10 Great TV Shows That Went Downhill (And Then Redeemed Themselves)

2. Homeland (2011 - Present)

In the wake of iconic TV shows like The Sopranos and The Wire coming to an end, Homeland emerged as a new contender for "possible TV show masterpiece."

What made the first season of Homeland so great was the way it managed to dodge the pitfalls of other likeminded TV spy shows, whilst still managing to be utterly gripping at every turn. When season two landed, however, Homeland edged closer towards implausibility, and in its season two finale it just went balls to the wall ridiculous.

Season three was inarguably the worst of the bunch, however: every potential problem teased in that season two finale, from the unbelievable twists to the questionable character motives and lack of proper direction, were exacerbated across the length of its run. By the end of the season, it was kind of hard to care about Carrie's continuing plight.

Then season four aired, at a point when most fans were probably willing to call it a day, and - out of the blue - it essentially righted all the wrongs of the past few years. Season four felt like a reboot, even, in which the show's problems were brushed aside to make way for something smarter, more grounded in reality and - yes - fun to watch!

The impossible happened when season five - which concluded last December - also managed to be gripping and intelligent in all the ways that the first season was. It's crazy to think that a show could ever perform such a major turnaround, but Homeland did.