Right now we are watching the TV show Spin City. We were quite impressed with the writing and characters right off the bat. But we just started the second season, and it looks to be going in a direction we disfavor. First off, there is a splashy new title sequence that IMO adds nothing. The writing and the characters seem much broader - even the laugh track seems more prominent. (Not to mention S2E1 had a clunky storyline - not the first such ep.) Yet, as far as I can see, the show’s popularity increased over the first 3 seasons. Not sure if the popularity increased BECAUSE of the changes, simply because of increased awareness, a better time slot, or something else. But if it doesn’t get better over the next couple of episodes, we are going to pull the plug.
(I’m aware that the popularity dropped significantly later, after MJ Fox dropped out due to illness.)
Wondering if you had any other examples of shows you believed got worse, as ratings seemed to climb.
Big Bang Theory reached its peak around the middle of the sixth season. How it managed to muddle on past that point is beyond me. I quit watching it when it turned from nerdy/sciency/sexy stuff to “relationships.”
I liked season 1 of Ted Lasso which had a simple premise, was funny, and kept the characters simple.
After it became a hit and they felt the need to flesh out these characters I found myself losing interest and disliking a lot of the people.
It would be like if they took later seasons of The Office and showed you the home lives Kevin & Meredith without any humor.
True Blood. Everyone was breathless with excitement during the first seasons, the last two were pretty awful, and the last episode of the last season went by without a peep. It just went on too long, as so many series do.
King of Queens last 2-part ending was much criticized, and midway through its’ run, the characters changed - not for the better.
I’m sort of curious about the difference between “got worse because of time passing” and “got worse because of changes that happened because of the show’s popularity”, and if it’s really possible to untangle the two.
Suits didn’t really hit the big time until co-star Meghan Markle became famous for other reasons, by which time the writers were starting to run out of ideas.
I (mostly) have liked all seasons of Black Mirror. Some episodes are better than others as would be expected from an anthology like this but, overall, I think it keeps working. A modern day Twilight Zone…but (mostly) better.
Reading more carefully, this was my mis-read. You’re looking for shows where popularity increases at the same time their quality decreases. Not for any cause/effect relationship.
How about ‘Happy Days’, the very show that gave birth to the phrase “jumping the shark”? It began as a somewhat naturalistic, ‘American Graffiti’ style nostalgia piece. Then as the show became a hit and Fonzie became the breakout popular character, he was practically turned into a superhero, and the plots became increasingly ridiculous and divorced from reality.
Negan is a good character that was well acted. What ruined it for me was how every episode tried to out misery the last one. Unrelenting depressing content makes a show a slog to get through. After awhile you realize it’s just not enjoyable to watch.
The first two shows that fit the OP that came to mind were Family Matters and Good Times for the same reason. The one cartoonish character became wildly popular and the rest of the characters became secondary.
I thought Yellowstone was very good in its first season and into its second season. It lost its way rapidly. It didn’t seem to remember what kind of show it was or what it wanted to be. Writing became sloppy. Interesting storylines were started and then abandoned. Seemingly well rounded characters became cartoon characters. The whole time the show became more and more popular
