I think I know why the show has been lacking in quality lately

[PacificGreen 1,163]

I agree that it's all subjective, and that there have definitely been great episodes the last three seasons. My opinion though is that Season 5 was the best, as I think it had the right amount of characters and plot, a lot of emotional moments (highlights being SoL, the CMCs and Rara), and had a very engaging season arc with Starlight. 

I think the show as of late has been trying to be a little edgier and/or snarkier (Fame and Misfortune, the Season 8 premiere, and, if you've seen it, Friendship University), which can be done right, but I think the show has kinda lost the magic it once had, as a result of the above and just a natural byproduct of the show going on for so long.

So yeah, a lot of people here seem to like the newer seasons, which I totally understand, but I'm personally not feeling it as much.

[MangoFoalix 25,047]

6 minutes ago, PacificGreen said:

I agree that it's all subjective, and that there have definitely been great episodes the last three seasons. My opinion though is that Season 5 was the best, as I think it had the right amount of characters and plot, a lot of emotional moments (highlights being SoL, the CMCs and Rara), and had a very engaging season arc with Starlight. 

I think the show as of late has been trying to be a little edgier and/or snarkier (Fame and Misfortune, the Season 8 premiere, and, if you've seen it, Friendship University), which can be done right, but I think the show has kinda lost the magic it once had, as a result of the above and just a natural byproduct of the show going on for so long.

So yeah, a lot of people here seem to like the newer seasons, which I totally understand, but I'm personally not feeling it as much.

I somewhat disagree with this. The past few seasons do have their moments. Let's say this for example, if you think the past few seasons have been getting edgier just look at the Season 4 finale. That put off a lot of people due to the fact of how violent it was.

[CypherHoof 26,483]

On 7/28/2018 at 10:16 PM, Will Guide said:

Personally, I see this less as quality lowering and more potential ideas being set up but not fully expanded on as they should. The School and non-pony students are great ideas, but they need some more focus. I wanted to know more about them and their races.

But hey, like I always say, a wasted idea in canon is fuel for potentially good fan fiction. So, I wouldn't say Season 8 so far is a total loss. 

I think it would have been good to see the young six (or more generally, the school characters and cmc) as a spinoff series, with the mane group as more background ponies for a while; the school idea would be a good hinge point for that, and while Hasbro might not have wanted to risk such a radical change, it would have given them the opportunity to build a whole new toy line too. To help things along, you could interlock some episodes - show them from the mane group point of view in FiM episodes, but from the young six PoV in MLP:Friendship School episodes.

[Sondash Studios 4,862]

Well, I see no difference in the show. The show is still cute and magical so I'm good. That's my opinion.

[EpicEnergy 23,240]

It's not the absence of 'good' writers alone that is decreasing the quality of the show, but also the number of writers working on the project. There isn't a permanent writing staff, so the writers change every season, and multiple people have come in and out contributing to the writing in each episode. This has lead to various inconsistencies in all of the seasons. 

The same has happened to the new Star Wars. They are not consistent with their staff, and instead of having one director and a permanent staff of writers throughout the entirety of the new Star Wars, they have already had multiple; thus, large inconsistencies have developed, and this is only one reason why.

[CypherHoof 26,483]

At least Spike hasn't been nerfed as badly this season - in general, seeing character development being ignored/rolled back for an easy plot device is annoying, and could be at least partially due to the new writer problem mentioned above relying too much on the show "bible" which was written for their starting characters, not the current ones.

[TBD 17,262]

It has becoming too predictable.

[The MegaBrony 219]

8 hours ago, TBD said:

It has becoming too predictable.

And prior to their releases, The Movie and Season 6's and 7's finales were both a lot more exciting in my head.

[FirePuppy 736]

The writers are doing their best; they're not meaning to make any episodes "awful".

Characters usually take turns having more main roles than others, season by season. It's been that way since Season 5.

[Kadeda 178]

I have not notice a drop in quality at all. A lot of people like to say their opinion like a lot of people feel that way and they know it. Stop it.

[CastletonSnob 3,081]

I can’t believe how badly the writers have botched the School of Friendship AND the Student Six.

 

This isn't even the first time the show has botched interesting ideas, like dark magic, the Castle of the Two Sisters and the Pillars.