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

7. Lost (2004 - 2010)

Say what you will about Lost, but there's no denying that the first two seasons of the show were totally and utterly compelling. Back then, of course, nobody realised that the writers didn't have answers for any of the mysteries that they'd laid out, and so people didn't know to be angry. It wasn't until season three, when the show began to tread water in a highly noticeable fashion (who can forget that Jack tattoo episode?), that Lost, well, lost it.

After the negative reviews slammed season three, the showrunners demanded that ABC gave Lost an end date to work towards - they argued that not knowing when the show was supposed to end, or how long they needed to stretch the story out for, was harbouring their creativity. It was at this point that Lost was commissioned for three more seasons, and - from season four onwards - it began to redeem itself.

That's not to say that the last three seasons of Lost were perfect; they had their issues, too, but they also embraced a better sense of direction - and fun (time travel plots and the flash forward structure made things interesting). If the show ended on a divisive note, it's still safe to say that Lost managed to pull itself out of its mid-stage slump, and that two of its later seasons - those being the fourth and the fifth - could be considered two of the best.