5 Iconic TV Shows Initially Trashed By Critics & Audiences

Some great and now iconic TV shows weren’t seen as such at the beginning, and they were trashed by critics and general audiences when they came out. While many of the best TV shows of all time were a hit from the beginning, it took many others a while to get the acceptance and praise that they deserved.

A TV show can be initially trashed by critics and general audiences for different reasons, though the quality of the first episodes is definitely a common one. Some reasons include a rushed production, underdeveloped characters and storylines, or stories unlike what the audience was used to watching.

While a bad initial reception is enough to kill a TV show, there have been some cases where trashed TV shows got another chance to prove themselves, and they ended up becoming iconic and beloved TV shows.

Full House

Full House is widely regarded as one of the best comfort shows of all time, and even after all these years, it’s still quite popular. Full House is a sitcom created by Jeff Franklin and which aired on ABC from 1987 to 1995 for eight seasons.

Full House follows Danny Tanner (Bob Saget), a recently widowed father of three girls, who enlists his brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis (John Stamos) and childhood best friend Joey Gladstone (Dave Coulier) to help him raise his daughters. While it didn’t achieve critical success, Full House is regarded as one of the best sitcoms of all time.

Although it’s now recognized for covering serious topics amid its wholesome vibe, Full House was initially criticized for that. Critics found that it lacked substance, and the characters and stories weren’t interesting and engaging. Full House got a chance to show its charm, which led to its success with the audience.

Parks & Recreation

Parks and Recreation is a mockumentary sitcom created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur. Parks and Recreation aired on NBC from 2009 to 2015 for seven seasons, and though it’s now one of the best sitcoms of all time, it has a famously bad first season that, understandably, was trashed by critics and general audiences.

Set in the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana, Parks and Recreation follows eternal optimist Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) and her friends and colleagues from the Parks Department. Parks and Rec shares the spotlight with the rest of Leslie’s friends, with many of them becoming fan favorites.

Parks and Recreation was originally planned as a spinoff of The Office, and due to a rushed production of its first season, season 1 was criticized for feeling like a bad copy of The Office, not having something that made it stand out, and for Leslie being like a female Michael Scott.

Luckily, Parks and Rec found its own voice at the end of season 1, and it only got better with every season after that.

Seinfeld

Seinfeld changed sitcoms forever, but critics didn’t quite get the vibe at the beginning. Created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, Seinfeld stars, well, Jerry Seinfeld as a fictionalized version of himself. Seinfeld follows Jerry and his best friend George Costanza (Jason Alexander), former girlfriend Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), and neighbor Kramer (Michael Richards).

Seinfeld aired on NBC from 1989 to 1998 for nine seasons, and it’s now one of the most influential TV shows of all time, changing how TV is made, but its concept of “a show about nothing” wasn’t well-received at first. Critics found that Seinfeld had no story and the characters were uninteresting and unlikeable – and, funny enough, these things ultimately led to the show’s success.

Breaking Bad

Given the impact and legacy of Breaking Bad, it’s hard to imagine it was ever badly criticized, but it definitely happened. Created by Vince Gilligan, Breaking Bad is a neo-Western crime drama that aired on AMC from 2008 to 2013 for five seasons. Breaking Bad introduces Walter White (Bryan Cranston), a frustrated chemistry teacher.

When White is diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer, and with the help of his former student, Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), White begins to produce and distribute methamphetamine to secure his family’s financial future. White becomes a crime lord, but that only brings him new problems and enemies.

Breaking Bad is now one of the best TV shows of all time, but critics wouldn’t have imagined it would join that list when the show came out. The show’s black comedy didn’t sit well with critics, nor did the story and characters, which many found to be messy, convoluted, and hard to believe. However, once they saw White’s development and more, Breaking Bad got the praise it deserved.

Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones is one of the best fantasy TV shows of all time, but it had a rough start. Based on George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novel series, Game of Thrones aired on HBO from 2011 to 2019 for eight seasons, though many fans would like to forget that the final season exists.

Game of Thrones takes the audience into the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos, and it follows simultaneous plotlines as different clans try to take the Iron Throne. Game of Thrones is full of twists, turns, and dark moments, which were key to its success, though this didn’t happen right away.

Critics initially saw Game of Thrones as nothing more than a fantasy show with dragons, and its plot and characters weren’t engaging enough for them. With time, Game of Thrones proved its high narrative and visual quality, and that it had a lot more to offer than just dragons.