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4[[quoteright:350:[[Website/RottenTomatoes https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/temp_18.png]]]]
5[[caption-width-right:350:[[Film/TheSantaClause 'Snow time for a sequel!]]]]
6
7->''"Actually, yeah. ... See, there was a sequel. Wasn't as good."''
8-->-- '''Joel''', ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUsPartII'' (referring to ''Film/TheLostWorldJurassicPark'')
9
10As the number of installments in a series grows, the probability that the latest entry will be terrible increases geometrically. While the first sequel of a work is something of a coin toss between "totally awesome" and "mediocre", the more they milk the [[CashCowFranchise Cash Cow]], the less cream you see. Of course, works that go to theater have high production values. On the whole, their creators are at least ''trying.'' But if it's DirectToVideo media, the chances that the third one is nothing but unmitigated crap is already close to 100%. This is partially because people assume a DTV work is just something that wasn't good enough to get into theatres. [[SturgeonsLaw And, as a general rule, they tend to be right]].
11
12In other words, {{Sequel}}s to works, generally created on the impetus of box office revenue, are rarely as good as the work they're a sequel to. If there's a third installment, it will frequently mark a sharp downhill turn even when the second work turned out all right. And even if there's a good trilogy, [[TrilogyCreep going beyond]] ''[[TrilogyCreep that]]'' [[TrilogyCreep has an even greater chance of crapitude]].
13
14Common symptoms of Sequelitis -- the elements that contribute to the sequel not being as well-received as the original -- can include, but are not limited to:
15
16* Making a sequel just because the original was successful and the executives want more money, regardless of creative potential or the fans wanting a sequel or not.
17* The sequel being unplanned. Many works are written to have a sense of closure, with the creators not having any follow-ups in mind when they were made. This happens much less often nowadays in movies, since just about everyone in the movie industry is aware of this trope, and almost all blockbuster movies are already made with sequels at least on the table, if not outright planned from the start.
18* [[SequelReset Undoing the ending of the previous work]] when it gave no room for more stories. The backlash can go double for sequels that [[HappyEndingOverride turn happy endings into the beginning of great suffering, struggle, and conflict]].
19* The [[AssPull contrived]] revival or return of a character (particularly a [[JokerImmunity villain]]) who was killed off or kicked out in the first work.
20* The attempt to turn a standalone work into a TwoPartTrilogy, with the first work being a single story with a proper ending, but the next two works actually being one story split into two works, resulting in two bloated, incoherent sequels with too little plot stretched between them.
21* After a series of good or bad sequels, the creators want to finish the franchise the best way possible or are sick of delivering bad sequels, so they make a work [[GrandFinale intended to end the series]]. They promise this work will be the last, and may even advertise it as the final chapter, but then [[SeriesFauxnale that promise is broken with yet another sequel]].
22* In an inversion of the above, the first work may have a planned sequel, but it was self-contained and could be enjoyed on its own. For the second or third works, though, the producers had plans for even more sequels and spin-offs, and filled the sequel with {{Sequel Hook}}s and unfinished plot threads in order to set up upcoming works, as opposed to... you know, making the current one good. This can get even worse with another inversion: [[StillbornFranchise those movies are canceled]], [[LeftHanging leaving those plots unresolved]].
23* The original work was thematically rich, but then the sequels were either too {{Anvilicious}} with topics that require tact and subtlety or only scraped the surface of subjects that needed more tact.
24* {{Retcon}}s that upset people for whatever reason.
25* FranchiseOriginalSin: Early in the franchise there were minor flaws, but as new installments roll in these problems just get out of hand.
26* The sequel having a much lower budget than the original. While money alone isn't enough to make a work good, and there are many inferior sequels that have a bigger budget than the original, a bigger budget means that at least the executives have ''some'' faith in the work being a big deal. If a sequel is made on a shoestring budget, it typically means they're just farting it out for a quick buck.
27* The [[TheOtherDarrin recasting]] of returning characters with a cheap batch of B-list actors (and not ''just'' those formerly played by child actors who are now too old, big-name stars now busy elsewhere, or older actors who died in the interim).
28* The [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome mysterious unexplained departure]] of a main or major supporting character from the original work, usually because the actor(s) didn't want to return and the filmmakers wouldn't or couldn't recast the role.
29* The casual, shameless, meaningless, and sometimes [[DroppedABridgeOnHim callous]] [[SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome killing off of beloved characters]].
30* The [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome mysterious unexplained departure]] of a character like a hero's love interest, usually because the producers thought the {{Shipp|ing}}ers would lose interest in the hero if he or she was married. At most, there may be a [[HandWave throwaway line]] that tells us "it didn't work out". This doesn't stop the hero from getting a new love interest, however.
31* The sequel revolving around the (often [[RememberTheNewGuy previously unmentioned]]) relative/friend of a beloved character whose actor can't or won't return, in hopes that a connection to the original character will help make a new character just as popular as the original. This can lead to InNameOnly.
32* The sequel being LighterAndSofter than the original, to the point of being labelled a kid's work and alienating most or all of the original's fanbase, or being unnecessarily DarkerAndEdgier and [[AudienceShift adults-only]] just for the sake of it.
33* Being [[SamePlotSequel too similar to the previous work(s)]], to the point that it's just the same thing over again. Creators are not realizing that if we want sequels, we want the story to continue, not to be repeated. Comedy films are particularly susceptible to this pitfall, as many comedy sequels tend to rehash not only the plot, but also the most memorable jokes and gags from their predecessors. For the more general trope applying to recycled story arcs, see FleetingDemographicRule.
34* Being nothing like the previous work(s), but not because they want to stay fresh or try to innovate, but for other reasons like not being able to do something like the original thanks to the plot/actors/lower budget/rating/licenses/etc, or relying on what is current and/or popular or [[FollowTheLeader trying to be more like other successful movies]].
35* {{Wacky Wayside Tribe}}s begin choking the plot to conceal the fact that the writers have basically run out of story.
36* The reuse of some element that was felt to be important to the first work's success, in hopes that having [[ExaggeratedTrope even more of that element]] will make the sequel even better. If it works for the first sequel, it will be cranked up more and more in further sequels. This may lead to VulgarHumor, sadistic slapstick violence, or something else along those lines.
37* PanderingToTheBase, which can come in several harmful forms that may appear together or separately:
38** Potential new audience members become victims of ContinuityLockout when knowledge of the first work - or the source material - is required to understand what's going on.
39** ContinuityPorn annoying fans who get the nods and being [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment downright confusing and jarring]] to those who might not even know references are being made.
40** Existing fans become irritated when elements they liked in the first work are overused or used poorly. They typically say so, quickly and loudly. This can be caused by the creators having a limited or poor understanding of what the general fanbase liked, leading to their catering to the FanDumb.
41** This is particularly the case when bringing back a character who [[EnsembleDarkhorse unexpectedly won the audience over]] in the first work, only [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter to do nothing interesting with them]] - or worse, {{Flanderiz|ation}}e them so much that they end up being a one-dimensional caricature of the charming and multi-faceted character the audience fell in love with in the first place.
42** The opposite can happen too, where an intentionally wacky story based on RuleOfCool and RuleOfFunny [[CerebusSyndrome tries to ground itself and be more realistic in the sequel]], losing its original charm in the process. However, this seems to be a far less common occurrence than the reverse.
43* Making a sequel just to earn more money, but from [[MerchandiseDriven toys and other licensed products]] instead of tickets. It's common for successful works to actually make more money from merchandise than the actual work, even works that only had modest returns. Sequels made to sell toys instead of trying to tell a story can [[Analysis/MerchandiseDriven warp the script in ways]], almost none for the best (e.g. making the movie more "kid-friendly", introducing/focusing on cute/marketable characters, or even [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome completely ditching]] characters who can't sell toys).
44* All the previous sequels [[NumberedSequels had numbers in the title]], but there ended up being ''so many'' that they just {{stopped numbering|Sequels}} them since the audience is aware of this trope and a such a high number in the title may be a bad marketing move.
45* In any movie trilogy, [[TrilogyCreep a fourth installment is a bad omen]], especially when the trilogy not only managed to have three decent or even great movies, but also a sense of closure where a fourth movie feels like a square peg in a round hole. Fourth movies do better when they are advertised as some sort of spin-off, not really trying to continue after the finished storyline of the trilogy, and don't have the number 4 in the title.
46* With adaptations or [[TheRemake remakes]], when all the source material was already covered up in the previous movie(s), [[AdaptationExpansion continuing to churn out sequels with original stories]]--especially when the author of the original source material can't or won't help. Worse, if the new stories aren't faithful to the originals, they can end up looking like bad fanfic. This is especially problematic when doing sequels to well-established works, such as those starring a PublicDomainCharacter; the original is such a classic that the sequel can't help but look a bit blasphemous.
47* The writers attempting to up the ante from the previous installments or trying to make the environment bigger and better in the sequel, but working themselves into a corner and making the next sequel a letdown for not living up to the last installment, or for not upping the ante again.
48
49The dreadful compulsion on the part of writers and filmmakers to add new chapters to perfectly good works has been likened to an addiction, sometimes termed 'sequelholism'. The writers sometimes seem aware of this, and as a run of sequels is produced they may drop numbering the works entirely and start [[OddlyNamedSequel2ElectricBoogaloo adding cliché subtitles]]. This only makes it harder to guess the order to watch for new fans. If they ''aren't'' aware of this, then, in the end, odds are FirstInstallmentWins.
50
51The inverse tropes are SurprisinglyImprovedSequel (a good sequel to a mediocre or terrible work) and EvenBetterSequel (an awesome sequel to a good original work). Compare ContestedSequel (when there is considerable division about the sequel's quality), InNameOnly (when a sequel is strangely divergent from its predecessor), VillainBasedFranchise (when a sequel retains the monster or villain but features none of the original heroes) and CapcomSequelStagnation (Where it's the ''same'' game, with minor tweaks and additions, re-released over and over like string of mediocre sequels). Can be caused by a poor choice in SequelEscalation, and lead up to FranchiseZombie if a sequel that should have been a FranchiseKiller doesn't destroy the series. Some fans treat such sequels with FanonDiscontinuity. See also SophomoreSlump, TheProblemWithLicensedGames, and SeasonalRot. For TV series, this can sometimes be a result of a PostScriptSeason. The reason why SequelSnark and RidiculousFutureSequelisation became common jokes. And, of course, ''any and all'' of this can happen just as easily with {{Prequel}}s.
52
53See also Creator/{{Egoraptor}}'s web '''[[WebVideo/{{Sequelitis}} series]]''' of the same name.
54----
55!!Example subpages:
56[[index]]
57* Sequelitis/{{Disney}}
58* [[Sequelitis/LiveActionFilms Films — Live-Action]]
59* Sequelitis/{{Literature}}
60* Sequelitis/VideoGames
61[[/index]]
62
63!!Other examples:
64[[foldercontrol]]
65
66[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
67* Rumor has it Creator/YoshiyukiTomino would kill off all his characters partly to prevent this from occurring, as he routinely claimed to despise sequel work. Obviously it ''greatly'' backfired with ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'' (the franchise continued even after the original principal characters [[AcePilot Amuro Ray]] and [[RedBaron Char Aznable]] died), but most of Tomino's other works, such as ''Anime/AuraBattlerDunbine'' and ''Anime/SpaceRunawayIdeon'', otherwise ended with their initial series since most of their casts (or their ''entire'' setting in the case of ''Ideon'') were killed off.
68** Speaking of ''Gundam'', there have been exactly 4 anime that are sequels to previous TV anime, and three of them had sequelitis:
69*** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamZZ'' has been received pretty poorly compared to the [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam previous]] [[Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam two]] anime for it being much more DenserAndWackier, especially when compared to the dead-serious ''Zeta''. The anime reached its absolute nadir with the Moon-Moon mini-arc, which is considered to be one of the worst, if not the worst, parts of the entire Universal Century as a whole. Thankfully it improves quite a bit as it introduces a few new EnsembleDarkhorse characters in the form of the two Puru sisters, but even then ''Double Zeta'' never quite manages to reach the intensity of the final parts of 0079 or Zeta.
70*** Tomino's last Universal Century Gundam project, ''Anime/MobileSuitVictoryGundam'' suffered from the ''opposite'' problem to Double Zeta: it was too dark, and it even managed to outdo ''Zeta'' by the sheer gruesomeness of certain moments. The first 4 episodes being rearranged to make [[ExecutiveMeddling the titular Gundam appear in the first episode]] caused massive problems and Tomino, tired of the constant messing by Bandai, decided to [[TorchTheFranchiseAndRun kill the franchise]] by both cranking up the darkness and adding pointless {{Bathos}} moments like the [[MsFanservice Bikini Bazooka Babes]]. It worked, and the Universal Century has been relegated to [=OVAs=] and movies ever since.
71*** Exactly ten years after the debacle that was ''Victory'', the only non-UC ''Gundam'' sequel anime, ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEEDDestiny'' hit the little screens after the runaway success of its [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED predecessor]]. For the first 20 or so episodes everything seemed okay... and then the anime just fell apart due to a combination of a weird shift back towards the protagonist of the previous anime (because everyone and their mom hated Shinn for being too whiney), the head writer [[ScheduleSlip turning in scripts late]] and the director having a nasty argument with one of the voice actresses which caused said director to proceed on a personal vendetta against the actress' character. ''The fans were not pleased at all.''
72* ''Anime/BubblegumCrisis'' was canceled after 8 of the planned 13 episodes were produced due to legal issues. However, a 3-episode sequel ''Bubblegum Crash'' was made to give the series some closure, but it only ended up raising more questions and altering many characters' personalities, as well as plot details. A 3-episode prequel ''A.D. Police Files'' was also released to a decent reception. This was all followed by a pretty good TV series remake/reimagining ''Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040'', and got two more spinoff series, ''A.D. Police: To Protect and Serve'' and ''Parasite Dolls'', with the former being savaged by fans and critics, and the latter mostly going unnoticed. A sequel to ''Tokyo 2040'' called ''Tokyo 2041'' was once in production, but never left DevelopmentHell.
73* ''Franchise/DragonBall'':
74** ''Anime/DragonBallGT'' is seen by some of the ''Dragon Ball'' fanbase as a combination of this and FranchiseZombie due to being created entirely by Creator/ToeiAnimation, with very little input from Creator/AkiraToriyama beyond designs, which likely led to it being [[Anime/DragonBallSuper retconned by the new series]].
75** Of the {{Non Serial Movie}}s, two of the most consistently well-regarded are ''[[Anime/DragonBallZCoolersRevenge Cooler's Revenge]]'' and ''[[Anime/DragonBallZBrolyTheLegendarySuperSaiyan Broly - The Legendary Super Saiyan]].'' Their sequel films (''[[Anime/DragonBallZTheReturnOfCooler Return of Cooler]]'' for the former and ''[[Anime/DragonBallZBrolySecondComing Broly - Second Coming]]'' and ''[[Anime/DragonBallZBioBroly Bio-Broly]]'' for the latter) are considered some of the worst - on top of a host of problems, such as a weaker cast of characters in the latter and extremely poor animation in the former, the consensus is that they missed the point of what made the previous films entertaining to begin with.
76** ''Anime/BardockTheFatherOfGoku'' is considered to be one of the best bits of ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' material, frequently being praised for its [[NominalHero morally dark grey protagonist]], expansion of the universe's lore, and [[DownerEnding wonderfully tragic climax,]] immediately turning Bardock into a fan favorite. ''[[Anime/DragonBallEpisodeOfBardock Episode of Bardock]]'', on the other hand, is far less well-regarded, primarily for undoing everything interesting about the prior special (Bardock actually didn't die tragically and is now a straightforward good guy instead of a violent anti-hero, and he gets to become the first Super Saiyan and beat up Freeza's ancestor instead of being the low-class warrior who stood up against hopeless odds and only accomplished anything [[FlingALightIntoTheFuture by proxy]]). It doesn't help that its plot (Bardock somehow travels back in time by being hit by Freeza's attack, somehow loses his future vision, and somehow manages to turn Super Saiyan in the name of protecting a bunch of random people he barely knows despite casually having committed ''genocide'' beforehand) isn't any better. Creator/TeamFourStar considered it to be the worst film or special in the franchise, and a vindication of Bardock's MisaimedFandom.
77* The ''Anime/EurekaSeven'' fandom was [[ContestedSequel divided]] on the subject of ''Anime/EurekaSevenAO'' from its announcement. As the series progressed, barring brief moments of hope, fan outlook grew increasingly bleak, with the ending (and a few of the plot threads) provoking cries of FanonDiscontinuity. It hardly helped that it contradicted many of the themes of the original series, particularly [[spoiler:the ability of humans and Coralians to coexist]]. That last one was enough to spark the "[[BigBad Dewey]] [[TheExtremistWasRight was right!]]" fandom meme.
78* ''Manga/GunslingerGirl il teatrino'' was received much more poorly than the original, for several reasons: [[TheOtherDarrin A new Japanese cast]], [[ActionizedSequel an emphasis on action]], more spotlight on the girls' {{Precocious Crush}}es, a new {{Moe}} art style, less accurate GunPorn, [[spoiler:Angelica being alive]], and averting the fan-preferred AccidentalAesop in exchange for an anime that's clearly just meant to be about cute girls with guns. Oddly enough, ''il teatrino'' is truer in spirit to the manga than the first anime season.
79* ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'' has, as of 2018, [[LongRunners a total of]] ''[[LongRunners twenty-one]]'' [[LongRunners movies made]]. Similar to ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime'', most fans say that the quality of the movies has been all over the place, with the first few movies (''Anime/PokemonTheFirstMovie'', ''Anime/{{Pokemon 2000}}'', ''Anime/{{Pokemon 3}}'') being superior to most of the sequels[[note]][[SubbingVersusDubbing especially in Japanese]] where none of the messages and plot points are mangled or bowdlerized[[/note]], barring a few standouts such as ''Anime/PokemonLucarioAndTheMysteryOfMew'' and ''Anime/PokemonKyuremVsTheSwordOfJustice''. However, three that have received notably negative reviews include ''[[Anime/PokemonGenesectAndTheLegendAwakened Genesect and the Legend Awakened]]'', ''[[Anime/PokemonHoopaAndTheClashOfAges Hoopa and the Clash of Ages]]'', and ''[[Anime/PokemonVolcanionAndTheMechanicalMarvel Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel]]'' -- the latter two of which did so poorly that the next films were set in a new continuity entirely, [[FranchiseKiller putting the main continuity of films on ice]].
80* This is why ''Anime/PrettyCure'' doesn't do sequel series anymore after the poor reception of ''Anime/YesPrettyCure5 Go Go!''. Many of them are realizing, though, that rival series ''Anime/{{Aikatsu}}'' is heading that way, what with a second sequel series coming up.
81* ''VisualNovel/{{Shuffle}} Memories''. Though some fans say it's terrible, other fans say that the FanService-laden last episode was more than enough to make up for the series being little more than a terrible recap of ''Shuffle''.
82* If the subpar ratings in Japan and overall lack of accreditation beyond loads of magazine previews (keyword here) are anything to say, the UnCanceled fourth (''Revolution'') and fifth (''Evolution-R'') seasons of the ''Anime/{{Slayers}}'' anime are this. Most countries outside Japan (including the States) gave the seasons positive reviews, but 'most' of the viewers were ''older fans'' of the series, so that still doesn't help in the long run.
83** A bizarre reversal of this trope occurs with the ''Slayers Smash'' novels, which are a part of the book series that takes place ''before'' the main storyline. Whereas the main series ended in 2000, the prequel books came out two years after the first original novel came out and are ''still ongoing.'' Sales have been dropping, and many fans agree that the adventures of Lina and [[GoldfishPoopGang Naga]] are being unnecessarily dragged out. Unfortunately, the man who created the novels has no intention of continuing the main storyline.
84** In hindsight, this seemed more accredited to either season not following upon the novel storylines (not even reaching the point where [[spoiler:Gourry finds the Blast Sword]]), and instead simply repeating the first series in reverse. Otherwise, ''Slayers'' fans had been demanding a follow-up for quite some time, partly for the aforementioned and partly to alleviate the mediocrity that was ''Slayers Try''. Another contributing factor was the fifth season having the fan-desired between Lina's OVA companion Naga and her TV companions, which include Naga's long-estranged sister Amelia, in a way that completely missed the point as to why the fans wanted it: between Naga being stuck in a different body and her having temporary amnesia, she didn't recognize her sister or old travelling companion, and they didn't recognize her, meaning that Naga's role could have been filled by anyone without any impact on the plot.
85%%* ''VisualNovel/ToHeart: Remember my Memories''.
86* ''Manga/TokyoMewMew à la Mode'' ended up being penned by a different writer (Mia Ikumi, the artist of the original series), but taking place in a universe explicitly the same as the original, something many manga [[AlternateContinuity explicitly avoid]] in order to start fresh. It renders Ichigo utterly useless (no, really) so that a [[CreatorsPet shiny new character]] named Berii Shirayuki/Mew Berry can take her place. And that's the mildest of its many, many problems.
87* The 2003 sequel to the original '90s ''Anime/{{Tenchi Muyo|Ryo Ohki}}'' OVA series got poor reception from fans and critics, as well as the spinoff ''Anime/TenchiMuyoGXP''. The franchise had been dormant for a few years following the poor reception of spinoff ''Tenchi in Tokyo'', and the mixed reception of the three films. The original [=OVAs=] and their TV remake/reimagining ''Anime/TenchiUniverse'' are really the only parts of the franchise with good reception.
88* ''Anime/TwinPrincessOfWonderPlanet'' has a sequel series in the form of ''Gyu!''. It took virtually all of the characters out of their unique world and put them into a generic school location and had a similarly generic MonsterOfTheWeek format (going along the success of the previous series delving into MagicalGirlWarrior later during its run) and DemotedToExtra everyone but Fine and Rein. While it did introduce a handful of good characters, [[FanonDiscontinuity most fans like to pretend "Gyu!" never happened]].
89[[/folder]]
90
91[[folder:Comedy]]
92* {{Parodied|Trope}} by Creator/SuzyEddieIzzard when discussing the Pope:
93-->They're not very good at naming Popes. They had a run of Piuses, it was like Hollywood: '''Pope Pius I'''; '''Pope Pius II'''; '''Pope Pius III''' - ''[[RevengeOfTheSequel The Revenge of the Pius People]]''; '''Pope Pius IV''' - ''[[ItsPersonal This Time He's Pissed Off!]]''; '''Pope Pius V''' - ''In 3D!''
94[[/folder]]
95
96[[folder:Comic Books]]
97* ''ComicBook/FiftyTwo'' is a well-regarded year-long series that took place after ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis'', while its follow-up ''ComicBook/CountdownToFinalCrisis'' isn't, due to it being responsible for the controversial FaceHeelTurn of Mary Marvel and other wide-sweeping character changes. This is not helped by the fact that Creator/DanDiDio once said that ''Countdown'' was ''52'' done right before it hit the shelves and due to its {{Padding}} structure.
98* ''ComicBook/TheNail'' is one of the more beloved {{Elseworld}} stories, with its dark storytelling and interesting showcasing of a world without Characters/{{Superman|TheCharacter}} and how vital TheCape really is to the DCU. You'll find much fewer fans of ''Another Nail'', which featured a far more convoluted and silly plot without any real hook to draw it together.
99* ''Comicbook/AvengersUndercover'' was considered vastly inferior to both its immediate predecessors, ''Comicbook/AvengersAcademy'' and ''Comicbook/AvengersArena'', and sales were so bad it was canceled at ten issues out of an intended twelve. For reference, cancellation of a book that has a set number of issues from the get-go is extremely rare. ''Avengers Arena'' itself was a ContestedSequel at best, with very few fans of ''Academy'' or ''Comicbook/{{Runaways}}'' walking away satisfied. ''Undercover'', it seems, burned through what little goodwill ''Arena'' had remaining.
100* ''ComicBook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns'' is widely seen as one of the best ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'' stories in history. ''ComicBook/TheDarkKnightStrikesAgain'' is at best polarizing, mostly due to the {{O|utOfCharacter}}OC of non-Batman characters, some serious {{Author Tract}}s, and shockingly bad color work. Its prequel, the clunkily-titled ''ComicBook/AllStarBatmanAndRobinTheBoyWonder'', is generally regarded as SoBadItsGood. Its sequel ''ComicBook/DarkKnightIIITheMasterRace'' was [[SurprisinglyImprovedSequel well-received]] due to being primarily written by Creator/BrianAzzarello rather than Creator/FrankMiller himself.
101* ''ComicBook/BatmanYearOne'', also by Miller, is considered to be the definitive Batman origin story. By contrast, most people are barely aware that there ever was a ''Year Two'', considered SoOkayItsAverage at best. It really only comes up in discussions of how it inspired the much better-regarded ''WesternAnimation/BatmanMaskOfThePhantasm''. ''Year Three'' is so obscure that wasn't even collected until 2019, and is only remembered for containing the first appearance of [[Characters/RobinTimDrake Tim Drake]], the third ComicBook/{{Robin}}.
102* ''ComicBook/{{Civil War|2006}}'' is a controversial event thanks to some some ''very'' inconsistent political strawmanning, but it's somewhat VindicatedByHistory because it gave the Marvel Universe ''itself'' something of a story arc, with ''Civil War'' kicking off a saga that led into the darker ''ComicBook/{{Secret Invasion|2008}}'' and ''ComicBook/DarkReign'', followed by a triumphant return in ''ComicBook/{{Siege}}'' and ''The Heroic Age''. That and it didn't actually derail many books for long, and some of the tie-ins and consequences from the run are very well-liked, such as the death of Captain America. ''ComicBook/CivilWarII'', on the other hand... it's ''never'' talked about fondly. It made everyone unlikeable, set up ''more'' ill-received stories such as Riri Williams' turn as Iron Man, Amadeus Cho's turn as the Hulk and ''ComicBook/InhumansVsXMen'', and was so bad that it's considered directly responsible for a ''huge'' AudienceAlienatingEra that took two years to end.
103* The original ''ComicBook/MarvelZombies'' was a major success, and it's generally regarded as a lot of fun and surprisingly well-written. ''Marvel Zombies 2'', on the other hand, is mostly considered boring, due to trying to eke character growth out of a [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot premise]] meant for gonzo absurdity and an extensive further story out of a plot where [[ToughActToFollow all the most interesting things already happened]]. ''3'' moved back into the absurdity and made it fun again, and is considered the major bright point after ''2''. Then ''4'' tried to continue on from ''3'' and was largely okay, but by that point, the premise was starting to run pretty thin. ''Return'' tried to give the franchise a finale, and had its moments, but suffered from very weird pacing and attempts at tying up plot points from ''2''. It didn't work, because ''Marvel Zombies 5'' came out, and was mostly a big joke about how much the premise had been milked dry, with the heroes, having exhausted the zombies on Earth, traveling to other universes to fight [[OurZombiesAreDifferent variant zombie plagues]] with new rules. [[FranchiseZombie There have been five non-numbered miniseries since then]], and most of them have been less about trying to write a good story and more about trying to write a story that does ''anything'' with the idea - not helped by the zombie craze being largely dead.
104* Several fans think of [=Pk2=] as this for the excellent ''ComicBook/PaperinikNewAdventures''. Many more consider [[ContinuityReboot "Pikappa"]] a definite case.
105* ''ComicBook/ThePunisher'' suffered from this. He did fine when he started out as an occasional guest star in ComicBook/SpiderMan's comics and did okay when he debuted in his own limited series, and then ongoing series. Unfortunately, when he became more popular and Marvel started to star him in ''Punisher War Journal'' and ''Punisher War Zone'', fans started to see what a one-dimensional character he was. In 1995, all three of his comics were canceled due to poor sales; he did gain some popularity back in 2000 as part of the Marvel Knights line, and then ''much'' more popularity from the MAX line.
106* ''ComicBook/SecretWars1984'' was, and is, widely regarded as ''the'' classic Marvel CrisisCrossover, and one that's [[UnbuiltTrope held up very well since.]] ''ComicBook/SecretWarsII'', on the other hand, usually gets the response of "There was a second one?" It's hard to blame one for forgetting; a sequel to one of the most action-packed books in Marvel's history where a lengthy scene is devoted to the main villain learning how to use the bathroom was never going to go down well, and the considerably worse writing (better suited to a Creator/JimCarrey comedy than a superhero event book) did it no favors. The biggest weakness was that it tried to make the story about the Beyonder, whom most readers didn't find very interesting the first time around, and assumed that readers cared about seeing his story resolved when they mostly saw him as a plot device.
107* Parodied in ''Comicbook/TheSimpsons'' comic book storyline "When Bongos Collide!", in which [[EveryoneIsASuper everyone in Springfield gets superpowers]] as a [[RadiationInducedSuperpowers result of a nuclear explosion]]. Troy [=McClure=]'s alter-ego, The Sequelizer, has the power to "create an infinite number of copies of [himself] -- although [[CloneDegeneration each is only 50% as powerful as the one before]]."
108* ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogMegaManWorldsCollide'' is beloved by readers of both ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'' and ''ComicBook/MegaManArchieComics'' for the unique way everything happened and giving both video game stars a chance to meet long before ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' could. Its sequel, ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogMegaManWorldsUnite'' isn't as beloved, due to too many characters (seriously, not counting the main four of ''Sonic'', ''VideoGame/SonicBoom'', ''Mega Man'' and ''VideoGame/MegaManX'', there are ''twelve franchises'' represented here), wasting the Mega Man X characters, reducing Sonic Boom to just Sticks, and so on. It ended up causing the deaths of all the series involved.
109* ''ComicBook/TheUltimates'' first two arcs, written by Creator/MarkMillar, were very well received, for its reinvention of ''ComicBook/TheAvengers'' and its deconstruction of the superhero genre. Both stories neatly resolve all the subplots in them. But then Jeph Loeb wrote ''The Ultimates 3'' with a sudden genre shift to the worst vices of MediaNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks, and the reception fell off a cliff.
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112[[folder:Fan Works]]
113* While ''Fanfic/ATrustedFriendInScienceAndPonies'' is still good, it lacks the humor of [[Fanfic/BetterLivingThroughScienceAndPonies the original story]], and while the story is more complex, it is much more obviously a fanfiction-style plot compared to the original's simpler, more faithful story.
114** The fic is currently being rebooted to bring it much closer to the original, without any of the extra necessities. So far almost twice as many words as the original (i.e. ''Better Living'') have been written.
115* InUniverse in ''Fanfic/RetroChill'': Galaxoid and Nebular send the protagonists ''[[Franchise/JurassicPark Triassic Park IX]]'' and ''Film/HarryPotter XCIX: The Fifth Hogwarts [[RougeAnglesOfSatin Reuinion]]''.
116* The HateFic ''FanFic/MyBravePonyStarfleetMagic'' has four sequels and counting [[note]]one's a "movie" and another is based on ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls''[[/note]], and they don't get any better. [=Beats0me=], a Website/DeviantArt member who draws parody comics of the fic, noted that the beginning of the series is SoBadItsGood, reminiscent of watching a corny old kids' action cartoon. However, the further it goes on, the more racism, sexism, and other disturbing content start cropping up.
117* ''Fanfic/BesidesTheWillOfEvil'', while it has its fans, has received a lot more negative reaction than [[Fanfic/ItsADangerousBusinessGoingOutYourDoor its well-liked predecessor.]] The main reasons for this are the InvincibleVillain BigBad and the ''much'' darker tone that has gotten to the point [[TooBleakStoppedCaring an unrealistically bleak vibe]] has kicked in, especially compared to the adventure focused FindTheCure plot the original story had. In addition, due to how the villain escaped his prison, it makes the original story AllForNothing at best and a massive NiceJobBreakingItHero at worst (as [[spoiler:disturbing the World Snake]] ended up awakening the big bad).
118* ''FanFic/InfinityTrainSeekerOfCrocus'' is much less well received than its predecessor, ''Blossoming Trail'', getting far less attention and positive reception. The primary complaints are repeating many of the same plot points and taking a greater period of time to do so.
119* ''Fanfic/AftermathOfAFallenStar'' and its subsequent sequels were not as well received as the first story, ''FanFic/TheAssassinationOfTwilightSparkle'', due to the story moving into TooBleakStoppedCaring territory after a HappyEndingOverride and a deconstruction that turned Equestria into a backwards and intolerant country with overly successful villains.
120[[/folder]]
121
122[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
123* ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime'''s thirteen sequels are exceptionally infamous. It's a bad sign when there are more sequels than even horror movie franchises like ''Franchise/{{Halloween}}'', ''Franchise/{{Saw}}'', ''Film/ParanormalActivity'', or ''Franchise/FridayThe13th''. And in-between all of these movies, it got a TV show to boot. It must be said that [[ContestedSequel the quality of the series goes up and down from movie to movie]]; some are indeed mediocre to poor, but others are surprisingly solid. In the end, though most agree that none are a match for Bluth's original film, [[SurprisinglyImprovedSequel some of the sequels got close.]]
124* Some of Creator/DonBluth's other animated films have also been hit with Sequelitis: there are sequels for ''WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTail'', ''WesternAnimation/AllDogsGoToHeaven'' (both of which also got a TV series), and ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfNIMH''. ''WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTailFievelGoesWest'', though LighterAndSofter than the original, is actually considered a quality follow-up due to a higher budget theatrical release. ''WesternAnimation/AllDogsGoToHeaven2'' is also considered a fairly solid sequel, even with the rampant TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot. ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfNIMH2TimmyToTheRescue'' on the other hand is considered inferior by practically all fans of the original. Note, however, that Bluth was not involved with any of these sequels. The only sequels he was ever actually involved with making were the video game ''[[VideoGame/DragonsLair Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp]]'' and the ''WesternAnimation/{{Anastasia}}'' direct-to-DVD sequel ''WesternAnimation/BartokTheMagnificent'', which although not hugely popular, has fared better than some sequels to his films. Incidentally, [[WhatCouldHaveBeen Bluth was originally to have been involved in the other aforementioned sequels,]] but had to turn it down to due to heavy development on his own projects at the time.
125* 1995's ''WesternAnimation/{{Balto}}'' has two sequels that cause many {{Plot Hole}}s; given Creator/{{Universal}} Pictures' dislike of the movie, they opted for making more ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime'' sequels until their traditional animation studios were closed for good. From there, they changed to computer-traditional mix, resulting in a more vivid color scheme, but considerably better quality animation.
126* ''WesternAnimation/Shrek1'' was a hit. ''WesternAnimation/Shrek2'' grossed almost twice as highly and is considered by many to be [[EvenBetterSequel even better]]. ''WesternAnimation/ShrekTheThird'' is more polarizing in comparison and muddied up Creator/DreamWorksAnimation's plans for a 5-film series (though they're still hoping for the 5th one). Consensus on ''WesternAnimation/ShrekForeverAfter'' is that it's at least far better than the third. The irony of all this is that it was always intended to mock Disney for churning out sequels to their tired old proprieties and making everything more saccharine with each installment.
127* ''WesternAnimation/TheNineLivesOfFritzTheCat'' was not written or directed by Creator/RalphBakshi, the maker of ''WesternAnimation/FritzTheCat'', or Robert Crumb, who created [[ComicBook/FritzTheCat the original comic]]. The only people involved with the first film who returned for the sequel are producer Steve Krantz and voice actor Skip Hinnant. Even Duke, one of the characters from the first film, is [[TheOtherDarrin voiced by a different actor]].
128* ''WesternAnimation/AlphaAndOmega'': As of 2018 there are eight sequels to the original, and their quality is heavily debated by fans (though the FirstInstallmentWins) but outside of the fanbase the sequels all received scathing reception (and the first wasn’t a critical darling to begin with).
129* ''WesternAnimation/TheSwanPrincess'', despite being a minor bomb critically and financially, got initially two sequels. Being made with [[NoBudget fairly low budgets]] and based on films that weren't very good to begin with, they were very poorly received. Then after a SequelGap of 14 years, it got bombarded with a variety of [[AllCGICartoon all CGI]] sequels, making the series almost as infamous as ''The Land Before Time''. Most if not all of these late sequels are only ironically liked due to bad animation, lack of tonal consistency and just sheer bizarreness.
130* The BigDamnMovie of ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}},'' ''Bender's Big Score'', is pretty well-regarded by the fanbase, and places well in appraisals of the series. The succeeding three films vary in reception but are generally seen as being much worse. The general consensus is that ''Bender's Big Score'' feels like a movie, while the other three feel like overstretched episodes of the TV show that probably wouldn't have been very good to begin with.
131* ''WesternAnimation/IceAge1'' has a respectable Rotten Tomatoes score of 77%. The [[WesternAnimation/IceAgeTheMeltdown first sequel]] got a mediocre 57% (though it has since become a CultClassic), and it just went down from there (46%, 38%, and 16%; the last of these, ''[[WesternAnimation/IceAgeCollisionCourse Collision Course]]'', is considered one of the worst films of 2016 and is the first ''Ice Age'' movie to get WebVideo/AniMat's "Seal of Garbage", and [[BoxOfficeBomb bombed in the domestic box office]] in the 2016 Summer Bomb Buster). Although once Disney shut down Creator/BlueSkyStudios and made ''Westernanimation/TheIceAgeAdventuresOfBuckWild'' for Disney+, it was widely considered a new lower point - the only thing better than ''Collision Course'' was its Tomatometer, a still dismal 22% (and based on a much smaller pool of 32 reviews compared to over a hundred from the fifth film), as viewers couldn't get behind the low production values and shoddy animation, the absence of [[EnsembleDarkhorse Scrat]], Creator/SimonPegg being the only returning cast member, and a very weak script (for starters, Buck is in the title but [[SpotlightStealingSquad most of the focus is on]] [[TheScrappy the much less popular duo Crash and Eddie]], which is a big reason why [=AniMat=] gave it an even worse review than ''Collision Course'').
132* While not reprehensible, ''WesternAnimation/Rio2'' is agreed by both critics and audiences to be much weaker than the original ''WesternAnimation/{{Rio}}''.
133* ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooOnZombieIsland'' was a DarkerAndEdgier revival of the ''Franchise/ScoobyDoo'' franchise and is widely considered to be the best of the DTV movies, while the ones that came after it are more polarizing.
134* Almost all of the ''Franchise/TomAndJerry'' [[WesternAnimation/TomAndJerryDirectToVideoFilmSeries DTV movies]]. The first four movies (''[[WesternAnimation/TomAndJerryTheMagicRing Tom and Jerry and the Magic Ring]]'', ''[[WesternAnimation/TomAndJerryBlastOffToMars Blast Off to Mars]]'', ''[[WesternAnimation/TomAndJerryTheFastAndTheFurry The Fast and the Furry]]'', and ''[[WesternAnimation/TomAndJerryShiverMeWhiskers Shiver Me Whiskers]]'') are considered good though not exceptional, and the fifth (''[[WesternAnimation/TomAndJerryANutcrackerTale A Nutcracker Tale]]'') is... polarizing. The rest are despised, mocked within an inch of their lives, or both. Each successive movie consists of any PublicDomainCharacter or movie within the writers' reach being given a {{shot for shot|Remake}} animated remake, occasionally interrupted by Tom and Jerry engaging in their usual antics to pad the runtime. ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerryWillyWonkaAndTheChocolateFactory'' attracts particular vitriol, as not only are large portions of the script and blocking lifted wholesale from [[Film/WillyWonkaAndTheChocolateFactory the original movie]], there were accusations that it was rushed through production--or worse, only exists--to capitalize on Creator/GeneWilder's death.[[note]][[AshcanCopy It was actually made in a bid to extend Warner Bros.'s film license]] for ''Literature/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory''. Didn't work--the movie was such a critical and commercial flop that the Creator/RoaldDahl estate yanked the rights away from them.[[/note]]
135* The ''Franchise/DespicableMe'' films exhibit a downplayed example. All three (five counting the ''WesternAnimation/{{Minions}}'' spinoffs) were box-office successes, but it's generally agreed that the first one is the best and that the sequels, although entertaining in their own right, don't really bring anything new to the table. It's probably not a coincidence that this dip in quality coincides with the [[AdorableEvilMinions Minions']] rise in popularity, moving from [[EnsembleDarkHorse amusing side characters]] to [[BreakoutCharacter having their own subplot]] to [[CreatorsPet receiving more attention and focus]] than the ''actual main character of the series'', ''especially'' in advertising. The Website/RottenTomatoes scores for the films corroborate this--although all of the movies except for the first ''Minions'' have Fresh ratings, the score dips lower for each successive installment.
136* ''WesternAnimation/DragonHill'', as a Spanish animated movie franchise, is already obscure enough as it is. The sequels, so cheaply made that they discard the 2D animation for CGI and utterly devoid of what little charm the first had, continuously plummet on the [=IMDb=] scores (which were already low for the first installment).
137* While ''WesternAnimation/SurfsUp'' never managed to find much of a wide audience, its unique mockumentary-style storyline earned it cult classic status. So nobody was ready for the DirectToVideo sequel, ''WesternAnimation/SurfsUp2Wavemania'', which serves as nothing more than ProductPlacement for Wrestling/{{WWE}} wrestlers. The animation is comparatively inferior, most of the lessons Cody Maverick learned in the prior film are [[AesopAmnesia completely forgotten]] despite being a sequel, and much of the focus is on the ''wrestlers'' instead of the main characters. It's also plagued by a subpar script, a desert subplot that has nothing to do with surfing, and an infamous joke about Wrestling/VinceMcMahon[='=]s character [[{{Squick}} enjoying sucking fish with his tongue]].
138* ''Animation/CatCity'' is a CultClassic spy movie spoof from 1986, filtered through the sarcastic and low-brow humor of its Hungarian creators. The one agreed-upon positive of its 2007 sequel is that it reunited the still living cast of old, both on screen and behind the scenes. Negatives it has many: corny pop culture references written by people years out of touch with media trends, many returning characters have become elderly losers with unpleasant redesigns pushed aside in favor of far less memorable new faces, [[TwoDVisualsThreeDEffects the crude CGI effects stand out too much]] and the final battle is played for laughs as a celebrity in-joke that was already dated and tired at the time of release. While the original film got some flak for its use of national stereotypes (partially stemming from the older movies it was spoofing), this one was blasted in international circles as extremely racist for its depiction of primitive African tribe-cats -- though such grossly outdated stereotypes [[ValuesDissonance were still widely accepted]] in that part of Europe well into the 2000s, and debatably still are. The original is a comonly quoted FountainOfMemes, the sequel is meanwhile almost fully forgotten.
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141[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
142* Even more than the film examples, ''Franchise/StarTrek'' suffered this in its series. ''[[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries The Original Series]]'' was considered an uneven novelty, a series that was either teeth-grating crap or the very pinnacle of science-fiction, depending on the given episode. ''[[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration The Next Generation]]'' has been formally recognized as being among the top 100 shows ever made and a crowning achievement of television. Paramount came down with Sequelitis, commissioning '''three''' follow-up series (''[[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Deep Space Nine]]'', ''[[Series/StarTrekVoyager Voyager]]'', and a prequel in ''[[Series/StarTrekEnterprise Enterprise]]''). The critical reception deteriorated with each successive series, along with the ratings (though a few preferred ''[=DS9=]'' in later years). The last one made it to four seasons, the fourth one only made so that the series could be syndicated, and not end up a total failure. Although the jury is still out on ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' (set between ''Enterprise'' and ''The Original Series''), the general fan consensus seems to be that it's a good show in its own right, but the DarkerAndEdgier serial plotline and somewhat forced "mature" tone are a poor fit for ''Trek''. ''Series/StarTrekPicard'', a sequel to ''The Next Generation'' (including the movies... and [[Film/StarTrek2009 the film that started the Kelvin Timeline]]) is also a divisive affair due to its DarkerAndEdgier approach. As a matter of fact, the {{Trope Namer|s}} is Justin B. Rye’s [[http://jbr.me.uk/trek/3.html critical essay]] on the franchise, from all the way back in 1993. (The same essay also named OneShotRevisionism.)
143* ''Series/DeadRingers'' had a sketch in which different versions of Arnold Schwarzenegger came back from the future to warn him not to sign up for any more lousy ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}'' sequels, [[spoiler:eventually reaching ''[[RidiculousFutureSequelisation Terminator 23]]'' before Sarah Connor shot the present Arnie to save the future. To her dismay, another Arnie came back and revealed she is now his co-star in ''Kindergarten Cop 14'']]! [[BigNo Nnnooooo!]]
144* The spinoff/sequel to ''Series/That70sShow'', ''Series/That80sShow'', alienated old viewers and didn't get any new ones.
145* ''Series/TheNewMonkees'' had the misfortune of competing with reruns of [[Series/TheMonkees the series that inspired it]]. As a result, the series was pulled after only thirteen episodes.
146* ''Series/BattlestarGalactica1978'' was never massively successful but it was popular enough for a large letter-writing campaign to make ABC commission ''Series/Galactica1980'' which was canceled after only 10 episodes, killing the franchise. The show got a reboot 20+ years later with the critically acclaimed ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003'' which had a well-received spin-off-prequel ''Series/{{Caprica}}'' and two MadeForTVMovie installments. The final series of the remake was divisive, with a controversial series finale splitting fans. Afterwards it was clear audiences and the studios weren't impressed by the attempt to create another spin-off-prequel with ''Series/BattlestarGalacticaBloodAndChrome'' marking the end of the franchise for the near future, at least until the next reboot.
147* ''Series/{{Friends}}'' spinoff/sequel ''Series/{{Joey}}'' failed to be as popular as its predecessor and was canceled after two seasons.
148* InUniverse in ''Series/TheGoodPlace'' series finale. Shakespeare has written 4,000 plays in the afterlife which are said to not have been as good as his old works, including ''Theatre/TheTempest 2: Here We Blow Again.''
149* ''Series/PrettyLittleLiars'' had this happen twice, with two {{Short Runner|s}} one-season spinoffs, ''Series/{{Ravenswood}}'' and ''Series/PrettyLittleLiarsThePerfectionists'', both way less regarded than the original.
150* ''Series/StargateSG1'' was an initially controversial spin-off from the [[Film/{{Stargate}} original film]], but became very successful once it found its footing. Its own spin-off, ''Series/StargateAtlantis'', was also strong in its own right, and both became well-regarded science-fiction series'. However, the third series, ''Series/StargateUniverse'', felt to most fans like a soap opera filmed in a series of shipping containers.
151* ''Series/TheMandalorian'' spin-off ''Series/TheBookOfBobaFett'' suffered from worse critical reception and audience feedback than its parent show. Viewers found the narrative structure too slow-paced, Boba's motivations aren't fully explained and some of the set pieces were a bit clumsily executed. The RequiredSpinoffCrossover with ''The Mandalorian'' helped, but also put the main plot of ''Boba Fett'' OutOfFocus to set up ''The Mandalorian'' Season 3, including a hasty reversal of one of Season 2's biggest changes to the status quo.
152* ''Series/TheWitcherBloodOrigin'' has a case of ''prequel''itis. ''Series/TheWitcher2019'' has generally received positive reviews from critics and audiences. Comparatively, ''Blood Origin'' has been largely panned by both, with a common criticism being that it lacks any of ''The Witcher'''s stand-out qualities (such as a more deconstructive approach to fantasy tales, interesting monsters and creatures, charismatic leads, a sense of humor or ''good acting'') and instead comes off as an extremely generic and joyless high fantasy show, with poor pacing, bad acting and underdeveloped characters. Many viewers also feel it doesn't add much to the original show's backstory and barely has anything to do with ''The Witcher'' franchise at all (the parent show already got some flack for deviating from the source material, which is exacerbated here). To further underline this, ''The Witcher'' has an 81% critic score and 74% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, while ''Blood Origin'' only has a 30% critic score and a 13% audience score, and is reportedly one of Netflix's lowest rated shows ever.
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155[[folder:Music]]
156* The first Usefulnotes/{{Woodstock}} Festival in 1969 is often considered one of the best music festivals ever. For the 25th anniversary, music promoters tried to recreate the experience with the mostly-uneventful but not as memorable Woodstock '94. For the 30th anniversary, promoters held Woodstock '99, which featured many top-tier performers but was poorly received -- tickets cost much more than other festivals (the first Woodstock was free), attendees were price gouged for amenities like water and food, and organizers seemed unprepared for an event that size, with massive amounts of garbage piling up and portable restrooms frequently overflowing. The final day was marred by riots -- most media outlets covering the event abruptly pulled out their crews -- and dozens of reports of sexual assault, effectively ending the concert series.
157* Critics wanted Music/ESPosthumus's albums to have [[SequelEscalation more powerful and action-filled]] songs; this caused the pieces in ''Makara'' to have [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks less variation]] compared to the flow and richer tunes in previous albums ''Unearthed'' and ''Cartographer''.
158* Music/LilWayne's ''Tha Carter II'' is universally considered to be an improvement over ''Tha Carter''; some fans still consider ''II'' to be his best album, in fact. While ''Tha Carter III'' massively outsold ''II'', [[BrokenBase debate still rages on the better album.]] However, a consensus ''has'' emerged on ''Tha Carter IV'' - namely, that it's a steaming hunk of shit compared to the previous two ''Carters''. As two albums came between ''III'' and ''IV'' (including the rock album), ''IV'' ended up playing the rule straight.
159* Music/ChanceTheRapper became a breakout star in the early 2010s with his mixtapes ''10 Day'', ''Acid Rap'', and ''Coloring Book'' being well-received, and the latter even earning him a Grammy for Best Rap Album. His first official album, ''The Big Day'', was vehemently ravaged by fans for being too inconsistent and having subpar lyrics. Its critical reception was generally positive, but still a step down compared to his previous efforts.
160* Music/JayZ: ''The Blueprint'' is widely considered a classic album, among Jay-Z's best, contributed the term "renegaded" to hip-hop lexicon (referring to Eminem's [[OneSongWonder guest appearance]] on "Renegade"), and helped jump-start Music/KanyeWest's career. ''Blueprint 2'' was considered to suffer from too many filler songs, and while ''Blueprint 3'' was a major hit, it had a less positive critical reception.
161* Many people consider Music/{{Queensryche}}'s ''Operation: Mindcrime'' to be one of the best metal albums ever. Eighteen years later, after a number of less-well-received albums, they made a sequel, ''Operation: Mindcrime 2'', which most critics and fans saw as mediocre at best.
162* There's a joke about the group Music/{{Chicago}} (a band that named most of their albums numerically). The joke is that their first album is rated 10 on a scale of 1 to 10 and that as the number in the name of each album goes up, the number of its rating goes down.
163* Referenced in-work by "You Part 2" by Olivia Lane, which compares an ex who is coming back for more to a bad sequel:
164-->You know I never liked going to a sequel\
165Somehow the second one never is equal to the first one
166* ''Blackfield'' and ''Blackfield II'' are highly praised collaborations between Music/StevenWilson and Aviv Geffen, while the subsequent ''Welcome to My DNA'' and ''Blackfield IV'' are considered sub-par in comparison. Some have attributed this to Wilson's limited involvement in the latter releases, especially after he returned to being an equal contributor in the fairly well-received ''Blackfield V''. However, most fans agree that they haven't been able to top their first two albums.
167* ''Music/WeirdAl'''s "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iwedkOmTGc Rye or the Kaiser]]" (to the tune of "Eye of the Tiger") calls itself the theme to ''{{Film/Rocky}} XIII'', featuring the titular FormerlyFit boxer now running a deli.
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170[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
171* A common opinion is that the writing in the ''TabletopGame/TIMEStories'' series got worse over time, culminating in ''Madame'' having an AudienceAlienatingEnding. This was one of the factors causing interest in the series to dry up.
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174[[folder:Theater]]
175* The musical ''Theatre/OfTheeISing'', a cheerful satire on the American political system, opened on Broadway late in 1931 to immense popular and critical acclaim, which not only made it one of the longest-running shows of the decade but won a Pulitzer Prize for its writers; it was the first-ever musical play to win the award. Almost two years later, a sequel, ''Let 'Em Eat Cake'', appeared from the same authors, with the same principal actors and the same producer. It was not a commercial success; many of its jokes were recycled from the earlier show, and a bewildering series of plot complications (involving, among other things, a baseball-playing League of Nations) stretched WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief too far.
176* ''Bring Back Birdie'' was a sequel to ''Theatre/ByeByeBirdie'', produced and set twenty years later. It was written by the same authors as the original show, and featured the same characters, with Chita Rivera once again starring as Rose Alvarez. Most people who saw the show during the less than a week it ran on Broadway agreed that it was horrible. Somewhat infamous for a moment where the actor playing Birdie lost the beat to one of the songs then [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere marched off stage]], saying, "You sing it! I never liked this song anyway!"
177* The musical ''Theatre/{{Annie}}'' had a sequel written by the same authors (including composer Charles Strouse, who had also done ''Bye Bye Birdie'' and ''Bring Back Birdie'', though lyricist Martin Charnin seems to have been the ringleader in this scheme), with several of the older members of the original cast reprising their roles. In the implausible plot of ''Annie 2: Miss Hannigan's Revenge'', Daddy Warbucks was ordered to find a mother for Annie, which provided the opportunity for Miss Hannigan's scheme (conceived with a good deal of MotiveDecay) to first become Warbucks's wife and then a widow without any dependents. When the eagerly awaited show had its pre-Broadway opening in Washington, D.C. in January 1990, audiences were stunned at how unfunny the show was. Massive rewrites ensued, and continued in earnest even after the show's Broadway booking was canceled and several star actors dropped out, including Dorothy Loudon as Miss Hannigan. Miss Hannigan was ultimately written out in favor of a SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute (though the plot remained mostly the same), and the authors' desperate efforts to get their show into New York finally resulted in its opening off-Broadway in 1993, as ''Annie Warbucks''. Critics recognized the show as an unnecessary sequel, and it failed to catch on with audiences.
178* The musical ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boy_Friend The Boy Friend]]'' also suffers from this despite being not as well known as some others out there. Its sequel is so ridiculous that it has to be seen (or read) to believe. The name? ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divorce_Me,_Darling! Divorce Me, Darling!]]''
179* ''Theatre/LoveNeverDies'', the sequel to ''Theatre/ThePhantomOfTheOpera'', was slammed by many fans of the original, although the Australian run was extensively reworked by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with major improvements being made to the characterization (of nearly all the characters) and the plot.
180* Though the one-act opera ''Trouble in Tahiti'' has never ranked among Music/LeonardBernstein's best-known works, its reputation is considerably better than ''A Quiet Place'', the three-act sequel Bernstein decided to write three decades later. The libretto reads like a bad soap opera, and the music is generally dull except for the parts of the second act which incorporate ''Trouble in Tahiti'' in its entirety as a flashback.
181* While ''Theatre/TheBarberOfSeville'' and ''Theatre/TheMarriageOfFigaro'' are well known, though mainly due to AdaptationDisplacement as operas written respectively by Music/GioachinoRossini and Music/WolfgangAmadeusMozart, ''La mère coupable ou l'autre Tartuffe'', Beaumarchais' third entry in the "Figaro trilogy," is not so much so. Most people who have seen both operas are upset about the absence of two popular characters, Bartholo (Bartolo) and Bazile (Basilio).
182* Thirteen years after the premiere of ''Louise'', Gustave Charpentier gave Paris the opera ''Julien'', the story of which focused on Louise's boyfriend. It didn't do so well.
183* Creator/JohnOsborne's ''Theatre/LookBackInAnger'' was a groundbreaking work that revitalised British theatre and gave a voice to the working class. Nearly thirty years later, Osborne wrote a sequel ''Déjàvu'' which sees the protagonist Jimmy Porter in middle-age. It closed after just seven weeks and was harshly reviewed, with critics calling it a series of monologues in place of a play. It would ultimately be the last play Osborne ever wrote.
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186[[folder:Theme Parks]]
187* Many rides at Ride/DisneyThemeParks fall prey to this. Perhaps the most puissant example of this trope in a Disney ride is the "Imagination" rides featured at the EPCOT theme park in Disney World. The original ride, Ride/JourneyIntoImagination, was a much beloved and very creative ride centering around the world of a child's imagination and starred the Dreamfinder, a red-bearded eccentric who collected dreams and creative thoughts, and his pet purple dragon Figment with a {{Clock|Punk}} or SteamPunk style. ExecutiveMeddling involving a potential change in sponsors caused the ride to close in 1998 for a complete overhaul. It was reopened in 1999 as "Journey Into Your Imagination", a completely redone ride with none of the charm of the original, with the Dreamfinder MIA and Figment reduced to an extremely brief cameo. The new ride set a record for the most complaints received over a new attraction at a Disney Park. The revamp was received so badly, it was closed a mere 2 years later in 2001. In 2002 the ride received a later update, "Journey Into Imagination With Figment". Though it is a notable improvement over the second version of the ride, most long-time Disney parkgoers tend to agree that the ride's first incarnation was by far its best.
188* Not even roller coasters can escape this trope: [[Ride/CedarFairEntertainment King’s Island]]’s Son of Beast, named after the acclaimed wooden coaster The Beast, was hyped up prior to opening, but increasingly criticized after. Unfortunately, the low quality wood used in construction resulted in unstableness, discomfort, declining ridership, and a near accident in 2006 that caused the removal of the loop, the ride’s most notable aspect. The Son was put down in 2009, but the good news is the original Beast is still up and running after [[LongRunners some 40 years]] as of 2021.
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191[[folder:Web Videos]]
192* The ''WebVideo/MicrosoftSamReadsFunnyWindowsErrors'' subseries Microsoft Sam And The War Trilogy has The Great Final War, which was so poorly received due to its excessive drama tone that it was cancelled and currently undergoing a major revamp.
193* In a weirdly fitting example of this trope, the third main installment of ''WebVideo/{{Sequelitis}}'' (which dealt with ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'') was received far worse than the previous two, being criticized for its BiasSteamroller arguments and moving away from "these things are bad because of poor design" and towards "these things are bad [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks because they're different.]]" It proved [[FranchiseKiller the last one of the series]], as even Arin Hanson [[OldShame claims to regret a lot of it]] (though he didn't appreciate the backlash either).
194* An InUniverse example forms the basis of the Franchise/{{LEGO}} stop-motion short ''Zombie: Exodus''. Despite the scandals of [[FatalMethodActing the former lead actor getting killed on set]] and a PrimaDonnaDirector forgoing CGI in favor of practical effects, ''Zombie: Genesis'' manages to win an Oscar. When the studio greenlights a sequel, the HostilityOnTheSet, protests by {{Zombie Advocate}}s, and said director refusing to cut 10 minutes off the film results in an empty red carpet premiere and savage reviews.
195* Discussed in ''WebAnimation/{{HFIL}}'', in which the only movies allowed in the titular HFIL are movies of this nature. While returning a copy of ''Film/{{Caddyshack}} II'', Cell muses that that must mean ''Film/RoboCop2'' is good, since it's not allowed. TheStinger for Episode 8 is a conversation between him and King Cold about which ''Franchise/DieHard'' films were approved or not, and discussing whether they deserved to be or not. Another scene has Dodoria ask if Freeza wants to hate-watch ''Film/TerminatorGenisys'' with [[GenderFlip her.]]
196* ''WebVideo/StopSkeletonsFromFighting'': Invoked: Two of three of his negative reviews were sequels to games that he loves. He's also spoken poorly of several other sequels.
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199[[folder:Western Animation]]
200* This is the general consensus of ''WesternAnimation/PlanetSheen'', the spinoff-sequel to ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutronBoyGenius.'' The show focuses on a character who is tolerated at best and flanderizes him to make him even less popular, removes almost everything to do with the original (including Sheen's infatuation with ''Ultra-Lord'', a major part of his character in the original series), and goes from a cartoonish but relatively grounded tone to an outright GagSeries.
201* ''Franchise/{{Rugrats}}'':
202** ''WesternAnimation/AllGrownUp'' is this to [[WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}} the original 1991 series]], due to being a rather generic SliceOfLife show that suffers badly from MostWritersAreAdults, when the original had a fairly unique premise. Plus, even fans disliked the second season.
203** An InUniverse example in the [[WesternAnimation/Rugrats2021 2021 reboot]] episode, "Baby Talk"; Stu and Randy are huge fans of the ''Final Eclipse'' franchise, but even they consider the fifth movie the worst one in the series. It is also the only movie in the series that [[FanonDiscontinuity Randy does not let his nephews Buster and Edwin watch]].
204* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'', depending on who you ask, given the mixed reception of its followups compared to ''Total Drama Island'', which enjoyed the greatest and most universal critical acclaim. A few installments have come close, but they tend to be intensely and prominently {{Contested Sequel}}s in certain circles.
205* ''WesternAnimation/PinkyAndTheBrain'' was doing just fine on its own, so no one knows quite why ExecutiveMeddling decided to force the addition of [[WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures Elmyra]] into the show (especially considering a previous episode had made it abundantly clear that a third main character would add nothing to the show). The resultant ReTool, ''WesternAnimation/PinkyElmyraAndTheBrain'', had a few bright spots, but for the most part was enjoyed by neither viewing audiences nor [[CreatorBacklash those working on the show]], to the point of that it was [[CanonDiscontinuity pointedly established as non-canon]] early on in ''WesternAnimation/Animaniacs2020''.
206* Part of the ''Franchise/{{Ben 10}}'' fanbase considers ''WesternAnimation/Ben10Omniverse'' as such, though some would consider the series before it, ''[[WesternAnimation/Ben10UltimateAlien Ultimate Alien]]''. ''[[WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce Alien Force]]'' has also been hit by this, owing to the tendency of the sequels to take liberties with the canon at the risk of contradicting one another or the original series.
207* ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow''? A pretty great Franchise/{{Nicktoon|s}}. Its DarkerAndEdgier SpinOff ''[[WesternAnimation/RenAndStimpyAdultPartyCartoon Adult Party Cartoon]]''? Not so much. It had so much adult humor and so many less funny jokes that it was disliked by most who enjoyed the original series.
208* 1980's ''Duck Dodgers and the Return of the 24½th Century''. While ''WesternAnimation/DuckDodgersInTheTwentyFourthAndAHalfCentury'' remains a classic, ''Return'' proved less funny, leading to FanonDiscontinuity and, according to Cartoon Network, CanonDiscontinuity.
209* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls2016'' is this to [[WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls1998 the original]]. Fans of the original show dislike the newer villains (except Silico and some [[MonsterOfTheWeek one-shot characters]]) for lacking the quality of the original show while pushing most of them out of the spotlight, the {{Flanderization}} of the girls and [[TheOtherDarrin their voice change]], the wonky animation, and weak plots among other reasons. And unlike ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'', this show doesn't have the benefit of just having the same characters, as it's a direct continuation.
210* '''Tis the Season to Be Smurfy'' is not as interesting as the previous [[WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs1981 Smurfs]] specials. It feels more like an episode of the show and is considered weak due to its light-hearted comedic plot told through [[RandomEventsPlot a handful of random events]], lack of darker elements, little to no conflict, and a generic thief/villain who doesn't pursue the Smurfs or is unaware of their existence. Though it does have some heartwarming moments and a moral that "it's better to give than to receive", it isn't enough to save this special.
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