The original post: /r/television by /u/dougiebgood on 2025-09-09 03:45:29+00:00.
If you ever look back at the first season of even your favorite sitcom, the first season was always he worst.
It takes time for the writers need to see which jokes work and which don’t, especially when paired with how the actors can deliver them. The first seasons were always a great trial run, and they had 22 or more episodes to nail this down.
But when you don’t get this opportunity to stretch and see what can be done with only 10 or so episodes every year, you’re not going to retain an audience.
“That 90’s Show” comes to mind. Red and Kitty were great, as always, but the kid actors mostly struggled. Same with the “Night Court” revival, Melissa Rauch and John Laroquette did pretty good jobs, but the other actors were tough to watch. “Shifting Gears” is actually pretty decent, but it really helps that both main stars come from long-standing sitcoms and are basically playing their past characters with small nuances added.
Modern sitcoms just feel doomed these days with no time given to grow.