ABC's hit series Shark Tank has stood the test of time and flourished well past its first decade of seasons. The reality TV show's simple concept and compelling judges have kept viewers coming back year after year and its consistency has made it a ratings success.
Despite this consistency, some seasons have stood up better than others, and their IMDb averages reflect that. Some episodes succeed because of the great pitches for products and memorable moments, while others have great guest judges that keep fans tuning in each week.
Season 13 - 6.6
The show's most recent season is also its lowest-rated according to its average score. Though most of the episodes fall around the average score of 7.0, season 13 features the lowest rated episode of the entire series at 4.9 for the season premiere.
Perhaps the remaining episodes left to air will improve the average score but as it stands now, 13 is by far the lowest.
Season 11 - 6.8
By the show's 11th season, the series began to exhibit fatigue with its concept and it seems like the audience began feeling it was a bit stale. The IMDb rating decline finally fell below 7.0 despite a slightly improved tenth season.
A lack of exciting celebrity judges led to the 11th season feeling stale and tired. A show that lives and dies by its premise can also suffer because of the inherently repetitive nature of the series.
Season 12 - 7.0
The 12th season was the first produced during the pandemic, and the technical limitations were obvious during the season. Despite that, season 12 was a rebound from the previous, even if there was a large variety in scores from episode to episode.
Season 12 rated as low as 6.4 and jumped as high as 7.5. Even with a dip in quality, Shark Tank showed it could still be one of the funniest reality TV shows of all time when sharks tore apart a bad pitch.
Season 7 - 7.0
Season 7 was consistently inconsistent with its episode scores. Starting on a positive note with a few episodes over 7.4 thanks to guest stars like Ashton Kutcher, the season slowly slid further and further down the scale.
Eventually, the episodes dipped below 7.0 and even got as low as 6.4 before it ended. The most interesting pitches were saved for the first and last episodes of the season, leaving the middle to sag, which was reflected in audience interest.
Season 10 - 7.1
Subtitled "A Decade of Dreams", the tenth season got a bump from the fact that it was celebrating an anniversary.
Though it started poorly with low scores thanks to less than interesting pitches, the season redeemed itself as time went on by putting its most interesting pitches at the end, which elevated the scores. The season has many episodes below 7.0, but the finale saved its average with a score of 7.9, one of the highest of the entire series.
Season 8 - 7.2
Season 8 started on a slump, with several episodes dipping below the 7.0 mark. However, as the season wore on it found its stride and had consistent good ratings until the final episode, which was the highest of the season.
The quality of pitches throughout the season was disappointing overall though, and a lack of big-name guest stars hurt its average. Fortunately, the pitches improved towards the end, and the final episode garnered a 7.7 score.
Season 9 - 7.2
Season 9 is one of the most consistent seasons of the entire series. A smattering of interesting guest stars, such as Alex Rodriguez, throughout the season never allowed it to really collapse in quality in the eyes of the audience.
The score never dropped below 7.0 and even got as high as 8.1 in the season premiere, with guest judge Richard Branson to help pump up the score.
Season 6 - 7.3
The quality of pitches saved season 6, and the even distribution of good pitches throughout the season kept its scores pretty level. The season got as high as 7.7 but never went below 7.1 on IMDb and it never lagged in the middle where most of the bad pitches are put.
Season six showed that the series had staying power and that it could deliver consistent ratings even after being around for half a decade.
Season 1 - 7.3
The first season of the show gets a boost for being the introduction to the series. The cast is the same throughout all of the episodes and their characters get a chance to develop.
The first season wasn't the best that the show would ever be, but it still succeeded in a way to ensure that the show would go on to acclaim, including many Emmy wins. The pitches are fresh and though the show hadn't found its footing, the relatively short season allows the judges to shine.
Season 4 - 7.4
Season 4 was the first season that the show expanded to its full production schedule of over twenty episodes.
Even though it expanded to a longer format, the show proved that it could maintain a level of excellence throughout with episodes rarely scoring below a 7.4. A slew of celebrity cameos also helped boost the show, as it had begun to call in bigger and bigger stars.