# Best Single Television Episode Ever **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 2, 2004, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-single-television-episode-ever/262831 "2004-09-02T20:43:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-single-television-episode-ever/262831/21 "2004-09-02T22:30:33Z")
**WKRP** : The softball game episode, Del’s stereo and sound, the aforementioned “Oh my God they’re turkeys!” **Futurama** : Jurassic Bark, Where No Fan Has Gone Before, Fry & the Slurm Factory, all Anthology of Interest episodes **TNG** : Cause and Effect **Jonny Quest** : Invisible shrieking monster, giant spider-thingy ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_E\_Sheets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Alan\_E\_Sheets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_E_Sheets)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-single-television-episode-ever/262831/22 "2004-09-02T22:32:31Z")
This one is pretty good, but I prefer the one where Johnny thinks he’s being chased by the phone police (the episode where the station’s transmitter gets blown up by terrorists). > [@Chefguy](#): > > The **WKRP** episode wherein Less Nessman reports on the turkeys being tossed out of the helicopter. Also to add to this list is any Barney Miller episode. ---
**Author:** ![ticker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@ticker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ticker)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-single-television-episode-ever/262831/23 "2004-09-02T22:33:51Z")
Father Ted: Speed 3 ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-single-television-episode-ever/262831/24 "2004-09-02T22:37:24Z")
**My So-Called Life** : So-Called Angel Runners up: **Buffy the Vampire Slayer** : The Body **Mission: Impossible** : Zubrovnik’s Ghost **Mary Tyler Moore** : Chuckles Bites the Dust **Outer Limits** : The Sixth Finger **Twilight Zone** : Nick of Time **Star Trek** : The Trouble with Tribbles **Newhart** : The Last Newhart (the series finale) **Arrested Development** : Missing Kitty ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-single-television-episode-ever/262831/25 "2004-09-02T22:41:14Z")
“The X-Files” episode “Jose Chung’s ‘From Outer Space’”. Brilliantly funny episode that worked as a self-referential parody of the series itself, the network it ran on, the stars, the entire alien/gov’t conspiracy phenomenon, and TV show fanboys. And it actually worked as an interesting story as well, instead of just being played for laughs. Plus it had Alex Trebeck and Jesse Ventura appearing as Men In Black. ---
**Author:** ![Capt\_B.Phart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc29f/32.png) [@Capt\_B.Phart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt_B.Phart)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-single-television-episode-ever/262831/26 "2004-09-02T22:58:17Z")
> [@ticker](#): > > Father Ted: Speed 3 “But Ted,…she was in the nip!” Bless! ---
**Author:** ![Julius\_Henry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8797f3/32.png) [@Julius\_Henry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Julius_Henry)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-single-television-episode-ever/262831/27 "2004-09-02T22:59:09Z")
The \*\*Barney Miller \*\* episode with the hash brownies. _All the music of life seems to be Like a bell that is ringing for me!_ ---
**Author:** ![MentalGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/439d5e/32.png) [@MentalGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MentalGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-single-television-episode-ever/262831/28 "2004-09-02T23:10:53Z")
**The Dick Van Dyke Show** - Laura opens Rob’s mail. Or the one where Laura lets it slip on a game show that Alan Brady is really bald. ---
**Author:** ![Kaitlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/73ab20/32.png) [@Kaitlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaitlyn)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-single-television-episode-ever/262831/29 "2004-09-02T23:13:31Z")
Comedy: WKRP in Cincinnatti: “As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.” Drama: _The West Wing_ “In the Shadow of Two Gunmen” Sci-Fi/Fantasy: _The New Twilight Zone_ (1986) “The Cold Equations” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-single-television-episode-ever/262831/30 "2004-09-02T23:18:48Z")
Hill Street Blues: “Grace Under Pressure” – Bochco & Co. deal with the real-life passing of actor Michael Conrad by providing his character with a most memorable exit episode. Capt. Furillo informs the Hill that their Sarge has passed away. Over the course of the day, word leaks out concerning salient details of how the sarge passed on (while having sex with Grace Gardner), culminating in a bittersweet but hilarious bar scene at the end of the episode, when Andy Renko calls Furillo at home to confirm the rumors. Seinfeld: “The Contest”. The foursome bet on who can remain the “Master of His Domain” the longest… only to individually confront unprecedented temptations. Another vote for Fawlty Towers’ “The Germans”… (“How_ever_ did they win?”) ---
**Author:** ![Nightwatch\_Trailer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9dc877/32.png) [@Nightwatch\_Trailer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightwatch_Trailer)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-single-television-episode-ever/262831/31 "2004-09-02T23:25:44Z")
**Spongebob Squarepants** : I don’t care if you don’t like cartoons. The episode in which Squidward organizes a band, and then Spongebob pulls it together at the last minute, is absolutely inspiring. “The winner take all…it’s the thrill of one more kill…” Hilarious. And an oldie: the episode in the aged Nickelodeon show **The Adventures of Pete and Pete** in which Artie (the strongest man…in the WORLD!) moves a neighbor’s house a tiny bit to one side, so when the guy comes home he misses the lock with his key. It seems like anyone who has ever seen **P&P** remembers this episode. Man…that show was ahead of its time. ---
**Author:** ![Booker57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Booker57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Booker57)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-single-television-episode-ever/262831/32 "2004-09-02T23:36:54Z")
If it ever happens, the last Ken Jennings/ Jeopardy show should be a good one. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-single-television-episode-ever/262831/33 "2004-09-02T23:41:59Z")
One (or two) of the **ER** shows that were set in Africa (actually Hawaii). Very well done and evoked the Congo extremely well. ---
**Author:** ![ZebraShaSha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/eada6e/32.png) [@ZebraShaSha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZebraShaSha)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-single-television-episode-ever/262831/34 "2004-09-02T23:44:11Z")
This thread is making me so sad because I know I will never be able to experience half of these shows. There really should be some way to get old tv shows out to the public if they just collect dust in a studio some where. Such a shame. ---
**Author:** ![vl\_mungo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc8723/32.png) [@vl\_mungo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vl_mungo)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-single-television-episode-ever/262831/35 "2004-09-02T23:48:29Z")
I’m not even going to try to list just one… **X-Files** - Jose Chung’s 'From Outer Space **Red Dwarf** - Backwards **Fawlty Towers** - The Hotel Inspectors **Speed Racer** - The Fire Race **The Goodies** - Kitten Kong **WKRP** - The Phone Cops episodes… or maybe that’s cheating. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-single-television-episode-ever/262831/36 "2004-09-02T23:58:50Z")
Moving this from IMHO to Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-single-television-episode-ever/262831/37 "2004-09-03T00:07:26Z")
Another great _Just Shoot Me_ episode was the special “Biography” episode about Nina VanHorn. Oh, and **JThunder** , let me add that very special _I Love Lucy_ episode where Lucy devises a hare-brained scheme to be a part of Desi’s show. Ethel is a part of it and a lot of people laugh. A classic if there ever was one! 😉 Seriously, though, I’ll also nominate the _Twilight Zone_ episode “It’s a GOOD Life”. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-single-television-episode-ever/262831/38 "2004-09-03T00:17:34Z")
I found a website that has TV Guide’s list on this subject from March 2001 - their top 100. Here’s their top ten, many of which have already been named, and more of which probably would have had the list been contemporary (or maybe not, considering the number of classics and sitcoms in the top ten): 1. The Mary Tyler Moore Show: “Chuckles Bites the Dust” 2. I Love Lucy: “Lucy Does a TV Commercial” 3. ER: “Love’s Labor Lost” 4. Seinfeld: “The Boyfriend” 5. The Odd Couple: “Password” 6. The Honeymooners: “The $90,000 Answer” 7. Cheers: “Thanksgiving Orphans” 8. The Dick Van Dyke Show: “Coast-to-Coast Big Mouth” 9. The Bob Newhart Show: “Over the River and Through the Woods” 10. The X-Files: “Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose” The next 10 of the top 20 include another Dick van Dyke episode, the awesomely depressing “Abyssinia, Henry,” “To Serve Man,” and the first regular episode of “Columbo,” “Murder By the Book,” which features a director and writer who became household names between then and now. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-single-television-episode-ever/262831/39 "2004-09-03T00:28:31Z")
> [@Dancer\_Flight](#): > > **Babylon 5: Episode 5.22 – Sleeping in Light** is by far my favorite episode of anything. > > **BtVS: The Body; Once More, With Feeling; Restless; and Hush** are all breakthrough episodes and deserve a mention. > > -DF …but, but, but, those were my choices! Sleeping in Light is my favourite too… > [@](#): > > Sheridan: Lorien. > > Lorien: Did you think we had forgotten you? We have been waiting for you. > > Sheridan: Beyond the rim. > > Lorien: Yes. > > Sheridan: There’s so much I still don’t understand. > > Lorien: As it should be. > > Sheridan: Can I come back? > > Lorien: No. This journey has ended. Another begins. Time to rest now. > > Sheridan: Well … look at that … suns coming up. :: sniffs :: …Hush was my favouite Buffy episode as well… I’ll add something unusual-the Veterans Day episode of “Hey Arnold” [http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/GuidePageServlet/showid-1626/epid-55067/](http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/GuidePageServlet/showid-1626/epid-55067/) A remarkable tale on the true meaning of heroism. Remarkable for a kids cartoon. ---
**Author:** ![Moonchild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@Moonchild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonchild)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-single-television-episode-ever/262831/40 "2004-09-03T00:32:57Z")
“ **Freaks and Geeks** ” was just a momentary flash in the TV universe (one season, 18 episodes), but the pilot episode, where Sam must deal with his bully nemesis Allen and Lindsay asks Ely the retarded kid to the school dance, is brilliant. Equally brilliant is the season finale where Lindsay discovers the Grateful Dead. Another vote here also for the “Taxi” episode introducing Ignatowski. Whuuuuut. Dooooooes. Aaaaaa. Yelloooooooow. Liiiiiiiiiight Meeeeeeean?!? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-single-television-episode-ever/262831.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-single-television-episode-ever/262831.md?page=3)