# Episodes of TV shows which departed from the standard formula and were good **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 8, 2011, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/episodes-of-tv-shows-which-departed-from-the-standard-formula-and-were-good/598972 "2011-10-08T04:22:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/episodes-of-tv-shows-which-departed-from-the-standard-formula-and-were-good/598972/61 "2011-10-18T16:20:55Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > \*\*\*The Corps Is Mother \*\*\*was the best of the bunch. It was interesting to see how Bester (usually presented as sheer evil) thought of himself, and how he behaved among people he genuinely liked and cared about. > > Bester proved himself to be smart, capable, charming, funny, and a good boss. Bad guys, we tend to forget, usually don’t think of themselves as bad guys. He definitely thought he was a good guy and was quite concerned for other telepaths. I love that episode. I think Bester is Walter Koenig’s defining role, not that silly Chekov guy he plays on that other sci-fi show. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/episodes-of-tv-shows-which-departed-from-the-standard-formula-and-were-good/598972/62 "2011-10-18T16:28:46Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > – The episode (co-written by the show’s medical advisor) in which a clock is shown running in the lower corner, emphasizing that they only have 25 minutes to save the patient if they want him to keep his lower limbs. What was particularly neat was that the clock didn’t stop for the commercial breaks, but picked up with the elapsed time subtracted. I have a dim memory from childhood of a Ben Casey episode that did something similar. I probably wasn’t supposed to be watching it. Not a complete break, but the Trouble with Tribbles, and one of the Harry Mudd episodes of Star Trek were more comedy oriented than the typical episode. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/episodes-of-tv-shows-which-departed-from-the-standard-formula-and-were-good/598972/63 "2011-10-18T16:31:26Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > LAW & ORDER had one classic episode open with a criminal dying in the electric chair; we then follow the cops and prosecutors who put him there, as they spend the rest of the day finding new and different ways to put off dealing with it: two of 'em wind up at the same bar and get increasingly hammered, another sleeps with someone he just met – played by a then-unknown Jennifer Garner! – and the whole thing wraps up with the out-of-nowhere season-finale ending that got Jill Hennessy off the show by putting her character on a slab. I never saw that but now I want to. There was one L&O episode where there was a shortage of uniforms – so Brisco and – Curtis? – had to do uniform duty. There was no murder to be solved, just cops on the beat responding to some very bizarre calls. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2011, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/episodes-of-tv-shows-which-departed-from-the-standard-formula-and-were-good/598972/64 "2011-10-19T18:12:06Z")
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys had an episode set in the present day in which the actors who normally play other characters (such as Ares or Callisto) are cast as the producers, writers, and other staff of the show. It was hilarious, especially the fight scene at the end. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2011, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/episodes-of-tv-shows-which-departed-from-the-standard-formula-and-were-good/598972/65 "2011-10-19T18:22:05Z")
Ooh, good call on that \*\*Hercules \*\*episode. You’re right, it was really funny. **Xena** had a couple of musical episodes. It was one of the first shows I can remember doing one. (predating **Buffy** ’s musical by a few years) ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2011, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/episodes-of-tv-shows-which-departed-from-the-standard-formula-and-were-good/598972/66 "2011-10-19T18:37:16Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > **Xena** had a couple of musical episodes. It was one of the first shows I can remember doing one. (predating **Buffy** ’s musical by a few years) I still think _Bitter Suite_ has to be one of the Top 10 Episode Titles of All Time when viewed in the context of the episode. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2011, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/episodes-of-tv-shows-which-departed-from-the-standard-formula-and-were-good/598972/67 "2011-10-19T19:24:52Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > \*\*\*The Corps Is Mother \*\*\*was the best of the bunch. It was interesting to see how Bester (usually presented as sheer evil) thought of himself, and how he behaved among people he genuinely liked and cared about. > > Bester proved himself to be smart, capable, charming, funny, and a good boss. Bad guys, we tend to forget, usually don’t think of themselves as bad guys. It’s also interesting to see how early the Corps indoctrination skews people. The intern/very junior psi-cop accompanying Bester is played as a fairly sweet, naive, eager young trainee - and she thinks absolutely _nothing_ of chucking a man out an airlock without a trial. ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/episodes-of-tv-shows-which-departed-from-the-standard-formula-and-were-good/598972/68 "2011-10-20T04:05:03Z")
Getting away from its usual sci-fi morality tales, “The Twilight Zone” broadcast the French short film, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” a faithful adaptation of the Ambrose Bierce story. It was one of the best episodes of the show, but unfortunately, for legal reasons, is not part of the syndicated series. I think it may be available on DVD, though. I just found it on youtube! ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/episodes-of-tv-shows-which-departed-from-the-standard-formula-and-were-good/598972/69 "2011-10-20T04:43:03Z")
> [@Dendarii\_Dame](#): > > Hercules: The Legendary Journeys had an episode set in the present day in which the actors who normally play other characters (such as Ares or Callisto) are cast as the producers, writers, and other staff of the show. It was hilarious, especially the fight scene at the end. There was a **Xena** episode that took place during (or shortly before) WWII where Gabrille was reincarnated as a female Indiana Jones who discovered the tomb of Ares (who was awfully excited about this new Hitler fellow) while looking for the Xena scrolls. Joxer was her sidekick an Xena was reborn as a mild mannered secretary or reporter. Another modern day episode was very meta. Xena & Joxer were reincarnated as a couple. “Xena” was obessed with the show. Gabrielle was past life therapist (& a fraud who was shocked to uncover real memories of past lives). It turned out that “Xena” (ie the woman who looked like Xena) was really Joxer’s reincarnation and her boyfriend was really Xena. Who promptly made out with Gabrielle. 😉 > [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > _All in the Family_ also had the episode where Edith was alone in the house, being held captive by a guy intending to rape her. She overpowered him by > > shoving a burning hot fresh-out-of-the-over chocolate cake in his face > > Another Edith episode had her losing her faith in God after her transvesite friend Beverly LaSalle was attacked and killed in a hate crime. Mike, of all people, gave a speech that gave her faith back to her. You can here the entire audience collectively realizing that this wasn’t being played for laughes and Edith was really supposed to be in danger. Good episode. ---
**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:** [October 20, 2011, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/episodes-of-tv-shows-which-departed-from-the-standard-formula-and-were-good/598972/70 "2011-10-20T14:17:12Z")
Last night’s **CSI** departed from the usual formula of slowly piecing together the evidence of a crime (or two). It became a rather good action show, with good tension and some deeper character issues being explored. The mystery was solved in the first 20 minutes, leaving the rest to go full throttle. ---
**Author:** ![HeadNinja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b4bc9f/32.png) [@HeadNinja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeadNinja)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/episodes-of-tv-shows-which-departed-from-the-standard-formula-and-were-good/598972/71 "2011-10-21T15:15:48Z")
Er had an episode where Juliana Marguiles was taken hostage by Ewen MacGregor in a convenience store robbery gone wrong. Not a lot of medicine, but one of the few episodes that really stands out 15 years later. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/episodes-of-tv-shows-which-departed-from-the-standard-formula-and-were-good/598972.md?page=3)