History Main / Sequelitis

* ''WebVideo/TheHappyVideoGameNerd'': Invoked: Two of three of his negative reviews were sequels to games that he loves. He's also spoken poorly of several other sequels.

* ''ComicBook/TheUltimates'' first two arcs, written by Creator/MarkMillar, were very well received, for its reinvention of ''ComicBook/TheAvengers'' and its deconstruction of the superhero genre. Both stories neatly resolve all the subplots in them. But then Jeph Loeb wrote ''The Ultimates 3'' with a sudden genre shift to the worst vices of UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks, and the reception fell off a cliff.

* Discussed in ''WebAnimation/{{HFIL}}'', in which the only movies allowed in the titular HFIL are movies of this nature. While returning a copy of ''Film/{{Caddyshack}} II'', Cell muses that that must mean ''Film/RoboCop2'' is good, since it's not allowed. TheStinger for Episode 8 is a conversation between him and King Cold about which ''Franchise/DieHard'' films were approved or not, and discussing whether they deserved to be or not.

* In any movie trilogy, [[TrilogyCreep a fourth installment is a bad omen]], especially when the trilogy not only managed to have three decent or even great movies, but also a sense of closure where a fourth movie feels like a square peg in a round hole, fourth movies do better when they are advertised as some sort of spin-off, not really trying to continue after the finished storyline of the trilogy, and don't have the number 4 in the title.

* {{Parodied|Trope}} by Creator/EddieIzzard when discussing the Pope:

* ''ComicBook/{{Civil War|2006}}'' is a controversial event thanks to some some ''very'' inconsistent political strawmanning, but it's somewhat VindicatedByHistory because it gave the Marvel Universe ''itself'' something of a story arc, with ''Civil War'' kicking off a saga that led into the darker ''ComicBook/SecretInvasion'' and ''ComicBook/DarkReign'', followed by a triumphant return in ''ComicBook/{{Siege}}'' and ''The Heroic Age''. That and it didn't actually derail many books for long, and some of the tie-ins and consequences from the run are very well-liked, such as the death of Captain America. ''ComicBook/CivilWarII'', on the other hand... it's ''never'' talked about fondly. It made everyone unlikeable, set up ''more'' ill-received stories such as Riri Williams' turn as Iron Man, Amadeus Cho's turn as the Hulk and ''ComicBook/InhumansVsXMen'', and was so bad that it's considered directly responsible for a ''huge'' AudienceAlienatingEra that took two years to end.

* The first ''WesternAnimation/Shrek1'' movie was a hit. ''WesternAnimation/Shrek2'' grossed almost twice as highly and is considered by many to be [[EvenBetterSequel even better]]. ''WesternAnimation/ShrekTheThird'' is more polarizing in comparison and muddied up Creator/DreamWorksAnimation's plans for a 5-film series (though they're still hoping for the 5th one). Consensus on ''WesternAnimation/ShrekForeverAfter'' is that it's at least far better than the third. The irony of all this is that it was always intended to mock Disney for churning out sequels to their tired old proprieties and making everything more saccharine with each installment.

* The first ''WesternAnimation/IceAge'' has a respectable Rotten Tomatoes score of 77%. The [[WesternAnimation/IceAgeTheMeltdown first sequel]] got a mediocre 57% (though it has since become a CultClassic), and it just went down from there (46%, 38%, and 16%; the last of these, ''[[WesternAnimation/IceAgeCollisionCourse Collision Course]]'', is considered one of the worst films of 2016 and is the first ''Ice Age'' movie to get WebVideo/AniMat's "Seal of Garbage", and [[BoxOfficeBomb bombed in the domestic box office]] in the 2016 Summer Bomb Buster). Although once Disney shut down Creator/BlueSkyStudios and made ''Westernanimation/TheIceAgeAdventuresOfBuckWild'' for Disney+, it was widely considered a new lower point - the only thing better than ''Collision Course'' was its Tomatometer, a still dismal 22% (and based on a much smaller pool of 32 reviews compared to over a hundred from the fifth film), as viewers couldn't get behind the low production values and shoddy animation, the absence of [[EnsembleDarkhorse Scrat]], Creator/SimonPegg being the only returning cast member, and a very weak script (for starters, Buck is in the title but [[SpotlightStealingSquad most of the focus is on]] [[TheScrappy the much less popular duo Crash and Eddie]], which is a big reason why [=AniMat=] gave it an even worse review than ''Collision Course'').

* Almost all of the ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'' [[WesternAnimation/TomAndJerryDirectToVideoFilmSeries DTV movies]]. The first four movies (''[[WesternAnimation/TomAndJerryTheMagicRing Tom and Jerry and the Magic Ring]]'', ''[[WesternAnimation/TomAndJerryBlastOffToMars Blast Off to Mars]]'', ''[[WesternAnimation/TomAndJerryTheFastAndTheFurry The Fast and the Furry]]'', and ''[[WesternAnimation/TomAndJerryShiverMeWhiskers Shiver Me Whiskers]]'') are considered good though not exceptional, and the fifth (''[[WesternAnimation/TomAndJerryANutcrackerTale A Nutcracker Tale]]'') is... polarizing. The rest are despised, mocked within an inch of their lives, or both. Each successive movie consists of any PublicDomainCharacter or movie within the writers' reach being given a {{shot for shot|Remake}} animated remake, occasionally interrupted by Tom and Jerry engaging in their usual antics to pad the runtime. ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerryWillyWonkaAndTheChocolateFactory'' attracts particular vitriol, as not only are large portions of the script and blocking lifted wholesale from [[Film/WillyWonkaAndTheChocolateFactory the original movie]], there were accusations that it was rushed through production--or worse, only exists--to capitalize on Creator/GeneWilder's death.[[note]][[AshcanCopy It was actually made in a bid to extend Warner Bros.'s film license]] for ''Literature/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory''. Didn't work--the movie was such a critical and commercial flop that the Creator/RoaldDahl estate yanked the rights away from them.[[/note]]

** ''WesternAnimation/AllGrownUp'' is this to [[WesternAnimation/Rugrats1991 the original 1991 series]], due to being a rather generic SliceOfLife show that suffers badly from MostWritersAreAdults, when the original had a fairly unique premise. Plus, even fans disliked the second season.

* The ''Anime/EurekaSeven'' fandom was [[ContestedSequel divided]] on the subject of ''Anime/EurekaSevenAO'' from its announcement. As the series progressed, barring brief moments of hope, fan outlook grew increasingly bleak, with the ending (and even a few of the plot threads) provoking cries of FanonDiscontinuity. It hardly helped that it contradicted many of the themes of the original series, particularly [[spoiler:the ability of humans and Coralians to coexist]]. That last one was enough to spark the "[[BigBad Dewey]] [[TheExtremistWasRight was right!]]" fandom meme.

** In hindsight, this seemed more accredited to either season not following upon the novel storylines (not even reaching the point where [[spoiler:Gourry finds the Blast Sword]]), and instead simply repeating the first series in reverse. Otherwise, ''Slayers'' fans had been demanding a follow-up for quite some time, partly for the aforementioned and partly to alleviate the mediocrity that was ''Slayers Try''. Another contributing factor was the fifth season having the fan-desired between Lina's OVA companion Naga and her TV companions, which include Naga's long-estranged sister Amelia, in a way that completely missed the point as to why the fans wanted it: between Naga being stuck in a different body and her having temporary amnesia, she didn't recognize her sister or old travelling companion, and they didn't recognize her, meaning that Naga's role could literally have been taken by anyone without any impact on the plot.

* ''ComicBook/SecretWars1984'' was, and is, widely regarded as ''the'' classic Marvel CrisisCrossover, and one that's [[UnbuiltTrope held up very well since.]] ''ComicBook/SecretWarsII'', on the other hand, usually gets the response of "There was a second one?" Of course, it's hard to blame one for forgetting; a sequel to one of the most action-packed books in Marvel's history where a lengthy scene is devoted to the main villain learning how to use the bathroom was never going to go down well, and the considerably worse writing (better suited to a Creator/JimCarrey comedy than a superhero event book) did it no favors. The biggest weakness was that it tried to make the story about the Beyonder, whom most readers didn't find very interesting the first time around, and assumed that readers cared about seeing his story resolved when they mostly saw him as a plot device.

* Even more than the film examples, ''Franchise/StarTrek'' suffered this in its series. ''[[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries The Original Series]]'' was considered an uneven novelty, a series that was either teeth-grating crap or the very pinnacle of science-fiction, depending on the given episode. ''[[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration The Next Generation]]'' has been formally recognized as being among the top 100 shows ever made and a crowning achievement of television. Paramount came down with Sequelitis, commissioning '''three''' follow-up series (''[[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Deep Space Nine]]'', ''[[Series/StarTrekVoyager Voyager]]'', and even a prequel in ''[[Series/StarTrekEnterprise Enterprise]]''). The critical reception deteriorated with each successive series, along with the ratings (though a few preferred ''[=DS9=]'' in later years). The last one made it to four seasons, the fourth one only made so that the series could be syndicated, and not end up a total failure. Although the jury is still out on ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' (set between ''Enterprise'' and ''The Original Series''), the general fan consensus seems to be that it's a good show in its own right, but the DarkerAndEdgier serial plotline and somewhat forced "mature" tone are a poor fit for ''Trek''. ''Series/StarTrekPicard'', a sequel to ''The Next Generation'' (including the movies... and [[Film/StarTrek2009 the film that started the Kelvin Timeline]]) is also a divisive affair due to its DarkerAndEdgier approach. As a matter of fact, the {{Trope Namer|s}} is Justin B. Rye’s [[http://jbr.me.uk/trek/3.html critical essay]] on the franchise, from all the way back in 1993. (The same essay also named OneShotRevisionism.)

* The musical ''Theatre/{{Annie}}'' similarly had a sequel written by the same authors (including composer Charles Strouse, who had also done ''Bye Bye Birdie'' and ''Bring Back Birdie'', though lyricist Martin Charnin seems to have been the ringleader in this scheme), with several of the older members of the original cast reprising their roles. In the implausible plot of ''Annie 2: Miss Hannigan's Revenge'', Daddy Warbucks was ordered to find a mother for Annie, which provided the opportunity for Miss Hannigan's scheme (conceived with a good deal of MotiveDecay) to first become Warbucks's wife and then a widow without any dependents. When the eagerly awaited show had its pre-Broadway opening in Washington, D.C. in January 1990, audiences were stunned at how unfunny the show was. Massive rewrites ensued, and continued in earnest even after the show's Broadway booking was canceled and several star actors dropped out, including Dorothy Loudon as Miss Hannigan. Miss Hannigan was ultimately written out in favor of a SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute (though the plot remained mostly the same), and the authors' desperate efforts to get their show into New York finally resulted in its opening off-Broadway in 1993, as ''Annie Warbucks''. Critics recognized the show as an unnecessary sequel, and it failed to catch on with audiences.

* ''WesternAnimation/PinkyAndTheBrain'' was doing just fine on its own, so no one knows quite why ExecutiveMeddling decided to force the addition of [[WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures Elmyra]] into the show (especially considering a previous episode had made it abundantly clear that a third main character would be basically useless). The resultant ReTool, ''WesternAnimation/PinkyElmyraAndTheBrain'', had a few bright spots, but for the most part was enjoyed by neither viewing audiences nor [[CreatorBacklash those working on the show]], to the point of that it was [[CanonDiscontinuity pointedly established as non-canon]] early on in ''WesternAnimation/Animaniacs2020''.

* Some of Creator/DonBluth's other animated films have also been hit with Sequelitis: there are sequels for ''WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTail'', ''WesternAnimation/AllDogsGoToHeaven'' (both of which also got a TV series), and ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfNIMH''. ''WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTailFievelGoesWest'', though LighterAndSofter than the original, is actually considered a quality follow-up due to a higher budget theatrical release. ''WesternAnimation/AllDogsGoToHeaven2'' is also considered a fairly solid sequel, even with the rampant TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot. ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfNIMH2TimmyToTheRescue'' on the other hand is considered terrible by almost every fan of the original. Note, however, that Bluth was not involved with any of these sequels. The only sequels he was ever actually involved with making were the video game ''[[VideoGame/DragonsLair Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp]]'' and the ''WesternAnimation/{{Anastasia}}'' direct-to-DVD sequel ''WesternAnimation/BartokTheMagnificent'', which although not hugely popular, has fared better than some sequels to his films. Incidentally, [[WhatCouldHaveBeen Bluth was originally to have been involved in the other aforementioned sequels,]] but had to turn it down to due to heavy development on his own projects at the time.

* Some of Creator/DonBluth's other animated films have also been hit with Sequelitis: there are sequels for ''WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTail'', ''WesternAnimation/AllDogsGoToHeaven'' (both of which also got a TV series), and ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfNIMH''. ''WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTailFievelGoesWest'', though LighterAndSofter than the original, is actually considered a quality follow-up due to a higher budget theatrical release. ''WesternAnimation/AllDogsGoToHeaven2'' is also considered a fairly solid sequel, even with the rampant TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot. ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfNIMH2TimmyToTheRescue'' on the other hand is considered terrible by practically all fans of the original. Note, however, that Bluth was not involved with any of these sequels. The only sequels he was ever actually involved with making were the video game ''[[VideoGame/DragonsLair Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp]]'' and the ''WesternAnimation/{{Anastasia}}'' direct-to-DVD sequel ''WesternAnimation/BartokTheMagnificent'', which although not hugely popular, has fared better than some sequels to his films. Incidentally, [[WhatCouldHaveBeen Bluth was originally to have been involved in the other aforementioned sequels,]] but had to turn it down to due to heavy development on his own projects at the time.

* ''ComicBook/ThePunisher'' suffered from this. He did fine when he started out as an occasional guest star in Franchise/SpiderMan's comics and did okay when he debuted in his own limited series, and then ongoing series. Unfortunately, when he became more popular and Marvel started to star him in ''Punisher War Journal'' and ''Punisher War Zone'', fans started to see what a one-dimensional character he was. In 1995, all three of his comics were canceled due to poor sales; he did gain some popularity back in 2000 as part of the Marvel Knights line, and then ''much'' more popularity from the MAX line.

* The [[TheOtherDarrin recasting]] of returning characters with a cheap batch of B-list actors (and not ''just'' those formerly played by child actors who are now too old, or big-name stars now busy elsewhere).

* The ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe'' films exhibit a downplayed example. All three (five counting the ''WesternAnimation/{{Minions}}'' spinoffs) were box-office successes, but it's generally agreed that the first one is the best and that the sequels, although entertaining in their own right, don't really bring anything new to the table. It's probably not a coincidence that this dip in quality coincides with the [[AdorableEvilMinions Minions']] rise in popularity, moving from [[EnsembleDarkHorse amusing side characters]] to [[BreakoutCharacter having their own subplot]] to [[CreatorsPet receiving more attention and focus]] than the ''actual main character of the series'', ''especially'' in advertising. The Website/RottenTomatoes scores for the films corroborate this--although all of the movies except for the first ''Minions'' have Fresh ratings, the score dips lower for each successive installment.

* The first ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'' movie was a hit. ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek 2}}'' grossed almost twice as highly and is considered by many to be [[EvenBetterSequel even better]]. ''WesternAnimation/ShrekTheThird'' is more polarizing in comparison and muddied up Creator/DreamWorksAnimation's plans for a 5-film series (though they're still hoping for the 5th one). Consensus on ''WesternAnimation/ShrekForeverAfter'' is that it's at least far better than the third. The irony of all this is that it was always intended to mock Disney for churning out sequels to their tired old proprieties and making everything more saccharine with each installment.

* ''WesternAnimation/AllGrownUp'' is this to ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'', due to being a rather generic SliceOfLife show that suffers badly from MostWritersAreAdults, when the original had a fairly unique premise. Plus, even fans disliked the second season.

* ''ComicBook/CivilWar'' is a controversial event thanks to some some ''very'' inconsistent political strawmanning, but it's somewhat VindicatedByHistory because it gave the Marvel Universe ''itself'' something of a story arc, with ''Civil War'' kicking off a saga that led into the darker ''ComicBook/SecretInvasion'' and ''ComicBook/DarkReign'', followed by a triumphant return in ''ComicBook/{{Siege}}'' and ''The Heroic Age''. That and it didn't actually derail many books for long, and some of the tie-ins and consequences from the run are very well-liked, such as the death of Captain America. ''ComicBook/CivilWarII'', on the other hand... it's ''never'' talked about fondly. It made everyone unlikeable, set up ''more'' ill-received stories such as Riri Williams' turn as Iron Man, Amadeus Cho's turn as the Hulk and ''ComicBook/InhumansVsXMen'', and was so bad that it's considered directly responsible for a ''huge'' AudienceAlienatingEra that took two years to end.

* The ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe'' films exhibit a downplayed example. All three (four counting ''WesternAnimation/{{Minions}}'') were box-office successes, but it's generally agreed that the first one is the best and that the sequels, although entertaining in their own right, don't really bring anything new to the table. It's probably not a coincidence that this dip in quality coincides with the [[AdorableEvilMinions Minions']] rise in popularity, moving from [[EnsembleDarkHorse amusing side characters]] to [[BreakoutCharacter having their own subplot]] to [[CreatorsPet receiving more attention and focus]] than the ''actual main character of the series'', ''especially'' in advertising. The Website/RottenTomatoes scores for the films corroborate this--although all of the movies except for ''Minions'' have Fresh ratings, the score dips lower for each successive installment.

The inverse tropes are SurprisinglyImprovedSequel (a good sequel to a mediocre or terrible work) and EvenBetterSequel (an awesome sequel to a good original work). Compare ContestedSequel (when there is considerable division about the sequel's quality), InNameOnly (when a sequel is strangely divergent from its predecessor), VillainBasedFranchise (when a sequel retains the monster or villain but features none of the original heroes) and CapcomSequelStagnation (Where it's the ''same'' game, with minor tweaks and additions, re-released over and over like string of mediocre sequels). Can be caused by a poor choice in SequelEscalation, and lead up to FranchiseZombie if a sequel that should have been a FranchiseKiller doesn't destroy the series. Backlash against sequels has made many reviewers {{Sequelphobic}}. Some fans treat such sequels with FanonDiscontinuity. See also SophomoreSlump, TheProblemWithLicensedGames, and SeasonalRot. For TV series, this can sometimes be a result of a PostScriptSeason. The reason why SequelSnark and RidiculousFutureSequelisation became common jokes. And, of course, ''any and all'' of this can happen just as easily with {{Prequel}}s.

* This is the general consensus of ''WesternAnimation/PlanetSheen'', the spinoff-sequel to ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutronBoyGenius.'' How, you wonder? They removed almost everything from the original, focused on a character who was tolerated at best, flanderized him to make him even less popular, and went from somewhat realistic to bizarre. Also suffers from FanonDiscontinuity.