History Main / SeasonalRot

** The JMS run is generally agreed to have started out very good, with some cool new additions to Spidey's RoguesGallery and the introduction of a solid MythArc. But then editor-in-chief Joe Quesada began [[ExecutiveMeddling ruthlessly meddling]] in nearly everything, which led to horrible plot twists and near-unanimously reviled storylines like ''Sins Past'' and ''One More Day'', turning the Myth Arc into [[TheChrisCarterEffect a tangled mess]].

* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'': A segment of longtime fans feel that the installments of the main games from ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'' onward aren't as good as the previous ones. The most common criticisms are the lack of post-game content compared to the 2D games, the [[PanderingToTheBase Gen I pandering]], the [[ItsEasySoItSucks difficulty of the main story being made easier]], and the 3D models of the Pokémon being lifeless compared to the sprites. But many agree the series REALLY began to rot upon its move to Switch from gen 8 onwards, with ''VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield'' quickly coming under fire from the fanbase for actively removing roughly one-third of all Pokémon (more than half prior to the launch of DLC) from previous games with no way of using them at all, the gen 4 remakes ''VideoGame/PokemonBrilliantDiamondAndShiningPearl'' being criticized for their polarizing art style and lacking the enhancements made in ''Platinum'' and, most infamously, ''VideoGame/PokemonScarletAndViolet'' being released in a [[ObviousBeta clearly unfinished state]] with a myriad of graphical and performance issues (many of which persisted even after a day 1 patch) and a general lack of postgame content outside of shiny hunting, raids, and completing the pokedex, missing even the battle tower which had been a series staple since ''VideoGame/PokemonCrystal'' over two decades ago.

* ''Series/Frasier2023'': Between the end of the previous series and this, Frasier spent fourteen years as the host of a ''Series/DrPhil''-esque tv show. However, what started as a genuine attempt to help people work through their issues gradually devolved into a more typical talk show with a pop-psy styling, involving celebrity guest stars, stunts, and comedic gimicks, hence why Frasier finally chose to quit. It's worth noting only Frasier seems to have thought this was a ''bad'' thing, as the show was by all indications wildly successful, and by his own admission his producers were begging him not to go.

* Wrestling/AllEliteWrestling would end up going through this in 2022 to 2023 due to backstage drama that resulted in suspensions from All Out 2022, injuries of top wrestlers that impacted storylines and feuds, declining viewership, firing of top draw Wrestling/CMPunk following All In 2023 who would go back to WWE in 2023 that overcome their own rot, and certain storylines with the Devil revealed as Wrestling/AdamCole falling flat due to ArcFatigue and Cole still injured which shows how limited Tony Khan's booking is. [[note]]Ironically sinceTriple H is running Creative, many disgruntled WWE talent that jumped to AEW now wants to jump right back to WWE thanks to his reputation among talent.[[/note]]

* [WrestlingAllEliteWrestling would end up going through this in 2022 to 2023 due to backstage drama that resulted in suspensions from All Out 2022, injuries of top wrestlers that impacted storylines and feuds, declining viewership, firing of top draw Wrestling/CMPunk following All In 2023 who would go back to WWE in 2023 that overcome their own rot, and certain storylines with the Devil revealed as Wrestling/AdamCole falling flat due to ArcFatigue and Cole still injured which shows how limited Tony Khan's booking is. [[note]]Ironically since Wrestling/Triple H is running Creative, many disgruntled WWE talent that jumped to AEW now wants to jump right back to WWE thanks to his reputation among talent.[[/note]]

* [[WrestlingAllEliteWrestling]] would end up going through this in 2022 to 2023 due to backstage drama that resulted in suspensions from All Out 2022, injuries of top wrestlers that impacted storylines and feuds, declining viewership, firing of top draw Wrestling/CMPunk following All In 2023 who would go back to WWE in 2023 that overcome their own rot, and certain storylines with the Devil revealed as Wrestling/AdamCole falling flat due to ArcFatigue and Cole still injured which shows how limited Tony Khan's booking is. [[note]]Ironically since Wrestling/Triple H is running Creative, many disgruntled WWE talent that jumped to AEW now wants to jump right back to WWE thanks to his reputation among talent.[[/note]]

* The general consensus of wrestling fans in regards to shows like Wrestling/{{WWE}} ''[[Wrestling/{{WWERAW}} RAW]]'' or ''{{Wrestling/SmackDown}}'', depending on how poorly the show is booked. (Not helping the former’s case is that it just goes [[{{Filler}} over three hours.]]) It doesn’t take a genius to understand ''why'' business is suffering under the old regime: Wrestling/VinceMcMahon, Kevin Dunn, Michael Hayes, Bruce Pritchard...The business has passed them by in 2019. The real stars are being relegated to footnotes, and all WWE wants to do is keep bringing in [[Wrestling/WWEHallOfFame Hall of Famers]], [[UsefulNotes/MixedMartialArts MMA]] fighters, and boxers.[[note]]Fans thought that the formation of [[Wrestling/AllEliteWrestling AEW]] in 2019 would give Vince and co. the kick in ass needed to right the ship, much like how getting smacked around by WCW back in the mid 90s made Vince revamp the whole company and gave us the Attitude Era. This... has not been the case at all, WWE has gotten significantly worse since 2019, and even more so since 2021 (see the next entry). A lot of disgruntled WWE talent saying "Screw this" and leaving for AEW probably isn't helping.[[/note]]

** Finally, there's the end of the run, which is vocally disliked. It divided the team by splitting off many of the younger heroes to launch ''JSA All-Stars'', there were mean-spirited writing such as depicting the black Mr. Terrific being stabbed in an alley and killing Alan Scott randomly, and by the time the series ended thanks to the New 52 reboot, it was a mercy killing. Unfortunately, it was followed by ''Earth 2'', which had its own share of issues...

** There's a dissenting opinion that the whole arc from ''House of M'' to ''Second Coming'' or ''ComicBook/AvengersVsXMen'' was a strong arc with the mutant race saved in a satisfying manner, but the period after had back-to-back direction and resolution issues, with the Revolutionary Cyclops storyline starting strong but petering out, the "should we send back the O5?" story being answered in ''ComicBook/BattleOfTheAtom'' with no judgment calls needed or possible, and finally the Inhumans plot, where the main conflict is a blatant rehash of the Decimation arc, plus Cyclops is shunned in-universe for stopping a poison cloud from killing thousands. This culminated in ''ComicBook/InhumansVsXMen'' which is itself a rehash of ''Avengers vs. X-men'' but deeply suffers from attempting moral equivalence in a conflict where one side is trying to stop genocide by negligence and the other side's stance is that it's okay if ''some'' people get poisoned, as long as they can keep producing superpowers. While ''[=AvX=]'' has flaws, ''[=IvX=]'' has the inglorious position of being a combination of ''two'' storylines that'd been done better before, leaving fans scratching their heads as to the editors' and writers' grasp of the moral situation they'd set up. The run after all this hardly fared any better, as it was mostly just wheel-spinning until the onset Creator/JonathanHickman run/SoftReboot could begin. Note that the Hickman run — already widely acclaimed as the one of the best X-Men eras ever — went out of it's way to functionally undo or ignore nearly '''everything''' that happened after the aforementioned ''House Of M'', only keeping around a scant number of status quo changes from that era (the new characters, Rogue and Gambit being married, etc.). "That era" for the record consists of ''a decade and a half'' of stories, and is even [[TakeThat dismissively referenced]] in-story as "the lost decade", which provides a stark idea of how the whole Post-Decimation period of X-Men is viewed by fans and creators alike.

* While the ''ComicBook/XMen'' books have had their share of up and down periods, it could be said that the former flagship title ''ComicBook/UncannyXMen'' experienced a decline in quality starting with 1998's "Hunt for Xavier" arc, from which it did not recover fully until the end of Chris Claremont's third run on the title in 2007, when Ed Brubaker took over the book.

* Some say ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' started decreasing in quality after its VideoGame3DLeap with the ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure2 duology]], which poorly executed its jump to 3D with its increased use of GameplayRoulette with various characters (most notoriously with Big the Cat and [[ScrappyMechanic his fishing gameplay]] from the first ''Adventure'' game) and having less-polished gameplay compared to the Genesis titles; or ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'' for its slippery controls and [[FakeLongevity overly repetitive]] gameplay. However, most will agree that the series really began to rot with ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'' thanks to constant rush jobs, as well as the developments that ultimately doomed ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006''. The series showed considerable improvements starting with ''VideoGame/SonicColors'', but after the utter failure of Sega's attempt to "westernize" the franchise with the ''VideoGame/SonicBoom'' spin-off titles (in contrast to the [[WesternAnimation/SonicBoom TV series]], which has been an overall success), the massive success of ''VideoGame/SonicMania'', and the mixed reception of ''VideoGame/SonicForces'' and ''VideoGame/SonicFrontiers'' it's really hard to describe the current state of the series. Altough the latter seem to be a case of CriticalDissonance with players being more favorable to it.

** However, the troubles of Phase 4 were ''nothing'' compared to the woes Marvel faced entering into Phase 5. 2023 saw ''Film/AntManAndTheWaspQuantumania'' be negatively received by critics and bomb at the box office, with many feeling the smaller-scale ''Ant-Man'' films failed to translate to a higher-stakes action film (again hampered by MoodWhiplash and slipshod CGI). Whatever acclaim actor Creator/JonathanMajors got for his portrayal of Kang the Conqueror, the next BigBad of the franchise, vanished when the actor was accused of domestic violence, leading to a months-long drama wondering whether or not he'd be allowed to maintain the part. ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol3'' did reignite some hope, since Creator/JamesGunn's final project with the characters was met with acclaim for giving them all proper closure, but then ''Series/SecretInvasion2023'' performed disastrously with fans, with many seeing it as a poorly-translated (if not outright boring) adaption of [[ComicBook/SecretInvasion2008 one of the most acclaimed Marvel stories of all time]], failing to mesh its gritty spy thriller with the usual MCU fare. The second season of ''Loki'' again turned things around, but it too became overshadowed by Major's presence as more and more accusations came out against him. And as the year closed, Marvel was hit with a one-two punch: ''Film/TheMarvels2023'' was an outright BoxOfficeBomb, but Majors was finally fired after he was found guilty in court, leaving the franchise without its new villain. Even with the second season of ''What If?'' being widely acclaimed, the franchise had sunk to an all-time-low. Even ''Variety'' reported that with all the troubles, there were apparently plans to reunite the original Avengers (despite two of them being dead InUniverse), or even replacing Kang with ComicBook/DoctorDoom to try and save face--a tactic many saw as desperation to salvage a sinking ship. As the series enters into 2024, with ''Series/Echo2024'', a third season of ''What If?'', and the long-awaited ''Deadpool 3'' on the horizon, fans watch to see whether or not the company will be able to turn things around.

** Many fans found Phase 4 to be lackluster because of the increased focus in the quantity of shows and movies at the expense of quality and direction. The addition of Disney+ series as main installments resulted in ContinuityLockout as viewers were forced to watch the shows to understand the context of the movies, a practice that soon ended up being too daunting for most casual viewers. Much of the CGI [[SpecialEffectFailure turned out slipshod]] or dipped too far into the UnintentionalUncannyValley amidst reports that Marvel Studios was pushing the VFX companies to deliver heavy amounts of work with little time and severe staffing shortages during COVID. Furthermore, the absence of an Avengers crossover movie or new recurring lead heroes to replace Iron Man and Captain America added to the phase's lack of direction. The declining numbers (both critically and financially) resulted in longstanding problems that have existed since ''The Infinity Saga'' [[FranchiseOriginalSin being brought into the forefront]]. With this in mind, Phase 5 got off to a disastrous start in 2023 with only ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol3'' proving an unqualified success out of the three films and three shows (the latter including the second seasons of ''Loki'' and ''What If?'') released, as well as plans for the new BigBad to be Kang the Conqueror effectively being derailed by actor Creator/JonathanMajors' domestic violence conviction and firing by Disney, leaving it to be seen whether forthcoming projects will turn things around.

* ''Literature/DiaryOfAWimpyKid'': As early as "Hard Luck" (Book 8) or as late as “Double Down" (Book 11), the books entered a downward spiral due to ComicBookTime settling in, DenserAndWackier plots (particularly in the {{Vacation Episode}}s), and most of the cast becoming unlikeable jerks or DemotedToExtra. The breaking point for many readers was "Wrecking Ball" (Book 14), a SeriesFauxnale where the Heffleys plan to move to a new neighborhood only for [[spoiler: a freak accident ''during the final pages'' stop the move and leave the family temporarily homeless]]. This ended with the next installment "The Deep End" beginning a run of better-received books, particularly "Diper Överlöde" (Book 17) for bringing back Löded Diper after the band was PutOnABus and giving Rodrick ADayInTheLimelight in the process.

* ''Literature/DiaryOfAWimpyKid'': After "Hard Luck" and “Double Down", the books entered a downward spiral due to ComicBookTime and most of the cast becoming unlikeable jerks or DemotedToExtra. The breaking point for many readers was "Wrecking Ball", a SeriesFauxnale where the Heffleys plan to move to a new neighborhood only for [[spoiler: a freak accident ''during the final pages'' stop the move and leave the family temporarily homeless]]. However, the next three books "The Deep End", "Big Shot" and "Diper Överlöde" were more well received, in particular the latter for bringing back Löded Diper after the band was PutOnABus.

** Many fans found Phase 4 to be lackluster because of the increased focus in the quantity of shows and movies at the expense of quality and direction. The addition of Disney+ series as main installments resulted in ContinuityLockout as viewers were forced to watch the shows to understand the context of the movies, a practice that soon ended up being too daunting for most casual viewers. Much of the CGI [[SpecialEffectFailure turned out slipshod]] or dipped too far into the UnintentionalUncannyValley amidst reports that Marvel Studios was pushing the VFX companies to deliver heavy amounts of work with little time and severe staffing shortages during COVID. Furthermore, the absence of an Avengers crossover movie or new recurring lead heroes to replace Iron Man and Captain America added to the phase's lack of direction. The declining numbers (both critically and financially) resulted in longstanding problems that have existed since ''The Infinity Saga'' [[FranchiseOriginalSin being brought into the forefront]]. With this in mind, Phase 5 got off to a disastrous start in 2023 with only ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol3'' proving an unqualified success out of the three films and three shows (the latter including the second seasons of ''Loki'' and ''What If?'') released, as well as plans for the new BigBad to be Kang the Conqueror effectively being derailed by actor Creator/JohnathanMajors' domestic violence conviction and firing by Disney, though it's possible later entries to be released over 2024-25 will turn things around.

** 2022 was where the rot set in further. All of its early projects--''{{Series/Moon Knight|2022}}'', ''Film/DoctorStrangeInTheMultiverseOfMadness'', ''{{Series/Ms Marvel|2022}}'', and especially ''Film/ThorLoveAndThunder'' and ''Series/SheHulkAttorneyAtLaw''--were all massively divisive, with a common criticism that they relied too much on distracting comedy that lead to MoodWhiplash and made it more difficult to take the characters seriously. While the Phase ended with [[BookEnds another trio of well received projects]], namely ''Film/{{Werewolf by Night|2022}}'' (which was a fun GenreThrowback HalloweenSpecial), ''Film/BlackPantherWakandaForever'' (which had to pay tribute to [[Creator/ChadwickBoseman its fallen star]] in an appropriately somber manner), and ''Film/TheGuardiansOfTheGalaxyHolidaySpecial'' (another well-received special whose characters were considered far better suited to a comedic tone), the damage was done.
** Many fans found Phase 4 to be lackluster because of the increased focus in the quantity of shows and movies at the expense of quality and direction. The addition of Disney+ series as main installments resulted in ContinuityLockout as viewers were forced to watch the shows to understand the context of the movies, a practice that soon ended up being too daunting for most casual viewers. Much of the CGI [[SpecialEffectFailure turned out slipshod]] or dipped too far into the UnintentionalUncannyValley amidst reports that Marvel Studios was pushing the VFX companies to deliver heavy amounts of work with little time and severe staffing shortages during COVID. Furthermore, the absence of an Avengers crossover movie or new recurring lead heroes to replace Iron Man and Captain America added to the phase's lack of direction. The declining numbers (both critically and financially) resulted in longstanding problems that have existed since ''The Infinity Saga'' [[FranchiseOriginalSin being brought into the forefront]].

* Some say ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' started decreasing in quality after its VideoGame3DLeap with the ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure2 duology]], which poorly executed its jump to 3D with its increased use of GameplayRoulette with various characters (most notoriously with Big the Cat and [[ScrappyMechanic his fishing gameplay]] from the first ''Adventure'' game) and having less-polished gameplay compared to the Genesis titles; or ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'' for its slippery controls and [[FakeLongevity overly repetitive]] gameplay. However, most will agree that the series really began to rot with ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'' thanks to constant rush jobs, as well as the developments that ultimately doomed ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006''. The series showed considerable improvements starting with ''VideoGame/SonicColors'', but after the utter failure of Sega's attempt to "westernize" the franchise with the ''VideoGame/SonicBoom'' spin-off titles (in contrast to the [[WesternAnimation/SonicBoom TV series]], which has been an overall success), the massive success of ''VideoGame/SonicMania'', and the mixed reception of ''VideoGame/SonicForces'', it's really hard to describe the current state of the series.

** The 2005 "Toa Hordika" {{story arc}} tends to come up as the worst year in discussions; at least it's more universally disliked than some other unpopular years, such as 2009 and 2010. Even the writer himself feels it felt tacked on -- which it was. So much effort was put into designing the 2004 setting (Metru Nui) that the guys at Franchise/{{LEGO}} wanted to do more with it, even though the story was already fully wrapped up in the previous year. Thus along came the second Metru Nui arc, during which the protagonists turned into hideous beasts (whose toys were also quite unspectacular and bland), the story got needlessly dark and confusing, and due to ExecutiveMeddling, the main hero had such a sudden OutOfCharacterMoment that [[CreatorBacklash the writer detests his part of the story to this day]]. The only good things to have come out of the story were the character Roodaka ([[EvilIsSexy who quickly became a fan-favorite]]) and the book ''Time Trap'', but only because its plot was completely unrelated to the bigger arc. That, and it was the last year to get a DVD special before the fourth one in 2009.

** Many fans found Phase 4 to be lackluster because of the increased focus in the quantity of shows and movies at the expense of quality and direction. The addition of Disney+ series as main installments resulted in ContinuityLockout as viewers were forced to watch the shows to understand the context of the movies, a practice that soon ended up being too daunting for most casual viewers. Much of the CGI [[SpecialEffectFailure turned out slipshod]] or dipped too far into the UnintentionalUncannyValley amidst reports that Marvel Studios was pushing the VFX companies to deliver heavy amounts of work with little time and severe staffing shortages during COVID. Furthermore, the absence of an Avengers crossover movie or new recurring lead heroes to replace Iron Man and Captain America added to the phase's directionless. The declining numbers (both critically and financially) resulted in longstanding problems that have existed since ''The Infinity Saga'' [[FranchiseOriginalSin being brought into the forefront]].

** Having been delayed a year from its initial start date due to the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic, Phase 4 started out strong in 2021 with the Creator/DisneyPlus shows ''Series/WandaVision'', ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'' and ''Series/{{Loki|2021}}'' all getting critical acclaim. However, the first theatrically released movie of the phase, ''Film/{{Black Widow|2021}}'' was simultaneous released in both theaters ''and'' on Creator/DisneyPlus behind a $30 pay wall that not only resulted in it becomeing the first BoxOfficeBomb in the franchise since ''Film/{{The Incredible Hulk|2008}}'', but also resulted in lead actress Creator/ScarlettJohansson suing Disney for breach of contract (which was subsequently settled out of court). Though ''[[WesternAnimation/WhatIf2021 What If...?]]'' and ''Film/ShangChiAndTheLegendOfTheTenRings'' were moderate successes that won back audiences, ''Film/{{Eternals}}'' earned the distinction of being not only the second flop of the series in a year, but the first film to earn a "Rotten" score for the franchise[[note]]Not counting ''Series/{{Iron Fist|2017}}'', ''Series/{{Inhumans}}'', or the second season of ''{{Series/The Punisher|2017}}'', all of which broke the series critical streak outside of the movies[[/note]] amidst criticisms that Creator/ChloeZhao's sweeping epic was too tonally clashing with the more goofy, action-driven superhero film, to say nothing of the fact that the Eternals were far more obscure characters than even the ''Film/{{Guardians of the Galaxy|2014}}'' were before their movie. ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome'' and ''Series/{{Hawkeye|2021}}'' did WinBackTheCrowd thanks to both [[spoiler:incorporating elements and characters from ''Series/{{Daredevil|2015}}'']], as well as the former being a CrisisCrossover with both the ''Film/SpiderManTrilogy'' and ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderManSeries'' [[spoiler:that featured both previous cinematic Spider-Mans]], but it was only the start of a slump that would cause interest in the series to wain to its lowest point.

** In "The Impossible Stream", Fry's consciousness has become addicted to ''All My Circuits'' after binge-watching the show for eight months straight, forcing Bender and Leela to help continuously pump out new episodes to prevent him from turning into a vegetable when he finishes the last episode and snaps back to reality, taking over writing and executive producing duties when the original writers and producer die of exhaustion. It turns into a ShaggyDogStory at the end when Fry reveals he stopped watching the show a few days ago, because the new episodes eventually got too awful for him to put up with ([[InnocentlyInsensitive not knowing that Leela and Bender were in charge of said episodes]]).
** Fans of ''[[SoapWithinAShow All My Circuits]]'' are split on Bender's run as Calculon's son. Younger viewers loved how he [[DoNotDoThisCoolThing glamorized smoking and burglary]], while [[MoralGuardians their parents]] despised him and saw him as an AntiRoleModel. They're also split on whether the show got worse when Calculon died and was replaced by Vaxtron; Leela prefers Vaxtron's [[DullSurprise "acting"]], but Fry and Bender consider him a ReplacementScrappy. Another example comes in with the revived run for the [[Creator/{{Hulu}} Fulu]] streaming service; while Calculon is back, the writing (provided by Bender) and direction (from Leela) take such a nosedive that Fry declares the new episodes to be unwatchable and ends his binge prematurely.

** PlayedForLaughs. ''Everybody Loves Hypnotoad'' is nothing but the titular creature hypnotizing the viewers but according to Fry it has being going downhill since Season 3.