New York.
The peak. A cast widely cited as the strongest in the show's history, a judges' table operating in lockstep, and a season-long runway run that holds up critique by critique.
Every later season measures itself against this one. The casting math is the closest the show has ever come to a working blueprint.
A rhythm worth tracking.
The season the canon places first. Fifteen designers whose confessionals fans still quote, a judges' table operating in unbroken agreement, and a runway run that holds up critique by critique across the full season. The workroom dynamic is confrontational in a way the show rarely lets itself be, and the editing trusts the cast to carry it. Every later season measures itself against this one. The casting math is the closest Project Runway has come to a working blueprint.
The #01 slot.
Slot #01 of 10 in the Project Runway Editor's Canon. The neighbors below frame what we ranked above and below it.