Hate-watcher

Hate-watching is a sport that used to fall under the broad term "guilty pleasure," but now seems retrofitted for the age of social media. It goes something like this: You watch a show you wouldn't choose to watch for any reason other than to mock it for its awfulness – say, by sharing snide Twitter exchanges with like-minded hate-watchers when the program airs.

How does a freshman show that became infamous for its legion of hate-watchers return for a second season—and still get people to tune in?

Ever since the phenomenon of "hate-watching" emerged – watching a detestable television show and sharing observations about its epic awfulness on social media – I have wondered if there were network execs cynical enough to create a show so bad that the only people who tuned in were hate-watchers.

Mr. [Donald] Trump sees something in the news; he gets made; he tweets; that becomes the news; repeat. He's the Hate-Watcher in Chief.