Unwatchable first seasons

[TMC]

What is a show that ultimately went on to become great that had an awful first season?

[stevea]

Many will disagree, but with a few exceptions later in the season, I thought I Love Lucy had several clunkers in the first season.

[Charley Knox]

Both Newhart and Cheers didn't have the greatest of first seasons. Some shows takes a couple of seasons to figure out what works.

[stevea]

Forgot about Newhart. The videotaped first season was pretty bad--Newhart had it switched to film the next season.

[RetroGuy2000]

I honestly think there were far more shows with bad final seasons than shows with bad first seasons.

Star Trek: TNG's first season was terrible.

[BigManMike]

The Facts of Life Season 1 wasn’t the greatest. Too many people and the acting wasn’t as good. It got much better in Season 2 when Jo came on and the others left.

Also, Seasons 1 and 2 of Happy Days were my least favorite. It got much better in Season 3 and after.

[icecream]

Originally Posted by thebigcookie

Also, Seasons 1 and 2 of Happy Days were my least favorite. It got much better in Season 3 and after.

Yes. Happy Days really improved when Fonzie and Joanie's roles were increased. And there is a reason Chuck was Chuck Cunninghamed, he didn't add anything to the show and Richie worked best as the oldest.

[stevea]

Originally Posted by thebigcookie

The Facts of Life Season 1 wasn’t the greatest. Too many people and the acting wasn’t as good. It got much better in Season 2 when Jo came on and the others left.

I agree, the first season wasn't the greatest, but a little of Jo goes a long way. I really enjoyed the middle years of FOL. I still haven't seen much of the Cloris seasons.

[BigManMike]

Originally Posted by stevea

Many will disagree, but with a few exceptions later in the season, I thought I Love Lucy had several clunkers in the first season.

I’m just the opposite. I really liked the first two seasons best when they were in that first apartment. My least favorite ones were the second half of the sixth and final season and the Lucy Desi comedy hour when they moved to Connecticut. They weren’t bad but they didn’t hold the same charm that the original ones did.

[stevea]

Originally Posted by thebigcookie

I’m just the opposite. I really liked the first two seasons best when they were in that first apartment. My least favorite ones were the second half of the sixth and final season and the Lucy Desi comedy hour when they moved to Connecticut. They weren’t bad but they didn’t hold the same charm that the original ones did.

Yep, we're opposite. I liked all the Connecticut episodes, and even most Comedy Hours. The only Comedy Hour I really disliked was the first one with Ann Sothern. I thought that one was silly, and contradicted previous stories about how Lucy and Ricky met. The funniest one had Tallulah Bankhead, followed by the crossover with Danny Thomas.

[Fallon97]

Brady Bunch
Mannix
I Dream Of Jeannie
The Facts Of Life
Happy Days
One Day At A Time

I wouldn't say that the first season is unwatchable, but the first season of these shows are my least favorite.

[treky]

the first 2 seasons of HAPPY DAYS were the best-in fact; the only good seasons.
The first season of STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION was pretty bad.
Seasons 8-11 of MASH (the "post Radar" seasons) were unwatchable.

[AntennaTV2020]

Season 1 of A Different World is awful and painfully dull. It improved massively in Season 2 when they got rid of boring Lisa Bonet / Marisa Tomei, Debbie Allen took over the show, Freddie and Kim were added to the cast, Dwayne and Whitley became the leads, and gave us a much better theme song sung by Aretha Franklin.

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by AntennaTV2020

Season 1 of A Different World is awful and painfully dull. It improved massively in Season 2 when they got rid of boring Lisa Bonet / Marisa Tomei, Debbie Allen took over the show, Freddie and Kim were added to the cast, Dwayne and Whitley became the leads, and gave us a much better theme song sung by Aretha Franklin.

I'm the opposite; I watched A Different World for Lisa Bonet and Marisa Tomei, and felt like the producers did a disservice by jettisoning the most important parts of the first season.

I also enjoy the first season of The Facts of Life, before the Cast Purge made the show feel like Eastland was just a school with four students.

[Sal]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

I'm the opposite; I watched A Different World for Lisa Bonet and Marisa Tomei, and felt like the producers did a disservice by jettisoning the most important parts of the first season.

I also enjoy the first season of The Facts of Life, before the Cast Purge made the show feel like Eastland was just a school with four students.

I agree with both comments!

For me, the best example of a show that survived and thrived after a bad first season was "The Odd Couple". The first season operated at a slow pace and was patterned after the movie which wasn't that great. Once the series switched to a live audience both Jack Klugman and Tony Randall came to life and made their characters funnier and broader and their chemistry became greater which helped them prosper and the show to improve.

Another example would be "The Andy Griffith Show". While the first season did have some good episodes in it, the biggest change that occurred from Season 2 onwards regarded Andy Griffith's character of Sheriff Taylor. In Season 1, he was portrayed as a country bumpkin with a funny accent and a constant grin for every occasion which is how the audience remembered him from his previous work. Andy himself grew tired of this persona and decided to change and make Andy Taylor a straight man and a calmer voice of reason. This happened once he realized how silly he was becoming and how funny Don Knotts and the other characters were. So he stepped aside and wisely decided to let everyone else, especially Knotts, get most of the laughs. The result was that the show climbed in the ratings and its characters, Andy in particular, became beloved for TV fans of all generations.