Legends of Tomorrow: All 7 seasons ranked from worst to best

The Arrowverse's kookiest show may have come to an abrupt end but that hasn't stopped audiences around the world from appreciating the absolutely bonkers bonanza that was DC's Legends of Tomorrow.

The show aired for seven seasons on The CW, functioning as a spinoff of both Arrow and The Flash designed to give some of those shows' most popular supporting characters more of a leading role. It took a while to find its footing but it ultimately grew stronger when it shed those initial shackles and did its own thing, becoming one of the most unusual - and yet beloved - shows on television.

It aired seven seasons before it was prematurely cancelled (which isn't a sentence we should be saying about any shows that ran for seven seasons), and The CW still doesn't feel whole without its presence. But that won't stop us from celebrating its unique legacy, so let's take this opportunity to do just that and look back at all of its seasons, ranking them while we're at it.

7. Season 4

Legends of Tomorrow might have been at its best when it was at its most fun, but season 4 took too big of a step into silly territory. This time, the Legends took on the "mythteries", battling ancient mythical creatures all while preparing to battle the demon known as Neron.

The good thing about Legends' weakest season is that it wasn't bad, it just wasn't up to the same high standard as the rest of the show. It was still engaging on a weekly basis, producing some awesome standalone episodes, particularly the midseason finale "Legends of To-Meow-Meow" and "Séance and Sensibility", which featured the show's iconic musical number.

Some of the long-term stories were great too, with John Constantine's arrival paving the way for some serious storytelling amidst all the silliness, while the full-time addition of Ava allowed for a deeper exploration of the "Avalance" romance.

6. Season 1

The first season of Legends of Tomorrow brought our beloved team together for an unforgettable adventure through time and space. Their mission was to stop and kill the immortal tyrant Vandal Savage at three different points in time so that they could rid the world of his reign of terror forever. And, for the most part, it succeeded.

The season's issues stemmed from the fact that it didn't get to stand out in a crowded sci-fi/fantasy landscape, which wasn't helped by the fact that Savage was a very one-dimensional villain. That being said, season 1's strengths are often overlooked, as its was a pretty solid opening to the show. No, it didn't get everything right from the offset, but it found its footing the longer that it went on and stuck its landing pretty well, too.

It also featured some great standalone episodes, including the phenomenal "Star City 2046", which remains one of Legends' best ever episodes.

5. Season 6

The season in which the Legends finally tackled the one thing that had eluded the Arrowverse heroes of Earth-1/Earth-Prime: Aliens. Legends of Tomorrow season 6 was set in space, as a close encounter of the Legends kind resulted in a host of aliens getting loose in the time stream, forcing the rest of the outcasts and misfits to hunt them down and eliminate them, all while looking for their leader Sara Lance (who had been abducted).

This one was so unbelievably Legends and it was successful because of that. If any show was going to successfully make aliens work on TV, it was Legends; and they pulled it off, opting for B-movie-esque special effects and limited CGI to bring the critters to life. We also got some major twists in there regarding the aliens, specifically one who was apparently hiding in plain sight all along.

I will say that season 6 does occasionally suffer from an overreliance on silliness and the decision to replace Sara with an immortal clone was questionable at best, but the good does outweigh the bad. One of the reasons for that is its focus on Avalance, with the episode in which we get that long-awaited proposal being one of the finest hours Legends of Tomorrow ever produced.

I'm not crying. You are.

4. Season 5

Legends of Tomorrow season 5 steered the show back on-course, blending more serious storylines with its silliness to make for a more balanced season. This time, the Legends were up against The Fates, who sought to use the Loom of Fate to manipulate, well, fate itself.

It was a compelling premise, because as great as the heroes were, they were outmatched by the ancient all-powerful beings, and so they had to think outside the box to defeat them. We all know that's the Legends' favorite thing to do, and you're darn right that the season ended in a ridiculous showdown to Sisqo's "Thong Song" (with Sisqo himself even appearing in it).

There was so much to love about season 5, particularly the stakes that remained high throughout, as well as the arrivals of both the second Zari and her brother Behrad, who made wonderful additions to the line-up. And we can't talk about season 5 without mentioning the absolutely fantastic "The One Where We're Trapped on TV" - the iconic episode that saw the Legends end up inside fictional television shows. Only on Legends of Tomorrow, am I right?

3. Season 7

There's really something to be said about a show that can produce one of its best seasons seven years into its run, but that's what Legends of Tomorrow managed to do. While the show never disappointed, it pulled this seemingly impossible caper off by pressing the reset button, stranding the Legends in one time period and allowing viewers to soak up the world of the 1920s.

It made for a more serious affair, as the show tackled some of the issues that were present in the '20s, but it also made time for the lunacy it does best, having the Waverider crew construct their own time machine to get themselves back home and even introducing evil robot doppelgangers of the Legends too (of course it did!). It also brought in some delightful new characters, including Spooner and the inventor of time travel Gwyn Davies.

From its throwback setting to its beautiful 100th episode, the show was both loyal to its time period and to its own premise here, and even though it shouldn't have been the final season, it ensured that the series went out on one of its biggest highs.

2. Season 3

Legends of Tomorrow struck gold with its second season, which found a way to balance dramatic storylines with the show's outlandish nature. Its third successfully built upon that, leaning ever-so-slightly further into the unserious territory without completely losing the drama it did so well.

The show's third season saw the team battle a demonic entity known as Mallus, who attempted to take over the body of Damien Darhk's daughter. That, of course, meant the return of Damien himself, but a different version than the one we saw in season 2, making for plenty of interesting storytelling potential - which the season capitalized on well. It also benefitted from the arrival of John Constantine, who recurred in its back half, and the intorduction of the Time Bureau, led by Ava Sharpe.

The ambitious storyline didn't prevent the show from making time to bid farewell to one of its most beloved characters, producing a beautiful send-off for Professor Martin Stein... and somehow successfully tying that into the introduction of the lovable Beebo.

Yeah, like I said, only on Legends.

1. Season 2

Although Legends of Tomorrow's beginnings weren't anywhere near as unsteady as you may have been led to believe, the show did need a little something extra to set itself apart from the countless time-travel-focused fantasy dramas out there. From the moment that season 2 began, it was clear that it had found that spice it was looking for.

From its quirky Mick Rory-narrated intro to the pivot away from melodrama, things started incredibly strong for Legends season 2 as it leaned into the one thing that made the show unique: Its outlandishness. The humor was dialled up (but not to such an extent that it overwhelmed the show) while former Arrowverse villains Reverse-Flash, Dark Archer, and Damien Darhk were brought in to give it a more compelling big bad. It worked like a dream.

The team's quest for the Spear of Destiny was a powerful central narrative, particularly for new team captain Sara Lance and the show's hilariously self-aware core theme of the Legends always "screwing things up for the better" made it a much more enjoyable watch on a whole. From its standalone episodes to its stakes, Legends had found the perfect balance and figured out what it does best. What a comeback!