What TV shows started off terrible and managed to become good?
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In season 1 I was constantly thinking of dropping it because it felt like every single generic procedural cop show. By the end of it got interesting enough to give season 2 a try. By the end of the series it turned into my favorite show of all time with Season's 3 finale probably being my favorite TV episode of all time as well.
Oh man, I miss weekly Person of Interest so much...
The first Blackadder is very much the black sheep (*rimshot*) due to how dimwitted he is and how much of the humor plays off that. All three later versions are significantly more intelligent and the humor in each focuses more on them reacting to and getting screwed by the shenanigans of the worlds around them.
But it does introduce Santa's Little Helper in the season finale, so it has that.
I would say Stargate SG1 and Stargate Universe both get better in season2 and beyond, though sg1 is mostly due to Showtime realizing it wasn't meant to be dark and gritty and only took about half a season
Rurouni Kenshin - very meh anime that does a complete 180 starting at episode 28.
Babylon 5 was also very rough with flashes of brilliance in S1, but doesn't really get going until Sheridan replaces Sinclair.
Babylon 5 was also very rough with flashes of brilliance in S1, but doesn't really get going until Sheridan replaces Sinclair.
And the metajoke that as each Blackadder gets more intelligent, he also becomes less important in the world.
OP
OP
That was the same for me when I first tried watching the show a couple of years ago. I finally managed to make it past the early seasons by watching it on my phone at work during my breaks and when gaming.
I didnt think it was terrible at the start. Reese was hamming it up a little bit, but all of the Anniston/Carrell stuff landed right from the start. It certainly improved as it went though.
Definitely not terrible, but I was surprised by Jericho's transition to greatness partway through season 1. The first half is full of relationship drama filler, then halfway through, it switches to being really plot-driven and it doesn't let up until it was cancelled at the end of season 2. It was okay at first but becomes legit one of my favorite shows at that point.
The end of season 1 gives me chills.
The end of season 1 gives me chills.
Maybe I'm biased because it is my favorite show, but there's plenty of good in S1 even if there are some clunkers.
Feel the same way about other struggled-to-get-going shows being cited here like Fringe and TNG. People cite Breaking Bad also but I thought S1 was great.
I think I agree on Buffy though. I swapped it for B5 with my wife and we really struggled with S1. She likes cheesy horror so it worked better for her. I don't feel like it actually got good until season 2.
Person of Interest....man. I hate procedurals but I liked the show right away though. I felt like it showed a lot of interest early on but then again I'm a computer guy who works in IT security and loves sci-fi so...easy for me to love.
Oddly enough almost all of these shows mentioned are in my top 10. No one mentioned Angel though...I can't remember S1 well enough but I loved the show.
How did I not think of TVD when it's one of my favorite shows? The first two episodes become much better on a rewatch, but they were so cheesy we dropped the series for a while and pushed ourselves to try it again... only to find it to be one of our favorite series of all time. S3 was nearly done at that time so we started waiting for whole seasons to air before watching them, and it was tough to do but so worth it. If you're ever down in GA (from what I recall you're in the PNW), definitely go to Covington for the Vampire Diaries tour, it's amazing.
Yep, Underage drinking and Charlie got molested are still among the best episodes.
Classic Tammy!
Let me tell you about a show called Nikita
Nikita is a CW show just like any other. Ludicrously attractive people (Maggie Q goddamn), romantic subplots that are beyond forced and full of revenge, surprisingly enough it has really good action scenes, a lot of corny dialogue and acting.
But then S2 becomes "Yo say what?" and goes full ham. Becomes legit good and by the end becomes the most wild ass spy-fi show you ever did see. Brain washed sleeper agents controlled by cell phone signals? Back alley brain surgery mind wiping? Space laser activated body melting nanites?
And fuck that fiance revenge shit. You won't even remember his name. Show is bonkers.
Nikita is a CW show just like any other. Ludicrously attractive people (Maggie Q goddamn), romantic subplots that are beyond forced and full of revenge, surprisingly enough it has really good action scenes, a lot of corny dialogue and acting.
But then S2 becomes "Yo say what?" and goes full ham. Becomes legit good and by the end becomes the most wild ass spy-fi show you ever did see. Brain washed sleeper agents controlled by cell phone signals? Back alley brain surgery mind wiping? Space laser activated body melting nanites?
And fuck that fiance revenge shit. You won't even remember his name. Show is bonkers.
Absolutely not. All that character and world building is relevant. All of it is called back to for plot.
Spartacus
The first season was trash. Sometimes enjoyable trash, but mostly just plain old trash trash. Then the main actor got cancer (of which he eventually died, RIP) and to retain the show, they made a prequel series called Gods of the Arena. Turns out that was actually the best thing to ever happen to the show, because that prequel series was damn good and positively influenced every season after that.
The first season was trash. Sometimes enjoyable trash, but mostly just plain old trash trash. Then the main actor got cancer (of which he eventually died, RIP) and to retain the show, they made a prequel series called Gods of the Arena. Turns out that was actually the best thing to ever happen to the show, because that prequel series was damn good and positively influenced every season after that.
Can't say The 100 enough.
When it started and Octavia arrives on Earth with her "We're back bitches!", I -knew- it was going to be terrible.
By the end of season 1 they were already improving, and then mid season 2 we get a major whiplash and the series just became an amazing wild ride.
Now looking forward to season 7, its (apparently) last.
Wanheda for life!
When it started and Octavia arrives on Earth with her "We're back bitches!", I -knew- it was going to be terrible.
By the end of season 1 they were already improving, and then mid season 2 we get a major whiplash and the series just became an amazing wild ride.
Now looking forward to season 7, its (apparently) last.
Wanheda for life!
Smallville. The show initially was a very standard monster of the week with the same repetitive plot of someone getting powers from stray Kryptonite. Thankfully the show moved past that by the end of season 1.
I agree with Legend of Tomorrow and Person of Interest. The former wanted to be a serious team up show that just wasn't good and instead turned up the ham and sillyness to 11 and became one of the most fun to watch shows out there, because the showrunners just do whatever the fuck they want.
Person of Interest was never bad per se, but the first 6 episodes are basically just "Monster of the Week" and get rather boring. Starting with episode 7 you slowly get a bigger picture of the world and from there on it only becomes better each season. It's probably one of my favore shows by now.
Person of Interest was never bad per se, but the first 6 episodes are basically just "Monster of the Week" and get rather boring. Starting with episode 7 you slowly get a bigger picture of the world and from there on it only becomes better each season. It's probably one of my favore shows by now.
Does Bojack Horseman count? The first three or four episodes of that show COMPLETELY misrepresent what the rest of the series would be.
The 100 for sure. I firmly believe the lead actress was locked in 24/7 at an acting school between S1 and S2. The difference is night and day.
Farscape wasn't terrible in its first season but it was finding its feet and subsequently became one of my favourite shows ever. You rarely ever see it mentioned on here
She is still pretty bad being serious but good when having fun, 2nd season is so good.
I didn't get on too well with a lot of the Expanse in the first season but got me in the end and love it now.
Spartacus gets good? I watched the first few eps like meh...meh...well I'm out.
The Patriot had a such a flaccid first couple of episodes that come across as boring and generic. Then things start to click into place and you go "oh shit, that's what type of show this series is going to be". It escalates keeps escalating into amazingness after.
The first few episodes from Aqua Teen were pretty bad when they were just solving crime, but it was basically to trick the network into thinking the show was something it wasn't.
Then it had a few great seasons.
Then it had a few great seasons.
To this day I've never done a Parks and Rec run because I can't get past the horrible first episodes. Horrible "SO AWKWARD CRINGE LOL" rehashed leftover humor from The Office (US), twee factor cranked up to 11... Ugh
Ha! That's as far as I ever made it on that show, too. In my defense, that is 7 HOURS of sitting through shit.
Ha! That's as far as I ever made it on that show, too. In my defense, that is 7 HOURS of sitting through shit.
Agreed that Season 1 is fantastic (probably my favorite), but the guys have mentioned a couple times that even though season 1 was getting strong reviews, the show wasn't getting good view numbers due to the terrible timeslot that FX had them in; bringing in Danny did generate much more buzz and likely did save the show.
Why It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia Added Danny DeVito
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is currently airing its 10th season on the air, and has already been renewed for another two seasons following this year. Originally, the series didn't feature
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That being said,
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Whatever, it was great from the beginning. In fact, did it even change much?
It is one of the best shows ever made, the first season starts out rough, but the latter half ramps up dramatically in quality and the rest of the show just stays that way
Funny enough he is my least favorite part of the show. I know I am terrible
I totally forgot Conspiracy, now that you mention it.
I feel like Naked Now came too early in the show. Like, it's literally the second episode of the entire show, and it's also just doing TOS's The Naked Time over again.
The Magicans.
Tropey. Eye rolls.
then, Seasons 3-5 are my favorite seasons of television in years!
I feel that way about The Leftovers 2 and 3, compared to 1. And those seasons might be my favorite redemption arch. Phenomenal TV.
Tropey. Eye rolls.
then, Seasons 3-5 are my favorite seasons of television in years!
I feel that way about The Leftovers 2 and 3, compared to 1. And those seasons might be my favorite redemption arch. Phenomenal TV.
It's truly remarkable, isn't it? By the time you get to
Ghost Rider flinging his chain into the teleporting woman, you wonder how it became one of the hypest shows in human history.
I think it does. It seemed like it was going to be some kind of lighthearted animated pop culture-savvy punfest, not the literal saddest show ever (which was, of course, much better).
