Yeah, season 1 of P&R is very awkward, and IIRC Leslie is kind of incompetent? It flips over to make her annoyingly competent and give her more wins, which works much better for me. Also, the team coheres better from season 2 on. (I'm saying this with confidence, but I haven't watched in over a decade, so...)

Yes, some of Buffy's most lauded episodes, like the musical, really work better if you'd seen the previous season at least, and are already familiar with the characters.

Yeah, the narrative weight of the season arcs adds so much, too. (Aww, your icon!)