On the contrary, I absolutely love the WebOS that came on my TV, and I use it (connected to the internet) regularly. I've often found myself watching YouTube and even browsing NPR and HN (using a TV remote as the only input device) on the TV rather than using my laptop, desktop, or even my iPhone. It's also open source [0] and you can develop your own software for it [1] without needing to submit that software to their app store [2] (though you can do that too [3]).
I bought an LG C2 earlier this year. The ads are impossible to remove, but sufficiently avoidable that I do not regret the purchase.
There is an option to run as a dumb panel, but I haven't tried using it that way.
Setting the TV up normally requires accepting a disconcerting number of EULAs. You can choose to decline some individual terms at the cost of disabling features like voice recognition, but others are required.
The TV's home screen is rife with advertisements, mainly in the form of pre-loaded apps and mandatory content sections like "Top Picks for You" or "Sports Alert." The Verge has screenshots at https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/11/22223767/lg-webos-6-tv-so.... These cannot all be hidden or moved below the fold.
The home screen ads really bothered me when I first unboxed the TV. It was new, and I wanted to explore everything it could do. Once the novelty wore off and I stopped giving a damn about the smart features, it stopped being a problem. For example: you never have to see the home screen. If you're not hooked up to cable or an antenna, the TV boots into a screensaver (a Rothko-esque slideshow by default) from which you can summon an app switcher and jump directly to Netflix / YouTube / etc. This skips the home screen altogether, so you never see those ads. System menus are free from ads to the best of my recollection.
I remain vaguely concerned about background data collection and telemetry.
Most (all?) of the ads can be disabled in the settings. The built-in web browser even includes ad-blocking and cookie blocking options.
General -> AI Service -> AI Recommendation: turn off "Who.Where.What?" and "Content Recommendations" and "Network-Based Personalization Recommendations"
General -> Home Settings: turn off "Home Promotion"
General -> Additional Settings: turn off "Live Plus" and turn on "Do Not Sell My Personal InformationA
General -> Additional Settings -> Advertisement: turn on "Limit AD Tracking"
[0]: https://www.webosose.org
[1]: https://webostv.developer.lge.com
[2]: https://webostv.developer.lge.com/develop/getting-started/de...
[3]: https://webostv.developer.lge.com/distribute/app-approval-pr...