# Greatest episodes of television ever **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 19, 2019, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-episodes-of-television-ever/835764 "2019-06-19T18:37:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2019, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-episodes-of-television-ever/835764/21 "2019-06-19T20:41:38Z")
Just thought of one that hasn’t been mentioned yet: Dexter season 4 finale. (The season with John Lithgow.) Probably not “greatest ever” quality, but it was a high water mark for Dexter. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2019, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-episodes-of-television-ever/835764/22 "2019-06-19T20:44:50Z")
_ **The Simpsons** _, “The War of the Simpsons.” Homer and Marge go on a marriage retreat: \*\*FLANDERS: \*\* Maude, God love her, sometimes underlines passages in \*my \*Bible instead of _hers_! **HOMER:** (_Sotto voce_) Hmph! Good thing you don’t keep guns in the house! ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2019, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-episodes-of-television-ever/835764/23 "2019-06-19T20:49:27Z")
Are we including Netflix shows? Black Mirror - “San Junipero” It’s pretty well hyped up by now but I didn’t know anything about it when I first saw it and man, it was amazing. Arrested Development - “Pier Pressure” This is probably the most I have laughed at a single episode of any TV sitcom. Supernatural - “Mystery Spot” Possibly the most I’ve ever laughed at an hour drama/fantasy/horror/comedy TV show. Cheers - I’m gonna go with the Pilot episode, “Give me a Ring Sometime.” As far as sitcom pilots go, this is the best ever. It’s so perfectly constructed, and pretty funny, too. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2019, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-episodes-of-television-ever/835764/24 "2019-06-19T20:58:33Z")
The Young Ones: Bambi, here it is. 4 college students who share living quarters are selected to appear on the game show University Challenge. Featuring a short musical interlude. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/0ZPZC12t7Yg/hqdefault.jpg "The Young Ones Bambi") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZPZC12t7Yg) ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2019, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-episodes-of-television-ever/835764/25 "2019-06-19T21:05:53Z")
_House_: “Three Stories” House takes over a diagnostics class for a day and presents the class with three case studies of leg pain. As House tells his story and the class gradually fills up with listeners, the class learns a lot about how to be better doctors, and Chase, Foreman and Cameron learn some important details of House’s past. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2019, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-episodes-of-television-ever/835764/26 "2019-06-19T21:19:24Z")
Yes, I’ll say it: Jonny Quest: **The Invisible Monster** , followed closely by **The Robot Spy**. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2019, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-episodes-of-television-ever/835764/27 "2019-06-19T21:38:45Z")
_The Larry Sanders Show_ S03E07 _Office Romance_. Larry and Darlene are dating. Guaranteed to screw up office politics well into the next century. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2019, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-episodes-of-television-ever/835764/28 "2019-06-19T21:38:56Z")
_ **Mary Tyler Moore** _, “Some of My Best Friends Are Rhodas.” A rare “message” episode of the series. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2019, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-episodes-of-television-ever/835764/29 "2019-06-19T21:47:51Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Yes, I’ll say it: > > Jonny Quest: **The Invisible Monster** , followed closely by **The Robot Spy**. Of course! ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2019, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-episodes-of-television-ever/835764/30 "2019-06-19T21:49:34Z")
**Futurama** : _A Fishful Of Dollars_. Mom is introduced, the great gags are non-stop, and the power of compound interest is illustrated. **Frasier** : _Three Valentines_. Funny stuff with classic Niles buffoonery. **The IT Crowd** : _The Work Outing_. Roy at his finest ("I’m disabled!), ably assisted by Moss and Jen. **Sherlock** : _A Scandal In Belgravia_. Classy, sexy, fast-moving and intricate. And John gets to punch Sherlock in the face. ---
**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:** [June 19, 2019, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-episodes-of-television-ever/835764/31 "2019-06-19T22:22:52Z")
**The Honeymooners** : _[The $99,000 Answer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CF-HJuirSA)_ **Taxi** : _[Reverend Jim: A Space Odyssey](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39k067hcgYY)_. I still laugh until I’m in tears. **WKRP in Cincinnati** : _Turkey Drop_ ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2019, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-episodes-of-television-ever/835764/32 "2019-06-19T22:28:08Z")
**Adventure Time** : _I Remember You_. Ice King blithely singing about his own self-sacrifice and mental deterioration while Marceline, knowing the truth and crying, sings along is just heartbreaking. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2019, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-episodes-of-television-ever/835764/33 "2019-06-19T22:32:17Z")
Breaking Bad: Ozymandias. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2019, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-episodes-of-television-ever/835764/34 "2019-06-20T00:06:54Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > **The Honeymooners** : _[The $99,000 Answer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CF-HJuirSA)_ This is what I was going to say. I vividly remember seeing it for the first time when I was a kid, and I wish I could go back to not knowing the ending. I’ll also throw in the **Family Guy Star Wars episode, “Blue Harvest”**. I saw it the first time having never seen FG before, so I didn’t get some of the jokes involving their regular characters. But my god, was that a hilarious send-up of Star Wars. They hit every little inconsistency that’s bothered everyone about Star Wars since it first came out. They had me in the very first scene when Peter said, by way of introducing an epic tale, “Let’s start with part 4.” But I had to actually pause to laugh at [Stewie as Darth Vader presiding over a Death Star staff meeting](https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=9&v=nsJpTTIEySo). ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2019, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-episodes-of-television-ever/835764/35 "2019-06-20T00:11:49Z")
Metalocalypse: The Doomstar Requiem is by far the best thing that has ever been on television. > [@Gyrate](#): > > **Adventure Time** : _I Remember You_. Ice King blithely singing about his own self-sacrifice and mental deterioration while Marceline, knowing the truth and crying, sings along is just heartbreaking. Absolutely heart wrenching. I love it. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2019, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-episodes-of-television-ever/835764/36 "2019-06-20T00:13:24Z")
> [@Llama\_Llogophile](#): > > This is what I was going to say. I vividly remember seeing it for the first time when I was a kid, and I wish I could go back to not knowing the ending. > > I’ll also throw in the **Family Guy Star Wars episode, “Blue Harvest”**. I saw it the first time having never seen FG before, so I didn’t get some of the jokes involving their regular characters. But my god, was that a hilarious send-up of Star Wars. They hit every little inconsistency that’s bothered everyone about Star Wars since it first came out. > > They had me in the very first scene when Peter said, by way of introducing an epic tale, “Let’s start with part 4.” But I had to actually pause to laugh at [Stewie as Darth Vader presiding over a Death Star staff meeting](https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=9&v=nsJpTTIEySo). Blue Harvest was great but the robot chicken star wars episodes were way better. Or at least the funny bits were way funnier even if the less funny bits were just meh. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f8ce5/32.png) [@The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Peyote_Coyote)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2019, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-episodes-of-television-ever/835764/37 "2019-06-20T00:18:42Z")
Star Trek (TOS): Amok Time WKRP in Cincinnati: Turkey Drop Gunsmoke: Susan was Evil ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2019, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-episodes-of-television-ever/835764/38 "2019-06-20T00:19:43Z")
It’s a big topic but I think that in the top 100 there are 20 or 30 seinfelds. Black Adder would rate. The League of Gentlemen is great. The Kingdom by Lars Von Trier was a masterpiece. For a single episode of a show, I just saw Black Mirror - “SS Callister.” It was monumental. IIRC it’s over an hour and a quarter, and is this close to being a great feature on it’s own. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2019, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-episodes-of-television-ever/835764/39 "2019-06-20T00:20:48Z")
South Park: either Scott Tenorman Must Die (The Fort Collins Pube Fair) or Make Love, Not Warcraft (How can you kill that which has no life?). I can’t decide. Special mention for the Imaginationland series. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2019, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-episodes-of-television-ever/835764/40 "2019-06-20T00:42:12Z")
Some of you dicks are not including links. Why is that? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-episodes-of-television-ever/835764.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-episodes-of-television-ever/835764.md?page=3)