9 TV Shows With Skippable First Seasons

Dan Clarendon
1 Comment
Ellen Pompeo as Meredith Grey in 'Grey's Anatomy,' Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope in 'Parks and Recreation,' Steve Carell as Michael Scott in 'The Office'
Ron Tom/ABC/Courtesy: Everett Collection, Mitch Haddad/NBC/Courtesy: Everett Collection, Justin Lubin/NBC/Courtesy: Everett Collection

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.

Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope in 'Parks and Recreation'
Mitch Haddad/NBC/Courtesy: Everett Collection

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.

Steve Carell as Michael Scott in 'The Office'
Justin Lubin/NBC/Courtesy: Everett Collection

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.

Ellen Pompeo as Meredith Grey in 'Grey's Anatomy'
Ron Tom/ABC/Courtesy: Everett Collection

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.

Catherine O'Hara as Moira Rose and Dan Levy as David Rose in 'Schitt's Creek'
CBC/Pop/Courtesy: Everett Collection

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.

Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw in 'Sex and the City'
HBO/Courtesy: Everett Collection

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.

Cast members of 'Star Trek: The Next Generation'
Paramount Television/Courtesy: Everett Collection

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.

Brandon Routh as The Atom in 'DC's Legends of Tomorrow'
Dean Buscher/The CW/Courtesy: Everett Collection

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.

Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers in 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'
Richard Cartwright/20th Century Fox Film Corp./Courtesy: Everett Collection

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.

Martin and Bart in 'The Simpsons'
20th Century Fox Film Corp./Courtesy: Everett Collection

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.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997)DC's Legends of TomorrowGrey's AnatomySchitt's CreekSex and the City (1998)Star Trek: The Next GenerationThe Office (2005)The Simpsons



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  1. C

    CyanCandy

    Waaaay off! At least, on the comedies. Granted, P&R and The Simpsons don't have super solid 1st seasons. But, why the mess is Schitt's Creek on here? There are really only 2 episodes in the whole show that I'd consider skippable. Clearly click bait or AI drivel.