The unthinkable has just happened to me: on watching the second season of my once-favourite show, I thought, “hold on, is this getting a bit crap now?”.
It’s a feeling fans of long-running shows like The Simpsons will likely be all too familiar with.
The sinking sensation is a little hard to pin down, though ― does it happen when a flimsy new character is added, or when our old favourites turn into cartoonish stereotypes?
Well, Redditors who replied to u/Feisty_Drummer2570′s post in r/AskReddit seemed to have some thoughts.
“What’s a ‘red flag’ in a TV show that tells you it’s about to go downhill?” their entry reads.
Here are some of the most-upvoted responses:
1) “When characters start ignoring earlier developments or start getting dumbed down... simply to push an arc forward.”
“I’m rewatching Game Of Thrones and one thing that really bothers me is how [the writers] dumbed down Little Finger and Varys.” u/esoteric_enigma
2) “Villain decay.”
“When a villain loses so many times in a row you can’t take them seriously anymore. You know too much about them and their weaknesses.” u/redbo
“Damn, you called out all the CW shows at once.” u/TheRiteGuy
3) “A secret child that shows up right when a character’s life is just about to come together.”
“I’m looking at you, Gilmore Girls.” u/Asleep_Agent5050
“I thought you meant Gigi but then I decided you mean April. And you’re right.” u/FoghornLegday
4) “When the show is really good and about to get a third season on Netflix.”
“RIP Mindhunter.” u/Full-Musician-4119
5) “When they introduce a younger, cuter version of the ‘baby of the family.’”
“In Married With Children they added a kid, but then he just disappeared the next season. The only thing they did to acknowledge him was a missing picture on a milk carton.” u/axel0914
6) “Random hookups that make no sense.”
“Joey and Rachel...” u/thugarth
“That screamed desperation from the writers for me, it was a stupid storyline.” u/oceanview4
7) “They suddenly introduce a long lost cousin and start having flashback episodes.”
8) “The main protagonist leaves and they keep it going.”
“When Eric left That 70s Show...” u/supersaiyanx120
9) “Ruining the main character’s character growth for the sake of drama.”
“Cries in Jaime Lannister...” u/donut_jihad666
10) “When you’re on season six of the series and the novels that the series is based on haven’t had a definitive ending written yet.”
“Or when the show writers drift significantly away from the source material even when they still have plenty to work with.” u/ErrantTimeline
11) “A normal, realistic show getting sci-fi-esque. Like someone coming back from the dead, a ghost, or whatever.”
“Family Matters got weird in the end...” u/Waste_Coat_4506
12) “When the characters become caricatures of themselves over time.”
“Ned Flanders in the beginning of the Simpsons was an average ideal citizen. In the later seasons, he became this absolute Christian maniac.” ElManuel93
Do you disagree with any of these or have anything to add? Let us know!
