What are some networks that sucked for awhile but have since made a comeback?
I would definitely say the Travel Channel. There was a time circa 2003-2004 when the entire network seemed to be just one big commercial for the gaming industry - nothing but World Series of Poker or shows about Vegas or the world’s greatest casinos. They still have a lot of that drivel, but they also have a lot of great shows in prime time now like Andrew Zimmern, No Reservations and Mark and Ollie.
I’d say AMC. Used to watch them for the classic movies but then they degenerated into non-classics heavily edited for TV with interminable commercial breaks. Now they have regained my attention for their original programming (Mad Men, Breaking Bad).
The Game Show Network (now simply GSN) went through a period where they lost the rights to much of their original programming, especially Mark Goodson-Bill Todman productions. They replaced this programming with crap like kids’ versions of *Jeopardy *and Wheel of Fortune. Then, in the early-mid 2000’s, they started airing garbage like The Mole and other reality shows. They’ve lately gone back to mostly airing bona fide game shows like Family Feud and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, although they still show fucking poker on Sunday nights.