History Main / EvenBetterSequel

* It's not an uncommon opinion that the prequel series, ''Series/BetterCallSaul'', is actually better than ''Series/BreakingBad'', which is no small accomplishment considering ''Breaking Bad'' is widely considered a television masterpiece, although it's also a common opinion that ''Better Call Saul'' is "merely" just as good. Fans will point to its memorable EnsembleCast, further development of secondary characters in ''Breaking Bad'', and the argument that Jimmy/Saul is a more poignant and likable protagonist whose moral fallings are more complex than Walt's, and thus has a more pathos-filled {{Tragedy}}. Since it's conclusion, it has seen comparisons to the above mentioned ''Film/TheGodfather Part II'', as a work that follows up a medium-defining masterpiece and is, against all initial expectations, almost universally seen as equal, if not better.

* It's not an uncommon opinion that the prequel series, ''Series/BetterCallSaul'', is actually better than ''Series/BreakingBad'', which is no small accomplishment considering ''Breaking Bad'' is widely considered a television masterpiece, although it's also a common opinion that ''Better Call Saul'' is "merely" just as good. Fans will point to its memorable EnsembleCast, further development of secondary characters in ''Breaking Bad'', and the argument that Jimmy/Saul is a more poignant and likable protagonist whose moral fallings are more complex than Walt's. Since it's conclusion, it has seen comparisons to the above mentioned ''Film/TheGodfather Part II'', as a work that follows up a medium-defining masterpiece and is, against all initial expectations, almost universally seen as equal, if not better.

* It's not an uncommon opinion that the prequel series, ''Series/BetterCallSaul'', is actually better than ''Series/BreakingBad'', which is no small accomplishment considering ''Breaking Bad'' is widely considered a television masterpiece, although it's also a common opinion that ''Better Call Saul'' is "merely" just as good. Fans will point to its memorable EnsembleCast, further development of secondary characters in ''Breaking Bad'', and the argument that Jimmy/Saul is a more poignant and likable protagonist whose moral fallings are more complex than Walt's. Since it's conclusion, it has seen comparisons to the above mentioned ''Film/TheGodfather Part II'', as a work that follows up a masterpiece and is, against all initial expectations, almost universally seen as equal, if not better.

* It's not an uncommon opinion that the prequel series, ''Series/BetterCallSaul'', is actually better than ''Series/BreakingBad'', which is no small accomplishment considering ''Breaking Bad'' is widely considered a television masterpiece, although it's also a common opinion that ''Better Call Saul'' is "merely" just as good. Fans will point to its memorable EnsembleCast, further development of secondary characters in ''Breaking Bad'', and the argument that Jimmy/Saul is a more poignant and likable protagonist whose moral fallings are more complex than Walt's. Since it's conclusion, it has seen comparisons to the above mentioned ''Film/TheGodfather Part II'', as a work that follows up a masterpiece and is, against all odds, almost universally seen as equal, if not better.

* It's not an uncommon opinion that the prequel series, ''Series/BetterCallSaul'', is actually better than ''Series/BreakingBad'', which is no small accomplishment considering ''Breaking Bad'' is widely considered a television masterpiece, although it's also a common opinion that ''Better Call Saul'' is "merely" just as good. Fans will point to its memorable EnsembleCast, further development of secondary characters in ''Breaking Bad'', and the argument that Jimmy/Saul is a more poignant and likable protagonist whose moral fallings are more complex than Walt's. Since it's conclusion, it has seen comparisons to the above mentioned ''Film/TheGodfather Part II'', as a work that follows up a masterpiece and is almost universally seen as equal, if not better.

* It's not an uncommon opinion that the prequel series, ''Series/BetterCallSaul'', is actually better than ''Series/BreakingBad'', which is no small accomplishment considering ''Breaking Bad'' is widely considered a television masterpiece, although it's also a common opinion that ''Better Call Saul'' is "merely" just as good. Fans will point to its memorable EnsembleCast, further development of secondary characters in ''Breaking Bad'', and the argument that Jimmy/Saul is a more poignant and likeable protagonist whose moral fallings are more complex than Walt's.

** ''Sap'' was the first of their two acoustic EPs, and it had several brilliant songs on it. ''Jar of Flies" just happened to be even better in every way, bringing in a more diverse sound and making it sound more wistful and folksy, while still having the bands signatures.

** ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'' is generally considered the best of the prequels, although some claim that's more on the previous two's faults than the film's own merits.
* Although more of a soft reboot, still ''Film/TheSuicideSquad'' was ''much'' better recieved than its predecessor ''Film/SuicideSquad''.

* ''Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheFellowshipOfTheRing'' [[AndYouThoughtItWouldFail blew away all expectations]] and forever [[GenreTurningPoint set the bar]] for what an epic HighFantasy film would look like. ''Film/TheTwoTowers'' took everything that worked in the original film and cranked it way up, with better pacing, expanding the supporting cast while simultaneously giving the others more time to shine, and providing some of the most iconic moments in the whole series (the return of Gandalf the White, the [[BigBadassBattleSequence Battle of Helm's Deep]]], Sam's lump-in-the-throat-inducing climactic speech to Frodo, and the march of the Ents on Isengard, among ''many'', many others. A significant number of fans now consider it to be the best film in the trilogy (although its own followup, ''[[Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheReturnOfTheKing The Return of the King]]'' was no slouch itself, breaking box-office records all over the place and tying for a record-breaking 11 Academy Awards.)[[note]]Okay, [[DividedForPublication so the second and third installments are technically not "sequels"]], but in terms of critical/audience reception and box office, they fit the bill.[[/note]]

* Music/{{Coldplay}}'s debut, ''Parachutes'', got some acclaim. But the follow-up ''A Rush of Blood to the Head'' sold better.

* Music/WeirdAlYankovic had a self-titled debut album with parodies that included Toni Basil and Queen, but his second album, ''In 3D'', with his parody of MJ, made him a household name.

* While the original ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'' performed badly on its original run (in fact, it was cancelled due to falling ratings... but became a smash hit on reruns, go figure), six years later, ''Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam'' was so popular that it spawned a direct sequel just two weeks after it was completed -- a feat yet unsurpassed by any other Gundam installment. To this day, many Gundam fans consider ''Zeta'' the best entry in the saga.

* Music/PinkFloyd. There are many Floyd fans that not only hold ''Music/TheDarkSideOfTheMoon'' as a classic in its own right but also believe the following album, ''Music/WishYouWereHere'', is even better still. At least 2 of the Floyd members, David Gilmour and Richard Wright, believe ''Wish You Were Here'' is the best Floyd album.

* The second season of ''Series/TheMole'' is generally liked better by the viewers than the first season due to an increase in cast size (fourteen players over ten players), a more or less superior cast, and host Anderson Cooper opening up and becoming more friendly and relatable than how he was shown during Season One.

* ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess'' was also a spinoff but was easily more popular than ''Series/HerculesTheLegendaryJourneys'', no doubt due to the obscene levels of [[LesYay implied lesbianism.]] It was also much more willing to be experimental in its stories, and considering how different Hercules could be, that's saying something. Though Xena did suffer from one of the worst cases of SeasonalRot ever so ''improved'' might not be a completely accurate statement. Considering that Hercules was much better at being consistently good Xena may be the only example of a show being a SurprisinglyImprovedSequel AND an example of {{Sequelitis}}.

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* While the SpiritualSequel ''Roleplay/NanQuest'' is less popular overall than ''Roleplay/RubyQuest'', due to both to it [[ToughActToFollow following a massive success]] and [[ScheduleSlip how long it took to finish]], the general consensus is that it's a better work overall. The story is tighter, characters are deeper, and it has a much larger sense of lore and backstory overall.

* ''[[LightNovel/VampireHunterD Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust]]'' (2000) got better reviews than the original ''Vampire Hunter D'' (1985), and is generally considered to be an improvement.

* Music/{{Daft Punk}}'s ''Music/{{Discovery}}'' is widely considered better than the already genre-defining ''Music/{{Homework}}''. Also, after the ContestedSequel ''Human After All'' and decently-received score for ''Film/TronLegacy'', their long-delayed fourth album ''Music/RandomAccessMemories'' has become the robot duo's most critically acclaimed and commercially successful one, mostly due to them trying something new, with its GenreThrowback nature and large-scale production.

* Some consider ''WesternAnimation/HotelTransylvania3SummerVacation'' to be the best of the franchise because of its colorful animation and reduced reliance on potty humor. This is due to Genndy Tartakovsky having more creative control over this film than it’s predecessors.

* Although ''Film/TheAddamsFamily'' was very well recieved critically and financially, is often accepted that its sequel ''Film/AddamsFamilyValues'' is even better specially regarding plot and script.

* Albeit ''Film/{{Blade}}'' is not generally considered a bad film, it was also disregarded as just an "action flick" by many critics. But Creator/GuillermoDelToro's ''Film/BladeII'' is regarded as an improvement from the first for the more harsh critics of the franchise and --by far-- the best of the trilogy (especially in comparison to the third movie) for the fans and the more benevolent critics. It's also considered one of Del Toro's more memorable works (which is say a lot).

* ''Literature/TheGrishaTrilogy'' is a well-received and commercially successful YA novel. It's sequel/SpinOff, ''Literature/SixOfCrows'', however, is largely considered an improvement in all fronts, with a bit more action and well-developed characters. The second book of the duology, ''Crooked Kingdom'', is considered still an improvement over the first, with deeper character, bolder schemes, and even more action.

** Although not a hard rule, it's often seen that a beloved ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' season will be a sub-par ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' season while a sub-par Sentai will be seen as a superior Power Ranger Series. This is mostly due to the fact that Power Rangers benefits from having knowledge of what the response to the story in Japan is as well as the reaction and can change the plot to better fit American tastes if needed. Consider, for example, ''Series/PowerRangersRPM'' which was well recieved by U.S. Fans for being a good natured jab at the franchise as a whole, and tossed out the interdimensional storyline from it's mediocre Japanese plot to instead tell a story that is basically Terminator's Robot War settings, vs. ''Series/PowerRangersSamurai'' which was widely disliked in the States, despite being similar in story line to it Japanese counterpart, which was widely praised by Japanese and U.S. Fans alike.

Compare SequelDisplacement, SequelEscalation, MorePopularSpinoff. Contrast ContestedSequel, {{Sequelitis}}, SophomoreSlump.

* ''Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheFellowshipOfTheRing'' [[AndYouThoughtItWouldFail blew away all expectations]] and forever [[GenreTurningPoint set the bar]] for what an epic HighFantasy film would look like. ''Film/TheTwoTowers'' took everything that worked in the original film and cranked it way up, with better pacing, expanding the supporting cast while simultaneously giving the others more time to shine, and providing some of the most iconic moments in the whole series (the return of Gandalf the White, the [[BigBadassBattleSequence Battle of Helm's Deep]]], Sam's lump-in-the-throat-inducing climactic speech to Frodo, and the march of the Ents on Isengard, among ''many'', many others. A significant number of fans now consider it to be the best film in the trilogy (although its own followup, ''[[Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheReturnOfTheKing The Return of the King]]'' was no slouch itself, breaking box-office records all over the place and tying for a record-breaking 11 Academy Awards.)

* The original ''Film/{{Gremlins}}'' movie is regarded as a classic '80s horror-comedy, even if it feels [[Main/SeinfeldIsUnfunny cliché by today's standards]] to some. Warner Brothers had tried to make a Gremlins sequel for years with no success before finally re-hiring director Joe Dante to helm it, which he did on the condition that he had final authority on the film's content. The result was 1990's ''Film/Gremlins2TheNewBatch'', which cranked the satire and metahumour Main/UpToEleven by mocking the very concept of movie sequels and taking a sledgehammer to the Fourth Wall.

** Her ''third'' album has managed to pull this off ''again''. Successfully combining the best elements of the first two. Oh, and it's a ''[[UpToEleven triple album]]''.

** On the original franchise both ''Film/EscapeFromThePlanetOfTheApes'' and ''Film/ConquestOfThePlanetOfTheApes'' are often seen as superior film to the original and especially the second film.

** Her ''third'' album has managed to pull this off ''again''. Successfully combining the best elements of the first two. Oh, and it's a ''[[UpToEleven triple album]]''

* Music/{{TLC}}'s first album "Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip" was a bonafide success with three top ten hits and was certified quadruple platinum, though critics thought the group would be a one-shot. Their second album ''CrazySexyCool'' was released to universal acclaim, spawned the group's first number one singles, won two Grammys, and earned Diamond certification making it the best-selling album ever by a female group.

** Their debut album ''Facelift'' is very well regarded, and delivered one of the band's biggest SignatureSongs, but it wasn't until ''Dirt'' that they found their sound. ''Facelift'', while good, was a little too heavy on the glam influences. ''Dirt'' however is often considered one of the best metal albums of 90s. This was made possible by making the album seriously DarkerAndEdgier, bringing in elements of DoomMetal and writing lyrics more about drug addiction, depression, and failed relationships. It's the album most people think of when they think of the band

* Grant Morrison's ''ComicBook/NewXMen'' revitalized the X-Men and was largely praised by critics and fans, even after it hit some skids towards its end due to ExecutiveMeddling. It was followed by Joss Whedon's ''ComicBook/AstonishingXMen'' which was even more critically acclaimed, single-handedly rescued the X-Books from the DorkAge brought about by ''ComicBook/HouseOfM'', and avoided the meddling that Morrison's run encountered.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheRescuersDownUnder'' is often considered to be better paced, better written, and in general a better movie to the original ''WesternAnimation/TheRescuers'', [[BrokenBase though there is still some debate within the fandom about that]].

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Metalocalypse}}'' did very well with ratings for Creator/AdultSwim, but it started out trying to show as much {{Gorn}} as possible. Season 1 gave us the most terrifying image in existence, the end of "Dethkids." Season 2 was better, establishing continuity. Season 3 is even better, presenting the band in a more realistic light (they're in their DorkAge), and it's 22 minutes long instead of another QuarterHourShort. It also has been light on the Gorn (so far), the first two episodes being rated MA instead of the usual MA-V.

** Fans going off the music alone are not unheard of to find ''The Marshall Mathers LP 2'' a better album than the original, especially when it first came out -- it has a JerkToNiceGuyPlot Eminem rapping with [[TechnicianVersusPerformer superior technique]], with fewer awkward {{Horrorcore}} experiments, homophobic blowjob skits and forced D12 promotion. However, it has had far less of a social impact than the first album, with its most enduring song ("Rap God") being largely of interest to lyrical hip-hop technical dorks.

** Fans going entirely off the music alone are not unknown to find ''The Marshall Mathers LP 2'' a better album than the original, showcasing a far more likeable Eminem rapping with [[TechnicianVersusPerformer drastically superior technique]], and with fewer awkward {{Horrorcore}} experiments and homophobic blowjob skits. However, it has had far less of a social impact than the first album.