Television can be a tricky format to pull off, which is a big reason why a lot of would-be shows never really make it to the finish line. Even when something is lucky enough to get to the promised land of television sets or streaming devices around the world, there’s no guarantee of success. Yet even some of the most acclaimed or popular shows out there didn’t exactly start out hitting the ground running.
Sometimes, it can take a minute for long-form entertainment, such as television, to find its proper footing. I know that , for me personally, there have been many shows that didn’t really hook me right off the get-go. But the lucky ones get the time to develop and really turn into something truly special.
Parks and Recreation
Watch Parks and Recreation on Peacock
This workplace comedy didn’t exactly come into the world of television firing on all cylinders, but Parks and Recreation definitely eventually found its place among the all-time comedy greats. The issue was mainly that the first season felt too much like The Office, which did not help in establishing its own identity and tone. By the second season, though, Parks and Recreation started to shed the comparisons and find its own way.
By the time the show wrapped its final season, I believe it had become a much better show than The Office. That might be something of a hot take, but I found the characters in Parks and Recreation to be much more relatable and fun to root for. It also doesn’t help that my capacity for handling cringe comedy is not exactly the highest. For me, though, Parks and Recreation is one of those sitcoms I could watch forever without getting bored at all.
Hannibal
Watch Hannibal on Amazon Prime Video
It’s not that Hannibal isn’t intriguing from the get-go or anything, because it definitely is. The problem is that its early episodes are so entrenched in a case-of-the-week formula that it’s a little disappointing. The writing is still very smart, and the performances are exquisite, but it almost feels like Hannibal is having a studio-mandated identity crisis in those early-season episodes.
That does not last long, however, as Hannibal finds its stride and becomes one of the best shows I have ever seen. Even looking back now, it’s clear that creator Bryan Fuller was playing with police procedural tropes and expectations in order to turn everything on its head. But for a first-time viewer, that’s a risky gambit, which is probably why Hannibal never truly got the love it deserved while airing.
BoJack Horseman
Watch BoJack Horseman on Netflix
Early in the first season of BoJack Horseman, there’s honestly no indication that this animated series will become the biting and devastating character study that it would eventually turn into. I actually was not overly impressed with the first half of season one, as there was nothing really present to set it apart from any of the other adult animated shows centered around problematic protagonists.
Of course, that’s all a ruse because the back half of the first season and the rest of BoJack Horseman‘s run completely defies all expectations. Every single character becomes far more complex than you would expect from a crass adult animated show, and it never lets its eponymous character off the hook for all the bad things he does. It’s a refreshing take on a medium that too often lets its characters get away with heinous things in the name of cheap laughs.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer on Hulu
For as good as Buffy the Vampire Slayer gets, that first season is extremely rough when it comes to quality episodes. There are more cheesy monster-of-the-week stories here than there is an intriguing set-up for the brilliance that is to come. Luckily, the finale ramps up the quality, and season two is where Buffy the Vampire Slayer really starts to become the show that everyone loves and remembers.
The quality would not remain consistent, but Buffy the Vampire Slayer hit a lot more than it missed throughout, and it’s an older series that is better than a lot of new releases. In fact, when I do my yearly rewatch of the show, I find myself skipping most of that first season because it does not feel representative of what Buffy the Vampire Slayer would actually become.
Mr. Robot
Watch Mr. Robot on Netflix
It’s not that Mr. Robot isn’t entertaining from the get-go, but there’s something about those first few episodes where I was left wondering what it was trying to say. Is it an anti-hero show with some thriller spices thrown into the pot? Is it a character study about Elliot Alderson (Rami Malek)? Or is it something else entirely? Obviously, for the patient viewer, all would become clear, and Mr. Robot reveals that it’s all of these and so much more.
Still, for me, it was the power of the acting that really carried those first few episodes of Mr. Robot, not necessarily the story. But creator Sam Esmail is brilliant at paying off a slow set-up, and if you’re willing to engage with the show on its own merits, you’ll be in for a wild, unpredictable ride that you won’t soon forget.
I have come to respect the art of a slow-building show
Not every show can really capture you from the start, and I’ve come to accept that it’s perfectly fine. I actually find it more rewarding to stick with a show that doesn’t necessarily start out the strongest. These are just a few of my favorite slow-burns that become truly fantastic. If you’re looking for some slow-burn thrillers that will keep you hooked, we have some truly great recommendations for you.
