10 TV Shows That Peaked In Their First Season
The shows that should have been one and done.
Unfortunately, for one reason or another, TV shows don’t always live up to their potential. Sometimes this can be because of a poor execution of a great idea, while other times it can mean a first season laying the groundwork spectacularly, only for those following it to fumble, stumble, and ultimately fail.
This list deals with the latter examples. However, that doesn’t mean that anything past Season 1 of these shows is unwatchable. Some have a slower decline, others dip but recover for later seasons and others are decent throughout; what ties them together is that Season 1 was their best.
Either because of a change to the cast, story focus, behind the scenes drama or just not having a concept long enough to sustain a lengthier narrative, these shows peaked right from the start.
In some cases, it’s interesting to speculate how great the series might have been if they sustained their momentum; with the benefit of hindsight though, it does feel like some were doomed from the start.
10. Flight Of The Conchords
Flight of the Conchords was really up against it in its second season. The good parts of Season 2 are just as good as those in Season 1, but there’s a distinct lack of consistency. Once you know the story behind the scenes though, it’s easy to see why.
Brett and Jermaine had built up a bit of a name for themselves as musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords, while Jermaine had also impressed in minor comedies like Eagle Vs Shark and the initial short film version of What We Do In The Shadows. This led to HBO offering the group a musical sitcom.
In the first season though, the band had their entire back catalogue of work to call upon, and were able to write the plots around them. By the time Season Two rolled around, the guys had burned up most of their material and had to write all new songs.
Some are still great, like ‘Too Many Dicks On The Dance Floor’ or ‘Sugar Lumps’, but there’s low cards in the deck too.
There’s nothing which makes Season 2 unwatchable, but it’s clear that the peak was right at the start, when they had more gems to choose from.