Best First Season by a Show

[mrsmaalox]

Downton Abbey

[Darth_Pelican]

True Detective

[Malik Hairston]

Not the best, but while we're here, anybody watch Rectify?

[CavsSuperFan]

1st Season

1- Sopranos
2- Drew Carey
3- Gossip Girl

[Floyd Pacquiao]

True Detective

[Malik Hairston]

1st Season

1- Sopranos
2- Drew Carey
3- Gossip Girl

I watched a season of GG with my girl a few months ago..wow, such a terrible show..

[IronMaxipad]

True Detective.

[redzero]

True Detective gets my vote, since the first season was basically a mini-series that tied everything together in the end. After that, The Wire is the clear second. The Sopranos comes in third, with Breaking Bad in fourth.

[JMarkJohns]

Good ones named already. A few I haven't seen:

Californication (season 1 and 6 only great seasons)
Homeland (best season of the series, should have allowed plot to end as writer wished)
Terriers (fun show, had more potential, got lost in FX programming)

Better than average series, but not best season of series:

Banshee
Justified
Scrubs

[baseline bum]

Homeland (best season of the series, should have allowed plot to end as writer wished)

How was that? With Brody executing the suicide bombing with the VP? Or with the show ending once he was hanged?

[hater]

ALF

[Leetonidas]

24

[Infinite_limit]

Downton Abbey

Do you watch Selfridge babe?

[JMarkJohns]

How was that? With Brody executing the suicide bombing with the VP? Or with the show ending once he was hanged?

I've read the original plot for the series was similar to that of True Detective with at least radically new story lines and characters, if not entirely new storyline a and characters.

Writers had Carrie justified when Brody blew up the brass.

Producers changed it for a second season, which was solid, but unspectacular, which lead to a horrible third season. Aside from the final episode, season 4 had more upside than 2/3.

[Frank Dux]

First 10 minutes you knew that show was going to be legendary. As soon as I saw that meeting outside Satriale's I was hooked. And then Tony running that guy down in Chris' Lexus.

Still, Chris shooting that guy in the foot was the highlight of the season. Was dying laughing when I saw that since he played Spider in Goodfellas.

I felt the same way. I was a big fan Oz and that show had me primed to watch HBO greatness.

Funny thing about the first season of Sopranos. You don't really notice it the first time around but if you go back and watch the first few episodes after you've already seen the whole series, there are some creative elements that are a bit over the top compared to the rest of the series. Like the external music and extreme camera angle they use in front of Satriale's, and the constant references to the Godfather. After a few episodes, they settle into the voice that is more consistent with the rest of the series.

Same thing happened in the first few episodes of Six Feet Under with the random commercials for funeral supplies done like commercials for everyday household products. It's like they really wanted to wow the audience but realized early on that they didn't need all that.

[cantthinkofanything]

Do you watch Selfridge babe?

Is that good for real? I watched DA for a couple of seasons.

[baseline bum]

I felt the same way. I was a big fan Oz and that show had me primed to watch HBO greatness.

Funny thing about the first season of Sopranos. You don't really notice it the first time around but if you go back and watch the first few episodes after you've already seen the whole series, there are some creative elements that are a bit over the top compared to the rest of the series. Like the external music and extreme camera angle they use in front of Satriale's, and the constant references to the Godfather. After a few episodes, they settle into the voice that is more consistent with the rest of the series.

Same thing happened in the first few episodes of Six Feet Under with the random commercials for funeral supplies done like commercials for everyday household products. It's like they really wanted to wow the audience but realized early on that they didn't need all that.

Yeah, the camera angles and light for the Satriale's meeting in Episode 1 very really different from the rest of the series. I liked the touch though, since we're not seeing it as it happens but as it's described to Melfi. The Godfather references are never ending on the show though. Like in Tony's dream with Annette Benning saying she doesn't want her husband coming out the bathroom with just his in his hand. Or AJ trying to be Michael Coreleone by going after Junior. Or Members Only Guy going into the bathroom in the last scene of the series, supposedly to grab the gun to come shoot Tony in the back of the head when the screen goes black.

[Chomag]

I thought the first season of on Wheels was pretty good, its pretty now though. I havnt seen many of the main ones out there so I cant say what might be best ones.

[cantthinkofanything]

forgot about this one...

My So Called Life

[Medvedenko]

Lost
True Detective
Heroes
Portlandia
Game of Thrones
Ray Donovan

[Frank Dux]

Yeah, the camera angles and light for the Satriale's meeting in Episode 1 very really different from the rest of the series. I liked the touch though, since we're not seeing it as it happens but as it's described to Melfi. The Godfather references are never ending on the show though. Like in Tony's dream with Annette Benning saying she doesn't want her husband coming out the bathroom with just his in his hand. Or AJ trying to be Michael Coreleone by going after Junior. Or Members Only Guy going into the bathroom in the last scene of the series, supposedly to grab the gun to come shoot Tony in the back of the head when the screen goes black.

For sure. The references never really cease, and the final scene of the series certainly comes across as the final reference. But they had Sil doing his "just when I thought I was out, they pull me back" impression like four or fives in that first episode. Still pretty funny though.

[JMarkJohns]

This show was fantastic. Equal parts drama, comedy, sarcasm, s, drugs, rock n roll.

I mean, Moody's book is named God Hates Us All after the Slayer album.

Wish the rest of the series matched season 1.

[Malik Hairston]

I disagree with Breaking Bad, I wasn't a huge fan of the first 2 seasons, tbh..I still enjoyed it and continued watching, but it's a rare example of a show that progressively improved IMO..

[Malik Hairston]

I felt the same way. I was a big fan Oz and that show had me primed to watch HBO greatness.

Funny thing about the first season of Sopranos. You don't really notice it the first time around but if you go back and watch the first few episodes after you've already seen the whole series, there are some creative elements that are a bit over the top compared to the rest of the series. Like the external music and extreme camera angle they use in front of Satriale's, and the constant references to the Godfather. After a few episodes, they settle into the voice that is more consistent with the rest of the series.

Same thing happened in the first few episodes of Six Feet Under with the random commercials for funeral supplies done like commercials for everyday household products. It's like they really wanted to wow the audience but realized early on that they didn't need all that.

Oz is still one of the most underrated shows of all-time IMO..rarely mentioned when discussing the best shows of the past 20 years..

It's still funny seeing JK Simmons in movies like Whiplash, that will always be Schillinger to me..

[DesignatedT]

True Detective

I'll say House of Cards Season 1 as well. Great first season. Seasons 2 and 3 - meh.