I was wondering. Did Get Smart's ratings go down after the third season because the CONTROL-KAOS battle story lines got stale? Anybody think so?

I was wondering. Did Get Smart's ratings go down after the third season because the CONTROL-KAOS battle story lines got stale? Anybody think so?
I think the reason for the decline in the ratings is because they started to spend more time on the romance between Max and 99 and less time on the actual spy stories.

I think the reason for the decline in the ratings is because they started to spend more time on the romance between Max and 99 and less time on the actual spy stories.

This is my feelings as well.

Part of the satire of the show was that KAOS and CONTROL existed to destroy each other and therefore actually needed each other to survive. But I actually preferred to see Max and 99 stop Kaos from taking over or destroying or threatening the free world, rather than just stopping KAOS from hurting CONTROL.

Often times having the two leads definitely end up together hurts a show because it removes the sexual tension. I don't think that necessarily had to happen when Max and 99 got married, but I agree that I could have done without some of the "typical sitcom" plotlines in the later episodes.

It seemed to me as if KAOS had more incompetent agents during seasons 4 and 5, as if they weren't as much of a threat. But I liked them anyway.