History Main / SophomoreSlump

* ''WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd'' features an in-universe example with [[Recap/TheAngryVideoGameNerdPilots its pilot episode]], a negative review of ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaIISimonsQuest''. The Nerd[[note]]Originally, this review was just James Rolfe speaking as himself, but he later retconned the video as being part of his AVGN persona[[/note]] starts off by remarking that while ''VideoGame/Castlevania1986'' and ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaIIIDraculasCurse'' are excellent NES games, "the game designers obviously were not thinking straight", remarking on what he considers {{Scrappy Mechanic}}s like a lengthy and unskippable transition between daytime and nighttime, [[SuperDrowningSkills falling into water being instant death]][[note]]Though the first and third games also feature this[[/note]], and [[FinalBoss Dracula]] being an AntiClimaxBoss with the right items.

* Gogol Bordello's second album ''Multi Contra Kulti Vs. Irony'' has always seemed like somewhat of a rush job. Before it came out they released a single "When The Trickster Starts A Poking/Occurrence On The Border" which attracted some indie attention. Presumably, this was intended as a stop gap but they included both songs on the album anyway. A few of the other tracks on the album like "Let's Get Radical", "Punk Rock Paranada", "Through The Roof And Underground" and "Baro Foro" are also loved by fans, but the rest of it has the air of filler and failed experiments. The band rarely play anything from the album these days except "Baro Foro".

** ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKingIISimbasPride'' tends to be regarded as the weakest entry in that series. Somewhat like ''The Return of Jafar'' it's actually considered to be decent in its own right, but has the bad luck of being sandwiched between [[WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994 the original]], one of Disney's all-time classics, and ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKingOneAndAHalf'', which is seen as one of the more memorable and unique Disney sequels.

* ''Film/BadBoys1995'' was a well-received by audiences in spite of middling reviews ''Film/BadBoysII'' was also financially successful, but got a heavily negative reaction from critics, while audiences were ambivalent at best. The years since have rehabilitated its reputation somewhat, albeit only to the extent where it's gone from being seen as a crappy sequel, to one that's decent, but not as good as the films either side of it, given [[Film/BadBoysForLife the third]] was widely considered a very SurprisinglyImprovedSequel.

* ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' if one counts Kanto/Orange Islands as the first series and Johto as the second. The Johto arc was more or less a total rehash of the first, except with even more {{Filler}} and SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute Pokémon on Ash's team that just didn't live up in power, personality, or appeal to the ones he PutOnABus after the Orange Islands. Of course, the Orange Islands arc itself has its own problems as well and is frequently accused of being a filler arc, so regardless of which is the sophomore the trope applies, with the recovery occuring either during the last third of Johto (if the slump was the Orange Islands) or some point in the Hoenn saga (if the slump was Johto.)

** 2021/22 - Leeds United, who sacked Marcelo Bielsa (their longest serving and most successful boss since David O'Leary 20 years earlier, and his longest association with a club side) in February 2022 with 12 games to go, after conceding 20 goals in a 5 game spell which left them just above the relegation zone (and teams below or around them them like Everton, Newcastle, Burnley and Watford improving, with games in hand to boot), and with the division's worst defensive record. They had established an acclaimed progressive style under the famous boss which got them back into the Premier League and with the best points total of any newly promoted team in 20 years, only to suffer a second season syndrome after being found out by managers playing a similar style (like Frank Lampard and Antonio Conte) and having several key players injured long term like Patrick Bamford, Kalvin Phillips and Liam Cooper -- albeit they actually ''did'' survive in the end, thanks to Burnley managing to lose their last match of the season despite looking well-placed to survive going into the final day.

* The first ''VideoGame/MegaManStarForce'' game was generally seen as decent ([[CriticalDissonance among fans, at least]]). The second game, on the other hand, is usually disregarded due to its plot and {{Flanderiz|ation}}ing the characters. The third game is seen as [[SurprisinglyImprovedSequel a sharp turn in the other direction]] and is usually looked back on as the best one.

* ''Series/TheMandalorian'': For many fans who disliked Season 2, Season 3 was a significant improvement, since it brought the series' focus back to Din Djarin (after [[PoorlyDisguisedPilot focusing on characters like Ahsoka and Boba Fett]]), and made better use of Mandalore and the Mandalorian culture. In fact, one might skip both Season 2 and ''Series/TheBookOfBobaFett'' and still understand the series.

* ''Series/TheMandalorian'': For many fans who disliked Season 2, Season 3 was a significant improvement, since it brought the series' focus back to Din Djarin (after [[PoorlyDisguisedPilot focusing on characters like Ahsoka and Boba Fett]]), and made better use of Mandalore and the Mandalorian culture. In fact, one could arguably skip both Season 2 and ''Series/TheBookOfBobaFett'' and still understand the series.

** ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}}'' was, upon its release, considered the weakest film they had ever put out, which still meant it had a fairly warm reception. ''WesternAnimation/Cars2'', a Mater-centric spy flick, became the first Pixar film to have a critical and audience response that was downright bad, and is still considered the company's worst film. ''WesternAnimation/Cars3'', which stuck much closer to the first film's tone, was much more appreciated.

* Canadian country music group Emerson Drive. Their self-titled American debut album[[note]]they had two albums in the late '90s under the name 12 Gauge, but neither one had a hit on it[[/note]], for Creator/DreamWorks Records, produced two big hits in "I Should Be Sleeping" and "Fall into Me". ''What If?'' completely tanked stateside, with none of its singles doing anything on the U.S. country charts, although "Waitin' on Me" was a minor hit in Canada and Music/{{Lonestar}} later CoveredUp the album cut "You're Like Comin' Home" to Top 10 success in 2005. On top of that, [=DreamWorks=] Records closed in mid-2005. Two years later, they signed with the small independent Midas Records and released ''Countrified'', which brought the semi-hit "A Good Man" and their only American #1 hit to date, "Moments". Although their momentum dropped off again with the next album, they have continued to be successful in Canada.

* Creator/RankinBassProductions' second Christmas special, ''WesternAnimation/CricketOnTheHearth'', stands as the least-beloved of the four they produced during TheSixties, due to a nonsensical, MoodWhiplash-ridden script, and shoddy 2D visuals. It didn't even receive a home video release until after rights to R/B's earliest specials shifted from Family Home Entertainment to Golden Book Family Entertainment (later known as Creator/DreamWorks Classics).

* ''WebAnimation/YouTubePoop: King Vs. Mama Luigi - The Epic Battle 3'' is widely considered to be superior to ''[=YouTube=] Poop: King Vs. Weegee - The Epic Battle'' due to its much longer runtime, better editing and stronger plot. Meanwhile, ''[=YouTube=] Poop: King Vs. Gay Luigi - The Epic Battle 2'' is widely considered to be the weakest entry in the trilogy due to the lack of epic fight scenes found in the other installments with Gay Luigi only having 20 seconds of screen time and being [[AntiClimaxBoss easily defeated with one attack]] after having fired a missile at Link.

* ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyJusticeForAll'' didn't quite match up to [[VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney the first game]], mostly due to its widely despised third case, the new health system being rather punishing at times, and the lack of an overarching storyline to tie the game's cases together. Fortunately, the next game, ''[[VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyTrialsAndTribulations Trials and Tribulations]]'' got the series back on track, mostly thanks to having a better overall storyline. [[ZigZaggingTrope On the other hand]], ''Justice for All'' has Chapter 2-4, "Farewell, My Turnabout", widely considered to be [[Awesome/VideoGameLevels one of the best cases in the series]].

** Phase Two is seen as the weakest part of the Infinity Saga -- lacking the fun and novelty of the Phase One films and the emotional highs of the Phase Three films, and criticized for falling victim to SupermanStaysOutOfGotham -- the actors' contracts in the fledgling MCU meant they couldn't cross over with one another as much as they would later on -- and for every film's climax being a large-scale aerial battle in an attempt to recapture the thrill of ''Film/TheAvengers2012'', until ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'' put a twist on it and then largely retired that routine. Of the Phase Two films, only ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'', ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'', and ''Film/AntMan1'' were universally well-received. Phase Two was also when the MCU started to face criticisms of favoring {{White Male Lead}}s, bland villains and too many jokes -- most of which were addressed in the Phase Three films.

* The second season of ''Series/TheWalkingDead'' is often considered its weakest due to a considerably slower pace and little plot development, with most of the episodes confined to Hershel's farm. Most people agree that Season 3 was a significant improvement.

* Whereas ''VideoGame/{{Battlefield}} 1942'' was both a commercial and critical hit, its immediate sequel, ''Battlefield Vietnam'' got unspectacular reviews and sank without a trace in the sale charts. Nowadays, most people forget that particular ''Battlefield'' game ever existed, and those that do remember it generally rank it as the worst game in the franchise. However, the series' third entry, ''Battlefield 2'' was a return to form, and an even bigger hit than the first game.

* While ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' is generally considered a fantastic game, [[VideoGame/DarkSoulsII its sequel]] is very divisive among the fanbase and often thought to not be as good, having a number of issues the first game didn't with things such as level design, enemy placement, and boss fights. While the UpdatedRerelease ''Scholar of the First Sin'' fixed many of the issues, it also brought along some of its own and still left in many of the {{Scrappy Mechanic}}s of the original release. ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'', along with the series' SpiritualSuccessor ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'', are considered to be returns to form, bringing back what fans loved about the original ''Dark Souls'' and ironing out the issues of ''II''. It's notable that the head director of the series, Hidetaka Miyazaki, did not work on ''II'', which is thought to explain some of its problems.

* The first Peanuts special is ''WesternAnimation/ACharlieBrownChristmas'' and the third is ''WesternAnimation/ItsTheGreatPumpkinCharlieBrown'', both of which are considered holiday classics, while the second is the relatively obscure ''Charlie Brown's All Stars''.

* ''MenInBlackII'' is generally considered the worst of the first three MIB movies, although not nearly as bad as [[Film/MenInBlackInternational the fourth]].

* ''Film/AShotInTheDark'' could easily be seen in this light -- it's actually a good movie, but aside from starring Creator/PeterSellers as Inspector Clouseau, being directed by Creator/BlakeEdwards and featuring music by Music/HenryMancini, it has very little in common with ''Film/ThePinkPanther1963''. However, people usually see it as where the series actually started GrowingTheBeard.

* ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets '' is generally seen as the weakest of the bunch. It’s heavy on exposition and follows the same basic plot structure as the first one without adding too many new elements or characters. While it’s definitely an InnocuouslyImportantEpisode in setting up things like horcruxes and Voldemort’s backstory, it doesn’t pay off until much later which makes it come off as slightly boring. According to WordOfGod, she intended to include more {{Foreshadowing}} for later books as well as exposition about Voldemort's backstory, but her editor insisted she cut them (as she had yet to achieve her AuteurLicence). As a result, many fans have ItsTheSameNowItSucks reactions. It’s also regarded as the weakest of the films, though Daniel Radcliffe claims it's his personal favourite.

* Music/{{Europe}}, if you discount their first two albums which only charted in their native Sweden, had a smash hit with their first internationally successful album ''The Final Countdown''. While it's follow up, ''Out of This World'' sold decently it wasn't on the same level either critically or commercially and was generally seen as a bunch of songs that didn't make the cut on ''Countdown''. The band then came back with a strong album, ''Prisoners in Paradise'' but unfortunately that was released just a week after a little album called ''Music/{{Nevermind}}'', with predictable results, forcing the band to go an hiatus for a number of years.

* The Creator/GeneDeitch era of ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'' is often considered the worst era by fans due to it's massive {{Flanderization}} of the main characters (Jerry, in particular, [[TookALevelInJerkass took a huge level in jerkass]] and Tom became more of a ButtMonkey than he ever was), [[DerangedAnimation horrendous animation]], sound effects and music (though it did have the [[SugarWiki/MostWonderfulSound nice edition of a beautiful closing fanfare when each short ended]]). The Creator/ChuckJones shorts are generally considered to be much better, though they still have their detractors. Despite this, the last two shorts "Buddies Thicker Than Water" and "Carmen Get It" are sometimes considered the shorts where Gene Deitch [[GrowingTheBeard finally nailed the Tom and Jerry formula]]. Only problem was that his era ended right after.

** While ''VideoGame/LuigisMansionDarkMoon'' is the most [[BrokenBase divisive]] game in the series, it's generally agreed by even its defenders to be the weakest game in the trilogy for switching to a mission-based structure due to being on a handheld, its lack of portrait ghosts, and its LighterAndSofter art style and general atmosphere, all of which were addressed in ''VideoGame/LuigisMansion3''.

* ''Film/TheMazeRunner'' was a SleeperHit that was praised for being smarter and better-made than a lot of other YA sci-fi dystopia films. Its second film ''Film/MazeRunnerTheScorchTrials'' was viewed as a real step down - one critic even calling it "a typical middle movie" - and especially for radically [[InNameOnly differing from the book]]. When the third film ''Film/MazeRunnerTheDeathCure'' was released, although critics were lukewarm to it, audiences were a different story - calling it the best film of the series.

* The first season of ''Series/{{Broadchurch}}'' was universally acclaimed by critics and audiences alike. Season 2, while not exactly bad, contained the infamous trial plotline, which was criticized for being an extremely inaccurate portrayal of the British legal system, relying on an IdiotPlot, and taking time away from Alec and Ellie's partnership and the actual mystery, two of the biggest drawing points of the show and what made it so acclaimed. Season 3 introduced a completely new case that didn't feel like a rehash of the original one, brought Alec and Ellie's partnership back to the forefront, and dialed down on Season 2's TooBleakStoppedCaring tone. It was largely agreed to be a return to form for the show and was received far more warmly than the previous season.

* The first ''VideoGame/MegaManStarForce'' game was generally seen as decent ([[CriticalDissonance among fans, at least]]). The second game, on the other hand, is usually disregarded due to its IdiotPlot and {{Flanderiz|ation}}ing the characters. The third game is seen as [[SurprisinglyImprovedSequel a sharp turn in the other direction]] and is usually looked back on as the best one.

* In general, many Isekais suffer from this. With the expection of Konosuba and Re:Zero, the second season of shows of the genre aren't as loved as their first season. Some of the victims of the Slump include [[LightNovel/Overlord2012 Overlord]], {{LightNovel/Danmachi}}, and [[LightNovel/MyNextLifeAsAVillainessAllRoutesLeadToDoom Hamefura]].