Top 10 TV Shows that Got Worse Over Time
These days, there are a lot of shows that keep getting worse as they make more seasons. But which ones have really become bad?
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening that originally started on April 19, 1987 as shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show. It got its own series on December 17, 1989 and is still running as of 2023, making it the longest running animated sitcom. It is about a man named Homer... read more Not to be outclassed, The Simpsons is another major series that went downhill. Being a series created in 1989, its seasonal rot took place between Seasons 9 to 16. But once Season 16 rolled around, the series started to get worse. From that point on, several of our beloved Springfield denizens went downhill.
Homer and Lisa both became loathsome jerks, Flanders and Bart became the show's punching bags, and Apu got removed for some reason. And then there's the "Woke" crowd and their problems, but I don't want to waste any more time.
SpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series created by marine biologist and animator the late Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It is currently the most popular animated television show on Nickelodeon and is world-renowned by children and adults alike due to its humor, high-quality... read more Taking our sixth spot, we have SpongeBob SquarePants. The first three seasons were considered the absolute best for Nickelodeon at the time, following Ren and Stimpy being canceled, Doug being sold to Disney, and Rugrats suffering seasonal rot. However, by the time Season 4 rolled along, a decline in quality took place.
This decline became obvious around mid-Season 6 and early Season 7, with episodes like One Course Meal, A Pal for Gary, and Choir Boys among others. Even after the series improved from Season 8 onwards, the show still wasn't considered as good as it was before.
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 parents Peter (Fat, Idiotic Dad) and Lois (Nagging Bitchy Wife), their children Meg (Socially Awkward Daughter) Chris (Fat, Idiotic... read more Family Guy is another series that had its roots in the mid to late 1990s. During its first few seasons, Family Guy was a fun and carefree satire show that knew its limits as it was on broadcast television. Then the series went to Adult Swim after Fox abandoned it. Even on Adult Swim, the series was okay at worst.
But then Season 8 rolled around with extraordinarily bad episodes like "Life of Brian" and other episodes that would've easily gotten the show in hot water if it was 1999 again. In other words, Family Guy's downfall was caused by the show trying too hard to be the next South Park and failing.
The Fairly OddParents is an American animated television series created by Butch Hartman for Nickelodeon. Yeah, I actually do agree now that it has gone downhill. Mostly in Season 9, which is why I'm not excited for Season 10. Chloe is unnecessary.
Unlike SpongeBob and Family Guy, it didn't get any better afterward.
The Big Bang Theory is an American sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, both of whom serve as executive producers on the series, along with Steven Molaro, and also some wasted guest stars from time to time. This show has totally gone in the crapper.
The first couple of seasons were okay, and then it just got so bad with Amy, etc., etc., etc.
Tom and Jerry is an American animated series of comedy short films created in 1940 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Best known for its 161 theatrical short films by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the series centers on a rivalry between the title characters Tom, a cat, and Jerry, a mouse. Many shorts also... read more
'Teen Titans Go!' is an American animated television series produced by Cartoon Network. The show follows a superhero group called the Teen Titans, and shows what happens when they go home and have silly adventures. This show is Cartoon Network's revival of the popular 2003-2006 American animated television... read more
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! is the first incarnation of the long-running Hanna-Barbera Saturday morning cartoon series Scooby-Doo.
Here Comes Honey Boo Boo is an American reality television series that aired on TLC featuring the family of child beauty pageant contestant Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson.
Family Matters is a sitcom that ran from 1989 to 1998. Originally it focused on the Winslow family, but it would later become more about their nerdy next-door neighbor, Steve Urkel, who was originally only supposed to be a one-episode character. In most episodes, the characters mess up in some way and... read more The first few seasons were great. I actually like the first season the best. Seasons 1-3 were amazing, and Seasons 4 and 5 were mostly good but got repetitive at times. Season 6 was pretty boring, but Seasons 7 and 8 are almost unwatchable, with the audience clapping for an entire minute after someone walks in the room or says a line. I almost felt like I was watching Everybody Loves Raymond.
Not to mention that the characters had lost their charm and the jokes and writing became so predictable, lazy, and boring. Season 9 was okay, though, but a little weird at times.
The Newcomers
Thomas & Friends is a British children's television series. In the United Kingdom, it had its first broadcast on the ITV network in Great Britain in 1984. And finally, we have Thomas and Friends. The original 1984 series is often considered to be the best among the Thomas series.
The series started a decline after the rights of the show were sold to HIT Entertainment. However, the series did improve slightly until HIT was acquired by Mattel. Then, things just outright went from bad to worse.
Big World, Big Adventures was considered simply average to many Thomas fans like myself, but then All Engines Go arrived and practically ruined the Thomas series.
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series in the Star Trek franchise created by Gene Roddenberry that ran between 1987 and 1994. Roddenberry, Maurice Hurley, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout its production... read more Yet another show that has been around since the 1960s. Both the original and Next Generation were considered to be phenomenal shows by the fans, and even Voyager was considered an okay show by many.
By the time Star Trek: Discovery came around, the series took a turn for the worse by being overly political. Then Picard came, with its allegations of being "anti-American propaganda" (which is ironic coming from an American show).
My Wife and Kids is an American television sitcom that ran on ABC from March 28, 2001, until May 17, 2005. Produced by Touchstone Television (now ABC Studios), it starred Damon Wayans and Tisha Campbell-Martin, and centers on the character of Michael Kyle, a loving husband and modern-day patriarch who... read more
Two and a Half Men is an American television sitcom that began broadcast on CBS on September 22, 2003, and ended on February 19, 2015 after twelve seasons. The show has completely jumped the shark.
Arthur is a Canadian/American animated educational television series for children, created by Cookie Jar Group and WGBH for PBS. The first episodes of this show were the best, but now the animation is FLASH. So now it looks like the characters are being stretched across the screen. The jokes used to be funny for all ages, but now they're unfunny and boring. The plots? Terrible. I miss the old Arthur.
South Park is an American adult animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. The show is about four boys, who are Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormick, and their adventures in South Park, Colorado.
Full House is an American sitcom created by Jeff Franklin for ABC. The show chronicles a widowed father, Danny Tanner, who enlists his best friend and brother-in-law to help raise his three daughters.
Looney Tunes is an American animated series of comedy short films produced by Warner Bros. from 1930 to 1969 during the golden age of American animation, alongside its sister series Merrie Melodies.
Arrow is an American action crime television series developed by writer/producers Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, and Andrew Kreisberg. Adding Arrow to the list makes me sad. This show started out as a solid entry for DC Comics from Season 1, and it was an amazing blast in Season 2. They even brought in Barry Allen (The Flash), Deathstroke, and the Suicide Squad, which ultimately led to the formation of a TV Universe, the Arrowverse.
The first half of Season 3 was actually pretty good. But once the second half started, that's when the show began to decline in quality. This decline was even more evident in Season 4. Although it started out strong, it gradually got worse over time, leading to a very underwhelming and disappointing season finale. This was after Legends of Tomorrow (Season 1) and The Flash (Season 2) released their season finales, which turned out to be pretty good.
Adding to these factors, I'm not really excited for Season 5. And I'm not the only one who's disappointed. With a massive number of fans now leaving the show due to it gradually getting weaker, the future of Arrow seems rather bleak (to me at least). Only time will tell.
iCarly is an American teen sitcom that ran on Nickelodeon from September 8, 2007 until November 23, 2012. The series, created by Dan Schneider, focuses on teenager Carly Shay, who creates her own web show called iCarly with her best friends Sam Puckett and Freddie Benson.
Wizards of Waverly Place is an American fantasy teen sitcom which ran from October 12, 2007 to January 6, 2012 on Disney Channel. The series was created by Todd J. Greenwald, and stars Selena Gomez, David Henrie and Jake T. Austin as three wizard siblings with magical abilities competing to win sole... read more
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)—a dog with the magical power to change shape... read more The first season was good, yes, but then it started going down, down, down. By the time it ended, it was one of the worst cartoons ever to air.
It got better in Season 3, but it was on a rollercoaster since Rebecca Sugar quit the show and made Steven Universe.
Criminal Minds is an American police procedural crime drama television series created by Jeff Davis, and is the original show in the Criminal Minds franchise.
The Cleveland Show is an American adult animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane, Richard Appel, and Mike Henry for the Fox Broadcasting Company as a spin-off of Family Guy.
American Idol is an American talent reality television series that first aired in 2002. As of May 2019, there have been seventeen seasons.
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.