Seasons of our favorite shows are made to be viewed as a whole, often telling a story or using running gags, but there is always that one episode that stands out. A recent internet survey asked, “What is the single best episode of television you’ve ever seen?” Here are the top 21 suggestions:
House (Three Stories)
“Absolutely one of the best episodes of the series. It’s so good. I love when they delve into the who/why of House; it really helps make him more than pill-popping Sherlock with a doctorate.”
“I think three stories have to take the lead just because it’s easier to just pick up.”
The Simpsons (You Only Move Twice)
“That episode had the best Simpson one-off, Hank Scorpio. I loved it.”
“Truly the golden age. That episode was so dense with legendary jokes, one after another.”
Severance (The We, We Are)
“The season 1 finale of Severance. Unbelievably suspenseful the entire duration. So good.”
“The best episode of TV I’ve seen in years, if not ever. All the overlapping storylines, the ticking clock, the emotions, the unlikely hero—there’s so much going on. I can’t wait for the next season!”
Futurama (The Late Philip J. Fry)
“The best episode of the newer run and the entire series. I’ve seen it so many times!”
“That’s my favorite episode! It’s quintessential Futurama: hilariously and imaginatively toying with classic sci-fi tropes while also tugging at your heartstrings.”
The Office (Stress Relief)
“The CPR episode is what got me hooked. The chaos packed into 5 minutes is incredible.”
“When Andy sings ‘Staying Alive,’ and everyone joins in, I laugh, but when they pan to Kelly dancing, I absolutely lose it every single time. It’s situation comedy gold!”
BoJack Horseman (The View From Halfway Down)
“This is correct. An absolutely perfect episode of television.”
“I can confidently say that this is the only cartoon about talking animals that can make me absolutely inconsolable. Seriously, an amazing show. This episode just tops it for me.”
Lost (The Constant)
“A self-contained love story on its own, with strange sci-fi weirdness that just worked. Only with the power of belief and friends did Desmond survive the time jumps.”
“I was going to say this. You have great taste. I cry every time Penny picks up that phone.”
Battlestar Galactica (33)
“Perfection! Not a single wasted moment. An hour that goes by in what feels like ten minutes.”
“It’s also contextually incredible because it’s the first episode after the mini-series. They basically did the most compelling possible sci-fi chase that’s ever been put on any size screen.”
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (Papa’s Got a Brand New Excuse)
“Will’s dad has left again, and he’s crying to Phil, ‘Why didn’t he want me?’ I was in tears.”
“That moment hit me so hard. Will’s reaction is so out of character for how he usually acts, and because of that, this moment was a massive shock. I didn’t see his breakdown coming.”
Band Of Brothers (Bastogne)
“Every part’s a masterpiece, but this is the peak culmination of Easy Company’s challenges.”
“100% agree. We’d watch it over Christmas break every year out in the woods in the snow. Those were cold nights (December in Minnesota), but no one dared complain.”
Haunting of Hill House (Two Storms)
“The series of long single-shots throughout had me holding my breath. There’s no safe distance between the past and present any longer: all the characters are trapped in the funeral parlor, and now Nell is the one that’s haunting them. Brilliant performances and technical work.”
Mindhunter (Episode 10, Season 1)
“That Ed Kemper hug scene. He was making them aware of the Pantheon and his sister or wives.”
“The beauty of that scene is that Kemper hadn’t really shown himself. At that moment, he was showing how incredibly crazy he was. He was being intimate the only way he knew how.”
Chernobyl (Memory Eternal)
“When the truth offends, we lie and lie until we can no longer remember it is even there, but it is still there. Every lie we tell incurs a debt to the truth. Sooner or later, that debt is paid.”
“That series was stellar and incredibly sad. Jared Harris and Stellen Skarsgård were excellent.”
True Detective (Who Goes There)
“The greatest season of TV ever made; it’s unsurprising that at least one episode made the list.”
“Absolute perfection in television. That tracking scene with McConaghy trying to escape the trailer park is probably the greatest scene in TV history too.”
The Sopranos (Pine Barrens)
“So many great exchanges between two great characters. My favorite is when Paulie tells him about when the Russians put a nuke in Cuba and pointed it straight at us, and Chrissy can’t believe it because he saw a movie about it and didn’t know it was real!”
Westworld (The Original)
“The pilot is a masterclass in storytelling in every way possible. It should be the gold standard for how to introduce a TV show. Everyone knew how good it was going to be after that.”
“No other pilot got me hooked on the concept of a show quite like that one did.”
Mr. Robot (407 Proxy Authentication Required)
“Vera returns and kidnaps Elliot, then holds him and his therapist hostage to get Eliot to join him. It was one of the most densely written and tense pieces of television I’ve ever seen, not to mention the phenomenal acting, editing, and cinematography.”
Scrubs (Ben’s Death)
“Dr. Cox shows one of the new generations a room full of mourning family members, and he asks, ‘Do you think anyone in that room is returning to work today? We are.’ Gut punch.”
“God, this gets me. Episodes of hijinks, and then suddenly it just stabs you right in the heart.”
Community (Remedial Chaos Theory)
“Agreed, but there are several episodes in the same stratosphere. It’s impossible to make a top ten list for Community because there are at least 30 episodes that could qualify.”
“Yes! When Troy gets the pizza and creates the darkest timeline, it’s amazing.”
Arrested Development (Top Banana)
“This is the first episode post-pilot, and it nails so many of the characters down and introduces an inside joke I repeat in nearly every scene. There are so many great ones, but this is the best.”
“Everyone trashes Lucille, but a double chocolate banana in California probably does cost $10.”
Avatar: The Last Airbender (Zuko Alone)
“Genuinely incredible how the episode does not include the story’s protagonists at all and only gives context for the past without seriously moving the plot forward, yet it massively drove character development and created lore for a show that probably could’ve gone without it.”
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