Television shows can be difficult to get right straight out the gate, and some series found their footing later with seasons that massively improved their shows. The first season of a television series can often struggle with balancing its comedy or drama with introducing its characters, themes, and ideas, and then it’s often not until later, when everything has been established, that things really kick into gear. Other shows receive a major bump in quality much later with the introduction of a new character or storyline, making a show significantly better well into its run.
There have been plenty of examples of TV seasons that added something unique and interesting to the series and helped carry it forward into the future as a better and more enjoyable viewing experience. Even series that rank among the greatest television shows of all time took a little while to become the best version of themselves and saw significant improvement well after the pilot episode had aired. These examples showcased why networks should give shows some extra time to develop because, even if they don’t click right away, greatness may be just around the corner.
The first season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer was very enjoyable, but the show also took a while to find its identity as it became darker and more interesting in the second season. The original premise of Buffy involved monster of the week stories that acted as metaphors for the high school experience with the vampires and demons Buffy fought being symbolic representations of teenage struggles. While this led to some great episodes, a long-form, overarching story arc was more significantly introduced in the second season of Buffy.
This change in tone massively improved Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and paired with the introduction of new characters like Spike; the show found its footing from this point onwards. With a far better balance between supernatural threats and high school drama, Buffy felt like it had a lot more depth and resonance during this season. This was also the beginning of Xander’s relationship with Cordelia and Willow’s introduction to witchcraft, which helped make the supporting characters far more interesting.
Parks and Recreation was notoriously underwhelming in its first season and struggled to fully connect in Season 2. However, the final two episodes of the second season introduced Ben Wyatt (Adam Scott) and Chris Traeger (Rob Lowe), which proved to be the secret ingredient needed to round out the cast and turn Parks and Rec from a good sitcom into a truly great one. Beginning in the third season, these characters were fully integrated, and Parks and Rec improved dramatically from its reshuffled cast that removed Paul Schneider as Mark Brendanawicz, whose character just wasn’t working.
By Season 3, Parks and Recreation knew exactly what it was. As a show grounded in optimism, it stood in stark contrast to much of the nihilistic or self-deprecating TV shows on the air. Without a single bad episode in the third season, Parks and Recreation massively improved and transformed its reputation. Characters like Ron Swanson had become iconic, and the town of Pawnee itself had become an integral part of the show as the absurdities of its residents and unique charm were brought right to the forefront.
The British period sitcom Blackadder was set in a new historical era with each subsequent series, which meant there was a great disparity in quality throughout. With the incredible comedic talents of its star Rowan Atkinson and the writer Richard Curtis at the helm, every series had something unique to offer, but it greatly improved in the final entry, Blackadder Goes Fourth. These episodes were set in a trench in Flanders during World War I and still rank among the greatest episodes across all British comedy.
Blackadder Goes Forth tastefully handled its subject matter and has maintained an unmatched legacy for the 35 years since it first aired. With a final scene that’s more famous than the show itself, Blackadder Goes Forth ended on a poignant note as the characters went “over the top” and met a brutal end in the First World War. An intense juxtaposition between all the comedy that preceded it, the finale of Blackadder was a brave ending with an anti-war message that massively improved the show.
Exactly which seasons of The Simpsons were the show’s golden age has been a point of debate, but one thing was certain, there was a significant improvement in Season 3, which helped solidify its now iconic status. By the third season, The Simpsons had found its unique voice and started to branch outside the core family to expand the town of Springfield into what felt like a real, lived-in universe. Episodes focused on Ned Flanders, Krusty the Clown, and Moe Szyslak, acted as some of the greatest moments in The Simpsons.
It was during the third season that The Simpsons reached a level of popularity that allowed them to gain massive celebrity guest stars, but instead of simply playing themselves, the show created unique characters for them to play. Episodes like the premiere, “Stark Raving Dad,” which featured Michael Jackson, highlighted that The Simpsons had become a major pop culture phenomenon. With a blend of absurd humor and heartfelt vulnerability, the third season of The Simpsons greatly improved the show as it continued to soar to even greater heights in the following years.
The German-language Netflix series Dark was difficult to categorize as it didn’t fit into one genre. With an incredible blend of science fiction, mystery, family drama, and a complex multigeneration time travel story, Dark became more complex and interesting with each subsequent season. However, it was not until the final third season that everything came together, and Dark became one of the most insightful series ever made by Netflix.
While Dark maintained high quality throughout its entire run, the series had so many overlapping mysteries and lingering questions that it would have been a disaster if everything hadn’t come together. Luckily, the third season brought the story to a conclusion in a way that felt inspired and incredibly satisfying. With so many timelines to keep up with and a wealth of deeply philosophical themes, the final season of Dark greatly improved the show by justifying everything that came before it.
Better Call Saul was a fantastic prequel to Breaking Bad, which focused on the criminal lawyer Saul Goodman and how he turned into the sleazy lawman who aided Walter White and Jesse Pinkman. While viewers were likely expecting more of the intense action of Breaking Bad, in its earliest seasons, Better Call Saul was more of a tragedy of feuding brothers and a slow-burn drama that took its time getting to the action. While this was incredible television with exceptional writing, the change of tone turned off some viewers who expected it to be more akin to Breaking Bad.
However, in the sixth season of Better Call Saul, the worlds of the two series collided, and the prequel caught up and surpassed the Breaking Bad timeline. This was incredibly satisfying for viewers waiting to witness Jimmy McGill’s metamorphosis into Saul Goodman, and the intertextuality between the two series greatly improved the show. While knowledge of Saul’s backstory means scenes from Breaking Bad now hit differently, the final season of Better Call Saul was superb television that matched, or potentially even exceeded, the fantastic finale of Breaking Bad.
The gang in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia were insanely watchable characters whose absurd antics addressed countless social and political issues. However, the first season lacked one important ingredient, as Frank Reynolds (Danny DeVito) had yet to join the show and complete the final puzzle piece of its incredible ensemble. Introduced at the beginning of Season 2, Frank greatly improved the show as his over-the-top persona immediately fit in with the vibe of the rest of the series.
While Always Sunny would continue to improve as the characters became increasingly bizarre over the years, the second season was where it finally found its voice and became one of the greatest ensembles seen in sitcom history. DeVito was added to the cast to bolster ratings with some star power, and not only did his name recognition help get word out about the existence of Always Sunny, but it made it better overall. With 16 seasons and counting, the longevity of Always Sunny was due primarily to the changes made in this season.
The British sitcom Peep Show was full of cringe-worthy moments, as the hapless flatmates Mark and Jeremy would consistently find themselves in absurd situations. With a POV and voiceover style that put viewers directly in the characters’ minds, Peep Show was a unique series that took a while to find its footing. Although the earliest episodes were full of hilarious moments, in the fourth series, everything coalesced perfectly, and the show was at its absolute best.
This improvement was due to Mark’s impending marriage to his long-term love interest, Sofie, and his realization that he did not want to get married. Mark’s fear of commitment was the overarching story arc of this series, and it came together perfectly in the finale when Mark almost jilted his bride-to-be at the altar by hiding with Jeremy in the church. This storyline figured out exactly how to use Mark’s awkward nature and lack of social decorum most effectively and made it the very best series of Peep Show.
Twin Peaks was famously one of the most influential TV series ever, and its central mystery of who killed Laura Palmer enthralled and intrigued audiences during the 1990s. However, Twin Peaks had a quality drop in its second season as its co-creator David Lynch took a step back from the show, and an assortment of complex storylines and a lack of urgency after Laura’s mystery had been resolved caused ratings to decline. This was the story of Twin Peaks until it returned for an incredible third season, subtitled The Return, which recontextualized and dramatically improved the entire show.
Produced 25 years after the end of the original series, Twin Peaks Season 3 had a lot to live up to and actually managed to deliver on its lofty expectations. With David Lynch as director for all 18 episodes, The Return played out more like a surreal long-form movie viewing experience than an episodic show and was a visually stunning spectacle unlike anything previously seen on television. With rumors about a potential fourth season of Twin Peaks, viewers can only hope that Lynch and co-creator Mark Frost can keep up the same level of quality if they move forward.