TV has moved past the old "show kind of sucks in the beginning but finds its voice later on". Stuff like Buffy, DS9, B5, TNG, even lesser known stuff like Farscape, all started off doing, a different kind of show, standalones for instance, before finding their 'voice' later. Maybe you liked the earlier iteration better, but you can't deny that a lot of these shows of the 90s and early 00s, started one way before 'growing' into something different, in terms of formatting, writing, production styles, etc.
These days, shows get off running, and generally are what they are from the beginning. Yes some people like early seasons better some like later seasons better, there are variances of opinion, but shows like The Wire, Sopranos, 24, LOST, BSG, generally are what they are from the get-go.
There's just too much "Wow, this first and second episode was awesome!!!" out there that people don't have the patience to sit through something that isn't engaging them 100% from the get-go. This is good or bad depending on your viewpoint. Bad because potentially good shows dont get the consideration and audience, or good because it sets a higher standard from the beginning, which is reached on a somewhat regular basis.
- I like this. Good sig material! 
