We've come to expect disappointing final seasons, but first seasons? For this list, we’ll be looking at the shows whose debut seasons fail to live up to the legacy of the rest of the series.
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00:00 The second button literally makes or breaks the shirt.
00:03 Look at it.
00:04 It's too high.
00:05 - Welcome to WatchMojo.
00:07 And today we're counting down our picks
00:10 for the top 10 worst first seasons of TV shows.
00:13 (clears throat)
00:14 - That was a woman I was talking to.
00:16 She had a very low voice.
00:19 - For this list, we'll be looking at the shows
00:21 whose debut seasons failed to live up to the legacy
00:24 of the rest of the series.
00:25 Which show do you think failed the hardest at its liftoff?
00:29 Let us know in the comments down below.
00:31 Number 10, "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia."
00:36 - And our mortgage is due in two weeks.
00:37 - No, we paid that like a week ago.
00:39 - A week ago was three weeks late, man.
00:41 - The "It's Always Sunny" gang has been up
00:43 to their hilarious, deplorable actions
00:46 for about two decades.
00:47 But their first season is surprisingly timid
00:50 compared to their later antics.
00:52 The characters don't go all in
00:53 with their selfish habits just yet.
00:56 As a result, the episodes aren't as daring
00:58 and uninhibited with their comedy.
01:00 - No, that's not what I meant.
01:02 Hold on a second.
01:03 I meant that you two actually are.
01:04 - Mac, stop talking.
01:07 - The more anthological format doesn't tie things
01:10 together well either.
01:11 And most importantly, the most gaping hole here
01:14 is the absence of Danny DeVito's Frank Reynolds.
01:17 He sadly doesn't come in blasting until season two.
01:21 While the first season sets a great platform
01:23 for "It's Always Sunny" to build on,
01:25 it definitely isn't the best showcase of the game.
01:28 - So I tell you that I have cancer, right?
01:31 Then you're gonna tell her she's gonna feel sorry for me.
01:33 We're gonna start dating.
01:35 And that's the way that life works!
01:37 - That's the horrible thing to do!
01:38 - Well, I'm a bad guy then.
01:39 - You are a bad guy.
01:41 - Number nine, "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."
01:43 - Now we know.
01:45 They're among us.
01:46 Heroes.
01:47 And monsters.
01:51 - "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." was the first live action show
01:54 set in the world of the MCU.
01:56 Unfortunately, that potential strength
01:58 turned into a weakness.
02:00 The first season of the superhero show
02:02 was bogged down by ties with the films.
02:06 Although the show clearly wanted to expand the universe
02:09 with original stories, it was forced to incorporate
02:11 the events of the movies into its show.
02:14 - I know that Agent Coulson was killed in action
02:17 before the battle in New York.
02:18 - Ironically, everything vastly improved
02:21 after Winter Soldier revealed Hydra
02:23 was inside of S.H.I.E.L.D.
02:25 The devastating reveal caused the main characters,
02:28 and by extension, the show to make big changes
02:31 to the weekly formula.
02:33 Thankfully, fans embraced the much improved program
02:36 from season two onwards.
02:38 - So, where would you like to start?
02:42 - Number eight, "American Dad."
02:49 - Francine, you be very careful out there today.
02:51 We're at terror alert orange.
02:52 Which means something might go down
02:54 somewhere in some way at some point in time.
02:56 So look sharp!
02:57 - Fans of the series associate "American Dad"
02:59 with its surreal approach to humor.
03:01 But the debut season is mainly about gross-out comedy.
03:05 Building on the success of "Family Guy,"
03:07 "American Dad" initially became more of the same.
03:10 The first season has similar cutaway gags
03:12 and cringe humor that leaves little to separate
03:15 the two shows.
03:16 - Hey, listen, Mom, Dad, can I have a dog?
03:19 - Absolutely not!
03:20 It's enough that we've got an alien
03:21 on a goldfish with the brain of a German guy.
03:24 - Oh, Francine, I can see your schmutzplätzchen.
03:27 - It also sticks every character
03:29 with a stereotypical personality.
03:31 That flaw led to formulaic episodes
03:34 where it's easy to predict the jokes
03:36 before they're delivered.
03:37 With just seven episodes in the season,
03:40 the opening seems to be more experimental
03:42 rather than a representation of the comedy
03:44 that "American Dad" excels at today.
03:51 - Look, it's Ariel!
03:52 Hey, Jackson, you ever do it with a dead mermaid?
03:54 - Mermaid?
03:55 No.
03:56 - Number seven, "Doctor Who."
03:59 - Who are you?
04:00 - Told you, the Doctor.
04:01 - Yeah, but Doctor what?
04:03 - Just the Doctor.
04:04 - The Doctor?
04:05 - Hello!
04:06 - After over a decade in hiatus,
04:08 the "Doctor Who" revival did a good job
04:10 at reeling in new and old fans.
04:13 The ninth "Doctor" in Rose Tyler's adventures
04:15 brought viewers up to speed with the universe's lore.
04:18 However, it paled in comparison to following seasons
04:22 that had more episodic arcs and running themes.
04:25 The ninth "Doctor" sole season
04:28 feels sorely lacking in both areas.
04:30 - You could stay here, fill your life with work and food
04:33 and sleep, or you could go, uh, anywhere.
04:37 - Additionally, it doesn't really land
04:39 on a proper tone either.
04:41 It goes back and forth between comedy and seriousness
04:44 almost at random.
04:46 There's quite a strange contrast
04:48 between things like scary Daleks and farting aliens.
04:51 Overall, the show's revival is mainly a reintroduction
04:54 to the "Doctor" that doesn't have as much depth
04:57 in terms of storytelling or character quality.
05:00 (farting)
05:03 - Excuse me, do you mind not farting
05:05 while I'm saving the world?
05:06 - Would you rather silent but deadly?
05:09 - Number six, "Legends of Tomorrow."
05:11 - Vandal Savage, an evil dictator blessed with immortality.
05:16 He has achieved what no one in human history ever has.
05:19 He has conquered the entire planet.
05:22 - In the first episode of DC's "Legends of Tomorrow,"
05:25 heroes and villains from different Arrowverse shows
05:28 were asked to join a team that would travel across time
05:31 to stop a big bad.
05:33 This sounded like a setup for a fun and wild ride
05:36 through different time periods.
05:38 However, the show's first season
05:41 go for a melodramatic approach instead.
05:43 - The last thing that my child saw in this world
05:45 was that monster's face.
05:47 You can be damn well sure that when Savage dies,
05:49 the last face he sees will be mine.
05:51 - All the ingredients from an engaging story
05:54 are hidden under a mountain of filler episodes
05:57 and forced conflicts within the group.
05:59 It didn't help that dull characters
06:01 like Hawk Girl and Hawk Man hog the spotlight.
06:04 Fortunately, the Legends got much more fun
06:07 and goofier after this point.
06:09 The tone becomes so much lighter
06:11 that it's hard to believe the first bunch of episodes
06:14 came from the same show.
06:16 - So basically we're hiding out in the Old West
06:18 and hoping your boogeymen don't find us here.
06:22 - Number five, "Seinfeld."
06:24 - Good, good.
06:25 Did you have fun?
06:26 You have no idea what you're talking about.
06:27 Now come on, come with me.
06:28 I gotta go get my stuff out of the dryer anyway.
06:30 - I'm not gonna watch you do laundry.
06:32 - Oh, come on, be a come with guy.
06:34 - It's hard to imagine "Seinfeld" ever struggling,
06:37 but the show about nothing
06:39 had a hard time when it started.
06:41 Jerry isn't very sarcastic.
06:43 George isn't a neurotic loser.
06:45 Elaine isn't really part of the group.
06:47 And Kramer knocks before entering Jerry's apartment.
06:50 (knocking)
06:51 - Yeah, you up?
06:53 Yeah, yeah.
06:55 People do move.
06:56 Have you ever seen the big trucks out on the street?
06:59 (audience laughing)
07:00 No problem.
07:01 - The series became popular for putting quirky characters
07:04 in hilariously mundane situations
07:07 like waiting at a restaurant.
07:08 Unfortunately, the first season sees Jerry as an everyman
07:12 whose friends aren't the wacky and eccentric people
07:15 they eventually became.
07:17 With jokes that are more awkward than funny,
07:19 the season is saddled with genre cliches.
07:22 Larry David's creative, no-hugging, no-learning approach
07:26 from the second season finally elevated "Seinfeld"
07:29 to its now legendary status.
07:31 - Terrific. - Wow, we just met.
07:33 - Doesn't matter.
07:34 What's the young man's name?
07:35 I would like to meet him.
07:37 - Number four, "The Simpsons."
07:39 - All right, children, let me have those letters.
07:41 I'll send them to Santa's workshop at the North Pole.
07:44 - Oh, please, there's only one fat guy
07:45 that brings us presents, and his name ain't Santa.
07:48 - When you think of "The Simpsons,"
07:49 you think of an ensemble cast
07:51 with distinct personalities and roles to play.
07:54 But in the first season, it's pretty much all about Bart
07:57 and his various pranks.
07:59 Although other family members appear in each episode,
08:02 they're just there to witness Bart's latest antics.
08:05 - Well, Bart, I hope you're going straight
08:07 to the principal about this.
08:09 - I guess I could do that.
08:10 - What, and violate the code of the schoolyard?
08:13 I'd rather Bart die.
08:15 - Homer, who fans know as a bumbling but loving father,
08:19 comes across more mean-spirited than anything else.
08:22 Sure, it's still funny, but its flaws are hard to overlook.
08:27 The bigger problem is the animation.
08:29 Most of the character models are clunky.
08:32 On top of that, the sound quality just isn't as good.
08:36 This animated sitcom luckily found its spark
08:39 once the animation evolved
08:41 and everyone received equal importance.
08:43 - I said you're gonna watch this tape,
08:46 and you're gonna do what I say,
08:47 or I'm gonna do something to you.
08:49 And I don't know what that is,
08:50 because everybody has always done what I say.
08:54 - Number three, "Star Trek The Next Generation."
09:01 - Space, the final frontier.
09:06 These are the voyagers of the Starship Enterprise.
09:09 - "The Next Generation" lasted twice as long
09:12 as the flagship series
09:13 and arguably gained greater acclaim.
09:16 However, Jean-Luc Picard and his crew
09:19 weren't at their best when the series began.
09:22 The first season felt like a retread
09:24 from stories Captain Kirk's gang went through.
09:26 This wasn't bad if you were unfamiliar
09:29 with the original show,
09:30 but for long-term fans, it was more of the same.
09:33 - Thou art notified that thy kind
09:35 have infiltrated the galaxy too far already.
09:38 Thou art directed to return
09:39 to thine own solar system immediately.
09:42 - Picard himself wasn't the most sympathetic
09:44 or likable in the first season.
09:46 The addition of controversial episodes
09:49 that haven't aged well
09:50 also killed most of its replay value.
09:52 The second season picked up the slack
09:54 by fleshing out the characters much better.
09:57 That trend thankfully continued
09:59 until the end of the show's run.
10:01 - I speak for Lu-Tan.
10:04 The rules are known.
10:05 Let combat continue until there is a victor.
10:09 It will not be interrupted.
10:11 - Number two, "The Office."
10:12 - What?
10:16 Nothing?
10:18 Okay, all right.
10:19 See you later.
10:20 - All right.
10:21 This popular comedy series
10:23 definitely suffered from an identity crisis in its debut.
10:26 The American version of "The Office"
10:28 doesn't stray too far from Ricky Gervais' original.
10:31 In a short time, it became clear
10:34 that the goodwill of the program just wouldn't be enough.
10:37 While flashes of brilliance are present,
10:39 the show wasn't as riotously funny or quirky as it got.
10:44 - I think that pretty much sums it up.
10:46 I found it at Spencer Gibbs.
10:49 - Additionally, Steve Carell's Michael Scott
10:52 gained criticism for being a lackluster representation
10:55 of Gervais' David Brin.
10:56 Everything picked up in the sixth
10:58 and last episode of the season
11:00 when the actors were given control over their characters.
11:03 However, that great outing wasn't enough
11:06 to make the first season at Dunder Mifflin
11:08 the people, person, paper company we've grown to love.
11:11 - Ooh, ooh, ooh, Oscar the Grouch.
11:14 Right?
11:14 I thought of that.
11:15 - Yeah.
11:16 - That was on Sesame Street.
11:17 - I know, I know, I know.
11:19 I made the connection.
11:20 - Before we continue,
11:21 be sure to subscribe to our channel
11:23 and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
11:26 You have the option to be notified
11:27 for occasional videos or all of them.
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11:30 make sure you go into your settings
11:32 and switch on notifications.
11:34 - Number one, Parks and Recreation.
11:38 - Hello.
11:39 Hi.
11:41 My name is Leslie Knope
11:42 and I work for the Parks and Recreation Department.
11:45 Can I ask you a few questions?
11:46 - It's easy to tell that this show
11:48 was originally designed as an office spinoff.
11:50 Originally, the show leaned heavily
11:52 on a mockumentary style and really awkward comedy.
11:56 But since it lacked a huge roster
11:58 and relatively recognizable names the office had,
12:01 it was a harder sell.
12:03 Leslie Knope and her crew also came off as a bit flat.
12:07 - My ride's gonna be a big one.
12:09 And if you get motion sickness,
12:11 put your head between your knees
12:12 'cause Leslie Knope's stopping for no one.
12:15 - In the second season,
12:16 a cast shuffle allowed for the addition
12:18 of strong characters like Ben and Chris.
12:21 Leslie also got more confident and much quirkier.
12:25 But best of all,
12:26 the show found a sweet balance
12:28 between silly comedy and true sincerity.
12:31 Fans should re-watch the first season
12:33 only to notice the many improvements
12:35 the show made to its Parks and Rec Department.
12:38 - Okay, so everybody's here.
12:39 Let's get started.
12:40 (gunshot)
12:41 Sorry. Oh, I'm sorry.
12:42 - Metal, sorry.
12:43 - Did you enjoy this video?
12:45 Check out these other clips from WatchMojo
12:47 and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell
12:49 to be notified about our latest videos.
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13:01 you