Top 10 Shows that Used to Be Better

The Top Ten

The Simpsons

The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening. It originally aired as shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show starting April 19, 1987, and debuted as a standalone series on December 17, 1989.
As of 2026, it remains the longest-running animated sitcom. The show follows Homer Simpson... read more

Matt Groening openly said he wants it canceled. He criticized the people who think the new episodes are good. The only reason it's still running is because FOX doesn't want it gone.
Seriously, the plotlines have been ridiculous lately. They went from having people like Michael Jackson on the show to having annoying pop stars like Justin Bieber.
The Simpsons before they went downhill:
Homer goes to space.
Bart discovers a comet hurling towards Springfield.
Marge becomes a cop.
The Simpsons after they went downhill:
Lisa gets a Republican friend.
Lady Gaga comes to town.
A whole episode about a license plate that says "YOLO."
Seriously, it's obvious that they are all out of ideas, and they should just end it now.
SpongeBob SquarePants

SpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It has become one of Nickelodeon's most popular and longest-running shows, attracting both children and adults.... read more

It used to be one of the funniest cartoons out there, but it got worse after Season 6. The characters lack their charm since they were flanderized. Some episodes are good, but some are terrible like One Coarse Meal and The Splinter.
There are so many inaccuracies all over the place, such as bullying, lying, stealing, framing people, crying in order to solve the problem, and other messy stuff happening. This is why the show went downhill. I honestly don't blame the creator since he's already dead.

This show is just nasty now. It's just bad. It used to be my favorite (I loved SpongeBob to death), but after a while, it just went downhill. The show just sucked.
Just stop making new episodes and show reruns. Please.
Family Guy

Family Guy is an American adult animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a family consisting of Peter, Lois, their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie, and their anthropomorphic dog, Brian. The show is set in the fictional city of Quahog... read more

At the show's 9th season, Seth MacFarlane took Trey Parker's advice to stop doing so many jokes all the time and start doing more serious episodes. What happened is that Seth overdid it, and now that they moved away from doing all the emotional bull crap, Family Guy has been very bland lately. I directly blame Trey Parker for ruining Family Guy.

The first 9 seasons were amazing to me. Season 10 has stunk a whole ton. Luckily, season 11 was amazing to me, but season 12 stunk way more. I consider this one of the worst seasons of TV.
Seasons 13-16 were also really amazing and won me over. Seasons 17-18 stunk. Season 17 was almost as bad as 12 and is also one of the worst seasons on TV. Luckily, season 19, which just finished, was really good. I'll tell you what I think of season 20 when it's done.
The Fairly OddParents

The Fairly OddParents is an American animated television series created by Butch Hartman for Nickelodeon. It originally premiered as a series of shorts on Oh Yeah! Cartoons in 1998 before debuting as a full series in March 2001.... read more

Well, this show got killed in 2018 after Hartman left for Cartoon Network. I hope he will save Cartoon Network if he still has a chance to do so.
Saturday Night Live

Saturday Night Live is an American late-night live television variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol. It premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, and has since become a cornerstone of American comedy. The show is known for its ensemble cast, guest hosts, and musical performances... read more

SNL was way better in the 2000s than it is now, not only because of the sketches but also because good bands and singers used to be featured on SNL. Season 32 will always be my favorite season of the show because of the episode with My Chemical Romance.
Modern SNL is generally straight-up boring and also features crappy "singers" such as Justin Bieber, Olivia Rodrigo, and Camila Cabello. This show used to be awesome, but now it just sucks.

It's not the same since all The Original Not Ready for Prime Time Players left.
Survivor

Survivor is a reality TV competition show where a group of contestants are stranded in a remote location and must compete in challenges to avoid elimination. Contestants must survive physical conditions, form alliances, and strategize to remain in the game.... read more

So repetitive. The only thing that makes Big Brother not repetitive is that it's interesting to see how different personalities react with each other and the alliances that are formed. Survivor is missing this.

I used to watch Survivor all the time, but it just went down the drain.

Remember when they all looked like they were dying of starvation and they didn't give them any food? Yeah, that was awesome to watch... just wishing for cannibalism to begin...
Scooby-Doo

I'm glad that What's New Scooby-Doo? is gone, but why the crappy movies that premiere on Cartoon Network? Even though I am only 14 going on 15, I still like classic Scooby-Doo way more than the stuff Scooby-Doo you see today! Here is my idea: Make a new Scooby-Doo show or movie, but make it an old-school Scooby-Doo kind of show.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is an American television series created by Joss Whedon under his production tag, Mutant Enemy Productions. Later co-executive producers included Jane Espenson, David Fury, David Greenwalt, Doug Petrie, Marti Noxon, and David Solomon. The series premiered on March 10, 1997, on... read more

Though, in my opinion, it was great all the way through, it was definitely superior in Season 1 and Season 2.

At the end, we were all praying for it to end before it became even more lame.
Pokémon

Pokémon, abbreviated from the Japanese title Pocket Monsters and currently marketed in English as Pokémon: The Series, is a Japanese anime television series adapted for international audiences. It was first broadcast in Japan on April 1, 1997, and in the United States on September 8, 1998.... read more

The character Ash was based on was only in the first set of games (also as the Pokémon Trainer in Smash Brothers Brawl and Ultimate, if those count). Come Gold/Silver/Crystal, there was a new protagonist. That protagonist was in turn replaced in Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald, then Diamond/Pearl/Platinum introduced yet another new hero... you get the idea. So if we haven't been following Ash's counterpart since Red/Green/Blue/Yellow, which came out in the late '90s, why are we still following Ash, who also hasn't aged?

Good way back, but now it's just getting too far up right in Ash's ass. The new episodes are boring, stupid, and repeat the same old storylines.
Plus, why hasn't Ash aged throughout the series and is still a kid?
Lost

Lost is an American television drama series that originally aired on the American Broadcasting Company from September 22, 2004, to May 23, 2010, over six seasons, comprising a total of 121 episodes. Created by J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof, and Jeffrey Lieber, the series follows the survivors of a commercial... read more

The commercial viewing time seems to be longer than the show viewing time.

Season 1 was the best season. Season 6 is one of the worst things ever.

The Newcomers

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Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. The show is based on the book series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin. The first book in the series is titled A Game of Thrones.

The first four seasons were the best show ever. After that, it wasn't Game of Thrones. It was just an average TV show.
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Good Luck Charlie

Good Luck Charlie is an American sitcom that originally aired on Disney Channel from April 4, 2010, to February 16, 2014. The series was created by Phil Baker and Drew Vaupen, who aimed to design a show that would appeal to both children and their families. It starred Bridgit Mendler as Teddy Duncan... read more

A series based around a family adjusting to a new baby adds another new baby later. Never a good sign.

The Contenders

South Park

South Park is an American adult animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. The show centers on four boys: Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormick, and their adventures in the fictional town of South Park, Colorado. It's known... read more

The series was at its best during season 8, but a lot of the recent episodes are beginning to suck. They just lack originality and classic moments. The newer seasons focus too much on celebrities and news issues. They should focus more on Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny being kids and having adventures, like in Good Times with Weapons and Make Love, Not Warcraft.

Well, maybe South Park seasons 19 through 21 are not that good. But then season 22 is not that bad. Also, season 23 kind of brought South Park back (it's a fine season). South Park is not that bad now, and I can't wait for season 24!
Sesame Street

Sesame Street is a long-running American children's television series. It is produced by Sesame Workshop and was created by Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett. The show premiered on November 10, 1969, and has become one of the most influential educational programs in television history.

Old "Sesame Street" could be enjoyed by parents and older siblings as well as the target audience. Post-1998 "Sesame Street" is now in the "I only tolerate this so my brat stays quiet" category.

It was always intended for preschoolers but has been dumbed down way too much since Elmo's popularity exploded in the late '90s.
The Powerpuff Girls

The Powerpuff Girls is an American animated television series created by animator Craig McCracken for Cartoon Network. The main characters of the show are Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup. The story follows Professor Utonium, who accidentally creates three little superhero girls using a mixture of sugar... read more
American Dad!

American Dad! is an American adult animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane, Mike Barker, and Matt Weitzman for the Fox Broadcasting Company and currently airs on TBS. It was the first television series to premiere on the network's Animation Domination block. The series premiered on February 6, 2005... read more
Futurama

Futurama is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The show follows Philip J. Fry, a pizza delivery boy who's cryogenically frozen and wakes up 1,000 years in the future. It blends satire, science fiction, and social commentary.
Pretty Little Liars

Pretty Little Liars is an American teen drama mystery thriller television series developed by I. Marlene King. It is loosely based on the novel series of the same name written by Sara Shepard. The show premiered on ABC Family (now Freeform) on June 8, 2010, and ran for seven seasons until June 27, 2017... read more

Don't get me wrong, I still really love this show! But I do have to admit that the newer episodes aren't half as good as the older ones.
Victorious

Victorious is an American sitcom created by Dan Schneider that originally aired on Nickelodeon from March 27, 2010, through February 2, 2013. The series follows aspiring singer Tori Vega, who attends Hollywood Arts High School after unexpectedly taking her sister Trina's place in a talent showcase... read more
Adventure Time

Adventure Time is an American animated television series created by Pendleton Ward for Cartoon Network. The series follows the adventures of a boy named Finn, voiced by Jeremy Shada, and his best friend and adoptive brother Jake, voiced by John DiMaggio. Jake is a dog with the magical power to change... read more
The Loud House

The Loud House is an American animated television series created by Chris Savino for Nickelodeon. It follows Lincoln Loud, the only boy and middle child in a family of eleven siblings, as he navigates daily life with his ten sisters. The show portrays the chaos and humor that arise from living in such... read more
Gilmore Girls

Gilmore Girls is an American comedy-drama television series, created by Amy Sherman-Palladino and starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. The show debuted on October 5, 2000, on The WB and became a flagship series for the network. Gilmore Girls originally ran for seven seasons, with the final season... read more
How I Met Your Mother

How I Met Your Mother is an American sitcom that originally aired on CBS from September 19, 2005, to March 31, 2014. The series follows Ted Mosby as he recounts to his children the events leading up to how he met their mother. The show is set in Manhattan and features an ensemble cast including Josh... read more

How I Met Your Mother jumped the shark in Season 6, Episode 9, to be exact!
Glee

Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that aired on the Fox network in the United States from May 19, 2009, to March 20, 2015. The show centers on the fictional William McKinley High School glee club, New Directions, which competes in show choir competitions.... read more

The first 3 seasons were great. They should have stopped there. The last seasons didn't even feel like Glee.

The show was not helped at all by the death of Cory Monteith and, therefore, the death of Finn.
Criminal Minds

Criminal Minds is an American police procedural crime drama television series created by Jeff Davis. The show first aired in 2005 and became the original series in the Criminal Minds franchise. It follows a team of FBI profilers who analyze the country's most twisted criminal minds to anticipate their... read more

Too many cast changes. The characters that are still there have changed for the worse. It's pretty clear the writers haven't had a good idea since 2010 (and that's being generous).

Seems to now be focused on two things: gore and a diverse cast. All storytelling and characterization efforts went out the window in season eight, if not six.

When the focus shifted more to the investigators' personal lives, it was all downhill from there.
Total Drama

Total Drama is a Canadian animated comedy television series that serves as a homage and parody of the conventions commonly found in reality television. The series debuted with Total Drama Island in 2007 and has since spawned multiple sequels and spin-offs. The franchise is known for its satirical take... read more
The Price Is Right

The contestants have just gotten dumber, and the set has just gotten uglier over the years. All but one of the newer (read: post-Barker. Tail end of Barker era at earliest) pricing games are tailored to the now-dumber contestants.
As for the newer game that isn't dumbed down, Pay The Rent, it went way too far in the opposite direction in terms of difficulty. If that's supposed to make the rare actual wins (which are especially rare given the aforementioned increase of incredibly stupid contestants) more exciting, it fails. It's not worth watching cringe-worthy playing after cringe-worthy playing just to finally see that almost-literal one-in-a-million play which results in a win.