My Little Pony: The Ponies of Equestria (Johnsonverse)

My Little Pony: The Ponies of Equestria is an American-Canadian-Irish animated series based on the 2010 relaunch of the My Little Pony franchise by Hasbro and a spin-off of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. It focuses on various background characters from that series and is aimed at teenage audiences.
First announced in 2014 in response to the success of the 100th episode of Friendship is Magic, "Slice of Life", the series' first season premiered on Netflix on November 6, 2015. It received critical acclaim for its animation, voice acting, stories, and premise. Reruns have aired on The Hub and Cartoon Network since 2017 and 2018, respectively. The seventh and final season was released on November 10, 2021.
==Premise==
The series focuses on background characters from the television series My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, as well as other popular side characters from that show.
==Characters==
===Main===
* Derpy Hooves (Tabitha St. Germain) is the protagonist of the series. She is a clumsy but well-meaning mailmare who also sells muffins on the side, which she is surprisingly knowledgeable about. She is recognizable from her mismatched eyes.
* Octavia Melody (Kazumi Evans) is a musician. A fan of classical music, she is a 
* Vinyl Scratch a.k.a. "DJ Pon-3" (Jesse Nowack) is a laid-back, smooth-talking DJ. Originally silent in her "Slice of Life" appearance, Vinyl is much more talkative in the series.
* Dr. Hooves (David Tennant, speaking voice; Peter New, singing voice) is Derpy's husband. He is a Time Lord from Gallifrey stuck in a pony's body and sent to Equestria after an encounter with The Master; this fact is not revealed in the series.
* Lyra Heartstrings (Ashleigh Ball) is the owner of a bakery.
* Sweetie Drops a.k.a. "Bon Bon" (Chantal Strand) is a secret agent from Canterlot posing as a
* Berry Punch (Lauren Emily Jackson) is a 
* Cherry Berry (Cathy Weseluck) is a
* Minuette (Rebecca Husain) is an old friend of Twilight Sparkle and a dentist.
===Recurring===
* Dinky Doo (Caitlin Carmichael) is Derpy and Dr. Hooves' daughter.
* Golden Harvest a.k.a. "Carrot Top" (Cathy Weseluck) is a
* Roseluck (Kazumi Evans) is a
* Amethyst Star (Brenda Crichlow) is a
* Flower Wishes (Ashleigh Ball) is a
* Steven Magnet (Lee Tockar) is a sea serpent.
====Also recurring in Friendship is Magic====
* Discord (John de Lancie) is a semi-reformed draconequus who is the lord of chaos. He is also a 
* Trixie (Kathleen Barr) is a blue unicorn who constantly refers to herself in the third-person.
* Big McIntosh a.k.a. "Big Mac" (Peter New) is a stallion who usually only says "Eeyup", with a deep, masculine voice.
* Cheerilee (Nicole Oliver) is a teacher at Ponyville Schoolhouse.
* Cranky Doodle Donkey (Richard Newman) is a cranky donkey.
* Matilda (Brenda M. Crichlow) is Cranky Doodle's wife.
* Bulk Biceps (Michael Dobson) is a muscular Pegasus.
==Production==
===Development===
In 2013, it was announced that the television series My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic would receive a spin-off more focused on the teenage demographic. Rumors that it would focus on fan-favorite background characters circulated heavily.
===Casting===
Many of the actors from the parent show reprise their roles. David Tennant, best known for his role as the Tenth Doctor on the BBC series Doctor Who from 2005-2010, was selected as the speaking voice for Dr. Hooves (with Peter New, who voiced him in "Slice of Life", continuing to do the singing voice). Jesse Nowack, who had voiced Vinyl Scratch (DJ Pon-3) in various fan projects, reprises this role in the series.
===Writing===
The writing staff is the same as in the main series and Equestria Girls.
===Animation===
The animation is provided by Boulder Media, Johnson's Irish animation studio, in collaboration with CinarDHX Media, Johnson's Canadian animation studio.
==Seasons==
Season	Release date 	Episode count
1 	November 6, 2015 	13
2 	November 6, 2016 	13
3 	November 3, 2017 	13
4 	November 2, 2018 	13
5 	November 1, 2019 	13
6 	November 6, 2020 	13
7 	November 10, 2021	13
==Broadcast history==
My Little Pony: The Ponies of Equestria was first released on Netflix on November 6, 2015. It became one of the highest-watched series on the platform. It was renewed in December of that year, and the second season was released on November 6, 2016. The third season was
==Reception==
The series was critically acclaimed for its premise, its animation and voice acting, and its storytelling. Rotten Tomatoes gave the series a 100% rating, its critic consensus stating,
===Accolades===
===Controversy===
The series received some controversy for the fourth-season episode "The Wedding of Lyra and Bon-Bon", which depicts the characters Lyra Heartstrings and Bon-Bon getting married. Several groups such as One Million Moms attempted to get the episode banned, and countries such as Russia and Kenya, among other countries with anti-homosexuality laws, banned the episode from broadcast.
==Gallery==
File:Background Nine promotional artwork.png|Promotional artwork of the Background Nine.
Category:Johnsonverse