Every season of The Originals, ranked from weakest to strongest

When The Originals first spun out of The Vampire Diaries, it was like opening a door and finding a hurricane on the other side. The Mikaelsons weren’t your standard broody vampires - they were the first, the ones everyone feared...and for good reason.

Centuries of family feuds, grudges that could outlive cities, and a knack for turning even the simplest situation into a disaster. It didn’t take long before the writers gave them New Orleans to play with, and they ran with it.

The Originals was never just about magic battles or supernatural politics, it was about family - messy, loyal, dangerous family. And across five seasons, we got everything from high-stakes betrayals to the kind of quiet, gut-punch moments you don’t see coming.

Sometimes it was brutal and bloody, other times it was unexpectedly heartfelt - and no matter what, it always had that dark, gothic charm that set it apart from other vampire shows.

Not all seasons of The Originals were equal, though; some hit like lightning, others...well, let’s say they took their time warming up. There were highs, lows, and a few “wait, did that just happen?” moments. So let's take a look at all the seasons, from the one that struggled a bit to the one that nailed it completely.

Every season of The Originals, ranked

5) Season 4 - Strong moments, weird flow

The Originals Season 4 had a time jump, which sounded exciting - Hope was older, the family was scattered, and there was this creepy villain named the Hollow lurking around. On paper, it had everything.

And when the show focused on Klaus and Hope, you could feel the heart of it beating. Those scenes were gold, reminding us why their bond was the emotional core of the series.

But here’s the thing: only 13 episodes meant the story was crammed into a space too small. Some plots wrapped up before they even had time to breathe, while others dragged like they were saving energy for something that never quite came.

You’d get one incredible episode, then one that felt like it was just biding time. The Hollow was interesting, but it never reached its full terrifying potential. You could tell it was building toward something bigger (Season 5)...but as a standalone, it felt like a warm-up lap rather than the main race.

4) Season 5 - Emotional, but not perfect

Final seasons are tricky - you’ve got to wrap up years of tangled storylines, send characters off in a way that feels earned, and still keep things exciting. Season 5 put a lot of focus on Hope at the Salvatore School, which was interesting...but it also meant some of the old guard faded into the background.

That shift gave the season a slightly different tone, one that leaned more toward setting up the next chapter of the franchise rather than staying fully grounded in The Originals world.

The main villain...was not exactly one for the history books - but where it worked, it really worked. Klaus finding redemption, Elijah making a choice that broke every heart in the fandom, the family’s ultimate sacrifice; those moments hit like a freight train.

Even if you didn’t love the pacing, you couldn’t deny the emotional weight. It wasn’t perfect, but it did give the Mikaelsons an ending that felt like it belonged to them.

3) Season 1 - New Orleans gets claimed

The first season of The Originals had one job: prove the Mikaelsons could carry their own show - and it did. The French Quarter setting was a win from the start - smoky bars, candlelit alleys, witch covens plotting under the surface.

Klaus and Marcel’s power struggle felt personal, not just political, and the show leaned into that. The setting felt alive, like New Orleans itself was a character.

The tone was darker, moodier than The Vampire Diaries, and it gave us characters like Davina, who added a whole different kind of energy. Agreed, some early episodes wandered around a bit, and not every subplot stuck the landing, but it built a strong enough base for the chaos that came later.

You could sense the writers figuring out the show’s identity as they went, and that experimentation gave the season its own unique texture.

2) Season 2 - Everyone has an agenda

Season 2 of The Originals was basically: “What if we invited every worst possible family member over for dinner?” Esther and Mikael came back like they’d been saving up a thousand years of parental disapproval, and then Dahlia showed up...and if even Klaus was nervous, you know she was bad news.

The Mikaelsons weren’t just fighting outside threats; they were tearing each other apart at the same time.

Every scene felt like someone was on the verge of betraying someone else - the magic got darker, the power plays were ruthless, and the “Always and Forever” mantra was tested in ways we hadn’t seen before.

It wasn’t just about winning anymore; it was about surviving the people who knew you best, and therefore could hurt you most. It was intense, unpredictable, and sometimes even exhausting - but in that good, can’t-stop-watching kind of way.

1) Season 3 - The prophecy that broke everything

If there’s a single season that shows The Originals firing on all cylinders, it’s Season 3. That prophecy - one family member killed by friend, one by foe, one by family; hung over every single episode like a curse you couldn’t shake. It turned even small moments into tension-filled beats.

Then came the Trinity, the first vampires sired by Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekah, and suddenly everything got personal. These weren’t just random enemies; they were linked to the family’s history in ways that made every confrontation hit harder.

Alliances felt fragile, betrayals cut deeper than ever, and by the finale...well, let’s just say fans were left wrecked!

It had action, drama, emotional punches, and not a single episode that felt like filler. Every choice mattered, every loss stung - and it proved that when The Originals was at its best, it was one of the most gripping supernatural dramas on TV.

Conclusion

Some seasons of The Originals stumbled, some soared, but together they made a story worth sticking with from start to finish. And in the Mikaelsons’ world, “Always and Forever” wasn’t just a promise - it was a warning. You might survive your enemies, but surviving your family...that’s another story.