A common complaint these days is that some streaming services are too quick to cancel TV shows.
Often, it feels like a show has just started to find its feet when all of a sudden the news drops that the series has been cancelled.
Off the top of my head, I can name countless TV shows that might not have had brilliant first seasons but showed promise.
I’m thinking of series like Inside Job, The OA, Dead Boy Detectives, Pushing Daisies, and 1899.
The list honestly feels endless, and it’s a real shame because there’s a litany of truly remarkable series that had dreadful first seasons but went on to become TV juggernauts.
Perhaps the most famous example of this is the first two seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation, which even the most die-hard Trekkie would struggle to defend.
Yet despite the poor opening it went on to become an iconic show. That’s just one example, but there are plenty more.
So that’s why we asked Metro readers which shows they think began terribly but went on to become great. Here’s what they had to say.
Breaking Bad
Kim Toft Johannsen had a controversial pick when she admitted she‘d tried and failed to watch Breaking Bad four times before falling in love with it.
The story of Walter White turning to crime to provide for his family after he’s diagnosed with terminal cancer is generally considered one of the best TV shows ever made; however, Kim isn’t alone in struggling with the first few seasons.
Appropriate_Tiger33 wrote on Reddit that he, too, found the first season a bit ponderous.
‘Breaking Bad is one of the slowest slow-burning shows I’ve ever seen,’ they wrote. ‘It’s why it took me so long to actually commit to watching it through, because I got bored in the first episode the first time.
‘After having watched the entire thing through twice now, it is one of the best shows ever made in my opinion.’
Indeed, it seems critics agree, the first and second seasons are the only two chapters of Breaking Bad not to have 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Oh, and if you’re wondering what convinced Kim to break through her Breaking Bad barrier, well, she liked Better Call Saul.
Speaking of which…
Breaking Bad is available to watch now on Netflix.
Better Call Saul
The Breaking Bad spin-off, Better Call Saul, was Laura Hope Cordell’s pick. Laura admitted that she and her husband nearly gave up on the show, but she admits ‘it’s worth persevering,’ adding that they love it now.
Better Call Saul follows Breaking Bad’s breakout character (pun intended), Saul Goodman, a shady ambulance-chasing lawyer and explores how he went from a well-meaning man to the dirtbag we all know and reluctantly love.
Like its predecessor, Breaking Bad is considered one of the best shows ever made, but it’s not without its detractors online.
In a Reddit post titled ‘I’m halfway through Better Call Saul season one. Does it get better?’ one user boldly proclaimed they were ‘underwhelmed’ by the show despite loving Breaking Bad.
In response, however, several people declared that it does indeed get better, with one fan going so far as to say that once you get past season one, you’ll be hooked.
Better Call Saul is now streaming on Netflix.
The Office
Moving away from drama and into the world of comedy, Elaine Roberts thinks The Office doesn’t get off to a great start.
No, I’m not talking about the UK version, Elaine meant the American remake.
‘I started it partway through season 2,’ Elaine wrote. ‘If I’d started at season 1, episode 1, I would have given up on it quite quickly.’
The US Office having an uneven first series is pretty well established at this point. Contemporary critics accused the series of playing it too safe and being too faithful an adaptation of the UK version.
Thankfully, despite the mixed reception, the show got a second season, which allowed the writers to find their own feet.
The second season, then, is when the show comes into its own, with Eric Goldman from IGN claiming this is when the show became ‘brilliant’.
The Office is available to stream on Disney Plus.
Parks and Rec
Jacob King Taylor called out the first series of Parks and Recreation, which is apt, as it was the next show that The Office showrunner Greg Daniels worked on after he left Dunder Mifflin.
Created by Daniels and Michael Schur, Parks and Rec follows the career of local politician Leslie Knope as well as the staff of Pawney Parks Department as they try to improve their hometown.
Like The Office, the first season of Parks and Rec isn’t held in high regard.
In fact, if you Google Parks and Rec, you’ll find a lot of people asking if you should skip the first season entirely, with some even saying the show doesn’t really get going until the last few episodes of season 2.
Eventually, however, the series found critical and cultural acclaim, even being named Time’s TV show of 2012.
Parks and Recreation is available to stream on U TV.
Blackadder
It’s not just the Americans who struggle with the first seasons of comedy shows. Nick Clark pointed out that while Blackadder is widely considered a classic, it had a difficult first season.
If you’ve never had the pleasure of Blackadder’s company, the premise is quite simple. Each season is set in a different time period, with a different generation of ‘Backadders’ serving as a clever foil to the fops and idiots around them.
The first season, however, plays things a little differently. Instead of being a suave and sarcastic lead, Blackadder is presented as a feeble moron. This rather unfortunate chapter in Blackadder’s history isn’t looked on fondly by many.
Producer David Lloyd admitted during a documentary about the show that the BBC considered cancelling it, as the ratings were so poor.
Thankfully, Lloyd managed to convince BBC bosses they could make the show for cheaper, and the rest is history.
Blackadder is available to stream on ITVX Premium.
Always Sunny
Back across the Pond now with Daniel Savage’s suggestion, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
A bizarre sitcom about a group of friends running a bar in Philadelphia who just so happen to be the worst people you’ve ever met, Always Sunny has gone on to become an American classic, but its first season was not a hit.
In fact, the show got off to a rather ignominious start when it received positive reviews (the first still remains the worst reviewed season on Rotten Tomatoes) but modest viewing figures.
As the show went on, though it started to build a cult following before exploding in popularity in its second season when Danny DeVito joined the cast.
So, how popular is Always Sunny these days? Well ecember 2025, Disney announced that Always Sunny was one of the few series to surpass one billion hours streamed on Disney Plus.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is available to buy on Amazon Prime Video.
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