when I was a teenager, I think of watching America's Next Top Model for hours on end, critiquing each contestant with my sister.

How it works

• I hadn't watched America's Next Top Model since I was young, but like many, I recently watched Netflix's excellent series, Reality Check:
• It was the strangest sensation, rewatching episodes I hadn't seen in more than two decades.
• How could I not find these scenes of models collapsing with hunger utterly abhorrent?
• I wondered what influence watching a show that celebrated eating disorders had on my own brain.
• I can't watch America's Next Top Model any more, nor do I want to.

What to take from it

The makeover episode was always my favourite: girls sobbing as their hair was cropped short, or even shaved off. At the time, Tyra Banks seemed like a big sister, giving the contestants the tough love they'd need to succeed in a ferociously competitive industry.

Details worth keeping

I think the residual taint of it is still there.