With so many TV shows to choose from these days, people expect that new series will catch their attention right from the start. But it doesn't always work that way. It's common for TV shows to start strong but succumb to weaker, later seasons. However, sometimes the exact opposite happens. A TV show isn't all that great or people simply don't watch it enough. That might change in the future and the shows become more popular or just plain better.
There are plenty of drama shows that fit into the second category. Some of them also utilize other genres but they all have one thing in common, which is that they improved as time passed.
10 Legends Of Tomorrow
Legends of Tomorrow isn't a typical drama series. It also contains a lot of humor as well as time travel on top of that. However, it presents plenty of dramatic situations as well, with the characters dying or losing their loved ones. The first season set the tone for the rest of the series but hasn't been as eccentric as the rest. The show found itself in later seasons and became truly crazy and colorful. The lackluster first season had a lot to do with its villain, Vandal Savage, who couldn't compare to those who came after him. Additionally, the romance between Hawkman and Hawkgirl was often more boring than intriguing.
9 Breaking Bad
Breaking Bad is now one of the classics. It catapulted Bryan Cranston to stardom, but considering the subsequent success of the show, it's easy to forget it wasn't always that popular. In fact, while the first two seasons mostly got positive reviews, not that many people watched them. This is possibly because the tone of the show was too different for general audiences, or maybe the topic was too complex. Breaking Bad became a true hit when its third season aired on Netflix, and the rest, as they say, is history.
8 The Good Wife
The Good Wife is now a classic. It even produced a spin-off TV show The Good Fight. When it started, however, nobody could have anticipated it would become a hit. The show was a typical, procedural, case-of-the-week drama. It only rose to a higher level of quality when it focused on the personal stories of the characters more. With a cast such as Julianna Margulies, or Will Gardner, this was the real path to success.
7 Game Of Thrones
Every great show has to start somewhere. Truthfully, even the epic Game of Thrones didn't have such a memorable start, quite possibly because most of the main characters were very young. They would yet come to become the heroes the fans loved and feared for.
That is especially true about the Stark family, which includes Arya, Sansa, and their likes, as well as characters like Daenerys. Unfortunately for season one, the true drama started the moment they chopped off Ned Stark's head.
6 Halt And Catch Fire
If something doesn't work about the characters, mix it up! That's what Halt and Catch Fire did. At first, some people didn't like the way the show worked with its characters. Instead of feeling like real people, the heroes came across as archetypical, simplified figures. The show made an unexpected turn in the second season. It turned one of its heroes into an almost antagonist which was like a breath of fresh air.
5 The Wire
The Wire had a promising story right from the start, yet it took a while before the show built a real depth. The show originally focused only on a small space in Baltimore. As it progressed, it offered a deeper view into American society. It wasn't always pretty, but it hit the nail on its head on more than one occasion. Some shows simply need more time to expand the world they're building and captivate the audience.
4 The Americans
Living as a spy is no easy task. This line of work brings along plenty of dangers, sometimes mortal ones. The Americans focuses on a couple of KGB spies who pose as an American couple. The first season sets the stage, introducing the characters and the place where they live, and it does all of this well.
However, it's the second season that takes the story to a whole new level. It becomes even more obvious when the main heroes are in danger. As a result, the season does a better job of drawing the audience in.
3 Fargo
Fargo is a bit different from other shows on this list. It's a high-quality show right from the start. It has no major issues. The main problem is that it's based on a film of the same name, and the viewers who know the film will be able to easily predict what will happen next. That makes it more difficult for them to enjoy the show. Luckily, the second season creates a new story, so even people familiar with the film are in for an unexpected experience.
2 Angel
The spin-off series hasn't got it easy. People have the tendency to underestimate them even before they see them. Sometimes the shows prove their doubters right but sometimes they don't. At first, it looked like Angel would belong in the first category. The titular vampire had very little development in the first season. He was mostly broody and upset at the world, but as the series evolved, so did Angel. Intriguing new characters helped it to become better as well.
1 The Leftovers
Is it possible to hate a series for being too dark? Yes, it is. The Leftovers almost crashed on this fact as the audience thought the first season was too depressing. It was a natural thing in a show where a whole 2 percent of people disappear and the rest has to deal with that. The show took the criticism to heart, though. The later seasons weren't all drama but also worked with clever dark humor.