Why Peak TV shows tend to follow their great first seasons with a sophomore slump

Vox

Westworld, UnReal and The Handmaid's Tale are fairly recent examples of Peak TV shows that followed great first seasons with a disappointing Season 2. But it's not just a recent trend. The Sopranos, Lost, Homeland and even Game of Thrones had second seasons that a lot of people found subpar. "A hopefully obvious answer to the disappointing second season problem is a basic tenet of human nature: It’s hard to replicate the experience of first watching something and falling in love with it," says Todd VanDerWerff. "The sheer thrill that accompanied the slow word-of-mouth excitement that boosted Stranger Things in season one was never going to happen again when the show returned for season two. But another obvious answer to this problem is that once a first season tells a mostly complete story, it can be incredibly hard to open up that story again to tell more stories." VanDerWerff adds: "But here’s the Catch-22 about second seasons: A good way to ensure you have a great second season is to air a somewhat disappointing first season. Yet in the age of Peak TV, airing a disappointing first season is a good way to ensure you don’t get a second season at all."