Conventional wisdom has it that even great TV shows flounder if the series creator jumps ship. Without the original creative mind helping to steer storytelling, things go off the rails fast... right?
The West Wing without Aaron Sorkin. Community without Dan Harmon. Both were inferior to what they once were... right?
Maybe not. We've dug up some stats, using Audience Scores on Rotten Tomatoes to measure how fans responded to their favourite shows, both before and after the creators exited, and the results may surprise you.
5. Community
42.4% worse without Dan Harmon
Harmon was fired from his cult NBC series Community in 2012, with The Hollywood Reporter alleging that his "erratic behavior" and "oddball leadership style" had seen him forced out after three seasons.
David Guarascio and Moses Port were hired as his replacements, but after a lukewarm reaction to the show's fourth year, Harmon was re-hired for the show's final two seasons.
Under Harmon, Community averaged a score of 94.4% (season 1 - 96, season 2 - 97, season 3 - 96, season 5 - 95, season 6 - 88) while the Harmon-less year managed just 52%. This works out as a difference of 42.4% – in short, the show was only about half as funny without him.
4. House of Cards
22.5% worse without Beau Willimon
Willimon was the original showrunner on Netflix's political thriller, handing the reigns over to writers Melissa James Gibson and Frank Pugliese after the fourth season.
If the Audience Scores are to be believed, it's been a bumpy transition. Willimon's House of Cards averages out at a very impressive 90.5% (season 1 - 96, season 2 - 95, season 3 - 78, season 4 - 93), while the latest season scored just 68%.
That's a drop-off of 22.5%, so let's just hope the show can rediscover a little of its former magic in the revamped season six.
3. The Walking Dead
11.8% worse without Frank Darabont
A controversial figure he may be, but all the signs point to The Walking Dead being at its best under Frank Darabont.
His first season scores 91%, while the six (complete) seasons that have followed so far average out at 79.2%, a drop-off of 11.8%. (Full stats for the non-Darabont seasons: season 2 - 79, season 3 - 85, season 4 - 85, season 5 - 87, season 6 - 79, season 7 - 60.)
If you want to get really nerdy about it, Darabont's replacement Glen Mazzara, who oversaw seasons two and three, scores an average of 82%, while third showrunner Scott Gimple ranks at 77.8%.
2. The West Wing
9.6% worse without Aaron Sorkin
The consensus around The West Wing is that the final three seasons, produced without involvement from series creator Sorkin, couldn't quite match the eloquent brilliance of the show's early years.
Certainly, the stats would seem to suggest that the series suffered post-Sorkin, though the drop-off in quality was apparently not as severe as the harsher critics would have you believe.
Sorkin's West Wing scores a near-perfect 98.3% – in fact, seasons 2-4 rank as 100%, with only season 1's 93% score letting the side down. But the series post-Sorkin also manages a pretty darn respectable 88.7%, with the data (season 5 - 82, season 6 - 91, season 7 - 93) suggesting that it found its feet after early struggles.
1. Veep
2% worse without Armando Iannucci
A seamless transition in politics? Surely not.
Yes, while you might've expected Veep to descend into an utter omnishambles without the sharp wit of Armando Iannucci, the early signs are that the series has maintained its high quality since he gave up his showrunner role.
The first four years – the show's first term-in-office, if you like – average out at a very strong 92% (season 1 - 87, season 2 - 94, season 3 - 95, season 4 - 92).
But Veep sans Iannucci is also getting the viewer vote, with an average of 90% (season 5 - 93, season 6 - 87). With a seventh and final season set for 2019, it looks as though Veep, against all the odds, is going to bow out with grace.
It's worth noting that Iannucci's departure was planned and amicable (as opposed to, say, Frank Darabont's precipitous departure from The Walking Dead and the far-from-happy fallout) – suggesting that, as you'd expect, a smooth handover can lead to a consistent standard of writing and performing.
