History Main / TwoHitWonder

* Even though '''Creator/MattGroening''' has a long history working on comics, he is mostly remembered as the creator of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}''. He third series ''WesternAnimation/{{Disenchantment}}'', didn't achieve nearly as much success as the previous two, ''especially'' the latter.

* '''Creator/{{Sega}}''' is a prolific video game publisher, and one of the biggest arcade companies in Japan, but as a hardware manufacturer, they've only really had two hits. The UsefulNotes/SegaMasterSystem couldn't topple the NES in Japan or North America, but found audiences in Europe, Oceania, South America, and South Korea. It was then followed up on by the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis, which was a big enough hit to turn Sega into Creator/{{Nintendo}}'s biggest rival at the time. The UsefulNotes/GameGear was a modest hit, but is largely overshadowed by the UsefulNotes/{{Gameboy}}, the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn bombed outside of Japan, while the UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast sold well but was hampered by numerous factors, resulting in Sega leaving the console market entirely.

* Even though '''Creator/MattGroening''' has a long history working on comics, he is mostly remembered as the creator of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}''. He third series ''WesternAnimation/{{Disenchantment}}'', didn't achieve nearly as much success as the former two.

* '''Creator/{{Sega}}''' is a prolific video game publisher, and one of the biggest arcade companies in Japan, but as a hardware manufacturer, they've only really had two hits. The UsefulNotes/SegaMasterSystem couldn't topple the NES in Japan or North America, but found audiences in Europe, Oceania, South America, and South Korea. It was then followed up on by the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis, which was a big enough hit to turn Sega into Creator/{{Nintendo}}'s biggest rival at the time. The UsefulNotes/GameGear was a modest hit, but is largely overshadowed by the UsefulNotes/{{Gameboy}}, the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn bombed outside of Japan, while the UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast sold well but was hampered by numerous factors, resulting in Sega leaving the home console market.

* Board game designer '''Donald X. Vaccarino''' had two significant hits with ''TabletopGame/{{Dominion}}'' and ''TabletopGame/KingdomBuilder''. Even then, ''Dominion'' overshadows his rest of his work thanks to its influence and [[LongRunner longevity]].

* Football player '''Kevin Dyson''' is known for two moments in 1999-2000 season. First he scored on the famous Music City Miracle and then he was tackled by OneHitWonder Mike Jones at the one yard line preventing the game-tying touchdown. He later went on to get his doctorate in Education and become a high school principal.

* '''Jaleel White''' is known for two roles: Steve in Family Matters and being the voice of Sonic the Hedgehog in the early 90s.

* '''Rythm Syndicate''' had a #2 hit in 1990 with "P.A.S.S.I.O.N.", which they followed up with the #13 hit "Hey Donna". After changing their name to "Rhythm Syndicate", they had two singles that cracked the 70s and disbanded. Band members Evan Rogers and Carl Sturken found more success behind the scenes, producing and writing songs for Music/{{Rihanna}}, Music/{{NSYNC}}, and Music/ChristinaAguilera.

* '''Rythm Syndicate''' had a #2 hit in 1990 with "P.A.S.S.I.O.N.", which they followed up with the #13 hit "Hey Donna". After changing their name to "Rhythm Syndicate", they had two singles that cracked the 70s and disbanded. Band members Evan Rogers and Carl Sturken found more success behind the scenes, producing Music/{{Rihanna}}'s debut album.

* '''Music/{{Nirvana}}''' is one of the most influential rock bands of all time and is rarely considered a two-hit wonder. However, they technically count with two songs from ''Music/{{Nevermind}}''. They scored a #6 hit with the legendary "Smells Like Teen Spirit", as well as the #32 "Come As You Are". "All Apologies" also received enough significant pop airplay to reach the top 40 radio charts, but didn't qualify for the Billboard Hot 100 due to lack of a retail single release.

* '''Janis Ian''': In 1967, this folk-styled singer-songwriter recorded a hit called "Society's Child," and had a No. 14 hit with it. Nothing more seemed to come up for the New York City native, and she was even featured in a 1973 ''Radio/AmericanTop40'' special on [[OneHitWonder one-hit wonders]]. Ian would be one of the only artists featured in that special to have a follow-up hit, as it turned out ... and it came in 1975 with her memorable song about a shunned teenager who could only watch (she wasn't even so much as [[ThrowTheDogABone thrown a bone]]) as all her popular classmates got all the attention and accolades. "At Seventeen" would reach the top 5 of the Hot 100 and No. 1 on the ''Cash Box'' magazine chart, become a No. 1 adult contemporary hit, won a Grammy for best female pop vocal, and even landed her the first episode of ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' while its parent album, ''Between the Lines'', also hit No. 1. Ian had a couple more top 25 AC chart hits, became [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff hugely popular in Japan and Australia]], and even got another Grammy nomination for her 1993 album ''Breaking Silence'' (its title a reference to her coming out as lesbian), but never did reach even the mainstream Hot 100's top 40 again. Today, Ian's name is probably better known as that of Creator/LizzyCaplan's character from ''Film/MeanGirls'' than of a singer. However, Janis herself still performs and is active on social media.

* '''Music/AlStewart''' has released several folk-rock albums(many influenced by historical events). Only two of his songs, "Year of the Cat" and "Time Passages," have reached the Top 10. Although he had a handful of minor hits, the above-mentioned hits are considered his signature songs.

* Music/AlStewart has released several folk-rock LPs (many influenced by historical events). Only two of his songs, "Year of the Cat" and "Time Passages," have reached the Top 10. Although he had a handful of minor hits, the above-mentioned hits are considered his signature songs.

* '''Major Lazer''' seems to be headed in this direction akin to Avicii. In 2015, they had a massive worldwide hit with "Lean On", which topped the charts in countless countries while peaking at #4 Stateside. Their next big hit, 2016's "Cold Water", debuted in the top 2 in most countries, likely because it featured Music/JustinBieber. Since "Water" will be more associated with Bieber than with Major Lazer, [[ChartDisplacement "Lean On" will likely remain their signature]].

* While a very big name in the world of EDM, Swedish DJ '''Music/{{Avicii}}''' only got two songs into the American Top 40. "Wake Me Up!", which holds the record for the biggest EDM hit in history (a feat only rivaled by Major Lazer's "Lean On" two years later), topped many charts and placed at #4 on the ''Hot 100''. Later, his follow-up "Hey Brother" wasn't quite as big as its predecessor, but it was enough to hit #16. All singles since then have failed to enter the ''Hot 100'' (largely due to radio executives [[ScrewedByTheNetwork screwing him over]] to give [[AdoredByTheNetwork the former song near-unprecedented recurrent airplay]]) and he is remembered by mainstream audiences as a one-hit wonder for "Wake Me Up!" (and if he ''is'' considered a two-hit wonder, "Levels" is usually cited as the second hit), but he was a huge name in the electronic scene.

* '''Major Lazer''' seems to be headed in this direction. In 2015, they had a massive worldwide hit with "Lean On", which topped the charts in countless countries while peaking at #4 Stateside. Their next big hit, 2016's "Cold Water", debuted in the top 2 in most countries, likely because it featured Music/JustinBieber. Since "Water" will be more associated with Bieber than with Major Lazer, [[ChartDisplacement "Lean On" will likely remain their signature]].

* '''Creator/LauraPrepon''' is primarily known for two roles, [[Series/That70sShow Donna Pinciotti]] and [[Series/OrangeIsTheNewBlack Alex Vause]]. Her roles on ''Series/{{Castle}}'' and ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'' are also cult favorites, but the aforementioned two are her only mainstream hits so far.

* '''Creator/SirTech''' had an extensive resume, but they're mainly remembered for two series, ''VideoGame/{{Wizardry}}'', and ''Creator/JaggedAlliance''.

* Even though '''Creator/MattGroening''' has a long history working on comics, he is mostly remembered as the creator of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', and even then, the former is far more iconic than the latter.

* '''Creator/{{Sega}}''' is a prolific video game publisher, and one of the biggest arcade companies in Japan, but as a hardware manufacturer, they've only really had two hits. The UsefulNotes/SegaMasterSystem couldn't topple the NES in Japan or North America, but found audiences in Europe, Oceania, South America, and South Korea. It was then followed up on by the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis, which was a big enough hit to turn Sega into Creator/{{Nintendo}}'s biggest rival at the time. However, the back-to-back failures of the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn (outside of Japan, at least) and UsefulNotes/{{Dreamcast}} resulted in Sega pulling out of the hardware business for good.

* '''Creator/HilarySwank''' won two Best Actress Oscars for ''Film/BoysDontCry'' and ''Film/MillionDollarBaby'', while the rest of her career is mostly forgettable, though after the release of Cobra Kai, her role in The Next Karate Kid has seen some interest.

* '''Creator/TaylorMomsen''' is primarily known for two roles before eventually transitioning to a rock star: The first is Cindy Lou Who in ''Film/HowTheGrinchStoleChristmas'', and then there's Jenny Humphrey in the LiveActionAdaptation of ''Literature/GossipGirl''. After the latter show's third or fourth season, Momsen announced her retirement from acting to focus on [[Music/ThePrettyReckless her band]]. She did come BackForTheFinale for the latter show, though.
* '''David Moo''' became known for being the (polarizing) English voice of Xellos from ''Anime/{{Slayers}}'', his biggest claim to fame... then he voiced Sanji in the [[Creator/FourKidsEntertainment 4 Kids]] dub of ''Anime/OnePiece''. The negative reaction of his performance is generally seen as causing him to retire (and apparently take up bar-tending).

* '''Seiji Takaiwa''' is one of the most famous Japanese stuntmen of the Heisei era, mostly thanks to his work on two of {{Creator/Toei}}'s {{Tokusatsu}} franchises. The first is ''Franchise/SuperSentai'', in which he played [[Series/KyoryuSentaiZyuranger Dragon Ranger]], the first SixthRanger, alongside five Reds: [[Series/NinjaSentaiKakuranger Ninja Red]], [[Series/SeijuuSentaiGingaman Ginga Red]], [[Series/KyukyuSentaiGoGoV Go Red]], [[Series/MiraiSentaiTimeranger Time Red]], and [[Series/MahouSentaiMagiranger Magi Red]] (the middle three back to back), as well as [[Series/DenjiSentaiMegaranger Mega Blue]]. The other, and more well known, is ''Franchise/KamenRider'', in which he played every main Rider from [[Series/KamenRiderAgito Agito]] to [[Series/KamenRiderZio Zi-O]] (with the notable exception of [[Series/KamenRiderHibiki Hibiki]]), earning him the nicknames "Mr. Kamen Rider" and "Mr. Heisei Rider".
* Japanese actor '''Akiji Kobayashi''' is usually remembered for his roles in two of the most iconic {{Tokusatsu}} series, [[TheCaptain Captain Toshio Muramatsu]] from ''{{Series/Ultraman}}'', and [[TheMentor Tōbei Tachibana]] from ''Series/KamenRider''.

* '''[[Creator/{{Bethesda}} Bethesda Game Studios]]'''[='=] resume consists of two popular franchises, ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' and ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'', and little else. Granted, within each series there are multiple commercially and critically successful games, but they've had comparatively little success venturing outside of those franchises. In fact, the PinballSpinoff ''[[VideoGame/ZenPinball Bethesda Pinball]]'' has three tables, two based on these franchises and [[VideoGame/DoomZenStudios one]] based on ''VideoGame/Doom2016'', which they only published.
* Creator/DoubleHelixGames developed the acclaimed ''VideoGame/KillerInstinct2013'' and the well-received ''VideoGame/Strider2014'' games, and promptly never made another hit game again due to being acquired by Amazon.
* Tomonobu Itagaki of [[Creator/KoeiTecmo Team Ninja]] fame has only had two big successes in his video game career: creating ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'' and reviving ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden''. After he left Team Ninja, the only noteworthy game he ended up releasing was ''VideoGame/DevilsThird'', but for all the wrong reasons. Averted with Team Ninja themselves, who went onto develop ''VideoGame/{{Nioh}}'' and ''VideoGame/Nioh2'', ''VideoGame/StrangerOfParadiseFinalFantasyOrigin'', and ''VideoGame/WoLongFallenDynasty''.

* Creator/{{Sega}} as a hardware manufacturer; the UsefulNotes/SegaMasterSystem couldn't topple the NES in Japan or North America, but found audiences in Europe, Oceania, South America, and South Korea. It was then followed up on by the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis, which was a big enough hit to turn Sega into Creator/{{Nintendo}}'s biggest rival at the time. However, the back-to-back failures of the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn and UsefulNotes/{{Dreamcast}} resulted in Sega pulling out of the hardware business for good.
* Creator/SiliconKnights: Of the games developed by Silicon Knights, the only two bona fide hits they had are ''VideoGame/BloodOmenLegacyOfKain'' and ''VideoGame/EternalDarkness''. ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid: The Twin Snakes'' tends to be stuck in the shadow of the original game, ''VideoGame/TooHuman'' and ''VideoGame/XMenDestiny'' were CreatorKiller[=s=], and every other game they made has been forgotten.

* '''Milton Bradley''' is a board game company and a long time rival ([[EnemyMine now sister company]]) of ''Parker Brothers''. Like their competitor, they were also visible in the video game scene, but only known there for releasing the ''Vectrex'', a very popular homebrew console, and for publishing ''Abadox'' in the US, which is a 2-D shooter that quite often gets mentioned when people talk about the best 2-D shooters on the NES.

* Canadian singer '''Tory Lanez''' had only two top 40 hits with “Say It” and “LUV”, both of which came in 2016.

* '''Creator/HilarySwank''' won two Best Actress Oscars for ''Film/BoysDontCry'' and ''Film/MillionDollarBaby'', while the rest of her career is mostly forgettable.

* '''Joe Jackson''' (not to be confused with the [[Music/TheJacksonFive Jackson family]] patriarch) had a few hits in his career, but the only two that are still remembered today are 1979's "Is She Really Going Out With Him?" and 1982' "Steppin' Out".

* '''Creator/BrookeShields''' is only known for playing [[Film/PrettyBaby an underage prostitute in 1917 New Orleans]] and [[Film/TheBlueLagoon1980 Emmeline Lestrange]]. If a third is mentioned, is the lead role in ''Series/SuddenlySusan''.

* '''Matthew Davis''' is Warner from Legally Blonde and Alaric from The Vampire Diaries.

* '''Creator/DavidHasselhoff''' is primarily known for two iconic roles, the eponymous Michael Knight in ''Series/KnightRider'' and Mitch Buchannon in the ''Series/{{Baywatch}}'' series. If a third is mentioned, it is usually his role as Snapper Foster in ''Series/TheYoungAndTheRestless'', which was ironically what The Hoff himself considers as his first breakout role, or his cameo as himself in ''WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobSquarePantsMovie''.

* '''Creator/JakeLloyd''' was a child actor who had small roles in ''Series/{{ER}}'' and ''Series/ThePretender'' and a starring role in the critically panned ''Film/JingleAllTheWay'' -- which was his biggest claim to fame. Then Creator/GeorgeLucas picked him to portray young Anakin Skywalker in ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'', giving him another. The negative reaction of his performance caused him to only appear in one more film (a 2001 film called ''Madison'') before retiring from acting.