The original post: /r/television by /u/hikemalls on 2026-03-10 17:46:49+00:00.
I don’t mean shows that got canceled and were revived, but shows that started to flag in quality, but then managed to reverse the trend. I feel like there’s a lot of shows that get better as they go, shows that start to drop slowly (or quickly) in quality over time, shows that do both (a la The Simpsons), or shows that are fairly consistent most of the way through.
But I feel like it’s rarer to have a show that starts dropping in quality, but then actually pivots and manages to save itself before it ends, either with a great finale or following up a terrible season with better one(s). The only examples I can think of are:
- The Office (general consensus is that the last couple seasons are bad, but the finale is great)
- Community coming back after the ‘gas leak’ season when they fired, then re-hired Dan Harmon
- Lost season 3 specifically is a self-contained example of this, where the middle of that season is generally regarded as some of the worst episodes, but then it comes back strong at the end and has one of the best finales.