Ranking the Teen Wolf Seasons

Teen Wolf first aired in 2011, produced by Jeff Davis for MTV, and was widely popular until the end of the last season in 2017. I discovered the show during the summer of 2018, and fell in love instantly. It's filled with action, mystery, violence, romance, and supernatural creatures, all in a high school setting—what more do you need? For the past two years, I keep coming back to the show and re-watching my favorite seasons. Below, I'll break down which ones I like best, and why.

Season 6B

If I'm being honest, I don't really like the second half of season 6. I felt as though the ending of season 6A was enough for me, seeing Scott and Stiles drive off into the distance with "Shine" by Mondo Cozmo playing in the background. The only members of the pack that were still on the show were Scott, Malia, Lydia, and Liam, so that left the cast feeling a bit bland. Yeah, there were cameo appearances from Stiles and Derek, and seeing Jackson and Ethan again was a treat, but it definitely didn't feel the same. What more, the resurfaced threat of the hunters didn't feel scary, and their plan to expose the supernatural world to everyone around it was too cliche. The characters' secret identities fueled the danger and suspense throughout the show. Yet once people began to discover the existence of shape shifters, there wasn't anywhere for the it to go. And perhaps that was the point, but I can't bring myself to appreciate it when it proved the show had already run its course.

Season 6A

What I remember from this season is that it was confusing and depressing. For its entirety, Stiles had been taken by the Wild Hunt to a sort of alternate dimension with other dead souls. As a result, the rest of the pack and Stiles' father forgot his existence and had to piece it back together at a painstakingly slow pace. And despite the fact that Stiles was the central focus of the season, he had very little screen time throughout. Also Peter is back for some reason (seriously, why can't he stay dead?), and earns little to no redemption after his plot to steal Scott's power as a true alpha in season 4. Overall, it just wasn't my favorite season, and I wouldn't watch it again.

Season 5A

This season made me break down in tears after watching the finale, because it was utterly devastating. Watching the pack get torn apart by Theo, and especially seeing Scott, lifeless on the floor of the library after his own beta attacked him, made me furious. I couldn't play the next episode for several weeks. Aside from that, the Dread Doctors played very scary villains, and watching them cut open and stitch up teenagers was horrifying. Theo was also ruthless in the way he gained Scott's trust, only to weaken him to the brink of death. The episodes were creepy and thrilling, but I don't feel the need to watch them a third time.

Season 5B

Watching this season was like a wave of relief after Season 5A. The pack came back together and forgave each other for everything that happened in the previous season. Corey and Hayden were resurrected, and Deucalion secretly worked with Scott to bring the chimaera pack and the Beast down. There was even a special cameo from Crystal Reed as Marie-Jeanne Valet. It was also super satisfying to see Theo get what he deserved when Kira opened the ground, and his dead sister dragged him down into the depths with her. All that aside, I didn't really like that Mason was the Beast, and Sebastien Valet wasn't an impressive antagonist.

Season 4

This season was suspenseful and exciting until the very end. The dead pool of supernatural creatures in Beacon Hills kept everyone on their toes, with the threat of Kate Argent lurking beneath the surface. It was a truly shocking plot-twist when the show revealed that Allison's dead aunt had been transformed after Peter slashed her throat with his claws—something that had been speculated could turn someone into a werewolf since the very beginning. In addition, the realization that Peter had planted the idea of the dead pool during his coma was a great callback to the events of the first season. On top of it all, Scott had to struggle to come to terms with his responsibility for biting Liam, and we got to see him step into the mentor role that Derek previously held for him. Season 4 allowed us to meet new characters, and to learn more about the supernatural creatures that are out there, making it one of my favorites.

Season 2

Season 2 brought the new threat of Allison's grandfather: Gerard, an experienced hunter seeking revenge for the death of his daughter. We got to see the development of the supernatural powers in both Lydia and Jackson, leaving us wondering who the Kanima really was. Derek also built his pack by recruiting teenagers who wanted better lives, simultaneously increasing his strength as an alpha, and restoring the Hale name that Peter tarnished with his actions in season 1. The thrilling mystery of who the Kanima was, and who was controlling it, filled the season with action and suspense that was really fun to watch. Gerard was a conniving and intelligent villain, and watching Scott outsmart him was satisfying to say the least. This season also revealed Scott's identity to his mother, yet their relationship became stronger because of it. The only problems I have with this season were Jackson's incessant attitude and bullying, and the slight objectification of Allison. I was disappointed that she was still treated as a reward to coerce Scott into making decisions by both Jackson and Gerard.

Season 3B

This season introduced the existence of Kitsunes, Japanese mythology, and historical references to World War II and Japanese internment camps. The characters began to learn about the effects of how their surrogate-sacrifices returned power to the Nemeton. Stiles was revealed to be the host of the Nogitsune: an absolutely shocking twist that created conflict between the characters, and conflict within Stiles himself as he fought for control over his own mind. This season also had one of the most emotional episodes in the show, where Scott and Stiles had to come to terms with Stiles' (fake) illness. Kira was introduced to the story as a Kitsune learning about her ancestry and newly developed powers. She continued to develop as she learned that her parents were not who she thought they were, and a rift grew between them. However, I didn't like that she immediately became Scott's love interest, just as much as I didn't like the romance between Allison and Isaac. And while Scott and Allison spent yet another season apart, in her final moments it was clear that they still held so much love for each other, and I cry every time I watch it.

Season 1

It should be no surprise that the first season ranks high on my list, as it's the foundation for the entire show. Scott was bitten and transformed from a nobody into the popular co-captain of the lacrosse team. He also started dating Allison, an upperclassman who he thought was way out of his league. However, with the new developments to his life came problems like controlling his shift during the full moon, and running away from werewolf hunters, who just so happened to be Allison's relatives. Throughout the season, Scott struggled to reap the benefits of his new powers, while also keeping his identity hidden from everyone but his best friend. All the while, the audience got to learn about werewolves and the supernatural world alongside the likable, innocent, teen protagonist. Even though this was the first season of nine, and it was clear that the writers still had some things to figure out, it is definitely one of the best.

Season 3A

Out of all nine seasons of Teen Wolf, the first part of season 3 is my favorite. Scott and his pack were faced with two threats: the dark druid, or Darach, and the alpha pack who were looking to recruit Scott and Derek. What makes it stand out is that the antagonists were unlike any others on the show; they were scary because they weren't simply evil for evil's sake. Deucalion and Jennifer Blake both sought power as a means of revenge against those who had wronged them in the past. Deucalion was betrayed by Gerard when he tried to make a deal with the hunters, losing his sight, and Jennifer was nearly killed by Kali, leaving her with an unrecognizable appearance. It can be easy to see how we, if pushed down the wrong path, could resort to the same methods as the villains. Amidst the sacrifices of the Darach, and the threats from Kali for Derek to take the power from his betas by killing them, Scott came to realize his potential as a true alpha, solidifying his status as the leader of his own pack. Additionally, the season covers mature themes, including suicide, in one of the most emotional episodes in the show. From start to finish, this season is filled with suspense, mystery, and good humor, and is definitely worth watching multiple times over.