These 12 Popular TV Shows Never Had a Decline in Quality Throughout the Series

Watch enough TV shows, and you’re bound to notice a pattern. First, the show starts out good. Then, inevitably at some point in the series, it starts to go downhill. It might not always be a major dip, but it’s rare to find a perfect series. But there are some out there! These TV shows never had a decline in quality.

We wanted to know how fans would answer what TV show never had a decline in quality, and we weren’t disappointed with the responses! So, if you want to know what show to watch next, there’s plenty of great inspiration for you on this list.

How It’s Made

Bali / Indonesia - May 22, 2019: Colorful surfboards on the beach.
Image Credit: PhotoSeka/Shutterstock.

This is a rare example of a show that almost never could get stale. It’s such a perfect concept! Each episode you learn how a few different things are made. That’s it, that’s the show. I have a soft spot for How It’s Made because it would come on at 2am when my son was a baby and I’ve never seen a bad episode.

Fawlty Towers

John Cleese, Connie Booth, Andrew Sachs, and Prunella Scales in Fawlty Towers (1975).
Image Credit: BBC.

This John Cleese series always seems to come up when people are recommending TV shows and for good reason: it’s hilarious! One thing I’ve always respected about British comedy series is they know when to end a show… And that usually happens before the show declines in quality.

Keeping Up With the Kardashians

Kim Kardashian West at the 2017 LACMA Art + Film Gala held at the LACMA in Los Angeles, USA on November 4, 2017.
Image Credit: Tinseltown/Shutterstock.

OK I know what you’re thinking… Really? Keeping Up With The Kardashians? But here’s the thing: it’s consistent!

While it was mostly suggested ironically, with the Reddit user saying,”It maintained a standard. It was always absolute [crap] from the start and never improved” I do think that for people who like the show it continues to deliver; that’s why it’s still going strong after so many years.

The Joy of Painting

The Joy of Painting (1983).
Image Credit: BRI Productions.

No such thing as a bad episode of this uplifting TV show. If anything, it got better as Bob Ross continued to refine both his painting and educational skills.

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Image Credit: Nickelodean.

Not often we see animated shows on lists like this but Avatar: The Last Airbender is a beloved show for many fans around the world. Running for 3 seasons, even the “in between” episodes that didn’t contribute much to the story were fun to watch.

Breaking Bad

Walter White (Bryan Cranston) - Breaking Bad _ Season 5, Episode 13.
Photo Credit: Ursula Coyote/AMC..

It’s no surprise to see Breaking Bad on this list: many argue it’s a perfect show! Every episode of this show was surprising and it stayed consistent right up to the finale. Many fans also said the spinoff show, Better Call Saul, felt the same way.

“Literally the only show I’ve watched where every season is better than the last,” someone said in praise of Breaking Bad. Totally agree!

This Old House

Tom Silva in This Old House (1979),
Image Credit: PBS.

Maybe you watched this show yourself or remember catching it with your parents as a kid. Either way, This Old House seems to be a pretty beloved series, and one that never declined in quality as time went on.

And time did go on, by the way. If you didn’t know, it’s still on TV and has been since 1979!

The Good Place

Kristen Bell, William Jackson Harper, and D'Arcy Carden in The Good Place (2016)
Image Credit: NBC.

The reason The Good Place gets so many rave reviews from folks is because of how meticulously the writers planned out the show’s four seasons. That’s also why it never seems to decline in quality.

It’s rare a popular comedy show knows when to call it quits. I guess The Good Place’s writers might be among the few comedians that’ll find themselves in The Good Place one day… Maybe.

Blackadder

Rowan Atkinson in Blackadder (1982)
Image Credit: BBC.

Not only was this show amazing for all the reasons we usually like shows (great writing, funny, amazing actors), it was also super unique in its storytelling. By changing the time period the show is set (but following the same bloodline) it manages to stay fresh through each of the 4 seasons.

The It Crowd

Chris O'Dowd, Richard Ayoade, and Katherine Parkinson in The IT Crowd (2006).
Image Credit: Channel 4 Television Corporation.

As a computer nerd, The IT Crowd is definitely my style of comedy. Yet another British sitcom for this list, The IT Crowd avoids software bugs for 4 hilarious seasons.

Stargate SG-1

Richard Dean Anderson and Teryl Rothery in Stargate SG-1 (1997).
Image Credit:
Double Secret Productions.

Stargate has had ups and downs through the many series and spinoffs, but it’s hard to disagree SG-1 isn’t one of the best – if not the best – in the Stargate universe. At the very least it happens to be the one I like best!

Someone said this about Stargate SG-1 that I totally agree with: “It was a show that knew what it was.”

Schitt’s Creek

Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, and Annie Murphy in Schitt's Creek (2015)
Image Credit: Not A Real Production Company.

Leave it to a group of Canadian comedy legends to create such a perfect show! Schitt’s Creek featured an immense amount of character growth (and way too many quotable scenes) for a comedy during its 6 seasons.

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Kim Dickens as Madison Clark - Fear the Walking Dead _ Season 8, Episode 6.
Photo Credit: Lauren “Lo” Smith/AMC.

Sometimes shows start off great but then, for whatever reason, change their format. We wanted to know what people felt were the worst culprits for TV shows that started off amazing but became unwatchable later on. As always, the internet’s answers didn’t disappoint.

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12 TV Shows That Are Often Called “The Best TV Show Ever”

Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson in Mad Men.
Photo Credit: Michael Yarish/AMC.

This is such a subjective topic. While I’d love to share my thoughts on the best TV show ever, I thought it would be better to scour the internet to find out what, in your opinion, is the best show ever from a variety of fans.

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Timothy Olyphant, Drew Barrymore in Santa Clarita Diet Season 2
Image Credit: Saeed Adyani/Netflix.

The worst part of having your favorite show canceled is that you never get to see the ending and never find out what happened to all the characters. If there was a good ending, the fans might not be upset!

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Outer Banks. Rudy Pankow as JJ in episode 303 of Outer Banks
Image Credit: JACKSON LEE DAVIS/NETFLIX.

Ever watched a show that was so hyped up but you thought was terrible? The show everyone was talking about and watching and you just couldn’t see the appeal? That was the question posted on Reddit, “Which Netflix show is overrated?”

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Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives. Sarma Melngailis in Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives.
Image Credit: Courtesy of Netflix.

Love learning about real-life crime and can’t get enough? Netflix has become the go-to for binge-able series about crimes and the criminals who commit them.

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Everett has been writing about media, technology, and parenting since 2014. His work has been featured on MIT Technology Review, HuffPost, and various blogs. When not writing or binge watching TV shows, you'll find him playing video games or spending with with his kids.