# Shows that were great from the first episode... and those that weren't **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [May 2, 2021, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-were-great-from-the-first-episode-and-those-that-werent/941250 "2021-05-02T22:46:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SurrenderDorothy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/surrenderdorothy/32/1221_2.png) [@SurrenderDorothy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SurrenderDorothy)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2021, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-were-great-from-the-first-episode-and-those-that-werent/941250/1 "2021-05-02T22:46:35Z")
So I’ve been looking for something new to watch recently. Starting a few different series to see if I like them. And, of course, you can’t always judge by the first episode. Sometimes, it takes the whole first season to hit a groove. And, if you’ve heard over and over how great the show is, you’re left wondering how much you should slog through before it either gets to the good part or you decide the show just isn’t your jam. But then, there are some where once you watch the first episode, you want to watch the second. The story is riveting from the start. My contribution, to get the thread started, is Orphan Black. In the first few moments of the show, we see the main character, Sarah, get off a train and come face-to-face with a well-dressed woman who looks exactly identical to her. The woman says nothing and turns and throws herself onto the tracks in front of another train. Right away, we’ve got the central mystery of the show and it makes you want to keep watching. For less good, I used to love NYPD Blue, but only saw it years after it originally aired when it would sort of erratically show at 4 AM, which made it hard to keep up with the story. So I found it streaming and started it again and… it definitely takes a while to get going. I’m slowly making my way through the first season now and trying to decide if I think it really gets a lot more compelling in the second season and beyond or if I actually just don’t like it as much as I once did. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2021, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-were-great-from-the-first-episode-and-those-that-werent/941250/2 "2021-05-02T23:08:36Z")
Firefly was great from the first episode. Star Trek TNG was not. ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2021, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-were-great-from-the-first-episode-and-those-that-werent/941250/3 "2021-05-02T23:15:11Z")
I’ll give you an opposite one: I thought _Modern Family_ hit it outta the park on it’s first ep and stayed great for the first few seasons. But by the end was completely unwatchable for me. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2021, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-were-great-from-the-first-episode-and-those-that-werent/941250/4 "2021-05-02T23:30:05Z")
it gets better when jimmy smits replaces david caruso after the first season its funny tho this happens in cartoons a lot like when the infamous ed edd and eddy debut it had almost no plot because the storyline would change 3 times a story but by the time it ended there was a lot of interesting world building that went on ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2021, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-were-great-from-the-first-episode-and-those-that-werent/941250/5 "2021-05-03T01:37:17Z")
I watched the first episode of Mad Men when my wife wasn’t home. She walked in during the end credits and I immediately started it over to watch it again with her. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2021, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-were-great-from-the-first-episode-and-those-that-werent/941250/6 "2021-05-03T01:53:40Z")
The first season of the Simpsons was interesting, but kind of meh (in hindsight of what was to follow anyway). I don’t have the exact time line down anymore, but I seem to remember that the second season got better, but that the series only really took off in the third season. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2021, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-were-great-from-the-first-episode-and-those-that-werent/941250/7 "2021-05-03T02:08:35Z")
_Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ is still one of my favorite shows, but it takes a season and a half to get really good. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2021, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-were-great-from-the-first-episode-and-those-that-werent/941250/8 "2021-05-03T03:50:58Z")
I always thought “Battlestar Galactica” started out really strong, and only lost focus after a good while. Same for “The Walking Dead”. “Babylon 5” did NOT start out strong; the entire first season was uneven and kind of weird, and the show didn’t find its footing until the second season. “The Expanse” came out of the gate strong as well. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2021, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-were-great-from-the-first-episode-and-those-that-werent/941250/9 "2021-05-03T03:55:14Z")
> [@bump](#): > > “Babylon 5” did NOT start out strong; the entire first season was uneven and kind of weird, and the show didn’t find its footing until the second season. if I’m remembering correctly Babylon 5’s first season was weird because they wrote around the fact that the lead actor either had or was dying of a brain disorder and he was given the part to pay for the treatment … And it made the actor look like an asshole at times or out of it at others He passed not long after S1 ended ---
**Author:** ![porcupine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ac91a4/32.png) [@porcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/porcupine)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2021, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-were-great-from-the-first-episode-and-those-that-werent/941250/10 "2021-05-03T04:08:12Z")
Arrested Development was firing on all cylinders from the very first episode. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2021, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-were-great-from-the-first-episode-and-those-that-werent/941250/11 "2021-05-03T04:34:28Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > if I’m remembering correctly Babylon 5’s first season was weird because they wrote around the fact that the lead actor either had or was dying of a brain disorder and he was given the part to pay for the treatment … And it made the actor look like an asshole at times or out of it at others > He passed not long after S1 ended Actually, [he had mental problems which weren’t publicly known at the time.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_O%27Hare) > [@](#): > > During the filming of the first season of _Babylon 5_ , O’Hare began having paranoid delusions, and halfway through, his hallucinations worsened. It became increasingly difficult for O’Hare to continue working, his behavior was becoming increasingly erratic, and he was often at odds with his colleagues. Straczynski offered to suspend production for several months to accommodate treatment; however O’Hare feared that such a hiatus would put the series at risk, and he didn’t want to jeopardize others’ jobs. Straczynski agreed to keep O’Hare’s condition secret to protect his career, and O’Hare agreed to complete the first season, but would be written out of the second season so that he could seek treatment. His departure from the cast was announced without explanation, except that it was mutual and amicable… > > At that time, Straczynski promised O’Hare to keep his condition secret “to my grave”. O’Hare told him to instead “keep the secret to _my_ grave”, arguing that fans deserved to eventually learn the real reason for his departure, and that his experience could raise awareness and understanding for people suffering from mental illness. He made no further appearances on _Babylon 5,_ but continued to support the show and appeared at conventions and signing events until his retirement from public appearances in 2000. > > On September 28, 2012, Straczynski posted that O’Hare had suffered a heart attack in New York City five days earlier, and had remained in a coma until his death that day. Eight months later, Straczynski revealed the circumstances of O’Hare’s departure from _Babylon 5_ at a presentation about the series at the Phoenix Comicon. ---
**Author:** ![BigDfromLA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@BigDfromLA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigDfromLA)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2021, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-were-great-from-the-first-episode-and-those-that-werent/941250/12 "2021-05-03T04:55:06Z")
Friday Night Lights has the best pilot/first episode I have ever seen on a TV show. I was hooked and watched the whole series. ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2021, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-were-great-from-the-first-episode-and-those-that-werent/941250/13 "2021-05-03T06:26:33Z")
The first season of Parks and Recreation is a little rough (still good though and only 6 episodes). But once they retool a little (Leslie in particular) beginning in season 2 it’s all waffles and bacon the rest of the way. Heroes is one of those potato chips shows where you can’t stop at just one episode, you have to keep going. Unfortunately, that only applies to the first season. Once you get into season 2 you’re like what is this I don’t even. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2021, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-were-great-from-the-first-episode-and-those-that-werent/941250/14 "2021-05-03T06:31:55Z")
_Mad Men_ and _Breaking Bad_ had me from the first episode. As noted above, _Parks and Rec_ wasn’t great for the first season but eventually hit its stride. ---
**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:** [May 3, 2021, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-were-great-from-the-first-episode-and-those-that-werent/941250/15 "2021-05-03T06:38:17Z")
_ **St Elsewhere** _, _ **Crime Story** _, _ **The Sopranos** _, _ **CSI** _, and _ **Mad Men** _ all had me hooked from the first episode. I wasn’t immediately taken by _ **Cheers!** _, oddly enough. It wasn’t until I saw the episode with Coach’s daughter that I started watching it religiously. The same was true for _ **Hill Street Blues** _, which I started watching out of curiosity because I’d heard it was so good. ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2021, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-were-great-from-the-first-episode-and-those-that-werent/941250/16 "2021-05-03T07:27:27Z")
**The Exorcist**. Lasted only two seasons but man, watched the first episode out of boredom and was hooked. It took about a season for the original **Magnum** to find its feet. ---
**Author:** ![HelenGawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@HelenGawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelenGawn)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2021, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-were-great-from-the-first-episode-and-those-that-werent/941250/17 "2021-05-03T08:27:30Z")
I was hooked on _ **Rectify** _ within the first ten minutes. The premise was interesting but not utterly riveting, but the main character’s first speech was so magical I had to keep watching. The language is just poetic, strange but deeply familiar. I just wanted to hear everyone talk. The characters turned out to be just as enthralling. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2021, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-were-great-from-the-first-episode-and-those-that-werent/941250/18 "2021-05-03T08:52:14Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > The same was true for _ **Hill Street Blues** _ , which I started watching out of curiosity because I’d heard it was so good. that’s how I got hooked on er I didn’t watch the first season and when the 2nd season started it looked to me like just another hospital show from the old days it was 2nd season episode where the mark had to deliver a premature baby via c-section after a car wreck…it was so real and riveting … I ended up watching it until mark died … after that it was the carter show , ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2021, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-were-great-from-the-first-episode-and-those-that-werent/941250/19 "2021-05-03T11:26:29Z")
ER and Lost are two of the best Pilot episodes ever to air on TV but neither show maintained that level of quality for their entire run (although I like the Lost finale more than most). ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2021, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-were-great-from-the-first-episode-and-those-that-werent/941250/20 "2021-05-03T12:32:47Z")
Even at that, the first season was kind of scattershot in terms of writing, etc… There were a lot of one-off / throwaway episodes in the first season. Starting in the second season the episodes were pretty much ALL story-arc episodes from then on out. Sure, the secondary stories weren’t story-arc, but the vast, vast majority of episodes were story-arc and focused after the first season. To me, that points at less Michael O’Hare being mentally ill, and more at something else- issues in writing, production, etc… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-were-great-from-the-first-episode-and-those-that-werent/941250.md?page=2)