Ranking Every Season of The League

 

I love television shows, and I love ranking things. It only makes sense that I combine the two. I’ll be ranking every season of The League, according to science. Science, in this case, means watching every episode and assigning it a score 1-5, with 5 being amazing and 1 being not so amazing. Obviously the most important thing is the comedy, but I also give special props to good concepts and unique episodes. It’s all on a sliding scale, so a 1 doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a terrible episode, just that when compared to the other episodes, it’s weaker. Keep in mind that The League is one of my favorite shows, so I enjoy watching even its “worst” episodes.

I average out the scores for a season based on each individual episode score, and then rank each season according to that average. For ties, I’m giving the edge to the season that has the stronger “best” episodes, since those are the ones we usually remember. I know, math is scary, but I’ve done all the hard work so you don’t have to.

If you read my rankings for It’s Always Sunny or Parks and Rec, don’t compare the scores. The episode and season scores are only meant to be compared to other episodes and seasons of the same show. Comparing shows to one another is a whole other kind of list that I’m not willing to dive into right now. Maybe someday…

Let me know your favorite season of The League in the comments below, and enjoy the list!

7. Season Six – 2.77

As is typical of most sitcoms, the quality begins to dip in later seasons. The writing doesn’t feel as fresh, the jokes become more predictable, and the lack of new ideas begins to rear its head. The creatives behind The League were originally going to call it quits after season six, but thanks to fan feedback, they all decided to come back for one final season. It’s a good thing, too, because it would have been a shame to end this great show on what is easily the weakest season.

Strongest Episodes: Menage a Cinq, The Hot Tub
Weakest Episodes: Breast Awareness Month, Man Land

6. Season Seven – 3.00

The final season of The League is far from its best, but “The Great Night of Shiva” does a much better job of feeling like a finale than season six’s “The Beach House,” (which is still a decent episode). Considering the show is kind of like a modern Seinfeld, it’s only appropriate that these despicable human beings not get a happy ending with a bow on top. Season seven is mostly average — with few standout episodes — but the final three are all pretty great. You couldn’t ask for a better way to go out.

Strongest Episodes: The Great Night of Shiva, Adios y Bienvenidos
Weakest Episodes: That Other Draft, Trophy Kevin

5. Season One – 3.00

Season one of The League is actually really solid overall, made even more impressive by the fact that it only includes six episodes. With so few scores to average, it would have been really easy for season one to be brought down by even one bad episode, but they’re all pretty good. The show was obviously still finding its feet, but the characters and circumstances were well established. I also enjoyed the early seasons and their focus more on the fantasy football aspect, which was the show’s original hook.

Strongest Episodes: The Shiva Bowl, Sunday at Ruxin’s
Weakest Episodes: Mr. McGibblets, The Bounce Test

4. Season Five – 3.00

Season five wins the three-way tie-breaker because it managed to pull out a single 5 score, whereas seasons one and seven only had a few 4s. That 5 happens to belong to one of my favorite episodes, “Rafi and Dirty Randy,” which follows the two of them on an adventure to California and the insanity that results. While there were still hilarious moments to come, season five marked the last truly great season of the show.

Strongest Episodes: Rafi and Dirty Randy, Flowers for Taco
Weakest Episodes: Baby Geoffrey Jesus, The Automatic Faucet

3. Season Two – 3.15

Season two is where The League really hit its stride, with seasons two through four being the absolute strongest in the show’s seven-season run. The ability of the writers to give names to common social mores took center stage, and there was almost always a clever comparison to something with football. Guest appearances by real-life football players were always fun and continued throughout the show’s run — though the acting ability of the players varied greatly. We were also introduced to Rafi in season two, who might just be my favorite character on the show.

Strongest Episodes: Bro-Lo El Cunado, The Sacko Bowl
Weakest Episodes: The Anniversary Party, Ghost Monkey

2. Season Four – 3.23

Season four is actually tied for first place, but loses the tiebreaker thanks to season three’s more impressive standout episodes. Overall, season four is actually the more consistent season, with more 4s than any other season. Unfortunately, though, it couldn’t squeak out any 5s. One of the best things about The League is that they always managed to put out great season finales, and season four’s “The Curse of Shiva” was no exception.

Strongest Episodes: Tailgate, The Freeze Out
Weakest Episodes: The Anchor Baby, Bro-Lo El Cordero

1. Season Three – 3.23

And here it is, the absolute best season of The League. As I said above, season three wins the tie-breaker thanks to its two episodes that scored a 5. Obviously, the fact that it still tied with season four after having more high scoring episodes means season three also had more low scoring episodes, but it was mostly just 3s with only two episodes scoring a 2. While season four may have been more consistently great, season three had one of the best premiere/finale combos in the show’s history, and that’s why it reigns supreme.

Strongest Episodes: The Lockout, The Funeral
Weakest Episodes: Bobbum Man, The Sukkah

Despite the use of irrefutable science in making this list, it’s still just my opinion. So leave a comment with your ranking of the seasons, and if you haven’t checked out my ranking of the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia seasons, do it! Thanks for reading!