honestly i dont think the show gets that bad. Even the last season is pretty good, there's not a dramatic downfall or anything. Most people can't even rank the seasons anywhere near the same, just majority agree the last one is alright but not great. It's still a good season though. A lot of people even put season 1 as their least favorite, and you seemed to find that one good! The main showrunner left in season 7 so seasons 7 & 8 are a bit more...loose? But they still have good moments.