History Main / EarlyInstallmentWeirdness

* Early episodes of ''[[MysteryScienceTheater3000 MST3K]]'' were pretty noticably different from the 'golden' later seasons. The riffing came at a much slower (and poorer) pace, and it wasn't until about mid-Season 2 that the quality really picked up. (This is because the early episodes were riffed improv-style, with little or no preparation beforehand; when they were unpleasantly ambushed by a rape scene in a movie they'd selected for showing, they changed this approach.) Also, in the first few ComedyCentral episodes, the focus of the series seemed to be more on the [[MadScientist Mads]] than the Satellite of Love crew.

* Early episodes of ''[[MysteryScienceTheater3000 MST3K]]'' were pretty noticably different from the 'golden' later seasons. The riffing came at a much slower (and poorer) pace, and it wasn't until about mid-Season 2 that the quality really picked up. Also, in the first few ComedyCentral episodes, the focus of the series seemed to be more on the [[MadScientist Mads]] than the Satellite of Love crew.

* The first episode of ''TheNostalgiaCritic'', in which he reviewed the 2007 Film/Transformers movie, portrayed him as more-or-less Chester A. Bum. He returned to this style for his review of the sequel as an homage.

* {{The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air}} is a good example. In the first season, the show clearly hadn't found its feet yet, and many of the early episodes seem rather awkward compared to the later episodes.

* In the original ''{{Friday the 13th}}'', Jason, while referred to, doesn't even appear until the second film, and gets his trademark hockey mask in the ''third''.

* ''DonkeyKong'': The arcade games are very different from both the Mario and Donkey Kong platformers that came later, the first portraying Donkey Kong as a villain, the second being the only game ever to have Mario as a villain, and the third introducing Mario's cousin Stanley, who was never heard from again. None of the enemies were [[GoombaStomp stompable]]. These games also had a modern day setting, which is a big part of the reason why {{fanon}} has the Mario Bros. as refugees from the real world (the other part of the reason being that [[SuperMarioBrosSuperShow the cartoon]] and [[Film/SuperMarioBros the movie]] showed them as being such).

* Inverted by ''FamilyMatters'' whose early pre-[[TheUrkel Urkel]] episodes, while indicative of a show that hasn't yet found its' feet, are considerably ''less'' weird than those from the show's heyday.

** If we treat ''SuperMarioRPG'' as the first game in the ''PaperMario'' series - which makes sense because Paper Mario was originally going to be Super Mario RPG 2, and just had its title changed for copyright reasons - then there is a lot of weirdness there. In particular: equips instead of badges, very different graphics, a different combat system using much larger numbers and more complicated stats, and a Bonus Boss that looked like it was pulled from a ''FinalFantasy'' game.

*** Well, [[SquareEnix Square]] ''did'' make it.
*** The resemblance was quite intentional. Notice that the battle music is the exact boss theme from ''FinalFantasyIV''.

* The early episodes of ''{{Frasier}}'' have Daphne as being "a bit psychic", and it's implied that these abilities are real. Also, Eddie seems to understand human speech. Later, the show became more realistic: Eddie was explicitly shown not understand nothing beyond the word "Eddie", and it was decided that Daphne's alleged abilities were so important to her emotionally that she shouldn't be tested by a skeptic.

*The early episodes of ''{{Frasier}}'' have Daphne as being "a bit psychic", and it's implied that these abilities are real. Also, Eddie seems to understand human speech. Later, the show became more realistic.
** Arguably, these were maintained throughout the whole show. Eddie's reactions especially were a frequent source of humour. Daphne's psychic premonitions did drop off, but they showed up once in a while, and not infrequently enough to be a ContinuityNod.

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* In biology the term "basal" is used to describe creatures who split off from the dominant form early, and thus evolved along a wildly different path. For example, Platypus are considered "basal mammals" because they lay eggs.
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* Early on ''{{Dollhouse}}'' was mostly episodic, giving way to longer story and character arcs. This isn't quite CerberusSyndrome---the early episodes were still serious, but they focused more on the Dollhouse's clients and were meant to explore what kind of "desires" (sexual or otherwise) people would be willing to pay for. Though most fans [[GrowTheBeard think the later episodes are better]], JossWhedon has commented he thinks the change made the show lose some of its original point.

* Going by order of release date, the first ''StarWars'' movie might count. Taken on its own without the context of the sequels and prequels the backstory may be seen as being fairly different, with Anakin and Vader as different people, Obi-Wan adopting his alias before Luke was born, Anakin being still alive when Luke was at least a child (and depending on how cynical you are, his being referenced as a good friend may count), Luke and Leia not being siblings, the Jedi and the Force being widely considered a myth, etc.--and this still lingering in the later two installments as well, such as Obi-Wan referring to Yoda as his teacher. A video showcasing all this exists [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhdk0YOrVCg here]].
** From a visual perspective the differences between ''ANewHope'' and ''RevengeOfTheSith'' are astounding. Besides the difference in styles and tones (in no small part due to the absence of Ralph [=McQuarrie=]'s influence in the prequels), almost every effect for ''A New Hope'' was created using models, pyrotechnics, puppetry and costuming (even the lightsabers were made with special blades to create a glow, though the blades ended up being rotoscoped). ''Revenge of the Sith'', however, was created almost entirely in a computer. Even the Clonetroopers' armour was CG. Despite almost 30 years of advancements in special effects, the actual realism hasn't changed much, only the methods.
** ''Revenge of the Sith'' ends with the biggest, most epic lightsaber battle in all of ''Star Wars'' history, fought between Obi-Wan Kenobi and pre-suit Darth Vader on a volcano planet. In chronologically the next film, the ''same characters'' fight the wimpiest, most pathetic lightsaber battle in all of ''Star Wars'' history, inside one corridor of the Death Star with rather basic choreography. Vader at least tells Obi-Wan that his powers are weak, but Vader himself fights much better in the next two films. But that's what happens when the first lightsaber battle ever staged is a rematch of the last lightsaber battle ever staged.
*** From what I've read, the lightsaber battle in ''New Hope'' was wimpy and pathetic because Lucas conceptualized the "laser swords" as being very hard to use because [[YouFailPhysicsForever the glowing energy blade was impossibly heavy]]. Ignoring that, though, there's a bit of FridgeBrilliance with the difference: When Obi-Wan and Anakin are at the height of their powers, they were both able to perform [[{{Flynning}} amazingly quick, flashy moves]]. When they meet again, Obi-Wan is ''obviously'' GettingTooOldForThis, and Vader is a few steps away from being JustAMachine.
** But the one thing that puts ''A New Hope'' apart from the rest of the series more than anything else is the very conspicuous absence of "[[CrowningMusicOfAwesome The Imperial March]]".

* ''{{Lost}}'': the first season is a collection of character stories with the supernatural elements hidden in the background, few cliffhangers or continuing arcs, and a incredibly slow pace. Which is unfortunate because of how much the style of the show encourages re-watching earlier plot points.
** The first two are justified by the fact that they weren't sure the show would be renewed, so had to keep the mythos simple enough to resolve if it ended up with just one season.

* Watch the later season one episodes (and, um, [[HoYay the rest of the show]]) of ''{{Supernatural}}'' and remind yourself that at the time of the {{pilot}}, Dean and Sam haven't seen each other in four years and [[{{Understatement}} don't get along]].

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Compare NewFirstComics and AdaptationDisplacement.

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