Teen Wolf is one of MTV’s biggest successes and one of the finest works brought forward by Jeff Davis. After six seasons and seven years on television, this series had seen fans make new friends and build new interests. It had won millions of hearts around the world with its colourful characters, formidable foes and interesting interpretations of long-existing mythologies. Though not always perfect from a writing perspective, Teen Wolf maintained relevancy through it's wonderful cast. The show both recognised talent and kick-started the careers of many beloved faces. Not to mention it has helped with reinvigorating visual entertainment for younger generations. Here I thought I'd rank the seasons from worst to best as well as give an opinion on each of them. If you happen to think differently, that is okay. As a matter of fact, I'd encourage you to share your opinions down below in the comments section. Allow me to start with number nine on my list:
9. Season 6: Part 1
REMEMBER
Rating: 2 / 10
If you are a sucker for anything Stiles (Dylan O'Brien) related, then this probably is the story for you. Otherwise, enjoy the absolute ridiculousness that is the first half of Teen Wolf's final season. Here was the beginning of my disinterest in the show, and the funny thing about this was it happened quite sometime before the first episode's release. After learning of several changes in the writing room and the suspected mistreatment of a couple of cast members during season five, I knew a strong finish to Teen Wolf could not be guaranteed. And based on the provided content at the time of my doubts, it appeared the crew were also starting to prioritise the wrong characters and storylines. Having now seen all of 6A, I can safely say I was right all along (or at least I feel that way). Never before have I witnessed such a promising story idea get treated like complete garbage. It was as if Davis and his team had already given up trying to produce quality entertainment.
These ten episodes were nothing but a snore-fest comprised of just about every defect known to Teen Wolf viewers already, from underdeveloped and pointless characters to lacklustre scenes. Making matters worse, the illogical aspects and mismanaged flow of the main narrative were obscured by cheap tactics in maintaining satisfactory viewership numbers. Why do you think so much attention was placed on the 'Stydia' relationship and the feelings between the two fan-favourites? Why do you think so much attention was placed on relationships in general (e.g. Liam (Dylan Sprayberry) and Hayden (Victoria Moroles) endlessly sucking face)? Why do you think Davis agreed to the pairing of Chris Argent (JR Bourne) & Melissa McCall (Melissa Ponzio)? Why do you think the crew brought back Theo (Cody Christian), only to have him doing next to nothing? The answer to all of these questions quite obvious. Season six was all about pandering to fans with cute boys and sweet-looking couples.
I suppose Davis or whoever else behind the scenes thought that because the series was given the opportunity to end gracefully, there was no need to put in a good effort. 'Just use whatever characters that are left, bring in some new ones and tell a story using all of them. If it doesn't turn out well, then so be it'. While I will give a little credit to the writers for working their way around O'Brien's accident, I could argue they still didn't do a good enough job. They had an amazing concept in the ghost riders and the 'Wild Hunt', but they turned it into something completely underwhelming. And as a result of this, everything else that happened didn't seem to matter much. If it were not for the couple of emotional moments involving Sheriff Stilinski (Linden Ashby), I probably would have given this story arc a big fat F. Ironic that the slogan for the season was 'Remember', because 6A for me was pretty much something worth forgetting. I can say I'm doing a fine job here, as I have still not touched the DVD after purchasing it around year or so ago.
8. Season 5: Part 1
WATCH YOUR PACK
Rating: 4 / 10
I don't know about you, but part one of season five was a rather tedious experience for me. After viewing the whole ten chapters, I was made all the more aware of a drastic free-fall in quality storytelling. Indeed it confuses me as to how the writing and production crew could not improve on the average fourth season, especially given they had more time on their hands and less episodes to worry about. Could it possibly have been the kick to the stomach that was Tyler Hoechlin's departure? I wouldn't think so, since my issues mostly regard the execution of the story idea. At most, Derek's absence probably would have hurt the confidence levels of Davis and the team. While I myself will admit to also having had doubts in a strong Teen Wolf season without Derek involved, those doubts immediately disappeared once I saw the first official trailer for 5A. From those creepy Dread Doctors to Deaton's words regarding the rules of the supernatural world. I was so excited at the time. It's strange how my thoughts of part one are almost the complete opposite now.
I found most of season five's first half to be significantly short on energy. An overwhelming portion of it dedicated time to lifeless, long-winded and somewhat soporific conversations between characters, further leaving action and fight scenes to be either cut short or kept to a minimum. Adding to my disappointment was the sudden mishandling of personalities, with some such as Liam losing his charisma from season four and Scott (Tyler Posey) displaying an intolerable and uncharacteristic demeanor. This was the start of a quick downhill spiral for Teen Wolf, as a new group of incompetent writers slowly took over with harmful ideas and strategies. One of those ideas came in the form of several newcomers with insignificant roles, played by small-time actors and actresses with tiny CVs. Storylines were one too many, resulting in some becoming half-arsed (E.g. Kira (Arden Cho) and her out-of-control fox spirit) and others lacking creativity (E.g. Can Theo be trusted?). In short, 5A was a load of uninspiring material stretched out to meet time requirements.
Were there any highlights here worth praising? Of course! These episodes explored one of the show’s most intriguing concepts in the collision of Science and the supernatural. The artificial creation of shape-shifters. An idea surprisingly unforeseen by all, that took the established fundamentals of Teen Wolf and twisted them to recapture long-lost interest and raise more questions. 5A also devoted hours into testing the strength and cohesiveness of Scott’s pack. The rifts between friends and lovers brought about new sides to each of the existing characters. Finally there's the most interesting fact of all. This was the only season/part of the entire series to contain no relieving conclusion, as the plan was for all of season five to be a single story. Not exactly a massive highlight given how poor the entire half turned out, but it indeed was a striking difference. Unfortunately though, the faults were too much and too many for me to consider 5A a success.
7. Season 6: Part 2
FINAL FIGHT. BE AFRAID
Rating: 4.5 / 10
Don't expect too much from me here because I can barely recall anything that took place. Yep, you misread nothing! My memories of Teen Wolf's final ten episodes have significantly faded. Strange isn't it? You'd think that the most recent season of any TV show would likely remain fresh in one's mind. Especially when it is the final one that's to be an indelible experience regardless of how many times it is watched. But any mere mention of Teen Wolf's last hurrah and suddenly I blank out. Perhaps that's the reason why my interest in it is very little. Every other season after one solitary viewing was able to leave some sort of mark on me. Even the sluggish 5A as well as 6A with all of its horrible happenings managed to do such a thing. So I know this can't be my fault. What is it about 6B that has left me forgetting nearly all of it? What could possibly prevail over the charm of throwbacks and old familiar faces to cause such absent-mindedness?
If there's anything I do remember, it's the voices of unhappy fans throughout social media. As the final part gradually unfolded, complaints about the manner in which the story was told made their way around the internet. Common criticism referred to the disorder of the main plot, the lack of continuity, the misguided focus and some inexplicable decisions made to forward the storyline. 6B was home to a rehashed tale, supported by characters either overutilised or underdeveloped. It saw the once all-powerful Deucalion (Gideon Emery) killed by just one or two bullets. It saw the dawn of an incredibly forced relationship between Scott and Malia (Shelley Hennig). It saw the reemergence of some past schoolmates like Jackson (Colton Haynes) and Ethan (Charlie Carver), only for them to have no effect on the narrative whatsoever. Long story short, 6B was a complete mess. I do though admire Teen Wolf here paying homage to its own history. That was just enough for me to consider this part superior to both 5A and 6A.
6. Season 5: Part 2
TO HELL AND BACK
Rating: 5.5 / 10
I'm unsure as to why, but this season happens to be the hardest one for me to analyse. I guess maybe it's because I see the story to be consisting of innumerable small elements hard to join together. So it leaves me as a result, sitting around the fence. But what I know for certain is that 5B has long been in my view, the real finale. It was the last bit of quality content produced and it was the last time I truly anticipated watching the show. While still nowhere close to matching the precious efforts of Teen Wolf's earlier storylines, it most definitely was the strongest part of the series within the final three years. For that alone, I rate it just above neutral at 5.5. Where I felt this storyline succeeded, was the main plot and how it was treated. Not only did the writers scrape though with sporadic hints of the appealing dark tone and edginess Teen Wolf had long been known for, but they made sure the tale of the Beast was always primary focus. Never was the old work allowed to take over. Not even the sight of some returning characters. Another positive was 5B recognising where 5A finished off and restoring the pack to its former respected state.
As for where it didn't succeed, I look towards the stuff surrounding the main plot. The first of my issues was the treatment of Kira Yukimura. I could tell how desperate the writing team were in trying to nullify Kira's influence throughout the episodes, having her either kept quiet or sent away. Then there was the long-awaited confrontation between Malia and her birth Mother Corinne (more commonly known as the 'Desert Wolf') (Marisol Nichols). Because of the very few appearances made by Nichols, it gave me the impression that the fight was fairly small and insignificant. This did hurt the show, especially after all the build-up that spanned across roughly one fifth of the series. And I suppose I do have the slightest problem with the main story. A show that once was so good in covering its tracks, failed to do so here. According to words of many on social media, the idea of Mason (Khylin Rhambo) being the Beast's human form was seen as a little too easy in figuring out. Overall the equivocal season 5B managed to obtain a pass mark, but only just.
5. Season 1
LOVE. BE AFRAID
Rating: 6 / 10
I can't deny having loved Teen Wolf so much around this time. It only took couple of suspenseful promos introducing the show to leave me wanting more. And the fact that I'd stay up late on a school night anticipating each new episode, further proves this. But what are my thoughts now? Do I still feel the same way about season one as I did all those years ago when it first came on my television? Considering the amount of time that has passed since, it shouldn't surprise anybody when I say my views have significantly changed. Or perhaps the better term would be 'evolved'. I don't regret looking at things the way I did, as it has led me to the person I am today. However, there are times now when I can't help but laugh. It's almost a year since the Teen Wolf has finished and I currently find myself having seen all 100 episodes and owning all nine DVDs. When all I'm supposed to be doing now is enjoying the complete series, I've instead had fun comparing the storylines. This has led me to different thoughts on the first season, and there is one word perfect enough to describe it. Plain!
All shows when they begin, have to present a plot easy enough to understand while ensuring the characters are given proper introductions. But I take one look at Teen Wolf and I'm then thinking everything was far too easy. This series year by year, went down more complex routes and delved into other fascinating mythologies unheard of to most. As a result, it had left the many flaws of the first season to be exposed. The plot was not only small and simple, but incredibly plain and vanilla. It made for the entire product to appear somewhat empty. A few episodes also proved to be very slow-paced with not much happening. Topping it all off was the common and seemingly derivative approach with the storytelling. What started of as something intentionally based on a classic Michael J. Fox movie, also became yet another version of Romeo And Juliet. This time it chose to persist with the overused mythos of werewolves and werewolf hunters.
But none of this is to suggest season one was bad. I myself have actually spent time going back and admiring much of what had been set up here. Holding everything together was some solid character construction and the exploration of very relatable themes. Davis did an excellent job with keeping Scott at the forefront and regularly tapping into his state of mind throughout each of the twelve episodes. The audience gets taught such things like the price of extraordinary power as well as the weight secrets and lies place on relationships both raw and firmly established. And the need to entertain was not forgotten, as almost every character would be introduced through a colourful trait that allowed enough room for them to achieve further growth. These small facets were the foundation of the show's future success. But because of the main plot, the whole body of work came off rather weak. As stated in 'The TeeVee In Me', the first season of Teen Wolf is the 'ultimate lightweight' of the series. An alright starting point, but it's nowhere near special when placed next to everything else that followed.
4. Season 4
CAN'T GO BACK
Rating: 6.5 / 10
It was always going to be extremely difficult for the crew to top the brilliance of 3B, especially having to do so without the contribution of a few highly-respected cast members. But I can't blame them for trying. Despite relatively poorer reception to that of the first three seasons, the fourth wasn't as bad as most made it out to be. The writers took time to build on the few areas they got wrong previously while also making something out of small stuff already seen. I even saw this as a window of opportunity for Davis to construct a narrative more original and more realistic than ever before. The idea may have been risky and never part of the initial plans, but Allison's (Crystal Reed) death made for a interesting twist in the overall tale. It lit up a new road in Scott's journey. A road with numerous possible surprises and no clear ending. A road which was to be explored here. So you could say season four in some ways, was a new beginning for Teen Wolf. One showing a lot of promise. But the biggest question of them all still stands to this day. Did it deliver?
Notwithstanding the general view of season four having its many ups and downs, I personally found the positives sticking out a little more. Within this group of episodes lied growth, maturity and proper character development. Scott would take the next step and looking after a beta werewolf of his own. Malia was gifted with new meaning through a slow yet amusing return to a human lifestyle. Deputy Jordan Parrish (Ryan Kelley) receiving a much larger role as the mysterious shape-shifter he was revealed to be. As a matter of fact, almost every single character appearing in season four, shared some form of relevance. Even the story concept of supernatural genocide was alright. It looks plain from the outside, but Davis made sure to spice it up a little and throw in the usual twist towards the end. On the whole, I was satisfied with the final product. But I did happen to sense some struggle from the writers when it came to handling the major cast changes. And because of this, I consider the fourth season to be the beginning of the end.
Not long ago, I became aware of something quite significant. Something that could potentially be the reason for the mixed opinions. One of the biggest problems regarding season four, was how much of a walking contradiction it turned out to be. For the promotional slogan to be ‘Can’t Go Back’, it sure seems like Jeff Davis and his team tried going back several times themselves. Everywhere I look, I see attempts at extending the life of old work. I see recycled villains, recycled dialogue, countless throwbacks, constant mentioning of the deceased and carbon copies of past characters (E.g. Liam and Mason) to make up for the ones missing. This season ended up too obsessed with providing nostalgia that it forgot the importance of providing something brand new. If all of this was to keep the fans hanging around, I don't think it worked very well. Some people instead found the season boring, while others felt tormented by the continuous hints and references made about their favourite past characters.
3. Season 2
TRUST THE INSTINCT
Rating: 8 / 10
Now we're talking! Season two of Teen Wolf in my eyes, was the real birth of a promising drama. A period when the hit MTV series would be allowed to truly make a name for itself. Jeff Davis with assistance from one of his finest teams of production staff put together, had immediately discovered the effective methods of transcending his own work. He would not only master the basics of character development and universe expansion, but also set up solid connections with target demographics through logical thinking and hidden messages all while preserving the qualities of entertainment. Sure it can be seen as not that big of an achievement, considering the weaknesses of banality and near-emptiness lying within the first season. But the simple exploration along with a unique rendering of uncommon folklore, was enough to entice millions including myself into experiencing one's dazzling artistry blossom on the small screen.
What began as a dark, twisted and seemingly unoriginal love story between two ends of a spectrum, became something much darker and heavier in substance the very next year. Romance while still visible took a backseat, making room for the plot to thicken with villains more menacing and sequences more nail-biting. The second season of Teen Wolf provided a more sophisticated story, greater in action and packed with many new likable faces. Character development was evident through the evolution of Scott and Derek as well as the reconstruction of others like Allison, Lydia (Holland Roden) and Jackson. New relationships are explored while those already existing are put to the test, triggering stronger emotional responses from viewers. And there is no forgetting the opening credits, comprised of stunning visuals and a thunderous score composed by Dino Meneghin. In just about every department, season two went one better than its predecessor.
Once again, the writing has to be given credit. This particular team under Davis quite possibly set a standard for producing good quality scripted television. Probably the best thing to come out of their highly-rewarded efforts was their success in throwing predictability out the window. Teen Wolf did what was necessary to build uncertainty and keep fans guessing, like when it came to the identity of both the Kanima and the Kanima’s master. Then there is the other complication in Gerard (Michael Hogan). Not well received by most in terms of personal taste but a brilliantly written antagonist nonetheless. What he lacked in appearance was made up for in behaviour, as Gerard’s overall tone and form of expression perfectly matched the dark, shivering atmosphere presented. The complete and utter hatred for this old man said plenty about how well Hogan and the writers had put him together. When the enemies do their job and do it well, there is very little wrong elsewhere. Season two remains a must-see for anyone interested.
2. Season 3, Part 1
THIS MIGHT HURT
Rating: 9 / 10
Coming in at second place for me is the first dozen chapters of season three. A continuation of the upward trajectory, with the writers and producers going next level in practically every area. Teen Wolf took itself very seriously here, delivering a story arc of sheer brutality. Guiding much of that story arc was a formidable alpha pack, bringing a ton of action whilst led by a man of mercurial nature. Occurring at the same time was a mystery more complex than any shared in the first two seasons. A mystery loosely based on Celtic mythology, that would further up the creep factor through a frightening creature and ritualistic murders of innocent lives. 3A was tension from start to finish, perfectly answering for the promotional slogan 'This Might Hurt'. The popular characters are put through many rigorous challenges, leaving audiences both on the edge of their seats and occasionally quaking in their boots. The powerful appearance and endless movement of this part of the series, is what clearly catches everyone's attention (including mine).
Now for why it came in second on my list and not first. What I can most certainly say is that 3A had done little to nothing wrong. However when compared to my number one season, I sensed one thing missing in most of these episodes. That one thing so happened to be 'touch'. What do I mean by this you ask? The first part of season three wasn't quite able to encourage emotional connections on a consistent basis. Bar one or two episodes, Teen Wolf just didn't have the tools then to penetrate me regularly. When I myself was watching 3A, there was nothing more coming from me than admiration for the material moulded together. While loving the action and the flow of the narrative, I couldn't seem to feel the weight of it all. It's as if everything here wanted nothing but a smile from me. Sure there was those flashbacks of Derek's painful past. Not to forget that one scene everybody remembers from 'Motel California'. Outside of these though, my heart was often left untouched. And because of this happening, 3A just fell short.
1. Season 3, Part 2
LOSE YOUR ꓷИIM
Rating: 9.5 / 10
Just when you think the action-packed first half of season three could not be surpassed, along comes the second half to immediately prove you wrong. 3B was, still is and forever will be the pinnacle of Teen Wolf. I could even go far as saying it's one of the most brilliantly written pieces for television in modern times. Whenever I hear the name of the show, this is the first thing that comes to mind. Whenever I'm in the mood to be entertained, this is one of the few things I consider watching. Whenever I'm discussing the series with other people, this is one my favourite storylines to talk about. Perhaps I'm the tiniest bit obsessed, but I have good reasons. Plus it's safe to say I'm not the only one with this opinion. The Teen Wolf community as a whole has spoken now and again. The countless polls I've come across in the past have proven so too. 3B is both the most popular and most-liked season of them all.
It should be no surprise to anybody why this is the case. The vast majority of these fans simply revisit 3B just to enjoy Void Stiles. And I honestly cannot blame them for acting this way, as it is impossible not to look past Dylan O'Brien's phenomenal performance. After all, it has led the talented actor to landing several roles on the big screen. However, my love for 3B extends far beyond this. The season as a whole is perfect in almost every way. It's a dark and edgy tale, well-balanced in content and complete with multi-layered characters. There's action, emotion, mystery, suspense, etc. Basically, it's like a burger with the lot. Not only that, but Davis with his best ever team looked to have used their time so wisely. They ensured the scenes mattered and they helped the cast involved become one with the story. It made it seem like everybody really enjoyed filming and had no problems at all working together. The focus on Japanese folklore was enthralling and the new additions like Kira and were sweet. The only problem I pretty much had was the introduction of Malia (which explains for no perfect score). Other than that, no complaints whatsoever. Part two of the third season was a masterpiece, deserving of all the commercial and critical acclaim it received.
Travis "TJ" James
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