Have to wonder what season 2 of TNG would have been like if there wasn't a writers strike. Even with the strike there are a number of very good episodes in that season. The bad ones in season 2 are still way better than the bad ones in season 1.
When it aired I liked early DS9 much more than later, but now with binge watching those later seasons work better. When it aired I hated that they closed off avenues of new exploration or contact with new stuff in order to focus on war for several seasons, but binge watching it works better as a drama about the characters.