When Babylon 5 was at it peak you could pick just about any of the ‘arc’ stories from Season 2-4. The Coming of Shadows would be one of the best.
The best one hour? Most definitely a sporting event. The Blue Jays winning the world series in 92 and in 93 are up there. Canada beating the US to win the gold at Olympic hockey are also up there.
Mike Weir’s final round to win the masters in 2003
The Leafs beating the Red Wings to advance past the first round in the 1993 playoffs was magical too: an overtime goal in game 7 to boot.
Macgyver’s homecoming to his college alma mater where he was one of the judges for that year’s barricade competition.
I wasn’t aware of The West Wing when it debuted. After a while, I began to hear more and more about it, and when I finally made a point to watch it, it was December of 1999. The first episode I saw was In Excelsis Deo, where Toby donates a coat to a charity, and it is being worn by a homeless veteran who died in a park. It has his business card in one pocket, and he is called to the scene by the police.
It was a true Holy Shit! moment. After seven seasons it was still the best episode of a truly great series.
Using “hour” figuratively, it’s either the first episode I ever saw of Fawlty Towers, or the recently restored Metropolis on TCM.
Game of Thrones, season 2, “Blackwater”
“The Man Who Had To Struggle For Everything” aka “Homer’s Enemy” on The Simpson’s was the best hour of black comedy I have ever seen ANYWHERE … and it was ONLY half an hour long. It wasn’t just that it was side-splittingly funny at times, but that it had a dark undercurrent that sets off the humor beautifully. Frank Grimes is the ultimate libertarian protagonist, struggling and achieving despite poverty and very tough circumstances (Grimes to Homer: “You have a beautiful two-story home! I live under a bowling alley and over another bowling alley!”) suddenly face-to-face with Homer Simpson, the ultimate fat, stupid, shortsighted go-along-to-get-along type. It’s no contest, Grimes is destroyed, and on the way we’re treated to a delicious skewering of humorless libertarian meritocrats and American middle crass behavior, both at the same time. There’s real anger at both types hidden under all that humor, beautifully expressed in black humor.
Nitpick: he preferred to be called Grimy
Star Trek, “City on the Edge of Forever.”
(Or just maybe The Prisoner, “A, B and C.”)
That would be my pick if I were forced to choose something from this millennium. It would be closely tied with an episode of St. Elsewhere titled Cora and Arnie that was quite remarkable for its time.
I’ve loved several already mentioned but I’d probably go with “Jose Chung’s From Outer Space.” (Unless it’s Christmas, when I must play “Seoul Mates” from Northern Exposure.)
Doomsday - the Dalek v Cybermen episode. Every scrap of dialog is a gem.
Daleks have no concept of elegance!
This is obvious.
Which particular hour?
Oh, man, I completely forgot about the Puppy Episode of Ellen. That was a great hour of television.
Tie between two episodes of Twin Peaks- the one where we learn that Leland/BOB killed Laura and the one where Leland is identified as the killer and then kills himself.
I’m probably missing something obvious, but “The Full Boris”, the extended version of Boris Johnson’s first hosting of Have I Got News For You", is just one massive laugh after another.
Not so much a smile but X Files season 4 episode 2 (iirc) Home was possibly the creepiest hour of television ever.
“I’m Hungrey”
I would have to say the finale of Six Feet Under. It was just so beautifully done and matched the theme of the show too.
The episode of Breaking Bad where the cousins are trying to kill Hank in the grocery store parking lot. I don’t know the name of it but it was fucking intense all the way to the last second.