Shows which went downhill and then got better again

[mattiasflgrtll6]

One of the hardest things to do for a show is get out of a slump and start improving the quality. It either happens that they just get worse or they stay consistently just as bad. Whenever people say The Simpsons are improving, I'm just going "What are you talking about? It's still ****."

But watching the first two Stephen Hillenburg return episodes (the show creator), I honestly believe SpongeBob is getting really good again. Of course it's impossible to match the first three seasons, but it's still good to the point where I enjoy watching it for once. It's a far cry from the disastrous season 5-7. Even the animation has improved.

There are some shows I like which have their great years and their weaker years, but with this I mean shows which got really, really bad, and then just suddenly returned really close to their former glory.

[Iroquois]

The first example I thought of was Angel. Gonna put this in spoilers as a precaution:

Basically, the first two or three seasons of Angel were "what if Buffy but about private eyes" and that proved a solid enough foundation for the show, but then season four drops this weird Antichrist sort of plot into the proceedings that ground things to a dead halt. Fortunately, the show picked back up with season five being about Angel and his friends (not to mention Spike being brought back into the mix) taking over their arch-enemy's law firm - unfortunately, it got canned after that, so what can you do.

[ynwtf]

The first example I thought of was Angel. Gonna put this in spoilers as a precaution:

Basically, the first two or three seasons of Angel were "what if Buffy but about private eyes" and that proved a solid enough foundation for the show, but then season four drops this weird Antichrist sort of plot into the proceedings that ground things to a dead halt. Fortunately, the show picked back up with season five being about Angel and his friends (not to mention Spike being brought back into the mix) taking over their arch-enemy's law firm - unfortunately, it got canned after that, so what can you do.

I'm finding it difficult to imagine you watching Angel. That's not a criticism as it is more of just me not knowing your personality yet. Were you a Buffy fan? Is it safe to assume you were/are an Angel fan?

I never watched either, but my ex did make me go through Vampire Diaries and The Originals in binge mode through Netflix I believe. I got into both, though anything after s3 of Diaries got a bit convoluted with all the doppelgangers running amok.

To the OP, I'm trying hard to think of something that dropped and then returned to quality! My experience has been they stay consistent for a decent and short run, or they just go downhill. So far all I can think of might be Star Trek: Enterprise (2001). That may not fit your description though as (to me) the novelty of the series was the attraction, though it quickly felt drawn out and disconnected. I remember becoming very interested the longer story arcs appearing later in s3, but the show only lasted one more season after that. I think most people had abandoned ship before it started to improve.

[Dani8]

I had to really think about this because usually when a show goes bad I drop and forget. Maybe Tyrant which for me was always good and bad but I felt would finally deliver.

[lenslady]

Well actually I could say that the early, originall Roseanne was a terrific show, one of the few if its kind that addressed the reality of the 'working class' with great humor and true to life likeable characters. Then it sort of nose dived into outlandish plot lines, strayed from the working class theme and I could no longer watch the show.

Then all these years later- it had a rebirth, with the characters grown up, still endearing and the show still as real and brilliantly funny ( thanks to the writers and the actors with impeccable timing).

Well, we know that didn't last too long. We all know what happened here.

Sigh.