I spoke to one of the cast members, and I guess the two cast members who left were in fact fired because the EPs decided they wanted to hire their friends instead.
I can't believe they got rid of any members of a cast that talented at deadpan. Finding other people who could pull of that kind of timing with a straight face will not be easy.
This show sometimes has its moments when I am flipping around and nothing is on. Is there a recommended starting point for where this series becomes really good?
It is pretty good right off the bat, but the first half of the 1st season they are definitely finding their characters and, well looks like the early eps of any tv show really. That said there are absolute gems in the first season so I wouldn't skip it at all. Season 2 is almost the highlight of the series, as 3 and 4 got a shade repetitive to me and seemed to kind of plateau. But still very funny. But then I thought season 5 absolutely kicked ass, tons of original stuff and a truckload of great "oh holy shit its ....!" cameos. And if you like the show the movie is also great
Eagle eyed fans will note that their deaths were a dead-on recreation of the ending to Drop Dead Gorgeous, also featuring Thomas Lennon in a faux-documentary tone.