There are certain works that you can safely assume most people have enjoyed. These shows were considered fantastic when they were released. Now, however, these have a Hype Backlash curse on them. Whenever we watch them, we'll cry, "That is so old" or "That is so overdone".
The sad irony? It wasn't old or overdone when they did it, because they were the first ones to do it. But the things it created were so brilliant and popular, they became woven into the fabric of that work's niche. They ended up being taken for granted, copied, and endlessly repeated. Although they often began by saying something new, they in turn became the new status quo. It's basically the inverse of a Grandfather Clause taken to a trope level: rather than being able to get away with something that is seen as overdone or out of style simply because it was the one that started it, people will unfairly disregard it because it got lost amidst its sea of imitations even though it paved the way for all those imitators. That is, a work retroactively becomes a Cliché Storm.
There may be a good reason for this. Whoever is first to do something isn't likely to be the best at it, simply because everyone that comes after is building on their predecessors' work.
Named after Seinfeld, which many people won't watch anymore because everything about it has been copied. note Most likely will result in Fan Haters and accusations of Rule Abiding Rebels. This can also occur in countries that get the shows years after they originally come out.
When someone attempts to make something back to its roots in this time and age, see Reconstruction.
Compare with Appeal to Novelty, Not-So-Cheap Imitation, Newer Than They Think, Older Than They Think, Discredited Meme, Unbuilt Trope, Franchise Original Sin, Hype Backlash, Rule-Abiding Rebel, Early-Installment Weirdness, Parody Displacement, and Dead Horse Trope. Contrast Genre Turning Point and Vindicated by History. This is a special case of Newer Than They Think, when the Trope Codifier is thought to repeat old clichés; and a case of Older Than They Think when the imitators are much more famous. The same principle applied to ethical or cultural issues is Fair for Its Day. The exact opposite of Values Resonance. The worst outcome is Condemned by History. Occasionally overlaps with Values Dissonance.
Works must be at least ten years old to qualify. It is difficult to properly look back at the cultural impact of something without some distance because brief trends can sometimes be mistaken for something more substantial.
Examples:
- Anime & Manga
- Comic Books
- Comic Strips
- Fan Works
- Films — Animation
- Films — Live-Action
- Literature
- Live-Action TV
- Music
- Pro Wrestling
- Puppet Shows
- Radio
- Sports
- Tabletop Games
- Theatre
- Video Games
- Web Animation
- Webcomics
- Web Original
- Western Animation
- Real Life
