Shows That Are/Went Past Their Prime
 

I signed up for a Netflix free trial and went on a South Park binge since I don't really watch t.v. at regular intervals like normal people. The one thing I took from it was that they probably should have stopped two seasons ago. The clever satire is gone and it seems like they're trying to hard to be edgy.

I've heard people make similar comments about the Simpsons, Family Guy and American Dad.

So I wonder, what shows do you guys think should probably be put down or went on for too long?

As much as I loved Entourage it started to become "samey" after like 3 seasons.

Ari was the best part of the show and even his quips got progressively lamer.

Probably should have just ended The Office with Michael Scott leaving

Family Guy for almost a half decade. Haven't watched it in a while but when I do it just isn't that funny. Seasons before its cancellation were much different, and seemingly more entertaining for me.

the simpsons was the first that came to mind

Agree 100%, it just did not feel the same after it returned from hiatus.

How I Met Yr. Mother

Started talking about south park in another thread. They've been doing it for 50 years and they have other things they want to do, but they have to keep their "day job". NBT is right in that is seems they are just trying to be edgy and goofy now. That short doc they did about making the centipad episode sums it up.

Used to like Entourage but then it got a big d bag following and it followed the same formula. Things get a little worse then they get a lot better.

Haven't seen the latest season but an Office without Michael Scott sounds like shit.

Simpsons should be example #1. I've never seen the movie and I never will. It's all just homer getting hit in the head with things, homer falling through things, jamming a celebrity guest into the episode as themselves. Too many writers, not enough of the original players being involved. Everyone just shows up to collect a check because people see Simpsons and think its funny.

You know what was the original shark jumper of our time? The Real World. Memba when it really was an experiment to see what happens when you take 7 people from different backgrounds and make them live in a house together?

Somehow it turned into "what happens when we take 7 attractive early to mid 20 somethings, and stick them in a pallacial mansion filled to the brim with booze and a hot tub?"

Cast of the real world today:

1) attractive female blond
2) attractive female brunette
3) attractive male blond
4) attractive male with dark hair.
(One of them is a good time party animal while the other get violent when drunk)
5) black guy
6) gay guy or girl
7) grab bag!!
Another gay guy? Punk rocker? Asian? Gay black guy?

Simpsons is the example. Think back to the 90s and how awesome it was, and look at it now, it's destroying its own reputation. It would have the biggest cult following and respect from virtually everybody who knows of it, if it ended at a proper time. That said, I still watch it and love it ><

Scrubs season 9 shouldn't have happened, it would have ended perfectly otherwise.

Don't agree with Family Guy, it's still funny/relevant

South Park should have ended around season 10-12, although it still has certain episodes that amaze, it used to be the opposite with only certain episodes not being amazing

Don't agree with How I met your Mother either, it still feels fresh.

Office should have ended with Micheal Scott leaving (they should have done all the 'endings' they are doing for the characters now, back then)

the last 2 - 3 seasons of Malcolm in the Middle were awful

Have to see the second half of Season 5 to make a judgement on Breaking Bad, but the first half of season 5 sucks so much compared to the rest of the series that I almost think they should have made Season 4 the conclusion.

I still watch it from time to time and think it's still funny. Not as good as it was, but definitely not terrible.

That 70's show got very bad when Topher Grace left.

Seriously? Show is fantastic still. But How I Met Your Mother still feels fresh? The hell?

I agree with you on Family Guy. I enjoy it a lot still and think it's better since it was revived from cancellation. I've gone back and watched the older ones, hell they're the only episodes I own on DVD, and they're actually kind of brutal to watch.

I don't think it is terrible either... but it feels like it is missing something. Plus if they were just gonna end the show in two seasons anyways, might have just ended it back then.

The things is, I'm comparing Breaking Bad to itself. Season 4 was almost the best season of any TV show ever, and season 5 has been a joke in comparison. I just really think they could do better. Maybe they set the bar too high. I also probably would not be saying this had I not already known Season 5 was the last season. It should go past season 5 or end at season 4 is what I meant really.

How I met your mother is clearly working towards a set conclusion and I like that.

Yeah, really. Could have ended it over a decade ago and it would have gone out with a great reputation for quality.

The News. Used to be good but after 9/11 it got worse. If I had to pin point the moment when "the news" jumped the shark: October 5, 2001

How I Met Your Mother is still going? Those kids must be so bored of listening to their dad talk about random girls he banged before meeting their mother.

Season 8.

Still enjoy South Park though, Family Guy/American Dad has always been kinda meh though, gotta be in the mood for it and Damn Inator randomly replying to threads with shitty Family Guy vids doesn't help the cause.

the thing about HIMYM is that most of his stories (seem to) have something to do with how he met their mom. I mean it does go off on random tangents but I'd say at least 60-70% of what he talks about is relevant to the main story. But yes it's silly that he's telling his kids stories of girls he banged, no kid wants to know about that

What if it turns out he's actually gay with Neil Patrick Harris and they used Alison Hannigan as a surrogate mother and all of it ends in one big swerve where Jason Segel saves the day?

Although I guess the show would've ended after episode 1.

Also not really sure what Jason Segel is saving the day from, but any time Jason Segel is made to look good is a tally in the plus column for any show/movie.

Even though it got cancelled, Terminator: TSCC was a good one. Got boring quick during the 2nd season, then it got interesting right at the end. But it was too little, too late. Ratings did the damage.

TSCC is the underrated show on this one. Sure, it had bad episodes in season 2 but still, Summer Glau outshines every human cast there is.. Even though Lena plays a good Sarah Connor herself.

Shows that went past their prime:

Jersey Shore
Honey Boo Boo
Survivor
Big Bang Theory
Glee

Need I add more?

While it isn't as bad as people say in my opinion, it isn't season 1-10 good either.

Think of it as today in WWE versus attitude era.

Simpsons easily, once they turned Homer into Peter Griffin

Can't believe I forgot the Office. The episodes from the past two seasons have really been hit or miss in my opinion and I agree that they probably would have been better off ending it after Michael Scott left.

Honey Boo Boo is fucking amazing. Jersey Shore sucked because they finally grew up in the final season

Two and a Half Men.

It was very repetitive and losing steam after about 4 seasons, but Sheen was always money on the show. My co-worker told me to watch the new eps with Kutcher and they are just about vomit inducing in their wretchedness. Never should have continued without Sheen. Just awful.

Supernatural.

Season 6 and 7 are trash.

House.

The Simpsons was the first thing that came to mind.

I've said it alot here on TPWW, so I'll just quote myself to save time.

I agree with V on Scrubs, Family Guy and a little bit on South Park.

Scrubs Season 9 shouldn't have happened. I tried watching it but it was just terrible. It wasn't Scrubs. It also took away everything from "My Finale". You watched "My Finale" and it was a great way to say goodbye to the series. But all that got thrown out the window when Season 9 was made.

Family Guy, I still find very enjoyable. I enjoy it much more than American Dad!, even though pretty much everyone I come across thinks American Dad! is the superior series.

South Park, I still really enjoy but there are times where an episode just isn't funny or it feels like it's dragging on a bit or more could have been done. A great example is the episode "W.T.F", where the kids start up a wrestling promotion after going to a Raw event.

The episode was good and I had a laugh at it, but at time, it felt like it dragged on a bit without anything funny going on. Such as the scenes where Vince McMahon is watching the kids' "wrestling" show. More wrestling related jokes could have been put into the episode but you just got your usual "Wrestling is fake", "It's acting", "Fans are Rednecks", "Amateur Wrestling looks gay" jokes, which were good, but it was nothing original. :-\

Also, I thought that South Park would have taken a shot at Professional Wrestling a long time ago, instead, they decided to do it in 2009.

House definitely went downhill a long time ago.

Prison Break had a great first season and the rest was quite underwhelming (season 2 wasn't terrible though, just not up to the standards of season 1. 3 and 4 were awful.). Might've worked better as one or two shorter seasons with it ending when they actually got out of prison.

Prison Break was a phenomenal first season but then lost mad steam.

As much as I love 24, the last 2 seasons were kinda shite. Except for Tony Almeda. And after Edgar died I couldn't watch it the same way. :'(

I can't help but wonder if Community might be on this list after the upcoming season. They lose Harmon, three regular writers and Chevy Chase. I don't expect to see the same quality show.

In my opinion it already wasn't the same quality as season 1 and 2.

Yep . Simpson should have ended 10 years ago.

I'm not sure any of these had a prime, but Glee? Glee?

Actually, the others may be worse examples, but Glee's the only one I've ever watched any of. I'm having trouble picturing it having a prime.

Liar! Last week's two-parter was awesome.

I was under the impression Community was always meant to be a 4-season thing :-/. or maybe I just dreamed that, nobody else ever seems to know about it.

Is Curb Your Enthusiasm still going? That one was old for me after about 3 seasons.

Sopranos

First 3 seasons were great. But after that it went downhill.

Heroes

Amazing first season,blah second season,horrible third season. Never bothered watching the final season.

The Simpsons definitely jumped the shark over a decade ago. I can't bring myself to watch a post season 9-10 episode without cringing and having to turn it off.

HIMYM, Big Bang Theory, 2 & A Half Men... all of these have always been absolute garbage right from the start. I have no idea how a non-retarded, adult male can laugh at such badly written guff.

Whammy!

The Simpsons is definitely past its prime but.... I dunno. I don't watch the new episodes very much, but just being in a world without Simpsons would be weird and frightening.

Nooooo way, the final season of the Soprano's was amazing

I'll throw Twin Peaks out there. Nothing like a show that has such a remarkable first season only to suck so many balls after.

Inclined to say X-Files. Should have called it a day when Duchovny and Anderson did. Then again, Robert Patrick's performances were the saving grace of the last 2 seasons.

Anyone mention Boy Meets World or Family Matters? Bmw should have ended after they graduated high school and Family Matters never should have been back with, if I recall correctly, a recasted Harriet.

Well, the second season was when the writers were on strike. The third was trying, and succeeded, in correcting the problems the second string writers caused in season two. Season four was amazing.

Talking about Heroes of course.

The X Files Season 9 was terrible, Season 8 was quite strong and would have been a good place to end things.

Heroes is the biggest fuck up I've ever seen, season 1 was great and I still can't believe they ruined it so hard. Kill the cheerleader, save the show!

Buffy should have ended at season 5. 6 and 7 had some good episodes but by that point, Angel was the superior show.

I agree with Twin Peaks, I love it, but after the big reveal in the middle of season 2, it just meanders all over the place.

Gotta disagree with Buffy because Season 6 is one of my favourites.

Plus there should always be as much Sarah Michelle Gellar as possible.

i had to stop watching it halfway through season 3

The idiots who said The Big Bang Theory should be taken out to pasture and shot.

It was better before they all got girlfriends. Better when they were creepy weirdos who couldn't get chicks.