So many great shows to choose from…
I’ll go with Day of Days, the second episode of HBO’s Band of Brothers, detailing Easy Company’s drop into Normandy and Lt. Winters’ takeover as commander. The entire show is spellbinding, and the assault on the German guns at Brecourt is easily one of the best, most realistic war action scenes ever filmed.
Nice take. No one hour of television for me has ever reached the 2nd half of game 6, 1985 NBA Finals. The game the Lakers finally beat the Boston Celtics to win the NBA championship.
I love that episode, too. I cry from happiness at the end. Also Northern Exposure, “Kaddish for Uncle Manny” - unbelievably touching, I’m not Jewish, but I’m bawling at the end of that one, too.
Also causing more sads: ER, “Loves Labour Lost” :(:(
It has stayed in my mind for years and years.
I wish I could think offhand of something happier!
Oh, yes, The Wonder Years, final episode. More tears, but good ones!
And…“House’s Head” - the one with the bus crash - a 2-parter on House.
And…Mad Men - “The Suitcase”, probably mentioned, justifiably so.
For me there is no question. The most incredible hour of television I have seen in my whole life is Channel 4’s Una Stravaganza dei Medici, a production of the intermedii presented at the 1589 wedding of Ferdinando de’ Medici, the Grand Duke of Tuscany, to Catherine de Medici, the Queen Mother of France. The singing is extraordinary, the sets and machinery spectacular, and the music, by composers such as Jacopo Peri, Caccini and de Cavalieri, is divine. (Peri would compose the first ever opera a decade later.)
ESPN’s 30 for 30: Four Days in October.
“Don’t let us win tonight” - Kevin Millar
The Red Sox come back from 0 games to 3 (after losing like 19-2 in game three at home) to send the Yankees packing in 2004. It always picks me up. 
The pilot for The Walking Dead.
I don’t have cable TV and had never seen it when season 3 ended. I had heard co-workers talking about how great it was, and when I found it on NetFlix, I started watching, and was just totally blown away, captivated in the first few minutes.
I don’t think I have ever had a TV show grab me in quite the same way.
Good choice!
Definitely agree! I’ve heard carping about the most recent season (haven’t seen it, yet), but the last five minutes of the pilot (think horse) had me saying to myself They’re not f$%#ing around, here.
Came here to mention Twin Peaks. Almost any episode could qualify. I mean it was unique - there had never been anything like it on TV before; certainly nothing of such novelty, quality, and content. Even the theme music was special.
Objects in Space - an episode of Firefly.
**33 **- the first regular episode of Battlestar Galactica.
Once More With Feeling - Buffy
My obscure contribution: Empty Nest: A Life in the Day
For whatever reason, my all-time favorite hours of TV come from miniseries. Lonesome Dove, Roots, Centennial, Shogun, stuff like that.
The live feed from Apollo Eleven.
gotta mention Ozymandias again because it was so great
“Tapestry” is a good candidate for my favorite star trek TNG episode that was great too