29 Years Ago, 'Buffy's Worst Episode Ever Paved the Way for TV Greatness

Part of why the streaming model of TV is flawed is that so many shows get canceled after just one short season. If that had always been the policy, we wouldn't have gotten most of the classics of television, as every show usually needs at least a few episodes to work out its early kinks. This process is sometimes referred to as "growing the beard," a reference to Star Trek: The Next Generation, which only got good once William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) stopped showing up to work clean-shaven. (That was probably a coincidence.)