Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
When a stellar new show debuts, it can feel like a breath of fresh air; innovative storytelling, standout performances, and smart directing all come together to create something truly special, something we can binge or watch week-to-week and discuss with one another. Unfortunately, it’s often difficult to maintain the momentum the first season of a series creates, and that is usually reflected in a less-than-stellar second season – a sophomore slump, if you will.
Whether the drop in quality happens because of a change of story and cast (anthology series often fall prey to this), a shift in showrunners, the extension of a story that had nowhere else to go, or simply an overall lack in writing quality, the sophomore slump can affect just about any show. From Netflix and Hulu to network and cable, no series is safe from falling into this round two rut.
To further demonstrate this phenomenon, we rounded up 5 series with the biggest change in Rotten Tomatoes Critics Scores between their first and second seasons. They may not all go from Fresh to Rotten, but with a minimum drop of 20%, it’s certainly worth talking about.
'Marvel's Daredevil'
Season 1 Score: 98%
Season 2 Score: 74%
The first season of Netflix’s Daredevil wowed critics with its standout fight choreography, smart writing, and fascinating lead in Charlie Cox, shaking up the superhero series format and changing the legacy of Daredevil in the process. Season 2, while still enjoyable, unfortunately failed to find a villain as compelling as its Season 1 antagonist, and struggled to balance its multiple storylines the second half of Season 2. Staying Certified Fresh for two seasons isn’t shabby, but going from nearly 100% to close to 70% isn’t a great look.
'Top of the Lake'
Season 1 Score: 94%
Season 2 Score: 71%
Jane Campion’s powerful crime drama features a breathtaking performance from The Handmaid’s Tale‘s Elisabeth Moss, and Season 1 is nothing short of transcendent. Praised for its absorbing nature, the disturbing, compelling series left quite the impression. Season 2, China Girl, may have been just as ambitious, but it struggles to keep its footing as it fails to stick to the grounded realism that made Season 1 so impactful.
'True Detective'
Season 1 Score: 87%
Season 2 Score: 62%
True Detective‘s first season was nothing short of a home run for HBO; the Cary Fukunaga-helmed series went places few series had ever dared before, gifted us with some career-best performances from Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, and delivered vivid images that are still haunting, even some 4 years later. The second season, however, couldn’t hide the fact that it had been written in a hurry and was desperate to live up to the hype of the first, and never quite cracked it. With lackluster chemistry between the three leads and an uncertainty about what kind of show it wants to be, True Detective‘s second season becomes reminiscent of all the other average cop dramas currently on the air.
'Bloodline'
Season 1 Score: 81%
Season 2 Score: 53%
The first season of Netflix’s slow-burn family drama Bloodline came as a pleasant surprise, sucking us in with its distinct narrative voice and gorgeous performances. The timeline may have been a little difficult to follow, but it all added to the atmospheric quality of the series. When the second season debuted, however, it became painfully clear that it should have been a miniseries. By killing off its most magnetic performer at the end of Season 1, Bloodline unintentionally shot itself in the foot for future seasons. While Season 2 is watchable, it lacks the stakes and electricity of Season 1 due to Ben Mendelsohn’s absence.
'13 Reasons Why'
Season 1 Score: 80%
Season 2 Score: 27%
The first season of Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why was met with its fair share of controversy, but much of it was praised for its gripping depiction of adolescence and the very grim reality of the mental illness and sexual assault epidemics sweeping high schools. The second season, however, only leans further into the things that made Season 1 problematic, overpacking its narrative with far too many things and throwing in some truly horrifying images for what appears to be shock value. It’s rare to see a second season crash and burn the way this one did, but the numbers speak for themselves.
