TV Shows that started great and then went downhill

[Quetzalcoatl]

The Simpsons

[RMO]

Twin Peaks.  It was always quirky but early on you could follow even with all the oddball characters.  In in the later seasons it just got out of control with one plot twist after another (though I find this to be the case with a lot of David Lynch films).

Did Northern Exposure ever lose it?  I only watched reruns so didn't see it in sequential order.

I think Cheers should've called it quits right around the time they started working that Sam and Rebecca trying to have a baby storyline.

 

[bdm860]

The Simpsons

For anybody who is/was a big Simpsons fan, I recommend checking out http://deadhomersociety.com/zombiesimpsons/


From the website:

zom·bie adj. remaining animate despite lack of thought or consciousness

Simp·sons n. an American television program

By almost any measurement, The Simpsons is the most influential television comedy ever created.  It has been translated into every major language on Earth and dozens of minor ones; it has spawned entire genres of animation, and had more books written about it than all but a handful of American Presidents.  Even its minor characters have become iconic, and the titular family is recognizable in almost every corner of the planet.  It is a definitive and truly global cultural phenomenon, perhaps the biggest of the television age.

As of this writing, if you flip on FOX at 8pm on Sundays, you will see a program that bills itself as The Simpsons.  It is not The Simpsons.  That show, the landmark piece of American culture that debuted on 17 December 1989, went off the air more than a decade ago.  The replacement is a hopelessly mediocre imitation that bears only a superficial resemblance to the original.  It is the unwanted sequel, the stale spinoff, the creative dry hole that is kept pumping in the endless search for more money.  It is Zombie Simpsons.

“Zombie Simpsons: How the Best Show Ever Became the Broadcasting Undead” is a 22,000 word mini-book that attempts to explain two things:

1.  How The Simpsons became the unprecedentedly awesome show it was.
2.  Why it declined into the bland and formulaic thing that still airs on Sundays at 8pm on FOX.

It's a good/interesting read, especially if at any point ever you considered yourself a Simpsons fan.

[freshinthehouse]

The first four seasons of Aqua Teen Hunger Force was some of the funniest television that I've ever seen.  Then around season 5 it went of the tracks, replacing good character development and good jokes with just random weirdness.  Granted I haven't seen much past season seven or so, so it may have improved again, but TV shows rarely get better once they've started on the downslope.

[saltlover]

Mork and Mindy.  Season 1 is some of the best TV comedy of all time.  Season 2 they changed up half the cast (to appeal to a younger audience), and it was mediocre, but still decent.  Seasons 3 and 4 are virtually unwatchable. 

[slamtheking]

Mork and Mindy.  Season 1 is some of the best TV comedy of all time.  Season 2 they changed up half the cast (to appeal to a younger audience), and it was mediocre, but still decent.  Seasons 3 and 4 are virtually unwatchable. 

totally forgot that one.  dead on.  probably should have picked a better phrase in light of Robin Williams passing and Pam Dawber's career.

[slamtheking]

The Simpsons

For anybody who is/was a big Simpsons fan, I recommend checking out http://deadhomersociety.com/zombiesimpsons/


From the website:

zom·bie adj. remaining animate despite lack of thought or consciousness

Simp·sons n. an American television program

By almost any measurement, The Simpsons is the most influential television comedy ever created.  It has been translated into every major language on Earth and dozens of minor ones; it has spawned entire genres of animation, and had more books written about it than all but a handful of American Presidents.  Even its minor characters have become iconic, and the titular family is recognizable in almost every corner of the planet.  It is a definitive and truly global cultural phenomenon, perhaps the biggest of the television age.

As of this writing, if you flip on FOX at 8pm on Sundays, you will see a program that bills itself as The Simpsons.  It is not The Simpsons.  That show, the landmark piece of American culture that debuted on 17 December 1989, went off the air more than a decade ago.  The replacement is a hopelessly mediocre imitation that bears only a superficial resemblance to the original.  It is the unwanted sequel, the stale spinoff, the creative dry hole that is kept pumping in the endless search for more money.  It is Zombie Simpsons.

?€œZombie Simpsons: How the Best Show Ever Became the Broadcasting Undead?€? is a 22,000 word mini-book that attempts to explain two things:

1.  How The Simpsons became the unprecedentedly awesome show it was.
2.  Why it declined into the bland and formulaic thing that still airs on Sundays at 8pm on FOX.

It's a good/interesting read, especially if at any point ever you considered yourself a Simpsons fan.

I'm waiting for Homer Sapien to weigh in on this one

[JSD]

The Wire... Still the GOAT, but that 5th season, man, still baffled that they went that direction. McNaulty creating a phony serial killer? Just went too far.

[JSD]

The first four seasons of Aqua Teen Hunger Force was some of the funniest television that I've ever seen.  Then around season 5 it went of the tracks, replacing good character development and good jokes with just random weirdness.  Granted I haven't seen much past season seven or so, so it may have improved again, but TV shows rarely get better once they've started on the downslope.

The show becoming weird and unfunny could correlate with you smoking less pot. 

[sahara]

- Men Behaving Badly --> hysterical first season with Rob Schneider, Ron Eldard and Justine Bateman.  By far the funniest thing Rob Schneider has ever done--almost tailor-made for him.  The cast shake-up due to the contract demands from Eldard and Bateman killed a really funny show.  The replacements and the subsequent writing the following season were such a disappointment.

I´m shocked. They made a US-version? I hope I´ll never see that one, the original is truly a comedy classic.

The Simpsons somewhat held it together for about 18 seasons, now it´s just embarrasing. Seasons from 3 to around 8 were pure gold.

[sofutomygaha]

New Girl:  This show was hilarious and new and funny and the characters were great.. then they decided to... for some crazy reason.. put Nick and Jess together as a couple (GROSS) and the show completely FELL OFF as it was no longer about 20 somethings going about life struggling in the city and it focused on a forced and unnatural relationship between Jess and Nick who are both MOUNDS funnier when not doing relationship-based cliche humor.  This show lost halfway through season 2.

I'm sure I'll think of more but let me get this in the thread for now.

The Prince episode was when New Girl jumped the shark. There is absolutely no question about this. I bet that's when you stopped watching, right?

When a sitcom cast meets a band or rock star or does a music performance set piece, it's definitely over. Ditto Happy Endings when they sang "Torn."

[JSD]

KG Era Celtics Basketball on CSNNE.

That first season was magic but after that the plot lines and season ending cliffhangers stunk until it finally all feel apart. Probably cancelled a year later than it should have been.

DING. DING. DING.

[slamtheking]

- Men Behaving Badly --> hysterical first season with Rob Schneider, Ron Eldard and Justine Bateman.  By far the funniest thing Rob Schneider has ever done--almost tailor-made for him.  The cast shake-up due to the contract demands from Eldard and Bateman killed a really funny show.  The replacements and the subsequent writing the following season were such a disappointment.

I´m shocked. They made a US-version? I hope I´ll never see that one, the original is truly a comedy classic.

1996-1997 -- have to admit I thought it was older

[GetLucky]

Revolution on NBC. It started out great. It was very thought-provoking with some excellent ideas, but they were so poorly played out and developed. Once the original dynamic with Monroe was over, it got a little boring. Toward the early-middle season 2 it got a little crazy. After the power came back on it was all a stretch. I think it only got 2 seasons in. The mid-season hiatus killed them

[D.o.s.]

Twin Peaks.  It was always quirky but early on you could follow even with all the oddball characters.  In in the later seasons it just got out of control with one plot twist after another (though I find this to be the case with a lot of David Lynch films).

Did Northern Exposure ever lose it?  I only watched reruns so didn't see it in sequential order.

I think Cheers should've called it quits right around the time they started working that Sam and Rebecca trying to have a baby storyline.

Funnily enough, Twin Peaks only got weird after David Lynch and Mark Price left. I mean, it's weird all the way through, but the show definitely loses its way.