9 TV Shows With Skippable First Seasons
Though it pains our completist hearts to say this, there are TV shows whose first seasons aren’t exactly essential viewing. Some don’t have a grasp on their characters, some aren’t sure of their tone, and some just aren’t comedic or dramatic enough in their debut seasons. If you are short on time or just want to cut to the chase, these are TV shows for which you should feel free to start with Season 2.
Parks and Recreation
Do you need to see the first season of this beloved NBC sitcom? Knope! Those first episodes read like an Office wannabe, and they lack the warm-hearted tone of later seasons. Treat yo self to a fast-forward to the second season.
The Office
Speaking of The Office, we’d say you can bypass Season 1 of that show, too. In its six-episode debut season, this American adaptation hadn’t yet found the lovable character quirks that differentiated it from its U.K. source material.
Grey’s Anatomy
No, we don’t need a psych consult. We really do believe that Grey’s Anatomy’s short first season isn’t necessary to watch to enjoy the series as a whole. The action really gets going with the Season 1 cliffhanger, which kicks off the show’s second and best season.
Schitt’s Creek
Schitt’s Creek became one of the most wholesome, rewarding, and emotional comedies in TV history, but you wouldn’t know it from Season 1. The show really takes a while to hit its stride — or, like Moira’s Crows Have Eyes 3 character, to take flight.
Sex and the City
This show’s first season was like bad foreplay — there was just too much unnecessary talking. The characters, both the core four and man-on-the-street-style interviewees, broke the fourth wall and chatted directly with the audience. And no, it was not good for us.
Star Trek: The Next Generation
We suggest you boldly go straight to Season 2 of this beloved sci-fi spinoff. By doing so, you get to skip Season 1’s recycled plot points, its humdrum storylines, its uncertain characterization, and that offensive “Code of Honor” episode.
DC’s Legends of Tomorrow
Luckily for a show whose first season was less than Legend-ary, it did indeed get a Tomorrow. And Season 2 started the transition from a self-serious superhero series to a self-aware adventure series that was both metaphysical and metafictional.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Much as it might offend diehards, Vanity Fair actually said the key to becoming a Buffy fan is to skip Season 1. Think monsters that feel like B-movie castoffs and not metaphors for the monstrosities of young adulthood.
The Simpsons
The Simpsons’ debut season isn’t bad; it’s just drawn that way… as in, the animation is much cruder in Season 1. Also, the humor isn’t as LOL-worthy as it would become in the show’s Golden Era, and there isn’t even a Treehouse of Horror episode to enjoy.
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