Here’s an engaging introduction for an article about “Every ‘Star Trek’ TV series, ranked from worst to best”: “Ever since Captain James T. Kirk boldly went where no man had gone before, the Star Trek franchise has been boldly exploring the galaxy of television. With over 50 years of history, the franchise has spawned numerous TV series, each with its own unique blend of sci-fi adventure, social commentary, and memorable characters. But which series has truly reached for the stars, and which has fallen to the depths of the Klingon Empire? In this exhaustive ranking, we’re diving into the entire pantheon of Star Trek TV shows, from the earliest days of The Original Series to the latest voyages of Discovery, to determine which series is truly the best of the best. From the highs of The Next Generation’s Sisko-style exploration of the cosmos to the lows of Enterprise’s dull, treknobabble-filled adventures, we’re counting down every Star Trek TV series from worst to
The Struggles of Reviving a Legacy Series
It’s a clarifying experience to watch a bad season of great TV. Arrested Development was—for a couple of years, forever ago—the most exciting sitcom on television, seeming to create whole new subgenres of cult humor every episode. The show went off the air in 2006. When it returned in 2013, “the air” was very different: a new world of streaming, the sudden (now eternal) possibility that no TV show would ever end again. The fourth season of Arrested Development was strange, ambitious in its architecture, somehow never-ending without ever beginning. You could admire the sheer density of its storytelling, but the main impressive thing about the Netflix reboot was its willingness to transform the story of the Bluths into an unrelenting bummer.
In hindsight, some essential appeal of the original Arrested Development was always its breezy escapism, sunny afternoons at the banana stand, a prison wacky-safe enough for Bring Your Daughter to Work Day. The Bluths had no money, but they had the proud attitude of rich people who hate poor people—an American habit that the show rendered sharply, but not unlovingly. They were desperate, but SoCal desperate, not too far removed from their geographic network-mates on The O.C.
GOB (Will Arnett) was an unemployed adult without a proper home—but he was squatting on a boat, man! Season 4 wanted to push the family past its breaking point. It was a bold idea, and it kind of broke the show, but it was very trendy circa 2013 to imagine all the horrible rich people were getting their comeuppance.
The bigger issue with the season, famously, was how it sent every character in different directions, splitting a crazy-family sitcom into focal-character episodes. “The story of a family whose future was abruptly canceled,” was how narrator Ron Howard introduced every episode, “and the one [family member] who had no choice but to keep [himself/herself] together.”
The season had a complex timeline when you lined everything up in a binge. But the focal-character episodes felt weirdly opposite—actually too linear, following just Lindsay (Portia de Rossi) as she went here and here and then there, and ultimately back to here.
The Arrested Development Conundrum
Certain characters were well-served by the attention. David Cross’ Tobias found hilarious new sub-basements of debasement; GOB became the subject of a freakishly catchy half-song. And it was unexpectedly hilarious to watch Alia Shawkat’s Maeby spiral downward into young adulthood. In the original series, she’d been precocious—and, past a certain point, rather sidelined. So her spotlight episode felt unsparingly bleak: repeating high school, sponging off her relatives, arrested after a double-reverse statutory-rape con gone way wrong.
(Shawkat’s desperate performance was an early prelude of her demolishing performance on Search Party.) But then there was a whole episode about George Sr. (Jeffrey Tambor) and his sweat lodge, and Lindsay went to India, and Jason Bateman’s Michael went to Hollywood, insert producer joke here.
There were some telltale signs of sitcom bloat, a natural affliction for any long-running comedy, which Arrested Development hadn’t been but suddenly was. There were broad jokes about the film business that felt like what happens when a writers’ room starts joking about Variety news alerts. Beloved guest stars like Henry Winkler, Ben Stiller, and Liza Minnelli were suddenly always around, sometimes stapled into the set via green screen.
It was most impressive as an athletic endeavor—marvel at how scene 45B from episode 14 relates to scene 17 from episode 3! Now, as a final unexpected feat of strength, creator Mitchell Hurwitz has returned to re-edit the entire season. Last Friday, Netflix released Arrested Development Season 4 Remix: Fateful Consequences, a run-on phrase that sounds mostly like the title of some long-anticipated Final Fantasy DLC.
Season 4’s 15 long episodes have been remixed into 22 shorter episodes, somewhat chronological and somewhat more immediately splinted together. The rumored leaks were wrong about the ending. That’s the good news. The series finale was the best Dexter episode in years. That’s the great news. It was also one of the strangest episodes in the show’s history.
The Dexter Finale: A Case Study
Sunday’s hour was grounded, sober, heartfelt, intense, and focused. There were no irrelevant subplots. There was hardly any Dex voiceover. No silly Ghost Harry. The musical score was prominent and engaging. The production values were high. You can’t help wondering: Why wasn’t the rest of the season—hell, the last several seasons of Dexter—more like this episode?
I’m not talking about the dramatic twists, but the style and the tone of the writing, directing, and acting. “Remember the Monsters?” is a odd beast. It’s like watching a different series, one that was more compelling than the show it served to close.
At the end of this recap, I’ll give you my take on what the finale got right and wrong. But first, we gotta start at the airport: Dexter (Michael C. Hall) wants to fly to Argentina with Harrison (Jack Alcott), but Elway is stalking them and Hannah (Yvonne Strahovski) is hiding in the bathroom. Dex leaves a backpack in the lounge and tells an airport staffer that Elway dropped this suspicious package. Airport security swarm Elway as Dex quips that he put him on “the no-fly list.”
But it also means the whole terminal gets evacuated, delaying their flight plans. (At this point, the episode was tracking so close to the faux finale spoiler description that “leaked” on Reddit a few weeks back that I was getting a sinking feeling—that version ended with Quinn (Desmond Harrington) taking on Dexter’s cause and becoming a serial killer.)
Meanwhile, gut-shot Deb (Jennifer Carpenter) is being loaded into an ambulance after her run-in with the brain surgeon. “I thought I was gonna die,” she tells Quinn, a bit presumptively optimistic. “I thought I was getting what I deserve.” Quinn assures “the good you do in the world sort of cancels out the bad.”
We like Quinn here. Before going into surgery it sounds like Deb says she loves him. Dep. Chief Matthews phones Dex to let him know what happened. So change of plans: Dex and Hannah leave the airport and get to his SUV, which has a rather amazingly great parking space right outside the terminal. He tells Hannah to go to a hotel. “Don’t worry, we’ll make this work,” Dex assures.
We don’t know what’s coming, but we know that’s not true. We get a quick shot of ice being unloaded (ice truck killer reference?) as Hurricane Laura (as in Dex’s mom, Laura Moser?) closes in on the city. Deb wakes in her hospital bed to find Dexter. She asked how come they never went hiking when they were kids. “Why are you looking at me like that?” she says blearily. “Or is that just your face?” Jennifer Carpenter is always at her best when Deb is messed up—drunk, on coke, outraged, etc.
Here we see one last new type of Deb inebriation—post-surgical anesthetic Deb. “I screwed up your life,” Dex says mournfully, while Deb insists, “I don’t want you to feel guilty about anything.” She tells him to scoot to Argentina. “The next word I want to hear you say is ‘goodbye,'” she says.
This is Dex and Deb’s last conversation ever. We don’t know that at this time. They don’t know it either. We then get a flashback to Dex and Deb at the same hospital right after Harrison was born. The most striking thing about this scene is we see super happy peppy Deb, a reminder of how she was before Dex’s darkness engulfed her life.
Because the thing is, Dex is right. He did screw up her life, utterly and completely. In the past few seasons, it’s felt like the writers still think Dexter is a sympathetic hero whose needs are more important than any other character’s despite the innocent people who have died along the way to support his addiction.
So when Deb tries to make Dex feel better, I felt like the show agreed with what she’s saying—that Dex is fundamentally a great guy and shouldn’t feel bad about what’s happened to her life.
Conclusion
As we embark on a galactic journey through the vast expanse of Star Trek television, it’s clear that the franchise has captivated audiences for decades with its rich universe, complex characters, and thought-provoking storylines. In our comprehensive ranking of every Star Trek TV series from worst to best, we delved into the highs and lows of each installment, from the early days of The Animated Series to the latest seasons of Discovery and Picard. From the nostalgic charm of The Original Series to the groundbreaking visuals of Deep Space Nine, each show brought its unique perspective to the Star Trek universe, shaping the franchise’s legacy in profound ways.
Our ranking highlights the significance of Star Trek as a cultural phenomenon, transcending its roots as a science fiction franchise to become a reflection of humanity’s hopes, fears, and aspirations. By examining the evolution of the franchise, we gain insight into the changing values and attitudes of society, from the optimistic futurism of The Next Generation to the darker, more nuanced explorations of Enterprise. As we look to the future, it’s clear that Star Trek will continue to inspire and challenge us, pushing the boundaries of what we consider possible in the realms of science fiction and beyond.
As we conclude our ranking, we’re left with a profound question: what does the future hold for the Star Trek franchise? Will Discovery’s bold new visions continue to captivate audiences, or will the next great series emerge from the shadows, challenging our assumptions and redefining the franchise’s scope? One thing is certain: the universe of Star Trek will continue to evolve, reflecting the hopes and fears of humanity as we navigate the complexities of the 21st century. As we boldly go where no one has gone before, we’re reminded that the true power of Star Trek lies not in its technology or special effects, but in its ability to inspire us to become our best selves. The final frontier awaits – let’s boldly go.