Submitted by alienfreaks04 t3_10p8eid in television
A popular example is Parks and Recreation. Even as a big fan, the first season can be hard to get through. Lucky it's only 6 episodes so I think that's a great example. Bad first season is a common warning ("Just gotta power through!") but what others can you think of? Use spoiler tags if necessary.
Black Mirror needs this. If you are easily offended just skip s1 ep1. The rest of the show isn’t nearly as shocking. I found it hilarious but it’s hard to recommend this show to people unless you really know their sense of humor.
I'd also add "Watch at least one other episode before San Junipero."
I think SJ is Charlie Brooker's masterpiece, but I think you need a feel for Black Mirror's usual tone to have a sense of what a radical departure it was, and because the cute little trick at the end will work way better then.
''Get through season 1 and then you will come to experience one of the best shows ever made''
That is a good description for ''Person of Interest''.
Even season 1 is not bad, it's just a typical procedural with new case of the week in each episode.
I enjoyed season 1, liked season 2 a lot more, and found season 3-5 just incredible.
PoI first season is good. This would be true for shows like Black Sails, Parks and Rec, The Office
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - It's best watched in timeline order with the movies as the plots of each dovetail into each other (and make sure you watch at least the first season of Agent Carter before watching Season 7 of this show). If you're just getting started with the MCU, you may have to push through the first 12 episodes as the show doesn't really become regularly good until 1x13 (and doesn't become regularly great until closer to 1x17 or so).
Arrested Development - You can treat Season 3 as the final season or Season 5 as the final season. Arguments can be made either way as to which is preferable. Also if you do continue past Season 3, there are two different versions of Season 4 (and, naturally, arguments as to which version is better).
Battlestar Galactica - There are web series, movies, and a miniseries that are intended to be watched along with the show to give you the full story.
Brooklyn 9-9 - Season 8 starts out rough, but push through because the finale is worth it.
Cougar Town - Push through until you get past the Season 1 Thanksgiving episode and the show will slowly improve from there.
The various Defenders shows - Make sure you watch in release/timeline order. This is particularly important for Daredevil S3, The Punisher, and The Defenders.
LOST - There are various web series and videos to watch along with the show if you want the full story.
Runaways - Don't watch Season 3 until after you've watched Cloak & Dagger.
Scrubs - Season 9 is technically Season 1 of Scrubs: Med School rather than a continuation of the main story. Also make sure to check out the Scrubs: Interns web series between Seasons 7 and 8. And try to find a version of the show that has the original music rather than the streaming versions that have the original music stripped out.
Supernatural - Treat it as a five season show with a six season sequel show which has its own four season sequel show rather than one 15 season show. When you get to the end of Season 5 cut it off in the last minute or so when a lamp post appears. If you are satisfied with that as the ending, or you're a stickler for lore and continuity, treat that as the end of the show (but maybe track down a list of good later standalone episodes). If you don't care about lore and continuity and you want to continue seeing more stories featuring the main characters, proceed to Season 6. Then do the pause, reflect, and decide if you're happy with the current scene as an ending thing again in the Season 11 finale when there's a large shot of the sun. (You could arguably do this pause, reflect, and decide if you like that ending before proceeding for 15x19 as well.) Also, for Season 1 make sure you find a version that has the original music rather than the streaming versions where the original music was removed and replaced.
Season 2 of The Wire is such a massive change of gears from season 1, it can be really jarring to first-time viewers, and a lot of people see it as an outlier and a departure from the core of the show, but once you've seen the whole series, its placement makes way more sense, and people who've rewatched it consider it one of the best.
In general, I'd also recommend people starting The Wire understand that it's super dense and will require a high degree of attention. If you're second-screening or doing other stuff while it's on in the background, you'll have a really hard time getting into it.
Mr. Robot's season 2 has a similar issue. The whole season revolves around a big twist, making everything feel weird and just generally off, and most people seemed to find the twist cheap and that's when the general popularity of the show disappeared, but I think seasons 3 and 4 are excellent and even if 2 seems like a slog, it's worth pushing through. Similar to The Wire, I also find Mr. Robot S2 to be more effective upon rewatch.
> but once you’ve seen the whole series, its placement makes way more sense, and people who’ve rewatched it consider it one of the best.
All the pieces matter.
Thanks for this. Totally agree about The Wire. Took several episodes to get into the Wire due to the density. Ended up loving it by the end. Started season 2 and had a totally different vibe. I think I fell off after 3 episodes. I've been meaning to go back to it.
You're right about Mr Robot. I love season one, season two was a little bit hard to get through for the reasons you said, but then it ended an unbelievable way
The Venture Brothers: Season 1 is like a prologue. Worse animation and just not on par with the rest of the series. Which is important when the series is pretty zany. Mediocre zany is a hard-sell. Well worth it for one if the best shows ever made. Start at Season 2, and wrap around to season one when you are done.
Seinfeld. Skip the short season 1. Know that season 2 is a little rocky with some hidden gems.
Agents of Shield: It gets incredible. Season One is the low point. The novelty of hitting a big reveal timed with the Thor movie release has no payoff years later and just makes for a slow first season. Season One is the weakest; Season 2 is good, but second weakest. Some seasons are incredible.
Season 2 is actually my favorite season of Agents of SHIELD. Also I'd peg Season 6 as the weakest with Season 1 possibly being the second weakest.
Black Sails.
Power through first 3 episodes despite them being a little slower, and you'll get to enjoy an incredible show with a very satisfying ending.
Great acting, great story, great characters.
There really is an xkcd for everything.
i get their point but there aren't many situations it would apply to with movies. i guess the MCU? in which case you could say that it's different because it's 8 movies about 3-4 different characters and each movie has a complete story while being tangentially connected to 2 other movies and its own sequel.
it's like telling someone to watch 8 episodes of 6 different television series but the 9th episode is great. a bad television season is easier to get through than its movie runtime counterpart
Expanse — the first two or three episodes are strangely dull. Stick with it as it picks up after that.
I love sci-fi and tried The Expanse a few yrs ago after seeing reviews. I think I watched 3 episodes and stopped. This makes me want to go back.
Dexter — stop watching before you get to season X. Where X varies depending on who you ask.
Westworld — watch season 1 then stop.
Handmaids Tale — watch season 1 then stop.
True Detective - watch season 1 then stop.
Parks and Rec - 1st season is mediocre but I don’t think it should be skippped.
Just be aware that it gets better.
The Leftovers - It starts somewhat confusing as it plays like a mystery box show, but it becomes one of my all time favorite series probably by halfway through the first season.
Mad Men - It gives the appearance of boring but it is not. Don Draper is an all time great character
Underground Railroad - It is discussed in terms of brutality but it’s actually a very hopeful show so the tough scenes are routinely offset by happier one.
None because all of that is made up
TV shows with bad first seasons don't exist? The fuck are you on about? What happens if you write a mediocre first season followed by an exceptional follow up? Your head explodes and the script deletes itself?
I’m talking about warnings like this are arbitrary. Are you fucking dense? People’s opinions on shows vary so what may be a shitty season to you, is the best season to another. Therefore putting warnings to skip episodes or seasons is fucking stupid.
Plus why would services provide that when their goal is to get people to watch as much television as possible. Don’t be stupid. Fuck you.
Yeah, let's never discuss anything subjective ever.
Don't swear at me. I'm smarter than you.
No let’s not discuss anything fucking stupid ever. That way you don’t ever have to open your mouth again cause everything that comes out of it is dumb as shit.
You are currently throwing a tantrum because subjectivity freaks you out. That's some Rain Man shit right there.
You’re the one throwing a tantrum. Did you shit your diaper little baby?
"So I'm thinking of watching The Godfather, is it any good?"
"Good?"
"Good, yeah, is it a good movie?"
"There's no such thing as an objectively good movie."
"Ok, but do people like, like it-"
"FFFFF FUUCK YOOU!"
You can recommend something but that doesn’t mean the other people will like or dislike it. Which is why it’s fucking STUPID to implement some algorithm that recommends skipping seasons and shows.
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When recommending certain shows, I always have a few caveats:
• For Parks & Recreation and The Office: if you do not enjoy the first episode, just skip to Season 2 Episode 1 for both shows. Both shows find a more comfortable footing in season 2.
• For It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, start with Season 2. (I learned my lesson with this one, as I had at least three friends who attempted to watch IASIP from the beginning, but they didn’t really like the first few episodes, so they stopped. For those who I managed to convince to just jump to S2E1, they enjoyed it and stuck with the show. In Season 1, many of the characters are unlikeable, but in Season 2 onwards, they are unlikeable while also receiving their ‘comeuppance’). Plus, Frank is introduced.
• Mr. Robot: a general warning that Season 2 is a little slower than all the other seasons, but that it all comes together in Seasons 3 and 4.
• The Leftovers: a general disclaimer that the show isn’t really about ‘why’ people went missing, but about those left behind.
• The Expanse: if you find the premise and/or characters interesting, but are feeling a bit underwhelmed or bored, keep watching until at least the end of Episode 4.
Black Mirror - S1E1 startles most. Push past it or skip it.
Succession is pretty slow until ep. 6, where it starts to pick up.
Arrested Development (2003) takes a few episodes to get into, but the payoff is tremendous.
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I like the first season of Parks and Recreation. It makes me sad when people tell others to skip it. It’s only about two hours total, so “suffering through it” isn’t even a big deal. The only reason I watched the series was because I randomly caught the first two episodes on TV one day and thought they were hilarious.
The first few episodes of Spartacus are pretty bad, but then there's a weird change where suddenly you realise you're actually emotionally invested and the quality of the show radically improves.
It truly is a show where you could see them taking a few episodes to figure out how to write, direct and do the visuals of the show.
The Leftovers. Episode 1 was weird as hell and I put it down. Got back to it and the rest is even more weird as hell but each episode seems to grows on you exponentially.
Community
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You're thinking of procedural television. Serialized shows don't work like this.
Your profile needs a warning.
Full of insinuating "write my post for me" type questions with zero answers to questions NOBODY is asking. What a nightmare. What a drain.
I'm trying to start discussions. Was my post so offensive that you had to dive into my post history for "dirt" on me?
he speaks!
What the hell is wrong with you?
Are you going to be ok?
?
HOW will you ever make it through the day now?
No one shares your opinion.
Weird vitriol like this is why you have no friends in real life.
Low Effort Crap Posts Like this one are the reason it got down voted to BELOW ZERO at 37%. So actually a LOT of people agree with me, they just don't speak out because then toxic turds like yourself pop up and got on their little passive aggressive downvote sprees like it REALLY means something.
You are a pollution, wherever you go.
Skip the first season of Community and the last season of Game of Thrones
The first season of Community is great…
The last season of GoT kind of skips itself, really.
fastrthnu t1_j6iwlhp wrote
I must watch everything in its entirety. I could never skip a season. However it is good to know that a show gets better after the first season before I commit.