Some shows hook you from the pilot. There are few who could have sat through the first episode of Breaking Bad, and not wanted to see more after that, for example. But for every TV show that starts off with a bang, there are five that take a little longer to find their rhythm. I’ve gone through this before where I actually have given up completely on a show a few episodes in, only to return later and find out that I was really missing something special. Here are five such examples listed so you can learn from my mistakes.
[Photo via ABC]
1. Veronica Mars
It took me about three tries to get into Veronica Mars. While Kristen Bell was suitably interesting as the lead, I found myself quickly bored by what seemed to be a crime procedural set in high school. But once you get past the first half or so of season one, the show becomes about the larger central mystery, and that trend carries over through the other seasons as well. The cast is absolutely perfect, and once you get to know them the show really finds its voice. It takes some time, but it’s a show worth not giving up on.
[Photo via WB]
2. Parks and Recreation
Parks and Rec is an especially good example of this, because when it first started out it seemed like it was nothing more than an Office clone, which, in effect, it was. But after an absurdly short first season, the show becomes a little more free to find its voice, and now as it heads into its final season, its arguably the funniest show on network TV, and has even created a superstar out of Chris Pratt, a supporting character turned regular once the show realized his, and its own, potential.
[Photo via NBC]
3. BoJack Horseman
This is about as recent as an example as you’ll find, but I think it’s important to include here. BoJack has an especially bad pilot, and really, up until about 5 episodes in, it just seems like yet another “wacky” adult comedy. But something happens about midway through the first season where the show simultaneously becomes funnier and more series. It becomes an in-depth character study about BoJack himself, and the relationships he has with those around him. By the end, it’s a completely different show than when it started.
[Photo via Netflix]
4. Dollhouse
Dollhouse is the quintessential example of the famed “repeat the pilot six times” philosophy of making a network show. For the first portion of the show, we simply see Eliza Dushku taking on a variety of personalities, but once that dress-up parade ends, the show becomes a different animal, focusing on larger plots and turning into what was at the time, the smartest show on TV. Then all of a sudden the rest of the world discovered the genius of Joss Whedon, and he was snapped up to direct The Avengers. Dollhouse is short, but its limited seasons pack a punch if you can get past the first batch of mediocre episodes.
[Photo via FOX]
5. Agents of SHIELD
This really was the must-see turnaround of last year, as Agents of SHIELD started out as something like a superhero procedural, but eventually with its interactions with the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe, it became something so much more. By the end of season one, after the events of Captain America: Winter Solider destroyed the central premise of the show (the existence of SHIELD), it turns the heat up and the last four or five episodes were some of the greatest on TV that year. It’s back this fall for season two, and I highly recommend going through season one even if it doesn’t seem all that great at first.
[Photo via ABC]
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