Brotherhood was consistent quality while the original series was a slow but quality ride at first, and then spiraled into melodramatic fluff. Fanfic-tier plot twists did not help the original anime from scrambling for an ending since the manga was far from being done at the time.
In its current incarnation, it is nothing but a pale imitation of its former self.
Every show has it's ups and downs and lack of quality in current seasons of DH doesn't take away it's cult show status. And until 2005 it was local to UK, I think. Still haven't watched 7-9 seasons