# What TV show's last season is stronger than the show began? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 8, 2011, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-shows-last-season-is-stronger-than-the-show-began/605549 "2011-12-08T19:45:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-shows-last-season-is-stronger-than-the-show-began/605549/21 "2011-12-09T00:52:07Z")
_Star Trek: The Next Generation_\* and _Enterprise_ \*Note that I’m not saying the seventh season is the best, just better than the first and not to be skipped. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-shows-last-season-is-stronger-than-the-show-began/605549/22 "2011-12-09T00:58:47Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > South Park, especially in terms of artistic style and political messages. The early plots are classic and memorable, but not nearly as intricate or well-developed. Well of course it’s still running, but I agree that _South Park_ has only gotten better and shows little sign of getting crappy. > [@Daddypants](#): > > I agree. However, the follow up movie sucked. I’ve avoided it. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-shows-last-season-is-stronger-than-the-show-began/605549/23 "2011-12-09T01:04:37Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > _Star Trek: The Next Generation_\* Ack. Allow me to register a strong dissent there. The last season seemed to feature each of the main characters going nuts in an episode. Crusher chases ghosts, Worf stuck in a time loop, Riker’s weird acting/dream/possession/whatever deal, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Telperion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telperion/32/509_2.png) [@Telperion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperion)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-shows-last-season-is-stronger-than-the-show-began/605549/24 "2011-12-09T12:47:23Z")
All the Stargate series started out pretty bad so I guess they could realistically only move upwards. I couldn’t even get into Universe, but I’ve heard it improved too later on. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-shows-last-season-is-stronger-than-the-show-began/605549/25 "2011-12-09T15:07:57Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Ack. Allow me to register a strong dissent there. The last season seemed to feature each of the main characters going nuts in an episode. Crusher chases ghosts, Worf stuck in a time loop, Riker’s weird acting/dream/possession/whatever deal, etc. I agree that the Crusher episode was bad (and made me feel embarassed for Gates McFadden), but I actually liked the other two you mentioned. Worf’s time-loop episode had one of the most chilling beats in all of Next Gen (“The Borg are everywhere!”), and the Riker episode accomplished something pretty tricky - it showed Riker starting to buy into the delusion in a way that was pretty darned believable. And of course, “All Good Things” was a darned good end to the series. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-shows-last-season-is-stronger-than-the-show-began/605549/26 "2011-12-09T15:22:22Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > the Riker episode accomplished something pretty tricky - it showed Riker starting to buy into the delusion in a way that was pretty darned believable. IIRC, that wasn’t the last season; it was the next-to-last season. (Riker’s big episode in last season was the one with Terry O’Quinn as the smug admiral who’d been covering up Starfleet’s treaty-violating cloaking experiments for quite some time.) > [@](#): > > And of course, “All Good Things” was a darned good end to the series. Plus, the last season gave us “Lower Decks”. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-shows-last-season-is-stronger-than-the-show-began/605549/27 "2011-12-09T16:01:50Z")
Dollhouse I think seasons 1 and 7 of Buffy are the two weakest by a good margin, but they have different strengths and weaknesses, so it’s a bit hard to compare them. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-shows-last-season-is-stronger-than-the-show-began/605549/28 "2011-12-09T16:12:40Z")
Newhart. I watched the first few episodes and then missed it for several years. The last episode was, of course, one of the best moments in all of television. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-shows-last-season-is-stronger-than-the-show-began/605549/29 "2011-12-09T16:59:52Z")
Definitely **Star Trek: Enterprise**. Once they wrapped up the Xindi arc (which I also liked) and started in with the Romulans that show really found its stride. Sucks too because, according to showrunner Manny Coto, it was all a prelude to what would have been seasons 5-6-7, namely the _Earth-Romulan War_! ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-shows-last-season-is-stronger-than-the-show-began/605549/30 "2011-12-10T00:50:24Z")
I think Smallville would qualify. Not that the first season was the worst (the last few Lana seasons were unbearable), but I really think the last season or two where they actually started bringing in a lot of other DC characters, like the Justice Society, were much better than “Clark vs kryptonite fueled freak of the week” it started out as. ---
**Author:** ![meanoldman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@meanoldman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/meanoldman)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-shows-last-season-is-stronger-than-the-show-began/605549/31 "2011-12-10T01:19:17Z")
Second the StarGate mention, especially SG-1. I had the good fortune of watching it in syndication but starting up in season 4 or 5. It was a “fun” little show. The actors and characters and writers all seemed to be enjoying themselves and the genre and not taking things too seriously. ---
**Author:** ![Waenara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@Waenara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waenara)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-shows-last-season-is-stronger-than-the-show-began/605549/32 "2011-12-10T04:41:31Z")
> [@meanoldman](#): > > Second the StarGate mention, especially SG-1. I had the good fortune of watching it in syndication but starting up in season 4 or 5. It was a “fun” little show. The actors and characters and writers all seemed to be enjoying themselves and the genre and not taking things too seriously. I agree that Stargate SG-1 got better as it went on. The series was so enjoyable because of the characters and the chemistry between them. Although I really liked the original cast, I didn’t dislike any of the casting changes over the years - a lot of shows start to die when they lose original cast members, but I think SG-1 did a good job of keeping the show interesting with new people. I think I’m also partial to the last few seasons because who doesn’t love Ba’al? I just love watching re-runs of his episodes. Scenery chewing awesomeness. ---
**Author:** ![BeaMyra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@BeaMyra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeaMyra)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-shows-last-season-is-stronger-than-the-show-began/605549/33 "2011-12-10T10:14:37Z")
The first thing I thought of was “Seinfeld” as well. “Newhart” had a great end episode, but the last season was barely watchable really. With Stephanie pregnant, then the baby getting control of the TV station, it was one step short of “Roseanne’s” last season. “Family Ties” might also be better the last year, because the first season of that show was all over the place, trying to find a hold then it didn’t hit its stride till it became the “Michael J Fox Show.” “I Love Lucy,” might be another one. The first season was really a struggle for them. I think other seasons of ILL are better than the last, but the last is better than the first. In terms of ratings only “I Love Lucy,” “Andy Griffith” and “Seinfeld” finished number one for the year, the last year they were on. And both “I Love Lucy,” and “Andy Griffith” went on to produce continuation series ---
**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:** [December 10, 2011, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-shows-last-season-is-stronger-than-the-show-began/605549/34 "2011-12-10T12:10:39Z")
I might get some crap for this, but _Battlestar Galactica._ The final season was largely free of the mediocre stand-alone episodes that had plagued the earlier ones, and it did a great job of bringing the characters’ arcs to satisfying conclusions. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-shows-last-season-is-stronger-than-the-show-began/605549/35 "2011-12-10T13:40:04Z")
Night Court. The first couple of seasons they were finding their way. From then on it was awesome to the end. ---
**Author:** ![ballardfam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8797f3/32.png) [@ballardfam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ballardfam)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-shows-last-season-is-stronger-than-the-show-began/605549/36 "2011-12-10T14:38:14Z")
Veronica Mars While I loved the first season for plot and getting to know the characters, and the second season was definitely poor, I think the last season was the best. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-shows-last-season-is-stronger-than-the-show-began/605549/37 "2011-12-10T15:05:19Z")
_Friday Night Lights_. The rhythm of the story telling was changed because the last two seasons were only half a season long, but each TV season was one football season. But they kept up the quality of the scripts and the ensemble acting and finished with one of the great last episodes of any TV series in history. I can still remember how shocked I was when they cut from the scene showing the last play of the year in the Championship game. But it turns out to be genius. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-shows-last-season-is-stronger-than-the-show-began/605549/38 "2011-12-10T15:13:09Z")
I’m not going to say the last season is the strongest but The Office is one of those shows where you really had to stick with it for the first season, it was a bit hard to watch at times. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-shows-last-season-is-stronger-than-the-show-began/605549/39 "2011-12-12T00:15:00Z")
I find the SG1 mentions interesting, because while it’s not my personal opinion, a lot of people seem to really hate the show after Cam replaced Jack. Well, maybe not hate, but they definitely didn’t care for the change. Myself, I didn’t start watching until it was already over and I came across a syndicated rerun of a Cam era ep, so my frame of reference is completely different than people who’d been watching all along. ---
**Author:** ![Waenara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@Waenara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waenara)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-shows-last-season-is-stronger-than-the-show-began/605549/40 "2011-12-12T02:17:54Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > I find the SG1 mentions interesting, because while it’s not my personal opinion, a lot of people seem to really hate the show after Cam replaced Jack. Well, maybe not hate, but they definitely didn’t care for the change. I really, really liked Jack. But when Cam joined the team he “replaced” Jack as the team leader, but I think it worked because that wasn’t the only change they made. Adding Cam and Vala basically at the same time was enough to change the team dynamic enough that it didn’t feel like they were just trying to replace Jack. Also, the cast went through a bunch of changes in the previous few seasons, with Daniel and Jonas. I admit that I like Daniel’s character better (it’s the squeeeing fangirl in me), but I also liked Jonas and they did a good job of developing his character. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-shows-last-season-is-stronger-than-the-show-began/605549.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tv-shows-last-season-is-stronger-than-the-show-began/605549.md?page=3)