What show dipped the most in quality? What show started bad/just ok and got great?

IvaBigWun · 29-07-2014 10:36pm #1

Im just finished my first (and last!) rewatch of Prison Break after not seeing it in many years. Fúcking hell. What a drop it takes in quality in season 4 (and some might say after season 1), truly some of the worst TV Ive ever seen.

The only thing I can compare it to as far as standards falling off a cliff is Dexter. As soon as showrunner Clyde Phillips left it went slowly downhill until it reached its conclusion and perhaps the most terrible TV finale ever.

But then take something like The Shield. It starts off ok to good and then builds towards truly amazing TV. Some of the best Ive seen of its ilk.

Another that comes to mind in terms of getting better is Parks & Recreation. A soso first season leads to some of the funniest moments and episodes in American sitcom history, its up there with the best American comedy ever in my humble opinion.

For you, what show dipped the most in quality? What show started bad/just ok and then got great?

Edit: please use spoilers and common sense for any major plot points, twists etc

IvaBigWun · 29-07-2014 10:48pm

Pre-empting obvious second reply.

What shows dipped the most in quality? The Simpsons!

racso1975 · 29-07-2014 10:50pm

Season 5 The Wire /thread

Dymo · 29-07-2014 10:51pm

Heroes after season 1

IvaBigWun · 29-07-2014 10:52pm

racso1975 wrote: »

Season 5 The Wire /thread

In terms of getting better or worse? I could never get past the first season.

Baron Kurtz · 29-07-2014 10:53pm

True Blood. Season 3, perhaps. As mentioned already - Heroes took a serious dive.

IvaBigWun · 29-07-2014 10:54pm

Dymo wrote: »

Heroes after season 1

Big time!

racso1975 · 29-07-2014 10:55pm

That was the thing with wire loved season 1, 2 was not great (lots of debate on that though), 3 and 4 superb but 5 was just bs of the higest quality.

IvaBigWun · 29-07-2014 10:57pm

All negativity so far lads. Dont forget the "what show started bad/just ok and got great?" bit

Mr E · 29-07-2014 11:09pm

The Mindy Project, Happy Endings and New Girl took a while to warm up, but all were/are cracking comedies now.

Person of Interest went from a decent case-of-the-week show to the best show on network TV.

IvaBigWun · 29-07-2014 11:14pm

Mr E wrote: »

Person of Interest went from a decent case-of-the-week show to the best show on network TV.

Ive tried it twice now, mostly based on the favourable reviews here, and I cant get past episode 6/7.

Mr E · 29-07-2014 11:21pm

Only started getting REALLY good about mid-way through season 2.

IvaBigWun · 29-07-2014 11:25pm

Mr E wrote: »

Only started getting REALLY good about mid-way through season 2.

breffni bogballer · 29-07-2014 11:26pm

LOST! started really good, then they just made it up as they went along when ratings went sky high. 8-10 episodes and it would have been way better

CastorTroy · 30-07-2014 12:06am

Vampire Diaries started off good but really went downhill later on.

True Blood is another which was good up to a point then they just started juggling far too many storylines that went nowhere.

Improvement is Person of Interest which just became must see tv.

Agent Coulson · 30-07-2014 12:18am

Dexter very good season 1,2 & 3 amazing season 4 then down hill to the worst ending ever.

FloatingVoter · 30-07-2014 1:32am

Good - > Bad Weeds goes to pot

after the second season. But its still worth it for bellylaughs.

Slow -> Great Breaking Bad starts extremely slow ...like a very long novel in no particular rush to display its good bits. Then we all know what happens.

Glorious Mess - Twin Peaks doesn't begin, middle or end. Its consistently chaotic and messy and classic.

A Greedy Algorithm · 30-07-2014 1:34am

Home Land

Dont be at yourself · 30-07-2014 1:44am

Immediately thought Prison Break and The Shield when I read the thread title.

For Heroes, it's not that it dipped in quality, it's more that it never quite caught fire and realized its potential.

red dave · 30-07-2014 3:07am

Agents of Shield I thought started really, really poor. I gave up on the show after I think 3 episodes. Then noticed a lot of activity on the thread and some people were saying it improved. Went back to it and absolutely glued to it especially after around halfway through the season. It's one of my favourite shows now and really looking forward to season 2. Lets see how that one goes.

derfderf · 30-07-2014 3:11am

The first few episodes of the walking dead had me stuck to my chair. It hasn't really lived up to the start. Still a good show though.

Say Your Number · 30-07-2014 3:17am

Scrubs was pretty good for the first four seasons, the fifth was passable and it just went to pieces after that.

Mardy Bum · 30-07-2014 3:23am

racso1975 wrote: »

Season 5 The Wire /thread

The only critique anyone has of season five is that it seemed far fetched. The acting, writing and directing was brilliant throughout. Most people were not really interested in the critique of Print Journalism which is understandable as a lot will find it boring however it was excellently done and wonderfully developed. The other seasons were just as far fetched.

NufcNavan · 30-07-2014 3:31am

I'd argue that Mad Men started out fairly flat, season 2 was especially boring and I barely stuck with it. On season 6 now and it's one of the best shows I've seen.

john the one · 30-07-2014 3:35am

I only started to watch the shield yesterday so delighted its thought highly of. I believe finchers house of cards went from good to excellent!

FunLover18 · 30-07-2014 4:17am

A Greedy Algorithm wrote: »

Home Land

Yep, just got ridiculous after a superb first season

Good -> Great -> Poor -> Great again Community

The Big Bang Theory is slowly stagnating.

Suits has declined in quality.

HIMYM got really bad, I wouldn't mind but given the premise of the show the ending completely ruins all the early good stuff.

Friends declined after season 4. I remember once hearing someone say that the relationship that held that show together wasn't Ross and Rachel but Chandler and Joey.

Misfits too went downhill after the second season.

Trying to think of a show that has improved but they're rare enough, I'd agree with a previous poster that Mad Men has gotten better

pickarooney · 30-07-2014 6:43am

Justified went from meh to downright brilliant about ten episodes in once they took the decision to change the format from case of the week to season long arcs.

Desperate Housewives was a genuinely intriguing noir thriller for a year and ended up as the worst soapy pastiche of its era.

Homeland was a terrific idea superbly executed until they **** the bed and decided to drag it out to several seasons.

Archer was the greatest animation series I'd ever watched but then season five... If they really had got so bored of making it they should have home the decent thing and killed it

enda1 · 30-07-2014 6:56am

Blackadder started slowly and awkwardly, but with clever writing and character reinvention, it developed into a masterpiece!

Green Giant · 30-07-2014 10:28am

First 4-5 seasons of Family Guy were excellent. Many brilliant gags and each episode had some substance to it, while still being 'off the wall' funny

By the time season 8 came around it had been swallowed up by its own ridiculousness. It was as if the writers didn't care about plotting a proper episode and just mashed together 20 minutes of shock gags. Now it's just plain disgusting and outrageous

intellectual dosser · 30-07-2014 10:32am

24 series 7 was awful. I powered my way through it but I havent been able to bring myself to watch any of the subsequent series.

Stone Deaf 4evr · 30-07-2014 10:42am

john the one wrote: »

I only started to watch the shield yesterday so delighted its thought highly of. I believe finchers house of cards went from good to excellent!

The shield is one of the most underrated shows ever. Its brilliant.

What show dipped the most in quality? What show started bad/just ok and got great?

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