# What is the worst TV show decay you've seen? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 2, 2016, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-tv-show-decay-youve-seen/745002 "2016-02-02T23:58:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![JKilez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-tv-show-decay-youve-seen/745002/21 "2016-02-03T01:35:18Z")
_Archer_. The first three seasons were fantastic, they stumbled a bit with season four, and then the floor dropped with seasons five and six. It was as if they completely ran out of ideas and at the same time were contractually bound to give all the voice actors equal time on every episode. It becomes a game of “how can I contrive a situation that gives minor characters X, Y, and Z each their required three minutes of dialog?” ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-tv-show-decay-youve-seen/745002/22 "2016-02-03T01:38:59Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > Two shows that only had two seasons. Great first seasons, interesting premises, awful second seasons and inevitable cancellation. > > [Life](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0874936/) with Damian Lewis > > and > > [Eli Stone](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0892535/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_8) with Jonny Lee Miller. Don’t blame Life’s demise an anything other than Leno’s fucking ego. Bitch didn’t deserve the 10:00 slot. He screwed a lot of things. This fantastic drama among them. ---
**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 3, 2016, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-tv-show-decay-youve-seen/745002/23 "2016-02-03T01:43:55Z")
While not necessarily “terrible,” all of the following went downhill after starting well: _ **Crime Story** _, after they killed off the bad guy and then tried to resurrect him. _ **Batman** _, almost as soon as they started the second season. _ **Twelve O’Clock High** _, after Robert Lansing got canned. _ **The Untouchables** _, after they were forced to tone down the violence. _ **The Avengers** _, after Emma Peel left the series. _ **Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea** _, after they abandoned Cold War stuff for monster-of-the-week. _ **Mission: Impossible** _, after they abandoned Cold War stuff for organized crime in the US. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-tv-show-decay-youve-seen/745002/24 "2016-02-03T01:45:21Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > What might be one of the quickest: Studio 60 had an amazing pilot and almost immediately fell off a cliff. It actually recovered from it and was doing good stuff. Then came the Christmas break. When it came back, it was unwatchable. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-tv-show-decay-youve-seen/745002/25 "2016-02-03T01:45:32Z")
_ **Quincy** _: beautifully original spin on a police procedural for the first couple of seasons, then it progressed to a disease of the week mini-movie, and finally to Jack Klugman’s weekly sermon (see “Quincy Punk\*”). You could even call TV decay “Quincification.” Kinda sad, because they introduced Anita Gillette as his girlfriend/wife in the last season, and her talent was squandered. Makes me watch the last season, though. \*Actually, “Next Stop, Nowhere,” or whatever the punk rock episode is called is **hilarious** , but in a \*Plan 9 \*way. ---
**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 3, 2016, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-tv-show-decay-youve-seen/745002/26 "2016-02-03T01:52:12Z")
_ **Hill Street Blues** _, after Phil Esterhaus died. They spent a season and a half trying to get back on their feet and never did. ---
**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 3, 2016, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-tv-show-decay-youve-seen/745002/27 "2016-02-03T02:00:13Z")
Even _ **Lost in Space** _ started well and then turned to absolute crap by the time they switched from B&W to color. The inevitable fate of all Erwin Allen series. Another example: _ **Time Tunnel** _ started off presenting relatively harmless bad history and had morphed to silver-skinned aliens-of-the-week by the time it ended after only one season. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-tv-show-decay-youve-seen/745002/28 "2016-02-03T02:06:01Z")
> [@2ManyTacos](#): > > Apparently Heroes Reborn was nothing short of mediocre as well. That wasn’t renewed, so I can only assume that Heroes is well and truly dead now. Watched all of it. Better than seasons 2-the end. Still, really bad TV. Sad. > [@RealityChuck](#): > > The first three seasons of **Farscape** are among the best space opera shows ever to be on TV. The fourth season is complete crap. Dude, a slight decline, but hardly massive decay. Season 4 is less popular, but Farscape more or less rocked all the way through. > [@Joey\_P](#): > > Arrested Development: Amazing show during it’s original run…utter crap during the reboot. Again, I know some didn’t like it, but it was still hilarious. Tobias in his Thing costume may be may favorite comedy moment in the whole series. Decay, but hardly devastating. I like it more than S3. Sacrilidge ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-tv-show-decay-youve-seen/745002/29 "2016-02-03T02:10:51Z")
MASH. Basically garbage for its last three seasons. Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Its sixth season was when the entire writing staff forgot what characters they were writing. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-tv-show-decay-youve-seen/745002/30 "2016-02-03T02:20:29Z")
I gotta disagree about “Dexter”, I liked the “Barrel Girls” arc, but, yeah, after that. Of current shows, I nominate “Sleepy Hollow”. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-tv-show-decay-youve-seen/745002/31 "2016-02-03T02:28:59Z")
> [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > Last season of Star Trek TOS > Brain! Brain! Brain! What is brain? > > Roddenberry didn’t care anymore and I assume the budget was cut Roddenberry was pushed out after the second season. My nomination is ER. It was great or very good for much of its run, but the continual cast changes and escalating melodrama made it impossible to care about any of the characters by the end. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-tv-show-decay-youve-seen/745002/32 "2016-02-03T02:30:42Z")
Speaking as someone who just started Heroes yesterday, this thread is not filling me with great confidence. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-tv-show-decay-youve-seen/745002/33 "2016-02-03T02:49:28Z")
**All in the Family** anyone? Became less than mediocre after Mike & Gloria moved west and the kid and the Teresa moved in. (I am including the morph into Archie Bunker’s Place). mmm ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-tv-show-decay-youve-seen/745002/34 "2016-02-03T02:52:09Z")
> [@CaptMurdock](#): > > MASH. Basically garbage for its last three seasons. > > Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Its sixth season was when the entire writing staff forgot what characters they were writing. 1. MASH worsened, but was by no means horrible. 2. Buffy also dipped a bit in season 6, but it has two of my favs. The musical and Tabula Rasa. It’s less, but hardly a massive decay. > [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > Speaking as someone who just started Heroes yesterday, this thread is not filling me with great confidence. Yikes. Dude, I’m sorry. I’m not an overly critical guy, but it is not worth it. The show tanks worse than any other in history. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-tv-show-decay-youve-seen/745002/35 "2016-02-03T03:01:34Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > 1. MASH worsened, but was by no means horrible. Maybe not horrible, but the writing got so spotty that the actors appeared to me at times to actually be somewhat embarrassed at having to deliver the corny jokes. Like they were phoning it in. ---
**Author:** ![Goofus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7feea3/32.png) [@Goofus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Goofus)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-tv-show-decay-youve-seen/745002/36 "2016-02-03T03:02:37Z")
Big Love got much worse after the second season. I blame New Tancy. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-tv-show-decay-youve-seen/745002/37 "2016-02-03T03:08:58Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Roddenberry was pushed out after the second season. > > My nomination is ER. It was great or very good for much of its run, but the continual cast changes and escalating melodrama made it impossible to care about any of the characters by the end. The book “These are the Voyages” says Roddenberry had a hissy fit over not getting Monday night 8 PM (“Laugh in” was very popular) and basically shitted on people like Robert Justman, D C Fontana, Fred Freiberger, NBC and a number of unworkable scripts. One surprising person is Jerry Lewis. He had a show on at 9 PM tuesday that tanked but refused to give up the time slot without getting big money. But the show’s demise had a lot of help. [http://io9.gizmodo.com/the-truth-about-what-went-wrong-with-the-third-season-o-1684057419](http://io9.gizmodo.com/the-truth-about-what-went-wrong-with-the-third-season-o-1684057419) ---
**Author:** ![Robert163](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4af34b/32.png) [@Robert163](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robert163)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-tv-show-decay-youve-seen/745002/38 "2016-02-03T03:20:29Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > Speaking as someone who just started Heroes yesterday, this thread is not filling me with great confidence. The last season is somewhat OK. If you don’t have the first season to compare it too it could even honestly be called good. Season 2 is ok. Season 3… not so much. ---
**Author:** ![Scribble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scribble/32/3317_2.png) [@Scribble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scribble)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-tv-show-decay-youve-seen/745002/39 "2016-02-03T03:25:11Z")
**Dead Like Me**. The show was smart, inventive, and interesting as long as Bryan Fuller was on board. But it went downhill quickly after he left. ---
**Author:** ![Robert163](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4af34b/32.png) [@Robert163](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robert163)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-tv-show-decay-youve-seen/745002/40 "2016-02-03T03:29:44Z")
> [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > The book “These are the Voyages” says Roddenberry had a hissy fit over not getting Monday night 8 PM (“Laugh in” was very popular) and basically shitted on people like Robert Justman, D C Fontana, Fred Freiberger, NBC and a number of unworkable scripts. One surprising person is Jerry Lewis. He had a show on at 9 PM tuesday that tanked but refused to give up the time slot without getting big money. But the show’s demise had a lot of help. > > [http://io9.gizmodo.com/the-truth-about-what-went-wrong-with-the-third-season-o-1684057419](http://io9.gizmodo.com/the-truth-about-what-went-wrong-with-the-third-season-o-1684057419) This documentary [Chaos On The Bridge](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2880448/) is pretty good. Mainly about TNG and Gene Roddenberry, but, it details some of his struggles with TOS. It is currently on netflix streaming… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-tv-show-decay-youve-seen/745002.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-tv-show-decay-youve-seen/745002.md?page=3)