22 TV Shows That Actually Got Better As They Went

Schitt's Creek aged better than Herb Ertlinger Wine.

Most TV shows start out strong, and then get worse as time goes on and writers run out of ideas, or actors start leaving, or the plots get too convoluted.

ABC

So when Reddit user u/magichronx asked, "Which TV series gets consistently better after its first season?" I was surprised to see so many answers! Here are 22 shows that actually got better with time!

Warner Home Video

1. BoJack Horseman

Netflix

Suggested by u/oddtoddlr

"Bojack Horseman starts off as another generic edgy adult cartoon that relies on cut-away gags and other overused tropes. The humor was also hit and miss to start. But once they get their shit together at about the eighth episode of the first season, the show finds itself and blossoms into a masterpiece of storytelling, presenting mental illness, addiction, and interpersonal relationships in a manner I feel has yet to be topped."

—u/Weed_wolves

2. Six Feet Under

HBO

Suggested by u/invalidpassword

Six Feet Under is a bit hard to get into at first, but it really starts to hit its stride in seasons 2 and 3. And the finale is often cited as one of the best finales and conclusions to a show ever.

3. The Good Place

NBC

"The Good Place. I was impressed with a lot of things in the show's first season, but there was nothing particularly immersive about it for me. Then the next seasons came rolling around, and it's become one of my favorite shows of all time."

—u/i-lie-on-reddit

"It's incredible. A masterpiece of closing a show down the right way. The final season is amazing."

—u/giraffield

4. The Simpsons (well, to a point)

Fox

Suggested by u/JustAllanTV

"The first season is unbelievably bad. I'm still not completely convinced it's not a hoax."

—u/cutelyaware

"[In] Season 1, Bart was the main character. This changed to Homer, and it got better from then on."

—u/its-not-me_its-you_

5. Parks and Recreation

NBC

Suggested by u/Glowing_up

"Parks and Recreation is a show I’ve always used as an example of shows that need more than one season to show what they can be. Season 1 isn’t great by any means, and Michael Schur and the writers didn’t really know what they wanted to do, but by the middle of Season 2 they stop having Leslie dress like a 50-year-old politician, and they really find everyone’s voices and their sweet spots. Then they add Rob Lowe and Adam Scott, and it becomes an incredible show."

—u/santichrist

6. Avatar the Last Airbender

Nickelodeon

"The show was good in Season 1, but you could really feel that they had to be more of a kids show (nothing inherently wrong with that except for preconceived notions that were probably thrust upon it), but once Season 2 (especially the climax) and Season 3 rolled around, I'd say it's really hard to consider it just a 'kids show.'"

—u/darcmosch

"From the cringey Nickelodeon jokes to actual character development, an epic anti-climax to the final conclusion. Given, it has some fillers, but overall, the best redemption arc, the most wholesome characters, and world-building to its finest are found here."

—u/VikingsLinebacker33

7. Schitt's Creek

Pop!TV

"The first season was a little harder to watch. The family starts off as this insufferable, shallow group of humans stuck together."

—u/fire_brand

"This is a great example. The character arcs of the main characters on this show are amazing, especially for a situation comedy. David Rose took a little getting used to, but later became one of my favorite and the funniest characters on TV. The last season or two were its best, really went out on a high note."

—u/damnusernamewastaken

8. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

FX

Suggested by u/handmethatwrenchbro

"Season 1 was like a delicious burrito without any salsa. Then came DeVito."

—u/canteen_boy

"IASIP hasn't even begun to peak. And when it does peak, you'll know. Because it's gonna peak so hard that everybody in Philadelphia's gonna feel it."

—u/scooter76

9. Adventure Time

Cartoon Network

"Easily one of the best cartoons of all time."

—u/d_ronzo17

"Adventure Time just turns into a different show around, like, Season 4? You need to watch all the previous episodes to enjoy the references and world-building but it goes from a simple episodic kids show to a more mature, wise, romp."

—u/beeknees67

10. The Dragon Prince

Netflix

"The animation frames were hard to watch in the first season. They took the feedback and made the subsequent seasons smoother."

—u/moosecatlol

11. Better Call Saul

AMC

Suggested by GhostRMT

"I love the first season, too, but I'd argue every season of Better Call Saul to date has topped what came before it. It's been a long wait for Season 6."

—u/BlackCatScott

"Each season has gotten grittier because of the incredible character development."

—u/railwayed

"First season was OK but not great; second [was] better and thereafter it’s gotten better and better. I genuinely put it on a par with Breaking Bad now. The last two seasons have been incredible."

—u/ButtonMushroomHelmet

12. Breaking Bad

AMC

"Easy answer, but Breaking Bad is really just a phenomenal show. Start to finish it’s great, and each season gets better. If you haven’t seen it at this point, see it."

—u/CalvesAllTheWay

"I gave up on it after about six episodes. Twelve years later I gave it another shot, and it’s one of my favorites. It just got better and better, and I kept having to see what happened next."

—u/acardy

13. The Magicians

SyFy

"It starts as a very generic young adult CW-level overly dramatic show, and slowly changes into what might be among the best seasons of TV by Season 4. The show takes time to mature with the actors, writing, and characters, but it has a great payoff."

—u/2_Robots_In_A_Coat

14. Curb Your Enthusiasm

HBO

Suggested by u/jesus-h-gunn

"I think the show finds its groove as soon as Leon comes into play."

—u/Federico216

"Definitely the single greatest addition to the show."

—u/pak9rabid

15. Blackadder

BBC One

"First season was shot on location in big medieval castles, very expensive, and wasn’t very well received. It was almost cancelled and only given a second season on the condition they switch to cheap sets. The next three seasons are absolutely classic UK sitcoms. The final episode of the final season is often considered the best (or one of the best) comedy episode ever, being both hilarious and extremely poignant."

—u/Ofabulous

16. Black Sails

STARZ

"I don't think any show has a bigger jump in quality from Season 1 to Season 2 than this show. The first season is like a 6/10 and then out of nowhere jumps to a 9.5/10 and stays there."

—u/ultimatelyco

"I liked the first season, but the plot was a bit slow, and they seemed more interested in flashing premium cable privilege (nudity and f-bombs everywhere) rather than developing their characters. They really stepped up their game in Season 2, and Season 3 was even better. And they really nailed the final season and the ending. Black Sails is very close to a 10/10 for me."

—u/Geiri94

17. American Dad

Fox / TBS

"Started off as a mockery of conservatives and a thinly veiled Family Guy clone and is now something far better than Family Guy could ever hope to be."

—u/TheDood715

"Since American Dad moved to TBS, it's gotten much better in my opinion. It's totally zany and off the walls."

—u/onarainyafternoon

18. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

ABC

"Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Its first season is definitely the worst, but even that isn’t bad. The show just keeps getting better, and the highest-rated episode of the whole show is actually in the final season. Speaking of the end, it ended on its own terms and closed things up nicely. A perfect run."

—u/cthuluhooprises

19. M*A*S*H

Sherman Weisburd/TV Guide/20th Century Fox / Courtesy Everett Collection

"Especially after the third season when two main actors changed and all characters were allowed to develop much more depth."

—u/Satures

"These characters allowed more interaction. The episode when Hawkeye secretly recorded talking to BJ about what they do on their anniversary so his wife could recreate it at home wouldn't have worked with unfaithful Trapper. ... Burns playing Secret Santa for the orphanage wouldn't have worked either. Or Winchester getting the notes for the one-handed piano."

—u/Satures

20. Venture Bros

Adult Swim

"[It] starts out as a goofy, run-of-the-mill Adult Swim cartoon and then develops an actual, meaningful plot."

—u/ScytherTheSkyMantis

"My niece and I just finished the seventh season a couple weeks ago. It is actually astounding just how consistently great that show is. It just never has a bad episode. You will actually struggle to find a plot point or character that doesn't remain relevant after their introduction. And despite the fact that there's no way this show could have been planned out from the beginning, the most recent plot twist was so well foreshadowed that I called it back in Season 3."

—u/khandnalie

21. Mr. Robot

USA Network

Suggested by Agent_23D

"Some people don't like Season 2 that much, but I think it's because they can't appreciate the message behind it, and they are too used to traditional TV. I'm sick of traditional TV. And Season 2 is anything but traditional, but it also has meaning and a goal."

—u/jhz123

"I personally think Season 4 is the best season, and the best ending to any show I have ever watched."

—u/jhz123

22. And finally, Buffy the Vampire Slayer

The WB / UPN

Suggested by u/TheEvilAdventurer

Season 1 is infamously bad — so bad that I was told to skip it entirely when I watched (I didn't). I know a lot of people feel strongly that seasons 2 and 3 are the best, but I have to be honest; I think the show really gets better as it goes. By season 5 and 6, the show had really found its stride, and though I didn't love 7, it felt like a really good culmination of everything thus far, and some of the callbacks were expert. 

What TV shows do you think got better over time? Let us know in the comments!

Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.