History Main / StarTrekMovieCurse

* By the 1990s, the curse had taken root in the public's mind, and the three ''[[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Next Generation]]'' films released in that decade certainly didn't shake the perception. The seventh (''[[Film/StarTrekGenerations Generations]]'') and ninth (''[[Film/StarTrekInsurrection Insurrection]]'' -- which the crew dubbed "Nine of Ten" in a futile effort to shake off the curse) films are both considered forgettable and lackluster, and ''Generations'' has a fairly sizeable hatedom for {{Trope|Namer}}-Naming "DroppedABridgeOnHim". Only the eighth (''[[Film/StarTrekFirstContact First Contact]]'') is well-loved by fans and critics. The tenth film overall and last ''Next Generation'' film, ''[[Film/StarTrekNemesis Nemesis]]'' broke the pattern by being poorly received.
* The curse was broken in the three movies that followed (''Film/StarTrek2009'', ''Film/StarTrekIntoDarkness'' and ''Film/StarTrekBeyond''), all of which did very well at the box office and moderately well amongst fans and critics, reviving the franchise after ''Nemesis'' and ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise''.

* Music/LLCoolJ: While his first album ''Radio'' is generally considered a solid debut, it was only his sophomore effort ''Bigger and Deffer'' that ascended him to genuine superstardom. His third album, ''Walking with a Panther'', was a major disappointment at the time that saw him defending himself from then-rival Music/KoolMoeDee, but his fourth record ''Mama Said Knock You Out'' marked the high point of his whole career. His fortunes were in danger of falling off once more with the misguided attempt at gangsta rap, ''14 Shots to the Dome'', only for his sixth album ''Mr. Smith'' to solidify his post-''Chronic'' staying power with three top 10 hits. The shiny suit hip hop album ''Phenomenon'' was a mostly mixed affair, while ''G.O.A.T.'' is often considered his last good record. ''10''[[note]]in reality his ninth album, excluding the GreatestHitsAlbum ''All World''[[/note]] was his biggest commercial success since ''Mr. Smith'' but otherwise not well-received by most fans, while ''The [=DEFinition=]'' saw diminishing returns despite two moderate hits. ''Todd Smith'' produced his final major hit "Control Myself", but is otherwise regarded to be one of his worst albums; ''Exit 13'' was slightly better-received, but not a commercial success. His final studio album to date, ''Authentic'', was OvershadowedByControversy due to releasing at the same time as the infamous Brad Paisely duet "Accidental Racist".

** The first film was a mystery like thriler, almost James Bond-esque, with a complex plot inbetween tense action scenes.

* The curse was broken in the three movies that followed (''Film/StarTrek2009'', ''Film/StarTrekIntoDarkness'' and ''Film/StarTrekBeyond''), all of which did very well at the box office and moderately well amongst fans and critics, arguably reviving the franchise after ''Nemesis'' and ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise''.

** ''M:I Rogue Nation'' was arguably the best received since the first film.

* The curse was broken in the three movies that followed (Film/StarTrek2009, Film/StarTrekIntoDarkness & Film/StarTrekBeyond), all of which did very well at the box office and moderately well amongst fans and critics, arguably reviving the franchise after Nemesis and Series/StarTrekEnterprise.

* Before the series entered its late-period AudienceAlienatingEra, the quality of the ''Franchise/FridayThe13th'' movies was all over the place. The [[Film/FridayThe13th1980 first two]] [[Film/FridayThe13thPart2 films]] both enjoy good reputations as '80s slashers despite some EarlyInstallmentWeirdness, though most fans would say that the series didn't [[GrowingTheBeard come into its own]] until the second, which introduced Jason Voorhees as the series' [[VillainBasedFranchise iconic villain]]. [[Film/FridayThe13thPartIII The third]] is remembered as a mess that relied more on its [[Platform/ThreeDMovie gimmicky 3D effects]] than plot, characters, or actors, but the fourth film, titled ''[[Film/FridayThe13thTheFinalChapter The Final Chapter]]'' and intended as a GrandFinale, was a near-perfect distillation of everything the series represented and a film that could've ended the franchise on a high note. The fifth film, ''[[Film/FridayThe13thPartVANewBeginning A New Beginning]]'', is remembered as one of the worst films in the series, with the sleaze cranked up to ridiculous levels and a climatic twist [[spoiler:that the killer [[JackTheRipoff wasn't actually Jason]]]] that infuriated fans, while the sixth film, ''[[Film/FridayThe13thPartVIJasonLives Jason Lives]]'', is remembered as one of the best, as a more self-referential take on the franchise that introduced the most popular RevenantZombie version of Jason. After that, however, the series went through a long stretch of films that ranged from middling to outright bad [[labelnote:In order...]]''[[Film/FridayThe13thPartVIITheNewBlood The New Blood]]'' suffered badly at the hands of [[MediaWatchdog the MPAA]] taking [[{{Bowdlerise}} a machete of its own]] to all the kills, ''[[Film/FridayThe13thPartVIIIJasonTakesManhattan Jason Takes Manhattan]]'' was a gimmicky JustForFun/RecycledInSpace entry, ''[[Film/JasonGoesToHellTheFinalFriday Jason Goes to Hell]]'' was seen as ''Friday'' InNameOnly, and ''Film/JasonX'' was another JustForFun/RecycledInSpace entry.[[/labelnote]] before ''Film/FreddyVsJason'' became the first ''Friday'' in sixteen years to more or less meet the approval of fans. [[Film/FridayThe13th2009 The 2009 remake]] is also regarded as a surprisingly not-terrible AdaptationDistillation, even if it's not as iconic as the earlier films.

* Not counting the spin-offs or upgrades, ''Franchise/{{Tekken}}'' also seems to have this curse, albeit only starting from the third and fourth games -- ''Tekken 2'' was seen as a stark improvement over the original by both players and devs alike, and received its own EvenBetterSequel in the commercially and critically successful ''Tekken 3''. ''VideoGame/Tekken4'' was seen as a fairly weak entry that changed too much (from the gameplay mechanics to the roster count), while ''VideoGame/Tekken5'' reverted many of those changes to wide acclaim. Since then, the following numbered installments have so far alternated in terms of perceived quality, with ''Tekken 6'' being seen as a step down from ''5'' whereas ''VideoGame/Tekken7'' was received much more favorably, going on to become the most commercially successful entry in the series at 10 million copies sold as of December 2022. For the ''Tag Tournament'' [[DreamMatchGame games]], meanwhile, the original was seen as great while the second received a more middling (but still decent) reception.

* Many fans of the ''[[Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet Nightmare on Elm Street]]'' series regard its trajectory this way. [[Film/ANightmareOnElmStreet1984 The first movie]] is a classic, but its sequel ''[[Film/ANightmareOnElmStreetPart2FreddysRevenge Freddy's Revenge]]'' is extremely divisive for the changes it made to the first film's formula, even if its HomoeroticSubtext has earned it an LGBTFanbase over the years and some appreciate it for sticking to pure horror as opposed to the more comedic elements present in the sequels. The next two films are generally well-liked; ''[[Film/ANightmareOnElmStreet3DreamWarriors Dream Warriors]]'' is considered by some fans to be a genuine rival to the original for the title of best in the series, and while ''[[Film/ANightmareOnElmStreet4TheDreamMaster The Dream Master]]'' is regarded as the point where the series' mounting problems really became visible, a large contingent of fans will still defend it as the pinnacle of "Freddy Krueger as pop culture icon". The next two films, ''[[Film/ANightmareOnElmStreet5TheDreamChild The Dream Child]]'' and ''Film/FreddysDeadTheFinalNightmare'', are treated as an AudienceAlienatingEra where the series slid into SelfParody, but the follow-up ''Film/WesCravensNewNightmare'' is regarded as an interesting {{spinoff}} and one of the series' best and scariest films, especially in how many of its [[MetaFiction metatextual ideas]] served as a prototype for ''Film/Scream1996'', while ''Film/FreddyVsJason'' was well-liked (albeit not universally) by fans of both ''Nightmare'' and ''Franchise/FridayThe13th''. The [[Film/ANightmareOnElmStreet2010 2010 reboot]], though... exists.

* Many fans of the ''[[Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet Nightmare on Elm Street]]'' series regard its trajectory this way. [[Film/ANightmareOnElmStreet1984 The first movie]] is a classic, but its sequel ''[[Film/ANightmareOnElmStreetPart2FreddysRevenge Freddy's Revenge]]'' is extremely divisive for the changes it made to the first film's formula, even if its HomoeroticSubtext has earned it an LGBTFanbase over the years. The next two films are generally well-liked; ''[[Film/ANightmareOnElmStreet3DreamWarriors Dream Warriors]]'' is considered by some fans to be a genuine rival to the original for the title of best in the series, and while ''[[Film/ANightmareOnElmStreet4TheDreamMaster The Dream Master]]'' is regarded as the point where the series' mounting problems really became visible, a large contingent of fans will still defend it as the pinnacle of "Freddy Krueger as pop culture icon". The next two films, ''[[Film/ANightmareOnElmStreet5TheDreamChild The Dream Child]]'' and ''Film/FreddysDeadTheFinalNightmare'', are treated as an AudienceAlienatingEra where the series slid into SelfParody, but the follow-up ''Film/WesCravensNewNightmare'' is regarded as an interesting {{spinoff}} and one of the series' best and scariest films, especially in how many of its [[MetaFiction metatextual ideas]] served as a prototype for ''Film/Scream1996'', while ''Film/FreddyVsJason'' was well-liked (albeit not universally) by fans of both ''Nightmare'' and ''Franchise/FridayThe13th''. The [[Film/ANightmareOnElmStreet2010 2010 reboot]], though... exists.

* By the 1990s, the curse had taken root in the public's mind, and the three ''[[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Next Generation]]'' films released in that decade certainly didn't shake the perception. The seventh (''[[Film/StarTrekGenerations Generations]]'') and ninth (''[[Film/StarTrekInsurrection Insurrection]]'' -- which the crew dubbed "Nine of Ten" in a futile effort to shake off the curse) films are both considered forgettable and lackluster, and ''Generations'' has a fairly sizeable hatedom for [[TropeNamer Trope-Naming]] "DroppedABridgeOnHim". Only the eighth (''[[Film/StarTrekFirstContact First Contact]]'') is well-loved by fans and critics. The tenth film overall and last ''Next Generation'' film, ''[[Film/StarTrekNemesis Nemesis]]'' broke the pattern by being poorly received.

* When Creator/{{Paramount}} promoted the 2009 reboot with UsefulNotes/BluRay box sets of older ''Star Trek'' movies, they also provided the option to buy each even-numbered Blu-ray (save ''Nemesis'') by itself, but kept the odd-numbered [=BDs=] and ''Nemesis'' exclusive to the sets. The promotional campaign for ''Film/StarTrekIntoDarkness'' brought forth individual releases for the odd-numbered discs and ''Nemesis'', but their front covers didn't boast any blurbs of critical praise.

* Before the series entered its late-period AudienceAlienatingEra, the quality of the ''Franchise/FridayThe13th'' movies was all over the place. The [[Film/FridayThe13th1980 first two]] [[Film/FridayThe13thPart2 films]] both enjoy good reputations as '80s slashers despite some EarlyInstallmentWeirdness, though most fans would say that the series didn't [[GrowingTheBeard come into its own]] until the second, which introduced Jason Voorhees as the series' [[VillainBasedFranchise iconic villain]]. [[Film/FridayThe13thPartIII The third]] is remembered as a mess that relied more on its [[UsefulNotes/ThreeDMovie gimmicky 3D effects]] than plot, characters, or actors, but the fourth film, titled ''[[Film/FridayThe13thTheFinalChapter The Final Chapter]]'' and intended as a GrandFinale, was a near-perfect distillation of everything the series represented and a film that could've ended the franchise on a high note. The fifth film, ''[[Film/FridayThe13thPartVANewBeginning A New Beginning]]'', is remembered as one of the worst films in the series, with the sleaze cranked up to ridiculous levels and a climatic twist [[spoiler:that the killer [[JackTheRipoff wasn't actually Jason]]]] that infuriated fans, while the sixth film, ''[[Film/FridayThe13thPartVIJasonLives Jason Lives]]'', is remembered as one of the best, as a more self-referential take on the franchise that introduced the most popular RevenantZombie version of Jason. After that, however, the series went through a long stretch of films that ranged from middling to outright bad [[labelnote:In order...]]''[[Film/FridayThe13thPartVIITheNewBlood The New Blood]]'' suffered badly at the hands of [[MediaWatchdog the MPAA]] taking [[{{Bowdlerise}} a machete of its own]] to all the kills, ''[[Film/FridayThe13thPartVIIIJasonTakesManhattan Jason Takes Manhattan]]'' was a gimmicky JustForFun/RecycledInSpace entry, ''[[Film/JasonGoesToHellTheFinalFriday Jason Goes to Hell]]'' was seen as ''Friday'' InNameOnly, and ''Film/JasonX'' was another JustForFun/RecycledInSpace entry.[[/labelnote]] before ''Film/FreddyVsJason'' became the first ''Friday'' in sixteen years to more or less meet the approval of fans. [[Film/FridayThe13th2009 The 2009 remake]] is also regarded as a surprisingly not-terrible AdaptationDistillation, even if it's not as iconic as the earlier films.

* ''Series/{{Fargo}}'' is a weird example, as its first three seasons were well-acclaimed. However, the odd-numbered seasons had significant criticisms: [[Series/FargoSeasonOne Season 1]] sometimes had too many [[CallBack Call-Backs]] to [[Film/{{Fargo}} the original movie]], and [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks even felt like a retread]] to some viewers. Season 3 had a SlowPacedBeginning that made the season drag, and an AmbiguousEnding that upset some for a lack of closure. Both are in contrast to Season 2, which had near-universal acclaim for its more original plot and [[GreyAndGrayMorality complex character arcs]]. The curse later switched around with Season 4. Considered the weakest season of the show for large amounts of AuthorTract, TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter, and abandoning the show's main setting of UsefulNotes/{{Minnesota}}, Season 4 was largely seen as the show's lowest point. This was in stark contrast to Season 5, which pulled a WinBackTheCrowd with a return to the MinnesotaNice elements and a stronger main villain.

* UsefulNotes/MicrosoftWindows has had the curse since Windows 3.1, at least when it comes to their major public releases. Windows 95, Windows 98 Second Edition, Windows XP, and Windows 7 were all popular and well-received, while Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows Vista, and Windows 8 made rather controversial changes, were unstable, or had other problems which made it difficult to recommend upgrading. (Even TheUnfavourite releases have their fans, of course.) Windows releases tend to follow a pattern of "revolutionary" -- in which many changes are made at once -- followed by "evolutionary", or mostly polishing what was in the last one. Thus, every other version has a lot of new bugs ''and'' new features, and takes some getting used to; by the time the next version comes out, these issues have mostly been resolved (by patches and service packs for the software, and by users getting used to how it looks and works). Another way of looking at it is that Microsoft puts out a "public beta", followed a couple of years later by the final, mostly-working-as-advertised version, charging their customers for both (and for the privilege of testing their software for them). Microsoft followed Windows 8 with Windows 10 (skipping Windows 9), which was better received than its predecessor by major reviewers and generally continuing the pattern, though with [[BigBrotherIsWatching concerns over privacy]] with the new telemetry system, Microsoft's [[UnwantedAssistance rather pushy efforts]] to get Windows 7 and 8 users to upgrade, and the even pushier automatic update systems within Windows 10 itself (basically barring hacking, you can't set Windows 10 updates to manual control). It's not unheard of to hear people joke that Microsoft skipped "Windows 9" because that one would have been a ''good'' OS. With Windows 8 being widely derided, Window 10 having a highly mixed reception and a rough start, and early reception to Windows 11 looking to be much the same as Window 10's rocky start, some lean towards the interpretation that skipping Windows 9 has indeed broken the pattern, [[GoneHorriblyRight via ensuring that EVERY version of Windows is going to be problematic from here on out]].

* Early ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' titles followed a pattern where odd-numbered games were more gameplay focused than the even ones, which were more story driven. ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' broke this pattern, and all games afterwards tended to be very story heavy.

* For the ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'' series, the even numbered entries (excluding updates, and counting ''Edge of Destiny'' as the seventh entry and ''2019'' as the eighth) are generally considered [[EvenBetterSequel even better sequels]] compared to the odd numbered entries.

* ''VideoGame/{{Uncharted}}'': While downplayed as all of the games in the series are considered good, the even-numbered games have received much more praise than the odd-numbered ones. The first game, ''[[VideoGame/UnchartedDrakesFortune Drake's Fortune]]'', is seen as a good start but did still have some shaky moments. The second, ''[[VideoGame/Uncharted2AmongThieves Among Thieves]]'', is considered to be where the series really [[GrowingTheBeard came into its own]]. The third game, ''[[VideoGame/Uncharted3DrakesDeception Drake's Deception]]''. received much praise, but did have some problems with being [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks a little too similar]] to the second. The fourth game, ''[[VideoGame/Uncharted4AThiefsEnd A Thief's End]]'', once again received near-universal acclaim for featuring more open areas, new gameplay elements, and a much more emotional story to serve as the series' [[GrandFinale big sendoff]].

* Although ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' has had its bases regularly broken as early as the ''third'' season, the even-numbered seasons tend to fare better than the odd ones. Season 1 is regarded as a good start but suffers from a large amount of MonsterOfTheWeek episodes as the show was still finding its footing, while Season 2 is noted as the show's real moment of GrowingTheBeard. Season 3 wound up being hit by production troubles thanks to the '07 Writers Strike and also introduced two new characters [[SpotlightStealingSquad that took time away from Sam and Dean]] and were Base Breakers ''at best''. Season 4 wound up introducing [[BreakoutCharacter fan favorite Castiel]], and heavily increasing the mythology marked a notable increase in the show's ratings. Averted by Season 5, which further developed the story arc from S4, is also well-liked, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and introduced Crowley]]. Also averted by Season 6; although it introduced some fresh new ideas and has several fan-favorite episodes, it's also seen to suffer from [[PostScriptSeason the main story having already been wrapped up at that point]], with the show spinning its wheels in some places trying to find a new direction. The trope comes back into play with Season 7, which only accentuated the problems of S6 rather than fix them, and [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot abruptly dropped the exciting storyline teased by the S6 finale]]. Season 8 attempted to undo the damage, and after a rough start managed to introduce a well-received plotline of the brothers trying to close the gates of Hell. But then Season 9 came and fell back into the same issues as before of the show struggling to find a cohesive tale to tell, which wound up turning as many people back off, with Sam and Dean's constant fighting doing little to help as it began to come off more as {{Wangst}} to many longtime viewers. Although Season 10 at least cut down on their bickering and let them get along again, it's also an aversion as it still suffers from the aimlessness that plagued S9. General consensus on Seasons 11, 12, and 13 seems to be that they're an improvement from Seasons 6 through 10, though not as good as the first five seasons.

* The ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' series has two different variants of this trope:
** Firstly, the odd-numbered entries (''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney'', ''[[VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyTrialsAndTribulations Trials and Tribulations]]'' and ''[[VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyDualDestinies Dual Destinies]]'') are generally considered to be the stronger ones, while the even-numbered ones (''[[VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyJusticeForAll Justice for All]]'' and ''VisualNovel/ApolloJusticeAceAttorney'') are considered to be weaker (though definitely not without their moments -- the final case in ''Justice for All'' is widely considered as one of the best cases, if not ''the'' best in the entire series). The curse was "broken" with ''[[VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneySpiritOfJustice Spirit of Justice]]'', which many fans agree is better than ''Dual Destinies''. The two ''VisualNovel/AceAttorneyInvestigations'' games generally aren't counted towards this, as the second one has yet to be released outside Japan (and, in all likelihood, [[NoExportForYou never will be]]). Though for those who do the first is usually considered to be on the "weaker" side and the second on the "stronger" side, which makes the order problematic.
** Secondly, fans have noted that the third case in any given game usually tends to be the worst. Usually, it goes like this: the first case is a short and simple tutorial to get you into the mechanics, the second case introduces the actual plot and the major players, such as the prosecutor, and the fourth case serves as the climax and conclusion[[note]]In the case of Trials and Tribulations and Dual Destinies, both of which have five cases, the fourth case is tied to the fifth, which serves the role as the climax[[/note]]. Meanwhile, the third case is there simply to establish a routine and escalate the complexity a little before the game hits you with the climax, and as such is typically unconnected to the wider narrative and more lighthearted and comedic, while also being longer than the second case. This leads to these cases often being fluffy but forgettable at best, and unfunny overlong fiascos at worst. The second, third, and fourth games are the most infamous for having weak third cases, with all three also suffering from gaping plotholes or annoying gameplay, and the third case of the second game is a common "worst in the series" candidate. ''Dual Destinies'' is the major exception, as most seem to regard the second case as the weakest, while the third case in the first game generally isn't seen as especially bad (with some even preferring it).

** Fans have an unique version with anniversary seasons ''[[Series/PowerRangersTurbo Turbo]]'' (Season 5), ''[[Series/PowerRangersOperationOverdrive Operation Overdrive]]'' (Season 15), ''[[Series/PowerRangersMegaforce Super Megaforce]]'' (the 20th anniversary celebration but [[SequelNumberSnarl don't ask the exact season number]]), and ''[[Series/PowerRangersNinjaSteel Super Ninja Steel]]'' (Season 25) considered among the worst or most divisive, with ''[[Series/PowerRangersWildForce Wild Force]]'' being the only exception to this rule.

** An [[InvertedTrope inverse curse]] is in effect for dinosaur-themed seasons -- they're always good to great. [[labelnote:Explanation]]''[[Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers Mighty Morphin']]'' is a classic, ''[[Series/PowerRangersDinoThunder Dino Thunder]]'' is considered to be the best of the Disney era alongside ''RPM'', ''[[Series/PowerRangersDinoCharge Dino Charge]]'' is considered to be the only good series from the Neo-Saban era and a pretty good ''Power Rangers'' season overall, and ''[[Series/PowerRangersDinoFury Dino Fury]]'' had enough of a positive reception that it was the first series since ''Mighty Morphin''' to have a third season.[[/labelnote]]

* The curse was broken in the three movies that followed(Film/StarTrek2009, Film/StarTrekIntoDarkness & Film/StarTrekBeyond), all of which did very well at the box office and moderately well amongst fans and critics, arguably reviving the franchise after Nemesis and Series/StarTrekEnterprise.

* By the 1990s, the curse had taken root in the public's mind, and the three ''[[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Next Generation]]'' films released in that decade certainly didn't shake the perception. The seventh (''[[Film/StarTrekGenerations Generations]]'') and ninth (''[[Film/StarTrekInsurrection Insurrection]]'' -- which the crew dubbed "Nine of Ten" in a futile effort to shake off the curse) films are both considered forgettable and lackluster, and ''Generations'' has a fairly sizeable hatedom for [[TropeNamer Trope-Naming]] "DroppedABridgeOnHim". Only the eighth (''[[Film/StarTrekFirstContact First Contact]]'') is well-loved by fans, since it's an ActionizedSequel that pits Captain Picard against an established enemy he has a personal grudge with.
* In the 21st century, however, the curse was completely inverted. The tenth film overall and last ''Next Generation'' film, ''[[Film/StarTrekNemesis Nemesis]]'', flopped so hard that ''Star Trek'' as a feature film franchise was effectively dead after twenty-three years. With the quiet death of TV series ''[[Series/StarTrekEnterprise Enterprise]]'' shortly afterwards, the ''Star Trek'' franchise began to fade into obscurity... And then, enter Creator/JJAbrams, accompanied by lens flare. Contrary to its position in the franchise, his eleventh film (simply called ''Film/{{Star Trek|2009}}'') was a YoungerAndHipper and HotterAndSexier blockbuster ContinuityReboot that returned ''Star Trek'' to cultural relevance, and a box office juggernaut to boot. Aside from the obvious reason for its success -- it's a slick, fun film from an experienced filmmaker -- many tongue-in-cheek theories have been put forth as to how it's "broken the curse"; a common one being is to promote AffectionateParody ''Film/GalaxyQuest'' as the "actual" ''Star Trek 10'', bumping ''Nemesis'' to odd and the reboot as even.
* Given that ''Film/StarTrekIntoDarkness'' was received comparatively poorly (it has the lowest Rotten Tomatoes score of any film set in Abrams' AlternateTimeline, at a [[TheBGrade truly unacceptable 84%]]) and ''Film/StarTrekBeyond'' was hailed by both critics and fans as a SurprisinglyImprovedSequel and return to form, what cannot be denied is that the curse continues to affect the franchise. Indeed, the curse appears to have mutated into a new form, with the next film after ''Beyond'' trapped in a NegativeSpaceWedgie of DevelopmentHell until 2025 at the earliest. The almost decade-long gap is the longest SequelGap in franchise history.

* ''Webcomic/SurvivorFanCharacters'', especially later on, follows a trend opposite that of Star Trek: The odd-numbered seasons are quite popular while the even-numbered seasons get lukewarm receptions at best. The author himself has noticed, and hopes season 14 will break the pattern.

* [[WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic The Nostalgia Critic]] summarizes the TropeNamer throughout a series of reviews on the odd-numbered installments with a recap saying "Last time, in the ''good'' Star Trek movie..."

* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'': The even-numbered seasons tend to fare better than the odd ones. Season 2 had the Terra betrayal arc based on ''ComicBook/TheJudasContract'' while Season 4 had Raven facing her father Trigon over the fate of the world and both storylines are considered as the most iconic parts of the series. Season 1 was still [[GrowingTheBeard struggling to find its voice]], Season 3 was LighterAndSofter and had Cyborg facing the lackluster Brother Blood, while Season 5 had some divisive change over its formula and infamously [[AmbiguousEnding ended with an ambiguous and inconclusive episode]].

* UsefulNotes/MicrosoftWindows has had the curse since Windows 3.1, at least when it comes to their major public releases. Windows 95, Windows 98 Second Edition, Windows XP, and Windows 7 were all popular and well-received, while Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows Vista, and Windows 8 made rather controversial changes, were unstable, or had other problems which made it difficult to recommend upgrading. (Even TheUnfavourite releases have their fans, of course.) Windows releases tend to follow a pattern of "revolutionary" - in which many changes are made at once - followed by "evolutionary", or mostly polishing what was in the last one. Thus, every other version has a lot of new bugs ''and'' new features, and takes some getting used to; by the time the next version comes out, these issues have mostly been resolved (by patches and service packs for the software, and by users getting used to how it looks and works). Another way of looking at it is that Microsoft puts out a "public beta", followed a couple of years later by the final, mostly-working-as-advertised version, charging their customers for both (and for the privilege of testing their software for them). Microsoft followed Windows 8 with Windows 10 (skipping Windows 9), which was better received than its predecessor by major reviewers and generally continuing the pattern, though with [[BigBrotherIsWatching concerns over privacy]] with the new telemetry system, Microsoft's [[UnwantedAssistance rather pushy efforts]] to get Windows 7 and 8 users to upgrade, and the even pushier automatic update systems within Windows 10 itself (basically barring hacking, you can't set Windows 10 updates to manual control). It's not unheard of to hear people joke that Microsoft skipped "Windows 9" because that one would have been a ''good'' OS. With Windows 8 being widely derided, Window 10 having a highly mixed reception and a rough start, and early reception to Windows 11 looking to be much the same as Window 10's rocky start, some lean towards the interpretation that skipping Windows 9 has indeed broken the pattern, [[GoneHorriblyRight via ensuring that EVERY version of Windows is going to be problematic from here on out]].

* ''Series/{{Fargo}}'' is a weird example, given how all three of its seasons were well-acclaimed. However, the odd-numbered seasons had significant criticisms: [[Series/FargoSeasonOne Season 1]] sometimes had too many [[CallBack Call-Backs]] to [[Film/{{Fargo}} the original movie]], and [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks even felt like a retread]] to some viewers. Season 3 had a SlowPacedBeginning that made the season drag, and an AmbiguousEnding that upset some for a lack of closure. Both are in contrast to Season 2, which had near-universal acclaim for its more original plot and [[GreyAndGrayMorality complex character arcs]].
** In an interesting twist, the curse seemed to have switched around with Season 4. Considered the weakest season of the show for large amounts of AuthorTract, TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter, and abandoning the show's main setting of UsefulNotes/{{Minnesota}}, Season 4 was largely seen as the show's lowest point. This was in stark contrast to Season 5, which pulled a WinBackTheCrowd with a return to the MinnesotaNice elements and a stronger main villain.

* ''Series/{{Fargo}}'' is a weird example, given how all three of its seasons were well-acclaimed. However, the odd-numbered seasons had significant criticisms: [[Series/FargoSeasonOne Season 1]] sometimes had too many [[CallBack Call-Backs]] to [[Film/{{Fargo}} the original movie]], and [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks even felt like a retread]] to some viewers. Season 3 had a SlowPacedBeginning that made the season drag, and an AmbiguousEnding that upset some for a lack of closure. Both are in contrast to Season 2, which had near-universal acclaim for its more original plot and [[GreyAndGrayMorality complex character arcs]]. Averted with Season 4 which is generally seen as the worst.

** The first film was a mystery like thriler, almost Jame Bond-esque, with a complex plot inbetween tense action scenes.

** Another curse ''Power Rangers'' has relates to how well the source material is received -- in general, ''Power Rangers'' adaptations of [[Franchise/SuperSentai Sentai]] series that were well-liked (i.e., ''Series/JukenSentaiGekiranger'', ''Series/MahouSentaiMagiranger'', ''Series/SamuraiSentaiShinkenger'', ''Series/GoGoSentaiBoukenger'') are either considered OK (''Series/PowerRangersJungleFury''[[note]]although this one would be VindicatedByHistory later on[[/note]], ''Series/PowerRangersMysticForce'') or are despised by the fandom (''Series/PowerRangersSamurai'', ''Series/PowerRangersOperationOverdrive''); on the other hand, Sentai series that were seen as OK or disliked by the fandom (''Series/ChourikiSentaiOhRanger'', ''Series/SeijuuSentaiGingaman'',''Series/HyakujuuSentaiGaoranger'', ''Series/EngineSentaiGoOnger'', ''Series/ZyudenSentaiKyoryuger'', and ''Series/TokumeiSentaiGoBusters'') tend to produce well-liked adaptations (''Series/PowerRangersZeo'', ''Series/PowerRangersLostGalaxy'', ''Series/PowerRangersWildForce'', ''Series/PowerRangersRPM'', ''Series/PowerRangersDinoCharge'', and ''Series/PowerRangersBeastMorphers''). There are a few exceptions to this rule -- ''Series/DenjiSentaiMegaranger'' and ''Series/MiraiSentaiTimeranger'' are both well liked, yet their ''Power Ranger'' counterparts (''Series/PowerRangersInSpace'' and ''Series/PowerRangersTimeForce'') are fan favorites[[note]]although for a while, people recommended watching ''Time Force'' over ''Timeranger'', it was more because of [[NoExportForYou the lack of complete fansubs]] for the latter as opposed to the quality of the show, meaning that unless you could speak Japanese, you had to stop watching after episode 30; nowadays, however, people won't recommend watching one before the other, since Creator/ShoutFactory licensed the entire series and released it on DVD[[/note]]; inversely, ''Series/TensouSentaiGoseiger'' is a divisive season by western fans, and fan opinion of ''Megaforce'' is already mentioned above. ''Series/ShurikenSentaiNinninger'' and ''Series/PowerRangersNinjaSteel'' are also exceptions as both shows are disliked by both fanbases due to the former having unusually poor writing and ''horrendously'' paced action and the latter for its BrokenAesop and unfunny fart jokes (which one is less awful is up for debate).

* The "Film/MissionImpossibleFilmSeries".

** M:I 2 was an all-out action film, with a very basic plot.
** M:I 3, while lacking tense action, was saved by its deliciously evil villain.
** M:I Ghost Protocol lacked a noticable villain.
** M:I Rogue Nation was arguably the best received since the first film.

* "Franchise/MissionImpossible":

* Given that ''Film/StarTrekIntoDarkness'' was received comparatively poorly (it has the lowest Rotten Tomatoes score of any film set in Abrams' AlternateTimeline, at a [[TheBGrade truly unacceptable 84%]]) and ''Film/StarTrekBeyond'' was hailed by both critics and fans as a SurprisinglyImprovedSequel and return to form, what cannot be denied is that the curse continues to affect the franchise. Indeed, the curse appears to have mutated into a new form, with the next film after ''Beyond'' trapped in a NegativeSpaceWedgie of DevelopmentHell until 2023 at the earliest. The 7-year gap is a tie for longest SequelGap in franchise history.

As a series or franchise goes on and the number of sequels and side works/{{Spinoff}}s/etc. increases, it's all but certain that the audience will not find them to all be of uniform quality. However, there are a number of works that show this in one particular way: audiences will generally find that the quality bounces back and forth in a numerically ordered fashion. Typically, this will show up as either the even- or odd-numbered sequels being better than the opposite, although other variants exist.

* ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'' also seems to have a pattern of the odd-numbered games being better received than the even ones, [[UpdatedRerelease upgraded versions]] notwithstanding. The first game is well regarded, while ''[=DOA2=]'' was hampered by the ObviousBeta nature of the original release (something that the revisions would amend, particularly ''[=DOA2=]: Hardcore''). ''[=DOA3=]'' was well received and became a KillerApp for the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}}, while ''[=DOA4=]'' is a ContestedSequel for [[CasualCompetitiveConflict competitive players]]. ''[[VideoGame/DeadOrAlive5 DOA5]]'' was well received due to its character redesigns and numerous {{Guest Fighter}}s, while ''[[VideoGame/DeadOrAlive6 DOA6]]'' is one of the most [[ContestedSequel contested entries]] to date due to its TamerAndChaster redesign of costumes and lack of the series' [[BestKnownForTheFanservice trademarked fanservice]].

* The ''[[VideoGame/SoulSeries Soulcalibur]]'' series (excluding the first game, ''Soul Edge''/''Soul Blade'', and spinoffs) seems to suffer an inverse curse from that of its sister series ''Franchise/{{Tekken}}'', though it's actually is something of [[ZigZaggingTrope a loop-de-loop]]. The first ''Soulcalibur'' is, [[VideoGameLongRunners to date]], ''the highest-reviewed game in the series'' (a whopping 98% on Metacritic), [[SequelDisplacement completely displaced its predecessor in the minds of the public]], and had a stellar [[UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast Dreamcast]] port that became a KillerApp for the system. While ''Soulcalibur II'' didn't receive ''as'' high a critical reception[[labelnote:*]]sitting at a 92/93% on Metacritic depending on [[MultiPlatform the version]][[/labelnote]], it is considered by much of the fanbase to be an EvenBetterSequel and led to the series [[NewbieBoom gaining even wider appeal]]. ''Soulcalibur III'' had mixed reception due to its bugs, lack of balance, and being exclusive to the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2[[labelnote:*]]''SCII'' was available on the [=PS2=], [[UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube GameCube]], and UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}}, being one of the rare times where the GC version outsold the other console ports[[/labelnote]] while ''Soulcalibur IV'' had more refined gameplay albeit at the cost of story content; ''SCIII'' edges out ''IV'' in critic scores[[labelnote:*]]86% vs. 85% on Metacritic[[/labelnote]] and is typically preferred by the fanbase on account of the strength of its single-player experience. Then came ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburV'', which was widely derided for its removal of fan favorite characters and lackluster single-player content, nearly [[FranchiseKiller putting the series on ice]] and being commonly seen as the lowest point of the ''Soul'' series. On the other hand, ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburVI'' was regarded by many as [[SurprisinglyImprovedSequel a return to form]] in terms of both single-player and multiplayer modes, [[WinBackTheCrowd becoming a critical and commercial success]].

* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' has had many, many, ''many'' ups and downs, with a humongous BrokenBase and many an AudienceAlienatingEra to show for it. The cracks started showing around the time of ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'', then got extremely visible around the time of ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'' and ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'', due the increased focus on ultra gritty stories and questionable story beats resulting in truckloads of {{Narm}}, alongside increasingly slippery and sloppy gameplay. Things started looking up around the time of ''VideoGame/SonicColors'', only to backslide and reach a ''new'' polarizing era with ''VideoGame/SonicBoomRiseOfLyric'', continuing further with the middling reception of ''VideoGame/SonicForces''. However, the SurprisinglyImprovedSequel that was ''VideoGame/SonicFrontiers'', alongside the overall positive reception of [[Film/SonicTheHedgehog the]] [[Film/SonicTheHedgehog2 movies]], and the mostly good view of [[ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogIDW the IDW comics]], has restored a significant amount of goodwill. Time will tell how this era plays out.

* The ''Film/HomeAlone'' movies have been subject to this among the fanbase. [[Film/HomeAlone1 The first movie]] is widely regarded as a Christmas classic, and ''Film/HomeAlone2LostInNewYork'' is looked upon a decent follow-up (some going as far as considering it an EvenBetterSequel). ''Film/HomeAlone3'' was contentious when it was released, but has since been VindicatedByHistory for some. The even-numbered sequels after ''3'' are near-universally ranked as the worst in the series. ''Film/HomeAlone4TakingBackTheHouse'' brought back Kevin [=McCallister=] as the main character, but screwed up the continuity of the first two movies. The fifth in the series, ''Film/HomeAloneTheHolidayHeist'', introduced another brand new cast and brought the setting to a new technological age. However, it's a notable improvement as it maintains the look and feel of a ''Home Alone'' film. The sixth movie, ''Film/HomeSweetHomeAlone'', is considered a major step down with its DesignatedHero protagonist and its sympathetic thieves who suffer cringe-worthy punishments.

** ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' has an odd relationship with it. Season 1 is often -- [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny and perhaps retroactively]] -- seen as a [[SlowPacedBeginning weak and plodding start]]. It suffers from EarlyInstallmentWeirdness and mostly consists of inconsequential MonsterOfTheWeek episodes with the Master only being relevant for a few episodes. Season 2 is [[GrowingTheBeard the point the show found its voice]] with a stronger continuity, more CharacterDevelopment for the cast, [[BreakoutCharacter the introduction of fan favorite Spike]] and the game-changing FaceHeelTurn of Angel. Averted with Season 3 which is generally seen as just as good or even better. However, Season 4 is widely unpopular for the GenreShift with a secret government army, Buffy's [[ReplacementScrappy bland new boyfriend Riley]], and the lackluster Adam as the BigBad. Season 5 is generally considered as a return to form thanks to dropping Riley, the handling of the death of a main character, Glory being one of the most popular villains and [[SeriesFauxnale a memorable finale that could have been a satisfying end for the show]]. Again, the show dropped in popularity after creator Creator/JossWhedon's departure. Season 6 focused heavily on drama and Buffy's struggle with depression and lacked an overarching BigBad other than the comedic and ineffectual (well... [[NotSoHarmlessVillain at first]]) Trio. This eventually culminated with controversial plot points like [[spoiler:Xander leaving Anya at the altar, Tara abruptly dying, Willow turning evil, and Spike attempting to rape Buffy]]. Season 7, despite Whedon's return, is also considered as a low point. Fans are split whether it was a marginal improvement for reverting the bleakness and the return of a more compelling villain with the First Evil or ''even worse'' because of the [[TheScrappy annoying potential slayers]], [[ArcFatigue the First Evil arc dragging on for too long]] and overall lacking the emotional stakes of the previous season.

* ''VideoGame/MarioKart'': The evenly-released installments (''[[VideoGame/MarioKart64 64]]'', ''[[VideoGame/MarioKartDoubleDash Double Dash!!]]'', ''[[VideoGame/MarioKartWii Wii]]'', and ''[[VideoGame/MarioKart8 8]]'') are generally agreed to be much better than the oddly-released installments, which have more contentious elements to them. ''VideoGame/SuperMarioKart'' is often said to [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny lack polish compared to later entries]], ''[[VideoGame/MarioKartSuperCircuit Super Circuit]]'' is considered a BizarroEpisode that has rather unintuitive controls, ''[[VideoGame/MarioKartDS DS]]''[='=] {{meta}} became dominated by [[GoodBadBugs snaking]], ''[[VideoGame/MarioKart7 7]]'' has the most questionable character roster in the series, and ''[[VideoGame/MarioKartTour Tour]]''[='=]s microtransactions became a [[BrokenBase hot button]] amongst the fandom. Mind you, even the more contested entries are still seen as games of decent-at-worst quality while the more celebrated entries also have their fair share of controversial aspects (ex. the [[OddballInTheSeries two-driver-per-kart mechanic]] in ''Double Dash!!'', the [[GameBreaker strength of bikes compared to karts]] and [[ComplacentGamingSyndrome their ubiquity in online play]] in ''Wii'', ''8'' feeling more like ''[[VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Super Smash Kart]]'' than a proper ''Mario Kart'' game due to all the crossover elements and having its own share of questionable roster choices[[labelnote:*]]most notably, each of the seven Koopalings having their own separate slots and various OriginalGeneration and/or PaletteSwap characters like Baby Rosalina, Pink Gold Peach, Tanooki Mario, and Cat Peach, both of which combined to account for almost ''half'' the roster prior to the DLC additions with the Booster Course Pass[[/labelnote]], etc.), to the point that every game from ''Double Dash!!'' onward could qualify as a ContestedSequel in some way or another.