# Series that were much better in the long run **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [February 2, 2023, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-that-were-much-better-in-the-long-run/979206 "2023-02-02T14:45:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2023, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-that-were-much-better-in-the-long-run/979206/41 "2023-02-06T00:05:03Z")
I agree. I seldom watched the show after he left. I did watch the finale, though. The funniest moment was when the police detective (Arnold Schwarzenegger) asked “This has been going on for eleven years? Don’t you think that’s a little too long?” and Alan replied “Yeah, a lot of people have said that.” ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2023, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-that-were-much-better-in-the-long-run/979206/42 "2023-02-06T14:58:20Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > > [@kayaker](#): > > > > I just stumbled across **New Amsterdam** , a medical series available on Netflix. I watched the first four episodes and if it remains as good as it started, I’ll watch all 5 seasons. > > We really liked **New Amsterdam** for the first three seasons. But it kind of went off the rails in S4 and we didn’t even bother watching the final season. I love New Amsterdam but sometimes it takes “wokeness” to a new level. There were a few episodes that I didn’t watch all the way through. ---
**Author:** ![SlipperyPete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@SlipperyPete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlipperyPete)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2023, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-that-were-much-better-in-the-long-run/979206/43 "2023-02-06T16:22:46Z")
Strongly agree with Parks and Rec. Season 1 is just OK, s2 is quite good, and s3 is peak. I love the Office season 1. Just skip the pilot episode and the rest is gold. Especially ep2 Diversity Day, one of the best of the entire series. ST:TNG for sure got much better in s2 and s3. Here’s one that hasn’t been mentioned: Veep. It starts off pretty good, but each successive season gets funnier and funnier. I think a big jump in humor starts in s3 when they introduce Richard. White Lotus s2 was quite a bit better than s1 ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2023, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-that-were-much-better-in-the-long-run/979206/44 "2023-02-09T23:30:08Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > _It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia_ didn’t really find its footing until Danny Devito joined the cast in Season 2. I would actually say Season 3. Season 1 was the lorigina\l gang. Danny got added in Season 2, but due to schedules they had to do all his stuff at once, so he wasn’t really integrated and the character not set in stone, he was normalish. Season 3, when he was alongside the cast, and they had a direction for his character, that’s when it gets good. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2023, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-that-were-much-better-in-the-long-run/979206/45 "2023-02-10T13:50:11Z")
> [@SlipperyPete](#): > > Strongly agree with Parks and Rec. Season 1 is just OK, s2 is quite good, and s3 is peak. What I found interesting about Parks and Rec was that when I first watched season 1, I thought it was terrible. But I thought it looked better watching it again after seeing the whole series. It stumbles a bit, of course, and they don’t have Leslie Knope figured out yet, but some of the stuff was being put in place to make it a better show. Retroactively, it was a better show then when watched first time around. ---
**Author:** ![veryfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/87869e/32.png) [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2023, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-that-were-much-better-in-the-long-run/979206/46 "2023-02-10T14:24:56Z")
> [@SlipperyPete](#): > > Here’s one that hasn’t been mentioned: Veep. It starts off pretty good, but each successive season gets funnier and funnier. I think a big jump in humor starts in s3 when they introduce Richard. _Veep_ felt like a different show to me once Ianucci left. It was still hilarious, but the scripts seemed to change from savage insightful satire to just a one-upmanship competition among the writers to see who could deliver the harshest personal insult dialogue. I still liked it (I’m a sucker for Roast Battle) but I could feel a distinct shift. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2023, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-that-were-much-better-in-the-long-run/979206/47 "2023-02-10T15:13:57Z")
Yeah, we watched a couple of the first season episodes, and it was just painful. As in, we couldn’t figure out what any of the hype was about. I’m not sure that I’m willing to wade through rest of the first season in hopes that it gets better. @veryfrank - I agree about _How I Met Your Mother_. I didn’t start watching it until probably halfway through the second season- basically I had to get enough “You should watch this show- it’s pretty funny” recommendations, as well as random Barney Stinson quotes to make me see what was up. > [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Similarly, and from that same era, _Babylon 5_ didn’t impress me much during its first season Excellent choice; the first season was… inconsistent. Some episodes were good, some were not so great, and it was _very_ episodic, as opposed to the later seasons which were story-arc driven. ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2023, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-that-were-much-better-in-the-long-run/979206/48 "2023-02-10T15:38:15Z")
_Babylon 5_ was the first one I thought of as well. I didn’t see it until about 10 years ago. My wife and I watched it, and she had seen much of the show in its original run. If it wasn’t for the fact that I knew the captain would be replaced after the first season, I would’ve thrown in the towel after a couple of episodes. I don’t usually notice bad acting unless it’s really bad. With this guy, I noticed. The way he delivered his lines, he may as well have been holding the script up in front of his face.1 My wife kept telling me to just stick with it, and it would get much better in Season 2. Boy, was she ever right! 1 I am aware of the actor’s issues in real life. But I don’t see what that has to do with his (non)ability to act. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2023, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-that-were-much-better-in-the-long-run/979206/49 "2023-02-10T15:41:29Z")
> [@GESancMan](#): > > If it wasn’t for the fact that I knew the captain would be replaced after the first season, I would’ve thrown in the towel after a couple of episodes. I don’t usually notice bad acting unless it’s really bad. With this guy, I noticed. The way he delivered his lines, he may as well have been holding the script up in front of his face. Back in the day (we were watching the series when it first came out), my wife and I referred to the character as “Commander Wood,” due to his stiff acting. (And, yes, I feel badly about this now.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-that-were-much-better-in-the-long-run/979206.md?page=2)