For me:
-The Expanse - The beginning was confusing AF and the politics didn’t make sense and seemed boring, so I quit. But then eventually after like a year or two, went to reddit and it was recommended again, so I just read some light spoilers and that helped me got through the first season. And then it has been an intriguing and thrilling journey.
Adventure Time for me. The first two, IIRC, seasons are explicitly “anti canon” per the creator and drove me away as a result. At a friend’s insistence, I persisted until season three and it ended up being among my favorite shows, it just kept getting better and better.
Would you recommend skipping the first two?
Well … Kind of. Due to the aforementioned anti-canon nature, they don’t add much to the story, but they do familiarize you with the characters and universe. I think they’re both worth watching at least once, but whether or not doing so should be on your first viewing probably depends on the watcher. Usually, when I introduce a friend to it, I show them one of two particular really good episodes that don’t require much context, then let the friend kind of direct their own viewing experience. Some people want to witness the entire run, whereas some prefer only the episodes that are closer to what they’d enjoy. (I do skip the “Grayble” episodes, personally.)
If you’re considering giving Adventure Time a go and would like a viewing partner, let me know! I love seeing people be exposed to it for the first time.
And for what it’s worth, others may disagree, but the introductory episodes I usually show my friends are Egress, Puhoy, and maybe Dungeon Train. They are all episodes that are very much enhanced by context, but don’t require it to intrigue (IMO; again, others may very justifiably disagree). I have, however, created a lot of fans with that lineup.
edit: I think skipping the first two seasons wouldn’t diminish your appreciation of the show, but if you do skip them, I think you should go back and watch them later. Probably only once, though.
Thanks! I’m planning to watch it in a year or two when my kid is older
Despite its appearance, I would recommend being cautious about watching it with a young kid. There are a lot of episodes with scary imagery and such (one of the very early episodes - actually in the anti canon seasons, I think - is about the zombification of the entire population of the world). This continues throughout the show’s entire run, but also existential horror becomes a running theme (especially in the episodes I mentioned for introducing people to the show, which is why I love them so much).
It can definitely be a good show to share with your progeny and there are lots of safe episodes. I’m looking forward to watching it with my kid, but that said, make sure you vet episodes or at least read the description before watching them together. Obviously, this depends on the individual and you’ll need to make your own judgement call about them.
Probably don’t watch this episode with your kid until they’re older:
edit: Edit removed because I tried a few approaches to hide spoilers and none of them worked in my client.