Series You Loved from Beginning to End

[DRW50]

 

I guess that's the difference then - I have never cared for Chuckles Bites the Dust and I got tired of the Murray/Sue Ann scenes (it felt like the same scene over and over and over), so that, along with the attempts to get Mary new friends and a new boyfriend, only to abruptly stop, etc. that weigh it down for me. I did enjoy some of the other episodes you mention.

[Soaplovers]

 

I'm the opposite.. I didn't like MTM after Phyllis and especially Rhoda left for their spin off shows.  Georgette was annoying and Sue Ann was an unlikable *itch... plus Georgette being on gave Ted more airtime then he had in the earlier seasons.

 

For me, I watched and loved the following sitcoms from start to end (in addition to The Middle)...

 

Family Ties

Punky Brewster

Mama's Family (both versions)

 

[vetsoapfan]

Okay you two, now I need a Valium.

 

ROTF!

[amybrickwallace]

The Middle was good from the start, but it became even better once they ditched the car lot and focused more on the Heck family unit. No way would the show have lasted nine seasons had Ehlert's stayed.

[All My Shadows]

...which makes it even more frustrating that the previous seasons aren't available for streaming anywhere (unless something has changed since the last time I checked around?).

[YRBB]

After some thought, I'm going to add LOST to this list. I know a lot subscribe to the whole it-sucked-after-the-first-season mentality/reputation thingy that emerged, but I enjoyed, even loved, the show until the very end.

 

GRANTED, Seasons 2 and 3 had some issues to resolve, so I understand the frustration. I honestly think LOST would have been one of those shows that could benefit from binge-watching/streaming, i.e. making all episodes of a season available at once. Doing it once a week (with long breaks) coupled with its sloooow pace was perhaps too much for an increasingly frenetic audience to put up with. I binge-watched each season, so it was a different experience (except for the first one).

 

But the most important part is that the show improved amazingly during Season 4. I might even list seasons 4-6 as better than 2 and 3. Back then, 4 even rivaled the 1st season for me. It just took OFF. And most people claiming it was trash after 2/3 never actually watched it beyond that, so their opinions are perhaps... invalid?

 

Also, it wasn't a show you could jump in and out of. A lot was confusing even if you watched regularly lol

 

Although season 6 wasn't totally satisfying, the finale was amazing. Brilliant even.

 

 

[cct]

 

 

+1

 

Once they were given an end-date, then they were allowed to just soar. The twist at the end of Season 3 was the kicker that made me know it was back after the tailspinning of seasons 2 and 3 (Tailies were meh; loved Juliet and Ben!)

 

[Taoboi]

You know now that we have been discussing it...SAVANNAH. I did like it from beginning to end. 

[vetsoapfan]

The Closer and its spin-off Major Crimes.

[CassieFan]

The Middle

Buffy, the vampire slayer

The Golden Girls

Friends

[YRBB]

Bumping this in case people have more shows too include/add.

[Khan]

I'm adding "Law & Order" to my list.  Although the flagship series experienced a ton of cast changes in twenty seasons, there isn't one era of the show that I don't love.  Especially now that I've managed to watch all 456 episodes on SundanceTV and WEtv.  

[juppiter]

South Park. Unlike The Simpsons, which went from the best show of all time to completely forgettable, this show has retained its pop culture niche as the show that will insult anyone and everyone, but do so with characters you love and love to hate. Still the most biting satire we have 20+ years in. The new episodes are just as good, if not 20 years wiser, as the old ones. We only get 10 a year now but I really cherish those 10 a year, and this most recent season was a creative renaissance for the show.

 

How do you feel about "Is this because I'm a lesbian?"

 

Nope on this. Nothing can match the magic of that first season. Season two has its moments as well. Almost nothing else after that. They made it up as they went, and that's fine, but if you're going to do that, admit you're doing that and don't act like you have some big plan. If I ever re-watch, I check out when Ana-Lucia and Libby die.

 

For me, Roseanne (talking original series only, not revival.) Most series peak early. For me, Roseanne peaks in seasons 4-6. The last 3 seasons are undeniably flawed. But I can still watch them. And I can even make an argument that season 9, often considered one of the most ridiculous seasons of any show ever, is fantastic TV. It may just be me deluding myself to defend a show I love, or I may have a point, or both. I won't defend that awful Rambo episode, but almost any other episode I can watch, even if it's flawed, for the cast alone. Not gonna lie, I can watch that Rambo one too. It is god awful, I admit it, but if it's on, I would watch it.

[Khan]

 

Frankly, I thought it was a cheap way to stir up controversy for a character (ADA Serena Southerlyn) who hadn't been as warmly received as her predecessors (and with good reason, since Elisabeth Rohm is not a great actress).  However, since both actress and character were out the door already, I just chalked it up to a lapse in judgment on someone's part and moved on.

 

(Hey, I never said L&O was perfect, lol.)

[juppiter]

Law and Order definitely managed replacing its leads while maintaining quality better than other procedurals. ER was good at it for a while for a while, and then eventually resorted to stunt casting.