Season 5 was really the beginning of the end. I think that it was a combination of factors, tbh. The show didn't go to sh** all at once.
1. Starting with the very first (non-McKeon) season, Eastland was very much a character itself. Stripping the show of that setting essentially left it one character short.
2. The show moved away from topical storytelling. I sorta get why, but it was really one of the selling points of the show even from S1E1. As they got into the mid-80s, shows were more concerned about goofy characters and silly plots, which really wasn't what TFoL was about. The core design shared much more in common with the likes of All in the Family than it did with ALF, but that probably wasn't what was selling by `84.
3. The writers evolved the characters to a point where they tended to feel too different. Blair benefited from this growth, as did Natalie. However, the loss of Jo's edge left her feeling too bland while Tootie became far too shallow and vapid. Even Mrs. Garrett was "off" by the end of her time there.
4. Mrs. Garrett became a 3rd wheel. As the setting moved away from Eastland, the girls no longer needed a house mother or a dietitian. By S5, it became very clear that it was going to be hard to tell stories for Edna that had nothing to do with the girls. She really wasn't all that interesting outside of the original context. That's why they looked for ways to make her seem stressed over the shop. It was busy work. The girls were getting the bulk of the stories.
5.They almost became TOO 80s for their own good. I'm not just talking about the 2nd shop. I'm talking about how they sorta steered into the skid when it came to fashion and hair. No other show in the 80s was as much of a parody of the decade. They tried so hard to look hip that it felt forced. Other shows represented the decade more organically. This forced trendiness also removed that down to Earth feeling that the girls had in during the Eastland days. The later years of TFoL looked much more like that "That 80's Show"; YT an ep or two to see what I mean.
6. The writers KNEW that they were losing that authentically YA vibe. Again, part of this acknowledgement was apparent when you look at how hard they tried to be hip. However, you could also see it in the number of younger characters that they tried to add to the cast. It started in Eastland when they added Alex, but continued when they added Kelly and Andy. Pippa was the last straw. They looked desperate by that point.
7. They started to run out of milestones in the girls' lives. Those formative years are chock full of firsts. First kiss. First beer. First friendship. First car. ETC and so on. Viewers are suckers for coming of age stories. By the end, a character like Blair was just about 25 years old. Even little Tootie was nearly 19. Not as many new firsts by that point. Pretty sure that the girls knew the facts of life by then, at least the bigger ones.
8. One reinvention too many. While I actually really liked S1, I can appreciate why they streamlined things and tweaked Eastland for S2. For viewers, it was a shot in the arm. However, lightning can't be expected to strike in the same place twice. They didn't just try to reinvent the show twice. They didn't even try to reinvent it three times. No. By the S9 finale, they were looking at reinventing the show for a FOURTH time. It would have been nice to see the school return to Eastland for S10, but viewers (and the network) apparently had enough. I don't blame them.
9. The tried to replace Mrs. Garrett. HUGE mistake. As much as I like Cloris Leachman, Beverly was a terrible character. By the point that they introduced her, most of girls were adults already. They didn't need adult supervision. That's why her presence was that much more silly.
10. The S4 season finale felt like a proper series finale, complete with flashback montage. TFoL could have ended right there and it would have felt right. Instead, they just kept on going. It was very much like Scrubs in that sense. Quite while you're ahead. If the premise is going to change or your main character is going to leave.... DON'T PUSH ON.
By S8 and S9, the show's pretty much unwatchable. Of those final 48 episodes, maybe only 7 are even half decent.
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