With Big Mouth now long over, many viewers have been avid re-watchers (personally, I’ve seen it upwards of 5 times). From an adult’s perspective, I can see how the show can make people feel uncomfortable. As a kid who watched it when she was going through what the characters were, I will forever appreciate it. With an iconic opening theme and plenty of controversial content, the show follows a group of pubescent middle/high schoolers throughout their puberty journey. The viewers not only learn about the characters, but also about themselves. The show features many notable characters, iconic lines, and a stacked cast: Nick Kroll, John Mulaney, Maya Rudolph, Jason Mantzoukas, and Jenny Slate—just to name a few. With a total of 8 seasons, each will have its special place in my heart, but here they are, ranked.
- Season 8
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Big Mouth’s last season isn’t terrible; however, for the final one, it’s a little disappointing. Season 8 follows the former Bridgeton Middle students in their first weeks of high school. Annoyingly, many of the storylines that season 7 sets up are abandoned. For example, Nick doesn’t last long at his fancy new high school, and his friendship with the new Andrew quickly goes south. Missy’s attempt to be homeschooled is thrown out, too. It’s nice to see the Human Resources, a spinoff of Big Mouth, characters again, but they are underused, and the show also forgets to check in with Connie and Maury’s child, Montel. Several new stories are established but are left half-finished. At least Nick finally hit puberty. Big Mouth’s ending is fine, but my main complaint is that it feels rushed, and I expected much more.
- Season 7
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Season 7 begins with the characters visiting their new high schools, and follows them through their final days at Bridgeton Middle. There are loads of amazing cameos in season 7, like Zazie Beetz as Danni, Meghan Thee Stallion as Danni’s hormone monster, and Lin Manuel-Miranda as Esperandos Pelitos. The season’s pacing is a little odd at times, but it’s still solid overall. Certain storylines pop up at weird times, too, like Jessi randomly developing an obsession with her stepmother when she breastfeeds. Many episodes are standalones that focus solely on one or two characters, but this allows for great character development. There’s a big focus on Andrew, but it’s interesting to see more of the Big Mouth kids outside of the school setting.
- Season 5
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Season 5 is a good portion of the show, even if it isn’t perfect. We see the fallout of Jay and Lola’s toxic relationship after their split, the return of the Shame Wizard, the blossoming of a relationship for Andrew, and Nick and Missy overcome by hatred. The finale, “Re-New Year’s Eve”, takes a unique spin: Nick meets his human counterpart (Nick Kroll) after falling into Human Resources, and Matthew and Jay become a couple. Every episode of the season has its highs, but the main issue is that certain storylines take too much time. The whole Nick/Jessi/Ali debacle and the Dr. Plain Talk account consume so much of the season that the other subplots are forced to take a seat.
- Season 2
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Season 2 returns with a great set of episodes. The Bridgeton Middle kids are enduring their respective puberties, and face anxieties about their appearances, social skills, and general attitudes. We are introduced to the Shame Wizard, Coach Steve gets it on with Jay’s mom, and there’s even an entire episode dedicated to Planned Parenthood. We also see a glimpse of the Human Resources world as Jessi battles depression. It’s a little annoying that the Shame Wizard is the “big bad” of the season, but his friendship with Coach Steve slightly makes up for it. What’s particularly great about season 2 is that the characters outside the main trio, Jessi, Nick, and Andrew, get more screen time and development, especially the likes of Jay, Matthew, and Lola. This season is good, but not as outstanding as others.
- Season 4
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The events and character development throughout season 4 prove it’s one of the show’s strongest. The early episodes focus on the summer, and jump between Nick, Jessi, and Andrew at camp, Missy visiting her cousins in Atlanta, and the beginning of Jay and Lola’s relationship. There are some huge changes and plenty of storylines in season 4. Missy learns more about her black identity, Jessi moves to the city and has her first relationship, Nick meets his alter-ego and potential future self, Nick Starr, Matthew finally addresses his sexuality with his parents after meeting Aiden, and Andrew believes he accidentally killed his grandfather after he broke his “ritual”. This season also features one of the best songs in the entire series: “Code-Switching”. Season 4 really dives into other human emotions beyond hormones and introduces new characters, such as Tito the anxiety mosquito. Overall, it really feels like the kids are growing up.
- Season 6
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Big Mouth season 6 is one of my favorites. Season 6 is the first season of Big Mouth after Human Resources, and the two shows’ storylines work together well without being confusing. Connie and Maury’s child, Montel, is born, and multiple Human Resources characters are integrated as well. We meet Nick’s deranged grandfather, Missy’s new interest, Elijah, many of Jay’s siblings, Lola’s three possible fathers, and Greg and Caitlin’s new baby, Delilah. We also see the decline of Matthew and Jay’s relationship, as well as Andrew and Bernie’s. Some moments feel a bit cringy, like the body-swapping episode, “F**ked Up Friday”, for example. But in turn, Big Mouth season 6 also covers topics that few other TV shows do, like Elijah’s sexuality journey and Jessi’s struggles with a UTI. Season 6 feels like a new era of the show while simultaneously developing great stories from past seasons.
- Season 1
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Big Mouth season 1 is a stellar start to the show. Season 1 introduces the characters, even if some aren’t as prominent until later in the show, and establishes exactly what Big Mouth is without holding back. Andrew is a pervert, Nick is a wee little lad, Missy is a dork, Jessi is a whiz kid, Jay is an animal, and Matthew is gay. Big Mouth tackles serious topics in season 1, like getting your first period, questioning your sexuality, and trying to understand what sex is. It’s not only the kids who learn; the adults do too. The stories, like Shannon’s affair, are both entertaining and educational. The show is definitely still finding its feet in the first season, but the plot and nostalgia are what make it so good.
- Season 3
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Season 3 is the ultimate season of Big Mouth. The season tackles an incredible number of different stories: body shaming, losing your virginity, phone addiction, ranking your peers, and standardized test frenzy. This season also features some of the funniest moments in Big Mouth, like the musical adaptation of Disclosure, a dangerous and certainly interesting trip to Florida, Jessi exploring her body, and the superhero fights in the finale. Overall, season 3 is the best because it truly opens everything up. All the characters interact with one another, rather than being restricted to certain scenes; the fourth wall breaks more than ever, and it ends with quite a cliffhanger. Every season of Big Mouth has highs and lows, but season 3 is the strongest.