Have we mentioned how much we love TV? It's a nightly escape for so many of us and has been since we were kids and would crash in front of the screen after a long day of school and extracurricular activities. Now it's what takes our minds off of the stresses of everyday life and lets us either laugh or cry it all out. And for most of us, there are some TV shows — and even specific episodes of those shows — that set the bar for our entertainment expectations. It might be dramatic, but good TV, like a good book, can be a salve to the soul.
It really makes us appreciate quality programming so much when we think of the emotional impact that some TV episodes have had on us. From the touching and eye-opening to the utterly hilarious and absolutely shocking, a well-made episode has the power to make us feel something. Dating all the way back to I Love Lucy in the 1950s and up to modern-day favorites such as Friends, Breaking Bad, and Game of Thrones, a number of shows have aired seemingly perfect episodes.
Plus, some episodes of our favorite shows in one way or another seem to epitomize the very reasons we became and remain fans of certain TV series, and that alone is enough to help an episode earn its place as one of the greatest ever made. Keep reading to see if you agree with our picks for the best single episodes in TV history.
'Breaking Bad:' 'Ozymandias'
Breaking Bad, starring Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul, is arguably one of the best TV dramas ever made, so it makes sense that it yielded one of the best single episodes in history. Season five's "Ozymandias" was utterly suspenseful, so well-acted, and essentially a culmination of everything the show had building up to until that point.
'Friends:' 'The One With the Embryos'
There are so many episodes of Friends that will forever remain in our minds as favorites, and "The One With the Embryos" from season four is definitely one of them. Everything about it is so quintessentially Friends, it's hard not to consider it perfect. It's knee-slappingly funny, super sweet, and emotional, and Ross leading trivia is just priceless.
'I Love Lucy:' 'Lucy Does a TV Commercial'
Yes, that one! We would argue I Love Lucy is actually the best sitcom of all time, even 70-plus years later, and the episode, "Lucy Does a TV Commercial," is definitely the best of the best. Everyone knows "vitameatavegamin" — even people who've only seen the show a few times have heard it. It's iconic!
'Game of Thrones:' 'Battle of the Bastards'
When Game of Thrones premiered in 2011, it took the TV world by storm, but it wasn't until season six that it really took itself to the next level. In the episode "Battle of the Bastards," there are two massive and characteristically graphic battle scenes, but the clincher is that we finally see fan-favorite character Daenerys completely unleash on her enemies.
'Seinfeld:' 'The Contest'
Seinfeld is one of those shows that, despite all the time that's passed, still feels super relevant. Sure, there are dated references, but the show is really about the lived experience of humans in a certain life stage, and it resonates. And of course, it's flippin' funny. "The Contest" from season four is definitely the best of the series' episodes. In it, Jerry, Elaine, George, and Kramer embark on a contest to see who can go the longest without any form of sex, and hilarity ensues.
'Hannibal:' 'Mizumono'
Hannibal is one of those shows that maybe doesn't have the mass appeal of, say, Grey's Anatomy, but over the course of three seasons it earned itself a loyal following and an incredibly high rating on IMDb. In fact, season two's episode "Mizumono" has a nearly perfect 9.9 out of 10 rating. It was the season finale, and it ended with the ultimate cliffhanger.
'Six Feet Under:' 'Everyone's Waiting'
HBO's Six Feet Under was so good wasn't it?! It's no surprise that the season five episode "Everyone's Waiting" also has a near-perfect rating. There were so many incredible scenes in the series overall. In this episode in particular, major life changes happen for nearly everyone. A baby is born, a business is started, and personal revelations are made. That single episode has everything, and it's done really well.
'ER:' 'Love's Labor Lost'
Remember ER? It was one of those prime time shows most of our parents loved as much as we loved Scandal. It was '90s TV at its best, and the season one episode "Love's Labor Lost" had all of the excitement and drama TV viewers have come to expect from medical procedurals. It set the bar for the rest of the long-running series.
'Doctor Who:' 'Blink'
Doctor Who fans got a true gift with the episode "Blink" in season three of the 2000s-era reboot. In the episode, characters named Larry and Sally ended up in a basement where they unexpectedly found themselves surrounded by "Angels and Tardis." It was absolutely terrifying and therefore made for excellent television.
'Mad Men:' 'Nixon vs. Kennedy'
Even though Mad Men came to an end more than five years ago, we honestly still miss it. It was such good TV! The first season, though, was arguably the best. The episode "Nixon vs. Kennedy" managed to very accurately convey the political and social atmosphere of an entire era, and it gave those of us who didn't live through it a real feel for what was going on at the time.
'The Office:' 'Finale'
If you didn't laugh until you cried and cry until you laughed while watching the series finale of the Office for the first time — and multiple times thereafter — are you even human? The end of this beloved series just hit differently, and the last episode gave us all the feels and delivered exactly what we needed.
'Buffy the Vampire Slayer:' 'Once More With Feeling'
Buffy the Vampire Slayer was undoubtedly a favorite for us '90s kids, and the series took it to a completely new level of entertainment with the season six musical episode "Once More With Feeling." It was so much fun! The episode was super campy, but it actually had some substance too, with several characters revealing their deepest secrets.
'Dexter:' 'The Getaway'
You know a show is a fan favorite when years after the series finale an additional season is in the works due to viewer demand. But in the meantime, we're content to watch the season four episode "The Getaway" on repeat. In it, there are shocking discoveries, relationship struggles, plenty of blood, and an Emmy-winning performance by guest star John Lithgow.
'Lost:' 'Pilot'
Everyone knows the final episode of the ABC drama Lost was a huge disappointment, but maybe that's because the pilot episodes were so incredible. Yes, episodes — plural. If you remember, the pilot of the show was actually split into two parts. There was so much intrigue, and viewers formed attachments to the characters from those very first episodes, ensuring fans were invested from start to finish.
'Glee:' 'Preggers'
Chris Colfer as Kurt Hummel on Glee was sheer character perfection. We loved him from the very second we laid eyes on him. Although he served up lots of amazing moments on the show, the episode "Preggers" during season one is undeniably the most iconic. In it, he gets caught performing Beyoncé's "Single Ladies" by his dad and eventually comes out to him. Also, lead character Quinn announces her pregnancy in this episode, putting on full display all the teenage drama we could expect for the duration of the series.
'Grey's Anatomy:' 'Losing My Religion'
Currently going into its 18th season (some amazing, a few not so much), Grey's Anatomy is television's living legend. Though the series has delivered so many incredible gems over the years, season two's "Losing My Religion" will forever break the hearts of fans. Some might even say the death of Jeffrey Dean Morgan's character, Denny Duquette, was traumatizing. Oh, and did we mention this was also the first episode in which Meredith and Derek, aka McDreamy, hooked up?
'The Sopranos:' 'Pine Barrens'
Some might say that HBO's The Sopranos, which premiered in 1999, ushered in an entire era of raw, gritty, and graphic cable network dramas, and they would largely be right. Interestingly, many would agree that one of the best episodes was season three's "Pine Barrens," in which the show actually took a hugely comedic turn as the mobsters got lost in the New Jersey woods.
'Chappelle's Show:' Episode 2.4
Controversial or not, Dave Chappelle is pure comedic genius. His show Chappelle's Show broke boundaries and created some unforgettable TV moments. Episode 2.4 takes the form of a spoof of the series E! True Hollywood Story and sees Charlie Murphy as the narrator and Dave as soul singer Rick James. It was rude, vulgar, and slightly disturbing — but absolutely beyond funny. The episode is often credited with turning the comedian into a cultural icon.
'Black Mirror:' 'Be Right Back'
Black Mirror took Netflix by storm for what felt like five very short seasons and then just disappeared, perhaps fittingly for such a mind-bending series. Season two's "Be Right Back" episode is absolutely unforgettable, though. It's the one when a woman gripped by the death of her boyfriend orders an AI substitute that only ends up causing more emotional turmoil.
'Gilmore Girls:' 'They Shoot Gilmores, Don't They?'
Yes, we're going there. This show is beloved for a reason, and it's because it manages to elicit what feels like very real emotion out of audiences in every episode. The prime example is the season three episode "They Shoot Gilmores Here, Don't They?," in which the love triangle between Rory, Jess, and Dean explodes, and we get the first glimpse of what the future holds for Lorelai and Luke.
