Rank the 5 Eras of Friendship is Magic

[Lone Traveler 91]

Something I find really cool about this fandom is how varied people's opinions on the show are. I personally think the show was amazing during its first half and mediocre for the rest of its run, but others think the opposite, some love the whole show, and some only like seasons 1 and 2! As shown in Stranger Than Fanfaction, people who like common things can still often enjoy very differing things about it leading to big disagreements. I really enjoyed reading the season ranking thread (https://mlpforums.com/topic/188400-rank-the-seasons/#comments) because I got to see the differing things people enjoyed about the show that lead to many of them ranking the seasons vastly different from me. I think it would be really interesting to divide the show up into more board eras to see what people prefer. Here is how I would personally divide up the show and what my thoughts are about each era. I'd love you guys to respond with how you would rank these eras!

Faust Era: Episodes 1-50 (All of Season 1, Season 2 minus Canterlot Wedding): This is the show in its purest and most simple form. Lauren Faust is directly involved, and the show focused on Twilight as a student learning about Friendship and Ponyville, and has solid introductions to the characters. It was a simple show about seeing these characters in a fun fantasy world interact and grow with each other while seeing interesting magical concepts and locations slowly explored along the way. It was focused on cute and funny character interactions above all else and never got overly complex or in depth with lore. Stuff relating to the kingdom of Equestria and major events for their world as a whole were only ever talked about in the Season 1 and 2 premieres. In my view this started the show off great, and its my 2nd favorite era of the show. Despite being about something as cheesy as the "magic of friendship" it always played its concept and morals 100% straight and was completely earnest. Yes, this did make it childish in a way and it took a bit to get used to. But once I let myself get into it it became a joy. It was extremely positive, wholesome, and genuine without an once of cynicism, while being very entertaining at the same time.

McCarthy Era: Episodes 51-91 (Canterlot Wedding, Season 3, Season 4): I consider Canterlot Wedding the start of this era because the introduction of Candace and Shining Armor represents a big addition to the lore of the show that represented the shift in the show's focus, along with greater world-building and action. Faust is now longer involved with the show with McCarthy as lead show-runner instead. The focus for Twilight shifted from her learning about the world as a student to her progression of becoming a princess in Season 3 and finding her true place as one in Season 4. Because of the focus having this much bigger scale, the lore of the show is more complex and focused. The tone of the show feels a little more mature than before. The animation is a lot better here in terms of quality, but also a little less cartoony and charming than before. Compared to the previous era it has most of the same writers, and is just as sharply focused on the main characters with progress being made for their growth and arcs. This character growth were more or less completed in Season 4 with the key episodes and finale. Despite the difference in tone from Seasons 1 and 2 already being apparent, it is still MUCH closer to the original style than in the later eras of the show. This is my personal favorite era of the show, because while it is a bit less charming and pure than the Faust era, I find the episode quality to be more consistent (more amazing episodes and less sub-par ones) and I LOVE how the show took so many interesting risks here while still having the great character development and humor I loved from Seasons 1 and 2. The praise I gave the Faust Era above applies just as heavily here. The show always has helped better my mood and deal with loneliness issues I have had. While I like plenty of other modern cartoons, none of them replicate the comfort Seasons 1-4 of MLP (along with part of S5 and scattered episodes in S6-S9) have always provided me.

Transitional Era: Episodes 92-115 (Season 5 minus Cutie Remark): Twilight is now the princess of Friendship and has her own castle. The character arcs and growth were generally wrapped up either in Season 4's key episodes or here in Canterlot Boutique in the case of Rarity and Lost Mark for the CMC. (I know Rainbow's Wonderbolt arc technically wasn't wrapped up until Season 6, but since that episode was so underwhelming in how it happened, and Rainbow's character progression in terms of her flaws did not move much after Season 4, I don't acknowledge it as such.) I debated on whether to consider this season as part of the McCarthy era or to give it it's own. Although Meghan McCarthy was still the head of the show and some of the old writers were still on (very few remained after this season), the ending of the S4 key arc and Twilight getting the castle represents such a big shift in the show's writing and quality that I have to separate it. Also, between Season 4 and 5 was also the largest hiatus in the show's history, and the HUB was replaced during this period.  The mane six character development was basically done at this point, so while a lot of the show's original charm is still here, it is waning and in my view the season got worse as it went.  Twilight is now especially a flat character (outside of Amending Fences obviously). Despite many great episodes, these flaws cause this era to be worse than the previous ones for me. I would consider it good but not great.

Starlight Era: Episodes 116-169 (Cutie Remark, Season 6, Season 7): Cutie Remark starts this era for its massive shift to the status quo in adding Starlight as a main character, and from this point the writers from the early seasons are almost entirely gone. I personally find Season 6 boring because the charm of the earlier seasons is almost entirely gone, the plots are generally uninteresting, and the main characters are flat. The season did an awful job incorporating Starlight because it barely showed her development or positive interactions with other characters. Thankfully the finale was really good and redeemed Starlight in my view, and there were a handful of great episodes. Season 7 was a clear improvement over 6 for having more creative ideas, less boring episodes, and for good secondary character development, but it still is lacking the humor and charm for me to really enjoy a lot of its episodes.

Friendship School Era: Episodes 170-223 (Season 8, Season 9): School Daze starts this era by introducing the School of Friendship and the Student Six. I find Season 8 mediocre in the exact same ways as Season 6. The Student Six were charming and had great potential, but since they only had a few episodes and very limited interactions with the mane six not much could be done with them. Season 9 was a bit better for having some really amazing episodes and for a satisfying conclusion in The Last Problem (as disappointing as The Ending of the End was). Its a shame the characters were still flat, the show still lacked the charm it used to have, it had a lot of meh/bad episodes, and that the Student 6 were not further developed at all. 

My personal ranking of these would be:

1: McCarthy Era (Great)

2: Faust Era (Great)

3: Transitional Era (Good)

4: Starlight Era (Meh)

5: Friendship School Era (Meh)

(For reference, I would rank the seasons from favorite to least: 4, 3, 2, 1, 5, 7, 9, 8, 6)

Edited June 14, 2022 by Lone Traveler

[Megas 28,358]

Transitional Era - Took even more risks compared to S3-4 and I think it worked well for the most part, better use of characters and some big episodes by some of the show's most prominent staff at the time, as well as it some good milestones with major character arcs coming full circle

McCarthy Era - A shift for when Faust stepped down, you could tell things changed, but honestly this feels like the show at it's best. First attempt since the Grand Galloping Gala to attempt arcs again and had some serious character progression. Unfortunately this was arguably the show at it's most toyetic objectively speaking, with major story beats and status quo changes being made solely to advertise toys(castle of Friendship, Twilicorn, Rainbow Power)

Faust Era - Rough around the edges but probably the show at it's most charming. There's something about the show around this time that the seasons afterwards are just missing. Also very toyetic(obviously) but not as rampant as S3-4 imo

Haber Era, just the Haber era - Just dreadful, a massive step down from the quality of the past seasons, to the point where it feels like a different show in the worst ways. Writing team changes completely with none of the veterans being around and it really shows. Somehow manages to feel like the most-yet-least toyetic era, with tons of unnecessary characters, stories and status quo changes that feel like they only exist to sell toys but were complete ideas of the writing team themselves and not of Hasbro(McFlurry, School of Friendship, Pillars, Student Six). Speaking of which, this era has more creative freedom compared to it's contemporaries yet it houses a majority of the show's absolute lowest points. Just the fact that it managed to make RD becoming a Wonderbolt one of the worst moments in the show alone is enough to put it at the bottom. Complete with complete disregard for the established character changes and stories.  Then there's the final season, I hate it. and I hate the finale. I actually liked S7, in fact it's one of my favorites in the show(and shocker, it had different story editors), but it sandwiched between so much crap that I would choose to wipe it from existence if it meant the rest of the era didn't exist

Since S6-7 and S8-9 are separated, I honestly don't know which was worse. I love S7 but it's dragged down by S6 really badly, whereas I liked S8 but nowhere near as much as S7 and I really dislike S9 but don't hold as much contempt for it as S6, but as a final season it blows

Edited November 21, 2021 by Megas

[JMTV99 1,363]

Faust Era is #1-Hands down, Season 1 and 2 are the best of the show for me. IDGAF what anyone said about Faust and these two seasons, I still love it.

Transitional Era is #2- Cutie Remark notwithstanding, I think Season 5 had much better episodes than S3 and 4, for the most part.

McCarthy Era is #3- I still do like it, but it wasn't the same after Faust and it doesn't help that Hasbro became a lot more hands-on with the show leading to it's very polarizing quality.

Haber Era (S6-9) is pure garbage! 100% GARBAGE!

Edited November 21, 2021 by JMTV99

[Will Guide 21,376]

I'm just simply going to say that the final two seasons are more risky and not as formula as used to be. But you know I much rather see a show that risks making terrible episode and be remembered then a show that's well-written but easily forgettable.

The reason I rank the Faust era the worst is not because I hate it. But because there's a lot more locations and characters that come out after she stepped down. Show may be called My Little Pony but it's important to also give focus to the other races and places that exist within this world

[Lone Traveler 91]

3 hours ago, Will Guide said:

I'm just simply going to say that the final two seasons are more risky and not as formula as used to be. But you know I much rather see a show that risks making terrible episode and be remembered then a show that's well-written but easily forgettable.

The reason I rank the Faust era the worst is not because I hate it. But because there's a lot more locations and characters that come out after she stepped down. Show may be called My Little Pony but it's important to also give focus to the other races and places that exist within this world

I personally do not think that Seasons 8 and 9 properly took risks. Although they were willing to introduce the School of Friendship, it seemed like the show was scared of deviating too much from the norm, so the student six only had a few episodes in Season 8 and were a complete non presence in Season 9. Since I found the established characters flat and uninteresting by this point and I did not like most of the episodes featuring them, I think these seasons would have been far better if the Student 6 and Friendship school was developed far more.  Even if it was done poorly, it would have at least given these seasons a new style and dynamic over the previous ones to give a sense of uniqueness and purpose. As it is these seasons were halfway stuck between trying to be unique and trying to be more of the same, and they fail in both of these departments imo. I find it interesting how my issues with this era are the complete opposite of the issues others have with it. Others dislike it for taking too many risks while I think it should have completely ran with its risks. 

I have a similar philosophy for why I strongly prefer The Office Season 8 over Season 9. Season 8 of The Office, for all of its flaws, heavily featured on Robert California (who I found hilarious) and Andy's dynamic with him. It wasn't just trying to feel like previous Office seasons, it was its own thing with its own story and dynamics. Because of the enjoyment I got from Robert California and the new dynamics, it gave me something to enjoy that I didn't get in the previous seasons of the show, so it gave me a reason to watch it. Despite it not being nearly as good as the previous seasons, I don't think about the quality decline when watching it because it is so different and good in its own way. Season 9 on the other hand dropped Robert California and its focused dynamic, and felt more like a lesser version of the previous seasons than its own thing. Like the Friendship School Era of MLP, it had some shake ups to the dynamic but did not truly run with the changes. Office Season 9 may be better than 8 in certain aspects, but since it failed to be its own thing it is nothing more than an inferior version of the show to me so I have no desire to watch it outside of the work bus episode and the finale. Watching both the Friendship School Era of MLP and Season 9 of The Office just made me want to watch earlier seasons of the shows instead. 

Edited November 21, 2021 by Lone Traveler

[Dark Qiviut 22,656]

Quote

1. Best Era of MLP?

If Re-Mark was part of this group, the "Transitional" Era would get my vote. That two-parter helped seal why S5 is the best of the series. Unfortunately, it's part of another option, so I can't. The next best option is the Friendship Era. Seasons 8 and 9 are the most consistent in terms of quality with so many great episodes and nary a bad or average one.

Quote

2. Worst Era of MLP?

McCarthy Era, and it's not even close. Yes, S6 isn't good, but it's sandwiched into four other great seasons. S3 had a four-good-ep streak surrounded by crap. Season 4 is better, but it's inconsistent, never got going, and pretended Twilight's alicorn status didn't exist for the most part.

As for the era order:

1. School of Friendship
2. Transitional
3. Starlight
4. Faust
5. McCarthy

[Sparklefan1234 184,951]

Here's how I would rank the era's:

1. McCarthy Era: Episodes 51-91 (Canterlot Wedding, All of Season 3 and 4)
2. Transitional Era: Episodes 92-115 (Season 5 minus Cutie Remark)
3. Starlight Era: Episodes 116-169 (Cutie Remark, All of Season 6 and 7)
4. Faust Era: Episodes 1-50 (All of Season 1, Season 2 minus Canterlot Wedding)
5. Friendship School Era: Episodes 170-222 (Season 8, Season 9)

Edited November 21, 2021 by Sparklefan1234

[Lone Traveler 91]

34 minutes ago, Dark Qiviut said:

If Re-Mark was part of this group, the "Transitional" Era would get my vote.

Yeah I debated with myself on which eras to place some of the finales in, so I'll explain my reasoning for them:

Canterlot Wedding: I put it in the McCarthy era because nothing in Season 2 really built up to it. The introduction of Candace and Shining Armor represented a big addition to the lore of the show and a shift in focus with dealing with the kingdom more. This shift defined Seasons 3 and 4 and was not really related to the rest of Seasons 1 and 2. Due to this as well as the increased action it tonally felt like something in Season 3 or 4.

I included Twilight Kingdom in the McCarthy era despite the massive status quo shift because of how it concluded both Twilight's princess arc and the key arc established during that era. The entire McCarthy era heavily built up to this episode, specifically Season 4.

The Cutie Re-Mark I included in the Starlight era because it was really just a sequel to one specific episode (Cutie Map) rather than something the whole of Season 5 built up to. Outside of that episode nothing else in Season 5 really built up to it just like nothing in Season 2 built up to Canterlot Wedding. Combine that with the Starlight redemption that set up Seasons 6 and 7, and it fits in much better in that era than the rest of S5. 

Shadow Play I included in the Starlight Era because the status quo change (the Pillars) it introduced was something that was built up in Season 7 and was not remotely the focus in the Friendship Era. The changing point here was clearly School Daze instead.

Since we have such different views on the quality of each of these eras, I'm curious if you agree with the way I split up the eras or if you would split it differently?

Edited November 21, 2021 by Lone Traveler

[Tom Gallagher 33,638]

Firstly, fantastic intro post! As for the ranking, it’s fairly tough for me because of how much I adore this show and every era so I guess I have to think about which gives me the most joy. 

The Faust Era is just classic, everything about it. Simple and sweet, introducing me to my six favourite ponies of all time. 
The McCarthy Era is my favourite if I was really pressed into choosing. Just exceptional. 

Transitional Era is brilliant too. Kind of bridging where the series had been to where it will go.

The Starlight Era is probably my second lowest because I didn’t like how the focus kind of shifted away slightly from the Mane Six, the CMC and so forth and while I love Starlight, I don’t like when my favourites get sidelined. I know I’m too greedy for the Mane Six! 

The Friendship School Era is the worst. Again, nothing horrendously terrible about it. The worst thing about it is the School and the Students who I will always have a burning hatred for. It was a very bad idea and you gave us the worst characters on the show because of it. 
But through it all, every era had something beautiful and amazing in it and to me, that’s what counts. 

[Lone Traveler 91]

44 minutes ago, Lone Traveler said:

I did one for Seasons 1-5. (Note that if Cutie Remark's two parts were separated Part 1 would be Meh and Part 2 would be Bad, I put it as Meh overall on the tier list). 

Stats:

Season 1: 5 Amazing, 10 Great, 4 Good, 4 Meh, 3 Bad

Season 2: 8 Amazing, 6 Great, 7 Good, 2 Meh, 3 Bad

Season 3: 7 Amazing, 1 Great, 2 Good, 2 Meh, 1 Bad

Season 4: 11 Amazing, 6 Great, 3 Good, 4 Meh, 2 Bad

Season 5: 5 Amazing, 5 Great, 6 Good, 6 Meh, 4 Bad

 

Since I made this (although these ratings are totally subject to change whenever I re-watch these episodes again, its been a while), I'll give what my stats would be for the first 3 eras.

Faust Era: 11 Amazing, 16 Great, 11 Good, 6 Meh, 6 Bad

McCarthy Era: 20 Amazing, 7 Great, 5 Good, 6 Meh, 3 Bad

Transitional Era: 5 Amazing, 5 Great, 6 Good, 5 Meh, 3 Bad

Yeah, that definitely supports my ranking on those 3 eras. I've only seen most of Seasons 6-9 once since I do not have established opinions on a lot of them, particular the ones I did not really like. I think slightly under half of the episodes in Seasons 6-9 would get at least a good from me (the remaining half would probably be evenly split between meh and bad).

Edited November 27, 2021 by Lone Traveler

[Astralshy 30,559]

My fav seasons are 4,5,7 since these are mixed with others here it's shifts things lightly especially the mixing with season 6 brings season 7 down for me.

Transitional Era > McCarthy Era > Starlight Era > Faust Era > Friendship School Era 

[Splashee 28,602]

Best Era:

1. Faust Era       - Nothing beats this creator's vision of a magical land with colorful ponies that sing and go on adventures!
2. Starlight Era  - Bringing in a new pony to spice things up, making the show feel revived again! Rock Solid Friendship and A Royal Problem are absolutely the best!

 

Worst Era:

1. McCarthy Era  - A lot of short cuts to get Equestria Girls and Princess-stuff going. A very odd animated Season 4 with a lot of pasted princess wings!

 

[phantompone1148 126]

Traditional > McCarthy > Starlight > Friendship School > Faust

Edited November 28, 2021 by phantompone1148

[Savystarscout 5,252]

Best era - "worst" era (I don't really like saying that they're the worst :p)

Friendship School, Starlight, Transitional, McCarthy, Faust

 

Yeah I'm a different breed, I like the newer seasons better than the older ones. :p

[LonelyYugi 59]

Best 

McCarthy Era followed by the Transitional Era.

Worst Faust Era.

Faust is overrated, and gets too much credit for the show's success. Season 1 isn't that good. And Faust wrote the god awful The Ticket Master episode.

Edited December 3, 2021 by LonelyYugi

[Lone Traveler 91]

Bumping this so that more people vote and give their opinion! 

In hindsight I probably should have just done clean splits between seasons rather than splitting seasons 2 and 5 before the finales and making it overly complicated. Oh well 

Edited January 20, 2022 by Lone Traveler