Alright, so I’m a compulsive list-maker. And not like “make a grocery list” type lists. I mean I love ranking things. Ask me my 5 favorite albums, or my 10 favorites movies, or anything like that and I’ll do it. So forgive me if this isn’t everybody’s cup of tea but I thought it would be an interesting discussion.
I’m asking for what, in your opinion, the top 10 episodes of television are ever. I’m hoping people do this off the cuff instead of hardcore research and thinking. My thought process is “if it doesn’t come to mind immediately when you’re thinking about it, clearly it’s not one of the best ever.” Feel free to use whatever criteria you want for your list.
The only restriction I’d like to place is that each episode must be that: one single episode. No “three part story arcs” counting as a single episode. You can include all three if you want, but they each have to count as a different episode.
I’m going to stay away from spoilers having to do with episodes, and if you want to post about something that happens that’s a pivotal plot point, please spoiler box it just in case.
Anyway, here are my top 10, in no particular order:
“Blink” (Doctor Who, Season 3, Episode 10) - This was actually the episode that made me think of posting this. I’ve been catching up on all the seasons of the new Doctor Who and when I finished watching this episode I was like “Wow, that was easily one of the best hours of TV I’ve ever watched.” I’m a fan of episodes that break the normal series routine and this really hit the mark.
“Tommy’s Not Gay” (Titus, Season 3, Episode 3) - I’m a huge fan of Christopher Titus and his show is probably my favorite sitcom show ever, and this is by far my favorite episode ever. It never fails to make me laugh from beginning to end, and I could probably recite it by heart the number of times I’ve watched it.
“Hush” (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 4, Episode 10) - A really well done artistic episode. Absolutely amazing.
“The Zeppo” (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 3, Episode 13) - Again, I’m a fan of episodes that go off the beaten path and showcase supporting characters as main ones…and this one knocked it out of the park. Xander is my hero.
“Objects in Space” (Firefly, Season 1, Episode 14) - Sense a pattern? I don’t think this episode could have been done if we didn’t know the major characters very well already, but Jubal Early + the cast itself made for the best episode of one of the best TV series ever, in my opinion.
“Slap Bet” (How I Met Your Mother, Season 2, Episode 9) - When HIMYM is on, it’s amazing. This was the most amazing episode yet. Hysterical from beginning to end.
“There’s No Place Like Home: Parts 2 &3” (Lost, Season 4, Episode 13) - The best season finale yet for Lost. So many fantastic moments throughout the entire thing. Kept me rooted to my television for all two hours. Note: I know this looks like it’s going against my own rule, but it’s credited as a single episode everywhere I’ve looked.
“Numbers” (Lost, Season 1, Episode 18) - Don’t want to give too much away, but Hurley is one of my favorite characters on Lost. This was the first episode we had that was centered on him, and it brought about a key Lost mythology point as well. It was the first episode I rewatched when I got the Lost season 1 DVD.
“Company Man” (Heroes, Season 1, Episode 17) - A lot of people agree this was the highlight of the first season of Heroes. Again, an episode breaking the norm of the series but it is SO well done.
“Anonymous” (CSI, Season 1, Episode 8) - This is the episode of CSI that always immediately comes to mind as my favorite of the entire series. Mostly because…I’ll spoiler it just in case.
It’s because Grissom’s become this kind of calm, collected, all-knowing being on the show. But at the end of this episode there’s a rare display of emotion when he screams. “I had him! I had him and I LET HIM GO!”
I know this may be too much for people to do on the fly…I gave reasons, you don’t have to. You don’t have to do 10 if it’s too much, but no more than 10. I’m just interested to see what other people consider quality television.
IMO, the scariest Twilight Zone is the episode The Howling Man. In the story, a hiker took refuge in a European monastery. Resident monks told him they held a prisoner there – the source of all evil. The hiker felt pity for the prisoner & freed him. Now for the scary part…as the prisoner moved from his cell to the outer monastery door, he transformed from a pitiful prisoner to a healthy adult man to prideful, angry Satan; he then proceeded to cripple his rescuer.
The last act is this: the crippled hiker has recaptured Satan, but has to leave his prisoner. He cautions his housekeeper not to set his prisoner free, but the housekeeper is filled with pity at the pain-filled howls of the prisoner, & creeps closer to the jail door, key in hand…
I saw it first-run on tv when I was seven, & didn’t sleep for several nights. In 1995, my younger daughter & I watched The Howling Man during a Twilight Zone marathon. She kept me up for two nights after with her nightmares.
I don’t know the Names formally of episodes, but I don’t agree with almost any of yours up there (of course, I’ve not seen most of them. So :Shrug:). My list would probably be a bit different:
In no order- 10 good show episodes that I really liked/were memorable for me (hence finest episodes):
1.Scrubs- The Pizza Pie episode w/ JD and Elliot.
2. Scrubs- season 1 Finale. Best Finale I’ve seen in a TV show.
3. House - Season 1, Episode 21: “Three Stories” this one definitely goes in my Top 3 for best hour of Television I’ve seen, and my fav. House episode.
Tiny Toons- the Musical Episode from when I was a kid… they did music Videos basically but with the Tiny toon’s doing them (like Plucky duck’s animation for TMBG’s Constantinople; Buster Bunny doing "Do you love me (now that i can dance); Montana Max doing “Money, Money, Money” (i think); and Elmyra doing some shitty song that felt out of place.
The fact that that’s INGRAINED into my head from being a kid is huge.
Boy Meets World- I don’t know it, but I just remembering going “wow” at it as a kid. It ended up with Cory and Topanga sitting on top of the Jungle Gym or something at a playground at night… No clue though which episode it is.
Fonzie’s Christmas Episode from Happy Days- still kinda makes me cry to watch it.
7&8 House’s “Euphoria” Part 1 AND 2: two of the most dramatic Moments on Television for me. I really really liked the acting in here.
Tie between Firefly’s “The Message” and “Objects in Space” for me.
Tie between House’s “Kids” from season 1 (about the meningitis outbreak), and
Runner up House’s “Airborne” just for the sheer fun of these episodes compared to the rest. “House on a Plane!”
I’m a huge TMBG fan. I was only half paying attention when Tiny Toons came on. Then Buster introduce Istanbul, not Constantinople and my jaw dropped. Someone making that show must have been a fan, too; I’ve heard rumors that it was Spielberg.
A few years later at a Warner Brothers store I found an animation cel from their Particle Man video; Plucky in the wrestling ring.
I’m a little too tired to make a full top ten right now, but I’ll put a vote in for another Buffy episode - Season 5, The Body. That episode gets me every time, and I know I’m not alone in that.
This is really hard for me. Most of my very favorite shows are long serials with complex interactions between characters over the span of entire season and series. The West Wing, The X-Files and Lost reside right at the top of my list and many of the very best episodes are great because of what happened before and after. At the same time Comedies tend to be the type of shows that I watch over and over again in reruns that I can recite verbatim. It’s a challenge to compare a hour drama and a half-hour comedy for “best” because they are just so different inspire such different emotions.
Anyways, let me just rattle off my list which I’m sure will have some glaring omissions. In no particular order…
The X-FilesJose Chung’s “From Outer Space"
This was one of the funniest of all the episodes and it still played in the grand conspiracy arc. I was one totally geeked-out by the conspiracy episodes and several of the dramatic revelations rank at the top of my list but this one’s comedy makes it unforgettable. Honorable Mention: Small Potatoes, Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose, Bad Blood
The SimpsonsHomer’s Phobia
I laughed so hard when I watched this episode in college with my buddies. At the time the gay jokes were totally over the line and that made it all the more hilarious. John Waters was the perfect character for Homer to play against and I still find myself quoting some of the lines:
Marge: Homer, he prefers the company of men.
Homer: Who doesn’t!
The SimpsonsHomer at the Bat
Holy Crap. Usually celebrity cameos, especially athlete cameos, makes for an abortion of a show. This is an example where it succeeds on a epic scale. I still have the song “Talkin’ Softball” on my Zune.
Honorable Mention: Mr. Plow, Flaming Moe’s, Treehouse of Horror V, Treehouse of Horror VI
CheersThe King of Beers
Norm gets his dream job as a beer taster at the Brewery. Come on, that’s just comedy gold. Honorable Mention: What is… Cliff Clavin?
SeinfeldThe Contest
It’s kind of a no-brainer. Kramer storming in with an “I’m Out!” is one of the most memorable moments on TV and the enjoyment this episode brought when everyone was talking about it is immeasurable. There were lots of great Seinfeld episodes and that this one stands out for so many people says something. Honorable Mention: The Boyfriend, The Parking Garage, The Soup Nazi, The Opposite, The Chinese Restaurant
The West WingTwo Cathedrals
This is a flashback episode and season finale that shows how most of the key characters came into Bartlett’s camp. There are a lot of touching moments and the episode’s big question of if the resident will seek re-election is answered dramatically. However the one thing that put this over the top is the heart-wrenching sadness over Ms. Landingham’s totally unexpected death.
The West WingIsaac and Ishmael
This was one of the first topical episodes to deal with 9/11 and it did so in wonderful fashion. In some ways it was preachy and heavy handed but at the time it did a great job of playing off the national drama without being jingoistic. Honorable Mention: In Excelsis Deo, Celestial Navigation, No Exit
FireflyObjects in Space
I have to agree on this one, it’s one of the many reasons that I will be eternally furious that this show was canceled. Honorable Mention: War Stories, Out of Gas
LostThrough the Looking Glass
It’s tough to pick a favorite episode of Lost because the story is told in such a nonlinear fashion. Most of the drama revolves around what new mystery will be set up and which new question will be posed and the occasional shocking answer. The impact of those surprises are usually spread across a handful of episodes as they give us little bread crumbs along the way. I’m picking this one because the twist ending of this season finale was a huge one that set up the entire 4th season in a different way from everything that followed. Honorable Mention: Man of Science, Man of Faith, Orientation
The OfficeBeach Games
This episode cracked me up. Just seeing Andy floating away in the Sumo suit had me laughing pretty much constantly for the rest of the show. Dwight rolling around in the coals was terrific and it actually had a touching moment at the end when Pam spills her soul. Honorable Mention: Dwight’s Speech, Dinner Party
And this list is invalid as no-one has yet mentioned Goodbyeee from Blackadder Goes Forth, which proves none of you really have any idea what “Good” TV actually is.
“Postpartum”, season 5 finale for The Shield. Despite accidentally spoiling the ending for myself, it still pulled a punch.
“Blake”, final episode of Blake’s 7, the only way a science fiction TV series should end
“Goodbye, Farewell and Amen”, MASH finale. It was last on UK TV over a decade ago as far as I remember, but I still remember it so well.
“Amok Time”, I had to put a Star Trek episode in there somewhere, it centred on the big three, who were all we really needed.
“Jurassic Bark”, bit of a tear jerker (or an eye moistener at least).
“Squeeze”, I think everyone remembers that episode of the X-Files, perfect example of why monster of the week was so much better than conspiracy of the week.
Babylon 5 “War Without End”- . Finally finding out what happened to Babylon 4 and what the hell was going on, tied up extremely neatly
Buffy the Vampire Slayer “Once more with feeling” A musical diversion played so well
Firefly “Our Mrs Reynolds” This truly was the pinnacle of the Fireflyesque humour
Blakes’s 7 “Blake”. Series finale. Totally unexpected ending for an ostensibly children’s show
Babylon 5 “A Late Delivery from Avalon” Another one where the tone of the episode coincides with the story arc with an excellent payoff.
Fawlty Towers “The Germans”
Only Fools and Horses Don’t know the episode title, the one where Slater first appears, trying to nick Del for receiving stolen goods. The bit at the end where he admits to stealing it whilst holding an immunity from prosecution is sublime.
Frasier The one in the Ski Lodge with the gay ski instructor and Daphne’s brainless friend all involved in a romantic farce.
**Seinfeld ** “The Soup Nazi”
10.Yes Minister “Party Games” The episode where Hacker becomes PM
ETA: The first time Boris Johnson hosted Have I Got News For You. I have never laughed harder than when I watched that.
Any “Best of…” list has to include, in my opinion, the Outer Limits episode Demon with a Glass Hand. Best SF TV episode ever. Harlan Ellison script. Byron Haskin direction. Robert Culp stars.
**Mary Tyler Moore Show **-- “Chuckles Bites the Dust.” Brilliant on all levels. My So-Called Life – “So-Called Angel” - Best Christmas episode of any TV show ever made.
**Quantum Leap **-- “The Leap Back, Part II” – not one, not two, but three great plot twists in the last minute. Doctor Who – “Blink” Arrested Development – “Missing Kitty” – Hard to pick one, but this comes to mind first. Action – “Lights Camera Action” – “What time is it? It’s time.” The ending is amazing. Buffy the Vampire Slayer – “Once More With Feeling” - the music was surprisingly good and the way it meshed the various subplots of the series was excellent. Buffy the Vampire Slayer – “The Body” – The dark side, and a great drama about how we are affected by the death of a love one. The Dick Van Dyck Show – “The Return of Happy Spangler” – Mostly for Van Dyck’s absolutely brilliant “we don’t laugh at people getting hurt anymore” routine. The Prisoner – “The Chimes of Big Ben”
Newsradio - Bill Moves On - (Season 5, episode 1) - The first episode after Phil Hartman died. If you ever feel the need to laugh and cry in the same 22 minutes, here you go…
One that has always stuck in my mind is the episode of Magnum P.I. in which Magnum’s dying friend asks Magnum to help him commit suicide. I would also have to choose some episodes of Picket Fences; I could almost choose at random. And maybe the episode of **All In The Family ** where Sammy Davis, Jr. does the unthinkable to Archie Bunker.
