Rank the seasons.

[CastletonSnob 3,074]

How would you rank the MLP seasons, from best to worst?

[Megas 27,624]

Why do you keep making these not to long after a new season? It comes off as wanting everyone to prematurely judge the new season before enough time has passed

Disregarding S7 completely

Season 5 - Tons of top tier episodes and not many low lows. The worst episode, Princess Spike is blandly bad, but honestly nothing offensive. Only thing I don't really like is Starlight's shitty redemption. So far it's taken until S7 to really get me to start warming up to her

Season 1 - A lot of it is nostalgia, but there's something special and magic I find about S1 that makes me like it more than the others, and I'm more willing to forgive it's flaws because of it

Season 3 - Doesn't deserve the hate it gets. Plenty of great episodes and moments,  and admittedly, despite MMC's issues the episode is still something I find very heartwarming to watch. It's also RD's best season, so I'm kinda biased. The most underrated episode in Apple Family Reunion(and Magic Duel for most overrated :p). Also I still consider Sleepless in Ponyville and Wonderbolts Academy as my number 1 and 2 favorite episodes respectively, so it gets brownie points for that. What brings it down is the lack of Rarity episodes and the short length. It also has the worst two part in the show, and honestly I just find it really bland

Season 4 - Lots of experimenting some bad and some good. When it struck out, it struck out hard(Rainbow Falls, Simple Ways), but when they hit home run, they were some serious homers(Made In Manehattan, Pinkie Pride, Testing)

Season 2 - Honestly I kinda find it gets more praise than it deserves, some real huge stinkers(the infamous MMDW, Mmmystery of the Friendship Express, Putting Your Hoof Down), and while it had some great episodes like Lesson Zero and Hurricane Fluttershy, it was still pretty rough, especially for the Libman ponies

Season 6 - It has Newbie Dash and 28 Pranks Later and introduced Zephyr Breeze, it deserves to be dead last for those alone. And that's just the beginning. It's the worst season for at least half the mane cast, Twilight, RD and especially AJ. Season also suffered from some seriously bad character bias, especially with how much they used Rarity in the first half of the season in particular. They also made it really difficult to care about Starlight by having her barely appear, only having her show up when the episode needed her and barely having her interact with the mane cast, while at the same time giving her many important episodes, including a shitty finale that, honestly she didn't deserve. There were still a few gems like Saddle Row Review and Viva Las Pegasus, but they aren't enough to make up for a season with a majority of the show's weakest episodes. The season does get brownie points for being Fluttershy and Spike's best season(Spike especially needed it) but when so many things in the season are being shit on, it's hard to care

Edited May 19, 2017 by Whompy Whomperson

[GeekySonic 1,150]

Well, my opinion has shifted a bit since the last time I really thought about it. 5 Is still my fave though. In order, I suppose this:

 

1. Season 5

2. Season 4

3. Season 2

4. Season 1

5. Season 6

6. Season 3

??? Season 7

[Dark Qiviut 22,396]

1. Season 5. Three of the show's five best episodes of all-time, good characterization on Pinkie and Fluttershy, a direction of having the Mane Six be teachers of friendship and lessons marks an intriguing direction in the franchise (and an idea that was really well executed, even in the lower-quality episodes. Three great changes to the status quo (DT becomes a good guy, CMCs get their Marks, Starlight reforms and becomes a mane character). Also, some of the deeper and greyer lessons and morals, which this franchise really needed.
2. Season 2. At the beginning, the continuation of FIM's best streak (Green Isn't Your Color to Sisterhooves Social). Some really great songs. Some strong stories and episodes. Despite no season-long arc, DHX seemed to know what they were doing. While S2 started great, it ended on a whimper in Ponyville Confidential, MMMystery, and ACW.
3. Season 1. This season started pretty rough, but after Winter Wrap Up, it took off. The stories were simpler, and not all of them age well, but the audience begins to get what makes each character unique. It has some of the show's best in Suited for Success, Party of One, and The Best Night Ever. Yet, it also has some of the worst in Boast Busters, Bridle Gossip, and Owl's Well. Unlike S2, it started flat and ended with a bang.
4. Season 4. That season was up, down, up, down. It was a roller coaster. Some things they did right: Flight to the Finish, Pinkie Pride, and Testing Testing are the season's Big Three of episodes. There were other flashes of good episodes. The CMCs were good here, too. The problems: This is Pinkie's worst season (was flanderized and/or out of character way too often, especially 3's a Crowd, Filly Vanilli, & Trade Ya!); Twilicorn could've been replaced with pre-ascneded Twilight for several episodes and had no impact at all until Twilight Time; Rainbow Dash had Rainbow Falls (the show's worst-written episode, period); and Spikabuse was high here.
5. Season 3: It had a great streak from Magic Duel to AFR, Sleepless in Ponyville among the show's best. This is also Rainbow Dash's best season; even in the bad episodes, she was great. The big problem: the pacing was rushed in a lot of episodes, especially in Keep Calm and MMC. Twilight's arc of ascending took place in only three episodes: the two-part opener and the finale. This season also had some of the worst in the entire show, particularly The Crystal Empire and One Bad Apple, the ladder the worst of the series.
6. Season 6: Some good episodes in the lineup. The big problem: a lot of bad episodes and a lot of really bad characterization. Rarity, AJ, and Rainbow Dash all had terrible seasons and some of their worst appearances of the series. Outside of Viva and Apple Lies, AJ was awful, especially in Cart and PPOV. Rarity's character development felt completely ignored in some episodes, especially Spice Up Your Life. Newbie Dash dreams to be at least decent: It's the worst status quo changer of the entire show and with an awful moral condoning hazing to boot. DHX stuck to their habit of only developing and showing Starlight when the show needed to, and that really hurt her growth and To Where and Back Again, the show's worst finale. The best parts: the CMCs (again), Fluttershy, and especially Spike. The latter had both his best episodes, best appearances, and (by far) best season to date.

Won't list season seven yet.

[LeafFerret 3,382]

1. First half of Season 4

2. Season 1

3. Season 2

4. Season 6

5. Season 3

6. Season 7

7. Second half of Season 4

8. Season 5

[Thrond 3,263]

Alright, then:

1. Season 2. Exactly the correct balance between the simplicity of season 1 and the increased ambition and depth of later seasons, with more of my favourite episodes than any other season, and while it still has a few major stinkers and a relatively weak finale, it also has the highest percentage of episodes I really like out of all of them. 
2. Season 1. Sure, it's simpler and goofier, and it takes a while to really solidify its identity, but there's also a purity to season 1 which I don't think even season 2 attains, and while part of that is simple freshness, it's also way more committed to the friendship angle and has easily the best finale of the lot. Fewer all-time standouts, but still more consistent than any season other than 2. 
3. Season 6. It never quite regained all of the show's momentum, but for the first time since season 3, the show seemed willing to mess around with the format, and even many of its stale episodes had at least a decent level of humour. It had its share of dramatic episodes, but more often than not it emphasized humour and character development, and I liked that it would compromise plot to achieve those goals. 
4. Season 3. Like season 6, I just like how experimental this season was, both with the format and the themes of the show. It loses points for being so short and ending with two of my least favourite episodes of the entire show, but its brevity also means that it has very few stale episodes, and it was thankfully able to prolong the show's stagnation a little longer.
5. Season 4. It's growing on me, but I still think this was the beginning of the end. This is where silly gimmicks started to take over, lessons began to repeat, and the quality of the show became even more uneven than it was from the start. I still like a fair few episodes here, but I'd be hard pressed to say how even many of my favourites push the show or characters forward. 
6. Season 5. Sorry. Yes, I get that this one aims to be more complex and mature, but it's not actually willing to put in the effort, and every single time it introduces a lofty goal, it makes it all the more apparent how stale the show had become, and it's the first time I could actually see the show's restrictions while watching. Plus, it often takes itself so seriously but its stories rarely justify that, and as such I find a lot of this season dull or even depressing.
7. This isn't fair yet, but season 7 makes up the bottom. A lot of season 6's creativity is lacking here, and I've honestly only enjoyed two episodes of the nine which have come out. So far, there's a certain feeling of sterility to the whole thing, like the story editors are trying too hard to make stories which are "needed" for the characters rather than stories which would be, y'know, fun, and it's led to a season I'm finding especially dull. But it's not even half-done yet, so maybe I'm being hasty. Still, shouldn't front-load your season with a ceaseless stream of crap. 

[Prospekt 11,018]

Forget Season 7 for now. Still too early to tell.

1. Season 2

2. Season 4

3. Season 1

4. Season 5

5. Season 6

6. Season 3

Seasons 5 and 6 are just about tied for me. After a bit of thinking, the deal-breaker is the two season premieres, with The Cutie Map being superior.

[TheGOAT 64]

1. Season 4. The absolute most interesting season with the best balance of action and slice of life. And Twilight's Kingdom is a masterpiece. (10/10)

2. Season 2: A little more raw than 4 but has highly memorable episodes, including two of the best premieres/finalies. (9.5/10)

3. Season 1: It's pretty obvious this is the first season with the more high pitched voices, faded colors, simplistic backgrounds, and especially the over the top tone, but I gotta admit, this season was FUN. It's overarching story wasn't the most engaging (I mean it's only a ball) but it stuck to it pretty well, and each episode was shock full of clever humor and even some interesting social commentary. (9/10)

4. Season 5: Hated Princess Spike with a passion but this season took pretty big risks and for the most part, they paid off well. And yes, Starlight was a good villain here, albeit with an underdeveloped backstory. Still, was very progressive in MLP's arc. (8/10)

5. Season 3: The biggest reason (but not only) why it's this low is because it only has 13 episodes. Now yeah, I can't blame the creators for preparing for the 65 episode syndication cutoff here, but was Equestria Girls really worth the sacrifice of another half season? As for the episodes themselves, they're mostly classic MLP, whether it's sheer cleverness (Magic Duel, Too Many Pinkie Pies) to grand yet magical adventures (Crystal Empire). However, there is one episode that soured me from placing this season higher. Yeah it's Magical Mystery Cure. Look, it's not the idea that bothers me. I think a huge dilemma via riddle is a great challenge for Twilight, and yeah, I'm perfectly fine with her becoming an alicorn princess. However, the execution is piss poor. One song is very catchy, but otherwise it doesn't need to be a damn musical. Also Celestia's message is very hypocritical. Twilight realizes that her friends cannot be forced into another role, yet Celestia forces Twilight into her new "role"? Finally the coronation is so ridiculously drawn out. Yeah, pretty much Season 3 is one big failed finale that at least delivered before the actual finale. (7.5/10, would have been higher had MMC been taken out).

6. Season 6: This is the only season that disappointed me. After the chilling ending of Season 5, I was awaiting more development. Nope. Instead we have a baby who, while not NEAR the plot device that Poof was, had a pretty meh debut, partial character assassination everywhere, and a bunch of cliched and plain mediocre to subpar slice of life episodes. I did think that when they was a good episode, it was REALLY good (Gauntlet of Fire, Saddle Row Review, Dungeons and Discord, Stranger than Fanfiction) but unfortunately those were far and few between. Instead we got served mostly counterproductive mediocrity with (maybe) some cool moments (28 Pranks Later, Gift of Maud Pie, Top Bolt) or complete garbage (Newbie Dash, Applejack's Day Off, PPOV). As for the finale it was actually great, but not enough to save an overall meh season. (6/10).

 

I'm not ranking Season 7 yet as usually MLP seasons get better towards the end and we're barely 1/3 of the way through, but as of now, I'd slot it in between season 3 and 6. It's not great, but it's an improvement. Too much slice of life but the humor has really been turned up a notch. Found Fluttershy Leans In very boring though.

[Jeric 46,851]

I'll make this simple. 

 

Season 5

Season 2

Season 4

Season 1 

Season 3

Season 6

 

At present it is unfair to rank Season 7. If the show ended today and the finished episodes never aired it would be above  season 3. This is a weird ranking list for me because I didn't dislike any of the seasons as a whole and placing 1/4 was so close it could be a flip of a coin. 

[M'gann M'orzz 745]

Season 5: Pretty much the most consistently high quality season, there's very few very far below average episodes here.. aside from What About Discord of course

Season 1: the First half was mixed but the second half is one of the show's strongest runs 

Season 2: Overrated by many to the point that i kinda wanted to put it lower (especially it's Finale IMO it's actually one of the weaker two parters but it's praised to high heaven by most) but still very solid 

Seasons 4 and 6: The Rollercoaster seasons, lots of episodes I love in both, and lots that range from meh to outright bad, especially in Season 4 which IMO has the bulk of the series worst episodes, but S4's highs were a bit higher than S6's on average so they balance out

S3: Still fun but outside of Sleepless in Ponyville I can't think of any real WOW episode from it. 

Obviously I can't rank S7 yet but it'd be up there so far, the only episode I found meh was the Fluttershy one where well... nothing really happened at all. Also in general it's gonna be one of the hardest seasons to have debates about because of the crazy airing schedule half the fandom is waiting for the US releases, and hte ones who aren't well there's really little time to digest the episodes with the insane rate Canada is pumping them out. Kinda bitter about the whole situation to be honest. 

Edited May 18, 2017 by M'gann M'orzz

[Firedog 320]

Best to worst.

 

1. Season 4

2. Season 1

3: Season 2

4: Season 5

5: Season 3

6: Season 6

Liked em all so far though

 

If I was too guess seasn 7 will probably end up 4th in between season 2 and 5. 

 

But Idk yet

Edited May 18, 2017 by Firedog

[M'gann M'orzz 745]

Also don't quite get why people think S6 was so bad to Rarity, it wasn't her BEST but she had plenty of pretty strong apperances even in more meh episodes. Dash though, yeah shes got it really bad. What is it entirely because of Spice Up Your Life (which honestly despite it's flaws iv kinda warmed up to) or something? Cause in the Maud ep, Gauntlet of Fire, Saddle Row Review, Applejack's Day Off (that episode has a LOT of problem but Rarity's characterization is not one of them, she acted like a normal person would) and PPOV (again this episode has issues with it's ending but Rarity's characterization is fine) she's not OOC or actively shit on at all.

the only other kinda badly characterized Rarity is in Cart Before the Ponies, but that episode really didn't do much of anything right. 

Edited May 18, 2017 by M'gann M'orzz

[EquestriaGuy 1,074]

Season 5

Season 6

Season 4

Season 2

Season 1

Season 3

[Jeric 46,851]

17 minutes ago, M'gann M'orzz said:

Also don't quite get why people think S6 was so bad to Rarity, it wasn't her BEST but she had plenty of pretty strong apperances even in more meh episodes.

I was fine with her appearances in that season. Even kinda okay with her in the much maligned PPOV. And even though I felt Spice Up Your Life was trying to cram too many lessons into one episode, I liked her in it just fine. The common complaint was that Rarity didn't apply what she learned in Canterlot Boutique in Spice Up Your Life. PPOV was more about how ridiculous it was that three close friends would have flipped out that much over the issue making them all appear like jerks. 

Dash got screwed tho. No two ways about it. :/

25 minutes ago, M'gann M'orzz said:

the only other kinda badly characterized Rarity is in Cart Before the Ponies, but that episode really didn't do much of anything right. 

That was just a boring ass episode that felt like a Season 1 episode. It's her only flat out meh performance all season. 

[KatonRyu 1,033]

Season Two

Season One

Season Three

Season Five

Season Four

Season Six

 

I'm leaving Season Seven out of this for now since I haven't seen enough to establish how good it is relative to the others.

[Dynamo Pad 11,305]

My favorite seasons, from best to worst, would be:

- Season Five

- Season Six

- Season Four

- Season Two

- Season One

- Season Three

At the moment, season seven is unknown for me. Since it hasn't finished airing, I can't really say where it would be placed on the list. I also couldn't really decide between season four and six. Both were about the same, so it was difficult on where to place both seasons.  

[cmarston1 5,959]

Season 4

Season 5

Season 3

Season 2

Season 1/Season 6

[Zachary 5,521]

Season 6

Season 4

Season 5

Season 2

Season 1

Season 3

Don't get me Wrong, I like Every Season!

[Hierok 11,831]

Season 2

Season 3

Season 1

Season 4

Season 7

Season 5

Season 6

[FlareGun45 2,221]

* Season 4 was more absolute favorite! It had the perfect balance between all of the main cast, the CMCs, and even Discord, and they all got developed in a way! Weird Al also appeared this season, and it had the best story arc in the entire series! This is why I want Meghan to come back to the show! I want more seasons like this! Regardless of all the Spikeabuse this season, his starring episodes made up for it!

* Season 6 showed a whole new point of view between griffons, dragons, and changelings! This season fixed Spike and Fluttershy by a long shot! This is how you treat Spike! Yes he's comic relief in episodes that doesn't star him, but in his starring episodes, he's the star, and he had a great amount of starring episodes: 3! Plus all the new character interactions in here, and it made the best use of Trixie! Unfortunately, Pinkie was severely lacking episodes in general as all her episodes had another main character starring along side her; plus AJ, Rainbow, and Rarity were overshadowing the season, and Twilight, the protagonist, received the poorest treatment. Proud of how far Starlight is going!

* Season 2 had a good amount of development and starring roles for all characters, and even showed the CMCs in a whole new way! Supporting characters got a big chance to shine, and the Canterlot Wedding episode is my 2nd favorite finale, and my 2nd favorite premiere! It's a 2 season!  It's a \/ ^u^ V season! No, wait, that's a 4 season. It's a

V ^u^ season! TWO for victory!

* Season 1 was the start of everything. So it wasn't EPIC, but it was all interesting! This season had the best friendship morals, and we really got to know the characters! It's a typical season 1, so I didn't expect much. It's a fantastic season, but not as fantastic as the ones above!

* Season 3 was a very short season, so that took away alot for me, and the finale was rushed. Had an awesome premiere though, and almost every episode was awesome!

* Season 5, I'm sorry, I wasn't a big fan of this season. I did enjoy alot of episodes, but it didn't make much of an impact on me. In all things considered, season 5 looked like it was backtracking; also way too much fan-pandering this season. Not all of us are a fan of these BG ponies, and this was Spike's worst season. Spikeabuse AND only one episode for him, and it was his worst! Loved Luna this season, and we got Big Mac's best episode too! I also liked Starlight, and I was completely okay with her in the premiere AND finale!

I can't judge season 7 yet, but so far it started off great! The first half of the season looks GREAT as far as I can tell with the synopises, with only two bad episodes so far, but the second half looks pretty meh after episode 15.

[pnylvr 185]

Season 2

Season 1

Season 5

Season 6

Season 4

Season 3

 

[Princess Book Horse 352]

Season 5

Season 7

Season 4

Season 6

Season 3

Season 2

Season 1

 

(Season 7 is seriously on track to becoming the best, especially after this past Saturday's Canadian episode!)

[FirePuppy 735]

On 5/17/2017 at 10:44 PM, Dark Qiviut said:

Season 6: Some good episodes in the lineup. The big problem: a lot of bad episodes and a lot of really bad characterization. Rarity, AJ, and Rainbow Dash all had terrible seasons and some of their worst appearances of the series. Outside of Viva and Apple Lies, AJ was awful, especially in Cart and PPOV. Rarity's character development felt completely ignored in some episodes, especially Spice Up Your Life. Newbie Dash dreams to be at least decent: It's the worst status quo changer of the entire show and with an awful moral condoning hazing to boot. DHX stuck to their habit of only developing and showing Starlight when the show needed to, and that really hurt her growth and To Where and Back Again, the show's worst finale. The best parts: the CMCs (again), Fluttershy, and especially Spike. The latter had both his best episodes, best appearances, and (by far) best season to date.

Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow Dash also had the most main roles, most appearance time, and most dialogue in that same season, so why should it be their worst?

Anyways, here's my thoughts from best to worst:

1. Season 4
2. Season 5
3. Season 7
4. Season 2
5. Season 1
6. Season 3
7. Season 6 (for a different reason -- not enough Fluttershy or Pinkie for the first time in an entire season).

[Dark Qiviut 22,396]

6 minutes ago, FirePuppy said:

Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow Dash also had the most main roles, most appearance time, and most dialogue in that same season, so why should it be their worst?

Because for most of S6, they were out of character, flanderized, or both.

[Thrond 3,263]

Ah, I see I never checked back into this. Anyway, changes since I last posted.

1. Season 2 - There's probably more lows than season 1, but there's only one episode I genuinely hate, and the highs are better and more frequent. It just expands significantly on what season 1 had to offer. 
2. Season 1 - Probably the most consistent season, even though it was clearly still finding its identity. I maintain that this batch of episodes is the most thematically unified, and therefore maybe the most "pure," even if the highs aren't usually quite as high as in later seasons. 
3. Season 6 - Got issues, but maybe the most consistent enjoyment I've gotten out of this show since season 2. Not terribly much new to say.
4. Season 4 - This is no longer the beginning of the end to me, and as the show goes on I find myself appreciating its relatively polished characterization more and more. A lot of episodes here provide relatable conflicts without making the characters seem immature, and show the characters act admirably without making them boring, both of which the show has struggled to do since. There's still more duds here than in either of the first two seasons, though, and I still get the feeling that the characters just had a lot less fresh to offer at this point. 
5. Season 3 - The biggest casualty. Half the season I don't really enjoy, and the other half I'm mostly just lukewarm on; this was the first whole season I watched in full, and seeing my opinion decline towards it has been quite disappointing. Still has a killer opener and two of the show's best episodes, but it's kinda slipshod, and unlike season 6, it isn't saved by frequent highs. Plus, as mentioned, a truly atrocious finale to go out on. 
6. Season 5 - Boring. Not much new to say yet, though apparently I forgot to mention how this season frequently put the mane six in these dull mentor roles which completely prevented them from growing or introspecting. 
7. Season 7 - Boringer. There's something really stiff about this season which I didn't like, as if the writers started to view themselves as instructors rather than storytellers, so half of the stories here are rigidly built around theme, some others play like second-rate facsimiles of the show's better seasons, and way too many are predictably formulaic. I really don't feel like there's all that many great jokes across the entire season, and far too many stories are based around external conflicts, which to me just goes against what makes the show great. The least fun I've ever had watching this show. 

Edited April 11, 2018 by AlexanderThrond