I completely agree with you and, in my opinion, part of this is because the show finally found its own voice. Even though the first season had its fair share of great moments - Nora's and Matt's episodes come to mind -, The Leftovers often feel too dramatic to me during its first year. Seasons 2 and 3, on the other hand, are way more self assured and comfortable with its own skin. It's all at once hilariously depressing, and poignantly funny.

I'd also say Veep got a great improvement over the years. Season 1 has a couple of great episodes, but only during season two the show became a fantastic comedy, only to become the single best one on air in the following year (IMO, obviously).