What shows do you think were better in the first part of the series run?


And which shows do you think were better in the later part of the series run??






Shows that were better in the early years:
The Cosby Show
Diff'rent Strokes
The Facts of Life
Home Improvement
Frasier (although Season 11 is very good)
Coach
Three's Company
Family Matters
Full House
Step by Step
Who's the Boss?
Roseanne
I Love Lucy
Happy Days
The Brady Bunch
and more....




Shows that were better in the later years:
Cheers
Seinfeld
Mary Tyler Moore
The Jeffersons (sorta)
and thats about it

Agree with Cheers. Cheers got better with every season it seemed liked.

Shows that were better in early years:

Family Ties (although good all the way, was better during the first 4 seasons than the last three)

The Cosby Show (the show was unrecognizable at the end compared with the beginning)

Roseanne
Growing Pains
Designing Women



Shows that were better in later years:

Mama's Family
Cheers
Night Court

Originally posted by FamilyTiesGOP
[B]Agree with Cheers. Cheers got better with every season it seemed liked.


As much as I love Cheers.... I have to disagree.
Season 10 was the absolute worst (although it does have one of my favorite episodes of any show, ever "One Hugs, The Other Doesn't").... but Season 11 was the cream of the crop.
IMO.... the greatest season of any show.... ever.

What shows do you think were better in the first part of the series run?

I Love Lucy


And which shows do you think were better in the later part of the series run??

I Dream of Jeannie (I actually liked it when they got married)
Full House

Originally posted by dawsongirl
What shows do you think were better in the first part of the series run?

I Love Lucy


And which shows do you think were better in the later part of the series run??

I Dream of Jeannie (I actually liked it when they got married)
Full House


I like so many shows that I thought were good all the way thru.

Early Years:
Star Trek - The Next Generation
Pokemon (Season 1 was the best until...)
Frasier
Star Trek - Deep Space Nine
The Lucy Show
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Later Years:
Happy Days
Family Matters
Star Trek - Voyager
Star Trek - Enterprise
Cheers
Pokemon (...season 6)
I Love Lucy
Batman
The Simpsons

Don't get me wrong...I enjoy shows from all seasons of these shows--just some more than others.

better early on:

MASH

THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES

HOME IMPROVMENT

THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW

STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE

FRASIER

ELLEN

MAD ABOUT YOU

E.R.

I DREAM OF JEANNIE

GET SMART

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE


better later on:

STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE

Better in early years;

Roseanne
Happy Days
Laverne and Shirley
Alice
Facts Of Life



Later Years;

Newhart
Full House
Bewitched
Mama's Family

Good in the early years:
The Cosby Show (Seasons 1 and 2 especially)
Cheers
Family Ties (The first two seasons)
All In the Family
The Jeffersons
Coach
Eight Is Enough
Too Close for Comfort
The Bob Newhart Show

Better in the later years:
Full House
One Day At A Time
Newhart
The Mary Tyler Moore Show

Early:
The Beverly Hillbillies
My Three Sons
The Donna Reed Show
Friends

Later:
The Facts Of Life
The Brady Bunch

Better in early years:
- Happy Days (1974-1980)
- Laverne & Shirley (1976-1981)
- Three's Company (1977-1980)
- Sanford and Son (1972-1975)
- The Lucy Show (1962-1965)
- Here's Lucy (1968-1971)
- Mister Ed (1961-1963)
- I Dream of Jeannie (1966-1968)
- Bewitched (1964-1968)

Better in later years:
- The Jeffersons (1979-1984)
- Mama's Family (1986-1990)
- Mary Tyler Moore (1974-1977)
- The Brady Bunch (1972-1974)
- The Wonder Years (1991-1993)

Remained potential throughout entire run:
- I Love Lucy
- The Dick Van Dyke Show
- Gilligan's Island
- The Munsters
- The Addams Family

Originally posted by barwars88
As much as I love Cheers.... I have to disagree.
Season 10 was the absolute worst (although it does have one of my favorite episodes of any show, ever "One Hugs, The Other Doesn't").... but Season 11 was the cream of the crop.
IMO.... the greatest season of any show.... ever.

You're right. I looked at the episode list for season 10. A lot of those episodes were not my favorites.

I liked seasons 8 and 9 the best. I also liked 11.

Better in the early years:

The Andy Griffith Show (1960-1965)
The Waltons (1972-1979)
The Wonder Years (1988-1991)

Better in the middle years:

Family Matters (early-mid 1990s)

I forgot to add:

HAPPY DAYS-the first one & a half seasons, before they added the live audience, and it became "The Fonzie show"

"The Andy Griffith show-3 words, black & white, and Barney Fife. (most people would agree that that says it all)

Originally posted by barwars88
Shows that were better in the later years:
Cheers

I think Cheers was best in the middle years. Seasons 4&5 were the best, IMO. I guess thats considered the early years....

Better in the Beginning
Three's Company
Laverne & Shirley
I Love Lucy
Bewitched
All in the Family
Family Ties
ALF
Maude
Archie Bunker's Place
Get Smart
Diff'rent Strokes

Better in the End
The Facts of Life
The Brady Bunch

Early Years
Bewitched
The Cosby Show-thats a big one for me.I loved it when the kids were younger and the storylines were funnier.It just went downhil later on.
Everybody Loves Raymond
Sabrina,the Teenage Witch
Kenan and Kel
Saved By The Bell
I Love Lucy
Married with Children
Happy Days
Full House

Later Years
I Dream Of Jeannie
The Nanny

Always great
Seinfeld
The Wonder Years
The Golden Girls
Whos The Boss

eary years-MASH-mostly the first 3 seasons, with Trapper & Henry. After that, it was just ok. Then, when Radar left, it just went downhill.
Happy Days-the first season, before they added that ANNOYING live audience, and it became "The Fonzie show".
Laverne and Shirley-before they moved to California, and HALF THE FREAKIN' TOWN MOVED WITH THEM!!!
"The Andy Griffith show"-black & white, Barney Fife. That says it all. (I know A LOT of people agree with me about that!!)
"Leave it to Beaver"-before Beaver became a teenager.

I'm glad someone brought up the option of the middle years, because I certainly feel "Seinfeld's" best years ran from about 1992 to '96 or so. Early on, it was still searching for its stride; after Susan died, it was still pretty funny, but it lost something once George left the Yankees.

Better Early On:
Frasier (season 11 is the exception)
The Cosby Show
Murphy Brown
227
Boy Meets World
Mama's Family
ER
Stargate SG-1
Star Trek: The Next Generation(really it was good until season 7)
I Love Lucy
Three's Company
Empty Nest
Ellen
Friends
The Nanny
Married...With Children

Better Later:
Seinfeld
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine- more like the middle years were the best
...quite frankly, there aren't many shows that got better with age.

Shows that stayed good throughout their entire run:
The Golden Girls
Cheers

Roseanne peaked for me in Seasons 2-6. After that, it began to go downhill. Season 9 is almost completely unwatchable to me(except for a couple of episodes).

Family Matters was the same way... I liked all the seasons of this show, but I'd have to say Seasons 3-8 were the best. The 9th season was OK, but I hated the way it ended(I know, it wasn't meant to be a series finale).

shows that were best in the early seasons:
Happy Days (1974-1976)
Charmed (1998-2002)
Night Court (1984-1987)
The Cosby Show (1984-1987)
Sex And The City (1999-2001)
Six Feet Under (2001-2002)
Angel (1999.... first 9 episodes before Doyle died)
Ally McBeal (1997-2000)

best in the middle seasons:
Roseanne (1991-1994)
Seinfeld (1992-1996)
Friends (1997-2000)

shows that were best in the latter seasons:
One Day At A Time (1979-1984)
South Park (2003-)

shows that were great the entire run:
Buffy The Vampire Slayer (seasons 4 and 7 weren't the best but still good)
Taxi
The Simpsons (the mid seasons were best but it's been great all along)
Facts Of Life (except for the first and last seasons)

Better Early Years:
Happy Days
Charlie's Angels
Three's Company
The Price is Right(Barker)- The First 20 years
Sale of the Century(80s)- before 1988
ALF
Alice

Better Later Years:
Newhart
One Day at a Time
Knight Rider- Seasons 3 & 4

Remained great throughout the run:
Cheers
Adam 12
Match Game(Rayburn 70s-80s)
Matlock
Saved by the Bell
Seinfeld
Sanford and Son
The Golden Girls
The Jeffersons
WKRP in Cincinnati

Laverne And Shirley was way better in the early years . As soon as Cindy Williams and Michael McKean left , it went south.

Sanford And Son was better in their early years before Redd Foxx held out because of a contract dispute

Although I throughly enjoy these shows, the earlier seasons are better:

227
Alice
All in the Family
The Andy Griffith Show
The Brady Bunch
The Facts of Life
Family Matters
Gimme a Break!
Happy Days
Petticoat Junction
Roseanne
Sabrina the Teenage Witch


As far as shows that got better, I’d say “Mama’s Family”, “Green Acres”, & “The Jeffersons” stayed very comical and didn’t jump the shark. All of these shows seasons were very enjoyable.

Happy Days the first season only.

All In The Family (but nonetheless always good)

"HAPPY DAYS" was only watchable in the shows first season before it became "the Fonzie show" and they added that ANNOYING live audience.
"LAVERNE & SHIRLEY" was better in the Milwaukee years before they moved to California and half the town moved with them.
"MASH" was DEFINETALY better in the first 3 seasons then seasons 4-7 were so-so and seasons 8-11 were too much Alda, too preachy and dramatic and ran too long. It should have ended when Radar left.

I'm surprised so many are saying "One Day at a Time" was better in the later years. I feel the early years were the best where stories focused on Ann raising her 2 teen daughters alone.
By the later years when Julie left, that kid started living with them (I forgot his name) and Barbara and Ann got married, it went downhill for me.

The Simpsons seasons 1 to 9. In my opinion it should have stayed in the 90s.

Facts of Life got way better in its later run. More slapstick and depth episodes than different strokes

I think Larry Sanders show should get a mention with how consistent it was. The last season my favorite.

Mamas Family and Newhart were the underdogs of 1980s sitcom. Not preachy, slapstick all the way

Although the first eight seasons were my fav, The Jefferson's never jumped just quality going down

One other show I would say that got better I'm surprised no one mentioned is Barney Miller

Family Matters was way better early in its run, I don't watch after season 4. Facts of Life was good but I prefer season 1

Early years
the honeymooners
I love lucy
boy meets world
fresh prince of bel air
full house
hanging with mr cooper
whos the boss?
family matters
sabrina the teeange witch
sister ,sister
perfect strangers

later years
night court
Amen
saved by the bell
the wonder years
step by step
family ties

One other show I would say that got better I'm surprised no one mentioned is Barney Miller

It certainly did! I think it finished strong at the end of its run in 1982.

Ironically that show won its only emmy for best situation comedy that year.

"Welcome Back, Kotter" was best the first couple of seasons. That last season with Gabe missing - No.

The Hogan Family once they killed off Valerie Harper and brought in Sandy Duncan. I love Valerie Harper, but honestly, something about her on The Hogan Family just didn't work for me.

The Hogan Family once they killed off Valerie Harper and brought in Sandy Duncan. I love Valerie Harper, but honestly, something about her on The Hogan Family just didn't work for me.

Rhoda typecasted her. Valerie Harper WAS Rhoda.

Back to subject, Rhoda (speaking of) was better in the early seasons.

Better early:

Happy Days
Laverne and Shirley
Three's Company
A Different World (totally unwatchable after Season 1)
Facts Of Life
Andy Griffith
MASH (before Charles)
Family Ties (before Nick)
Mork & Mindy
Welcome Back Kotter
Petticoat Junction



Better Late

Bewitched (no-brainer!)
Ozzie and Harriet
Odd Couple
Cheers (when Woody and Rebecca joined the cast)
My Three Sons
The Big Bang Theory
Newhart

Valerie is much better than The Hogan Family. I don't like Sandy Duncan as a lead actress, but the first two episodes of Valerie aired today and I am interested in continuing with the Valerie Harper seasons.