TV Guide's 100 Greatest TV Episodes

For discussions of subjects relating to television and music.
Post Reply
kaytodd
Assistant
Posts: 847
Joined: Wed Feb 12, 2003 10:16 pm
Location: New Orleans

Post by kaytodd »

There are already a few great Mary Tyler Moore episodes on the list, but my personal favorite is "Ted Baxter's Famous Broadcaster School". Funny story, funny lines ("I think we will go with a class average."), funny performances.
The great thing in the world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving. It's faith in something and enthusiasm for something that makes a life worth living. Oliver Wendell Holmes
rudeboy
Adjunct
Posts: 1323
Joined: Tue Nov 16, 2004 8:00 am
Location: Singapore

Post by rudeboy »

There are only a handful of shows on the list I've seen at all, never mind watched regularly. I will say that there are literally dozens of Simpsons episodes much funnier than Krusty Gets Cancelled... a truly bizarre choice.

I do agree with The Ski Lodge episode of Frasier, however, although The Matchmaker or The Innkeepers would have been equally worthy.
User avatar
Eric
Tenured
Posts: 2749
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 11:18 pm
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Contact:

Post by Eric »

anonymous wrote:59. Alfred Hitchcock Presents - "Lamb to the Slaughter"
60. The Big Bang Theory - "The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis"
61. L.A. Law - "Good to the Last Drop"
That The Big Bang Theory is even included at all in this list, much less between two of the most truly memorable moments in TV drama ever, is laughable, and not in the good way.
FilmFan720
Emeritus
Posts: 3650
Joined: Thu Jan 02, 2003 3:57 pm
Location: Illinois

Post by FilmFan720 »

So, a few years ago I put together a Top 100 list of episodes. I just updated it to get some of the two years on there (in particular, some Mad Men and Breaking Bad) and to reorganize a little. It is completely arbitrary, and only reflects the shows I have actually seen (The Wire and Damages are next on the list). Take it as you will...

1 The Mary Tyler Moore Show Chuckles the Clown Bites the Dust October 25, 1975
2 Fawlty Towers The Germans October 24, 1975
3 All in the Family Sammy's Visit February 19, 1972
4 I Love Lucy Lucy Does a TV Commercial May 5, 1952
5 The Honeymooners TV or Not TV October 1, 1955
6 The Larry Sanders Show Everybody Loves Larry November 13, 1996
7 Star Trek: The Next Generation The Best of Both Worlds September 18, 1990
8 Gilmore Girls Raincoats and Recipes May 18, 2004
9 Star Trek World on the Edge of Forever April 6, 1967
10 Taxi Reverend Jim: Space Odyssey September 25, 1979
11 Cheers An Old-Fashioned Wedding May 14, 1992
12 All in the Family Two's a Crowd February 12, 1978
13 Arrested Development Pilot November 2, 2003
14 24 Day Two: 10:00 PM - 11:00 PM March 4, 2003
15 The Simpsons Behind the Laughter May 21, 2000
16 Seinfeld The Parking Garage October 30, 1991
17 The Practice A Day in the Life January 10, 1999
18 St. Elsewhere Time Heals February 19-20, 1986
19 The West Wing In the Shadow of Two Gunmen October 4, 2000
20 Twin Peaks Pilot April 8, 1990
21 I Love Lucy Job Switching September 15, 1952
22 Hill Street Blues Grace Under Pressure February 2, 1984
23 The Prisoner Fall Out September 21, 1968
24 The Twilight Zone Living Doll November 1, 1963
25 The Simpsons Marge vs. the Monorail January 14, 1993
26 Dragnet The LSD Story January 12, 1967
27 The Simpsons Cape Feare October 7, 1993
28 South Park Trapped in the Closet November 16, 2005
29 The Honeymooners The $99,000 Answer January 28, 1956
30 The X-Files Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose October 13, 1995
31 Breaking Bad Grilled March 15, 2009
32 The Sopranos Join the Club/Mayham March 19-26, 2006
33 The Honeymooners The Golfer October 15, 1955
34 The Twilight Zone The Eye of the Beholder November 11, 1960
35 The Mary Tyler Moore Show The Last Show March 19, 1977
36 The Larry Sanders Show Guest Host September 5, 1992
37 Star Trek: The Next Generation Time's Arrow June 15, 1992
38 Mad Men The Mountain King October 19, 2008
39 I Love Lucy Lucy's Italian Movie April 16, 1956
40 The X-Files Squeeze September 24, 1993
41 Arrested Development Good Grief! December 5, 2004
42 M*A*S*H Abyssinia, Henry March 18, 1975
43 Frasier The Matchmaker October 4, 1994
44 The Cosby Show Happy Anniversary October 10, 1985
45 The Office Diversity Day March 29, 2005
46 Lost Dave April 5, 2006
47 The West Wing Mr. Willis of Ohio November 3, 1999
48 Lost The Constant February 28, 2008
49 The Dick Van Dyke Show The Great Petrie Fortune October 27, 1965
50 24 Day One: 11:00 PM - 12:00 AM May 21, 2002
51 All in the Family Edith's Problem January 8, 1972
52 Hill Street Blues Hill Street Station January 15, 1981
53 Arrested Development Pier Pressure January 11, 2004
54 Seinfeld The Hamptons May 12, 1994
55 Tanner '88 The Boiler Room August 11, 1988
56 The Andy Griffith Show Barney and the Choir February 19, 1962
57 Cheers Thanksgiving Orphans November 27, 1986
58 The Simpsons Mr. Plow November 19, 1992
59 South Park Woodland Critter Christmas December 15, 2004
60 Newhart The Last Newhart May 21, 1990
61 Six Feet Under Everyone's Waiting August 21, 2005
62 Twin Peaks Episode Twenty-Nine June 10, 1991
63 The Dick Van Dyke Show It May Look Like a Walnut February 6, 1963
64 The Sopranos College February 7, 1999
65 Six Feet Under Back to the Garden April 14, 2002
66 Alias Color-Blind November 25, 2001
67 Fawlty Towers The Hotel Inpectors October 10, 1975
68 Alias Truth Be Told September 30, 2001
69 Frasier Boo! March 2, 2004
70 The Mary Tyler Moore Show Love Is All Around September 19, 1970
71 The Practice The Case of Harland Bassett April 29, 2001
72 Star Trek: The Next Generation Tapestry February 15, 1993
73 Gilmore Girls That'll Do Pig January 14, 2003
74 Twin Peaks Episode Fourteen November 10, 1990
75 Frasier They're Playing Our Song January 13, 2000
76 Seinfeld The Soup Nazi November 2, 1995
77 Hill Street Blues The World According to Freedom January 7, 1982
78 The Twilight Zone Time Enough at Last November 20, 1959
79 Arrested Development Not Without My Daughter April 25, 2004
80 The Andy Griffith Show Barney's New Car April 1, 1963
81 Planet of the Apes The Legacy October 11, 1974
82 Roseanne The Commercial Show March 3, 1992
83 Dallas A House Divided March 21, 1980
84 The Critic A Pig-Boy and His Dog July 20, 1994
85 Lost Walkabout October 13, 2004
86 The Cosby Show No Way, Baby February 6, 1989
87 The Simpsons The Crepes of Wrath April 15, 1990
88 24 Day Five: 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM March 6, 2006
89 CSI: Crime Scene Investigations Grave Danger May 19, 2005
90 Gilmore Girls They Shoot Gilmores, Don't They? November 12, 2002
91 The Andy Griffith Show The Pickle Story December 18, 1961
92 Dharma & Greg Much Ado About Nothing May 13, 1998
93 Batman The Purr-fect Crime/Better Luck Next Time March 17-18, 1966
94 Extras Kate Winslet August 4, 2005
95 Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip The Christmas Show December 4, 2006
96 Deadwood Mister Wu May 23, 2004
97 The Office Booze Cruise January 5, 2006
98 Ellen The Puppy Episode April 30, 1997
99 Mad Men Kennedy vs. Nixon October 11, 2007
100 Roseanne Home-Ec February 5, 1991
"Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good."
- Minor Myers, Jr.
FilmFan720
Emeritus
Posts: 3650
Joined: Thu Jan 02, 2003 3:57 pm
Location: Illinois

Post by FilmFan720 »

I agree with most of what everyone else says here...these may be the most iconic episodes, but they are not necessarily the best (although I was happy to see "Raincoats and Recipies" on here, one of the most perfect hours of television I have ever seen). Seinfeld, Lost, Six Feet Under, 24, The Cosby Show, The West Wing, Alias and Twin Peaks all had better episodes, but these are the one's we think of the best (I picked those out just because I have seen those shows in their entirety.)

A couple of weird choices: "The Ski Lodge" is a very funny Frasier episode, but there are several I would pick far ahead of it (including the usually cited "The Matchmaker"). Also, how can you not cite the iconic "Everybody Loves Larry" episode of Larry Sanders?

PS - I will go to my grave claiming that "Join the Club" and "Mayham" are the best The Sopranos ever reached...although "College" is a good second.




Edited By FilmFan720 on 1244759801
"Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good."
- Minor Myers, Jr.
Zahveed
Associate
Posts: 1838
Joined: Wed Nov 07, 2007 1:47 pm
Location: In Your Head
Contact:

Post by Zahveed »

Surely a number of Futurama episodes could have placed if Family Guy's "Blue Harvest" made the cut.
"It's the least most of us can do, but less of us will do more."
flipp525
Laureate
Posts: 6170
Joined: Thu Jan 09, 2003 7:44 am

Post by flipp525 »

The Original BJ wrote:And some episodes seem to have been chosen simply for a knock-out element; I don't know anyone who thinks Everyone's Waiting was overall the zenith of Six Feet Under, but that finale was stunning.

God, it gives me chills just thinking about the last 15 minutes of that finale. Stunning, haunting, elegiac, just beautiful. It's one of the best, most gut-wrenching series finales of all time.

My top Six Feet Under episodes (in no particular order) would be:
S1 "A Private Life": the murder of a gay man forces David out of the closet.
S2 "The Plan": Ruth becomes involved in a cult-like self-help group.
S3 "The Opening": Nate and Lisa come to an understanding with Brenda.
S4 "Black Forest": Nate, Brenda and Maya attend Lisa's memorial service in Idaho with somewhat disastrous results.
S4 "Untitled": Claire's success at the art show occurs amidst her crumbling position within her circle of friends.
S5 "Ecotone": A main character dies.
S5 "Everyone's Waiting": Claire's departure reveals the fate of all those around her.




Edited By flipp525 on 1244742448
"The mantle of spinsterhood was definitely in her shoulders. She was twenty five and looked it."

-Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
The Original BJ
Emeritus
Posts: 4312
Joined: Mon Apr 28, 2003 8:49 pm

Post by The Original BJ »

I've only seen roughly twenty of these episodes, so I'm definitely not the person to comment (though I agree with Mister Tee -- even most of what I had seen I had to look up plot synopses.) But some thoughts on what I have seen:

I, too, could list MANY favorite Sopranos episodes, but I think College makes sense as an iconic representation of the series. The key themes that ran throughout the show -- conflict between mob/family life, therapy, religion, marriage -- seemed to coalesce early on in that episode. (Whereas say episodes like Pine Barrens, Whitecaps, or Employee of the Month, while perhaps more stunning, are less emblematic.)

From what little I've seen, it also seems like some episodes which obviously stand out from their series were selected (i.e. the musical episodes of both Buffy and Scrubs) even if they weren't necessarily the finest episodes of those shows.

And some episodes seem to have been chosen simply for a knock-out element; I don't know anyone who thinks Everyone's Waiting was overall the zenith of Six Feet Under, but that finale was stunning.

The episodes chosen for The X-Files and Gilmore Girls were both terrific, though (in addition to the more obvious classic episodes from I Love Lucy, Twilight Zone, M*A*S*H, etc.)
Mister Tee
Tenured Laureate
Posts: 8675
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 2:57 pm
Location: NYC
Contact:

Post by Mister Tee »

Do people really know TV episodes by title? Some I can scope out by content, and some I just happened to hear mentioned at the time -- College -- but on many of them, I have no clue. (And, since I've been at best a sporadic TV watcher over the past 30 years, many are from shows I've never seen)

As for the one on which I'd feel fully qualified to comment: though there were many Sopranos episodes that one could cite, College stands out to a degree because it was the point -- several shows into that initial season -- where I first thought, Whoa, this show may really have some special going on.

ON EDIT: Looking more closely at the list, two additional things:

I've never seen roughly half the shows, so I'm probably not the target audience for such a list.

But...it does strike me as close a generic list. Even I know many of these are simply the most publicized episodes -- it's to great episodes what Chuck Workman's clips are to great movie moments; they simply made the most obvious choices.

Though the Dick van Dyke selection was pretty good, and not quite so rote.




Edited By Mister Tee on 1244737687
dws1982
Emeritus
Posts: 3807
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 9:28 pm
Location: AL
Contact:

Post by dws1982 »

With The Sopranos, I think almost everyone is going to have a different favorite. It would be hard for me to pick one. Today, it would probably be "From Where to Eternity". (I only know one other person who likes that one as much as I do.) Another day, I might pick "Second Opinion", "The Weight", "Whitecaps", "Long Term Parking", "The Second Coming", "Made in America". Least favorite episodes would be easier: "A Hit is a Hit", "University", and "Moe 'N Joe" none of which I ever care to return to again.

This seems more like a list of their favorite series than anything, because why else limit it to one episode per series? And so it mostly seems like they chose their favorite series and then their favorite episodes from those series. Of course there are a few exceptions--they couldn't not include "The Puppy Episode" even though they wouldn't put the series on their all-time list. Overall kind of a dull list, and exactly what you would expect for the most part.

"Subway" almost always seems to be the go-to choice for Homicide in these lists. But I'd go with something from the earlier seasons: Probably "Three Men and Adena", but "Crosetti", "Every Mother's Son", or "Sniper" are excellent as well. And for The Wire I would've gone with "-30-", "Middle Ground", "Port in a Storm", "Storm Warnings", or "Sentencing", although "Final Grades" is a great episode.

And The Andy Griffith Show has dozens of episodes better than "Opie the Birdman".

I'm going to try to come up with my own list. Maybe not of 100, but of at least 20 or so.




Edited By dws1982 on 1244739449
Bog
Assistant
Posts: 878
Joined: Thu Jan 02, 2003 12:39 am
Location: United States

Post by Bog »

I agree with Flipp, there are several here I can't place. I feel many of them are based upon the show's status within pop culture. I love the Sopranos so much I feel like it would be impossible to choose. I'm one who loved the seasons everyone seemed to hate and seemed to enjoy more than most anything that's graced television for a while...yes, even the Journey ending.

College is good, but I think it's the choice because it has the iconic conversation between Tony and Meadow about whether or not he's a mobster, not mention the scandalous communion and very raw manhunt that people want to see from the show. I see the discussion going like...well Seinfeld is number 1, so Sopranos is number 2...what episode should we go with?...even though this is presented as the best television episodes.

If pressed I'd go with Buscemi-directed Pine Barrens
flipp525
Laureate
Posts: 6170
Joined: Thu Jan 09, 2003 7:44 am

Post by flipp525 »

I can name a lot of these, but I think a one sentence synopsis would make this list more meaningful.

"Love's Labor Lost" (ER) was one of the most devastating hours of television of my teenage years. A very powerful episode.

I'm surprised they picked "College" as the best episodes of The Sopranos. I would've gone with "Long Term Parking".

I was excited to see "Because I Know Patty" cited for Damages. One of the best first season finales for a debut series. The episode that centered around the downfall of Claire Maddox (Marcia Gay Harden) this past season is definitely in the top three of that show.




Edited By flipp525 on 1244725811
"The mantle of spinsterhood was definitely in her shoulders. She was twenty five and looked it."

-Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
anonymous1980
Laureate
Posts: 6398
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 10:03 pm
Location: Manila
Contact:

Post by anonymous1980 »

1. Seinfeld - "The Contest"
2. The Sopranos - "College"
3. The Mary Tyler Moore Show - "Chuckles Bites the Dust"
4. I Love Lucy - "Lucy Does a TV Commercial"
5. Lost - "Pilot"
6. ER - "Love's Labor Lost"
7. The Honeymooners - "Better Living Through TV"
8. Mad Men - "Nixon vs. Kennedy"
9. All in the Family - "Cousin Maude's Visit"
10. 24 - "Day 1: 11:00 P.M. - 12:00 A.M."
11. The Twilight Zone - "Time Enough at Last"
12. Saturday Night Live - "Steve Martin/The Blues Brothers (4/22/1978)"
13. The Dick Van Dyke - "It May Look Like a Walnut"
14. Buffy the Vampire Slayer - "Once More, With Feeling"
15. The Cosby Show - "Goodbye Mr. Fish"
16. The Fugitive - "The Judgment"
17. South Park - "Trapped in the Closet"
18. The Andy Griffith Show - "Opie the Birdman"
19. The Office - "Diversity Day"
20. M*A*S*H - "Abyssinia, Henry"
21. Friends - "The One With The Embryos"
22. Six Feet Under - "Everyone's Waiting"
23. St. Elsewhere - "Time Heals"
24. The Simpsons - "Krusty Gets Kancelled"
25. Homicide: Life on the Street - "Subway"
26. The Wire - "Final Grades"
27. Curb Your Enthusiasm - "The Special Section"
28. 30 Rock - "Black Tie"
29. Cheers - "Show Down"
30. NYPD Blue - "Hearts and Souls"
31. Frasier - "The Ski Lodge"
32. Arrested Development - "Development Arrested"
33. Roseanne - "A Stash From the Past"
34. thirtysomething - "A Second Look"
35. The X-Files - "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose"
36. Star Trek: The Next Generation - "Best of Both Worlds, Part 1"
37. The Bob Newhart Show - "Over the River and Through the Woods"
38. The Shield - "Possible Kill Screen"
39. The Wonder Years - "Pilot"
40. The West Wing - "Two Cathedrals"
41. Freaks and Geeks - "Carded and Discarded"
42. Everybody Loves Raymond - "Marie's Sculpture"
43. Battlestar Galactica - "Blood on the Scales"
44. My So-Called Life - "Self-Esteem"
45. General Hospital - "Luke and Laura's Wedding"
46. Ellen - "The Puppy Episode"
47. CSI - "Grave Danger"
48. Moonlighting - "Atomic Shakespeare"
49. Dexter - "The British Invasion"
50. The Larry Sanders Show - "Flip"
51. Taxi - "Reverend Jim: A Space Odyssey"
52. Damages - "Because I Know Patty"
53. The Carol Burnett Show - "Went with the Wind"
54. Twin Peaks - "Pilot"
55. Desperate Housewives - "One Wonderful Day"
56. How I Met Your Mother - "Slap Bet"
57. Hill Street Blues - "Freedom's Last Stand"
58. The Odd Couple - "Password"
59. Alfred Hitchcock Presents - "Lamb to the Slaughter"
60. The Big Bang Theory - "The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis"
61. L.A. Law - "Good to the Last Drop"
62. Law & Order - "Life Choice"
63. Grey's Anatomy - "Losing My Religion"
64. Murphy Brown - "You Say Potatoe, I Say Potato"
65. WKRP in Cincinnati - "Turkeys Away"
66. House - "Three Stories"
67. Dynasty - "The Threat"
68. Heroes - "Company Man"
69. Dallas - "A House Divided"
70. Sex and the City - "Pick-a-Little, Talk-a-Little"
71. Little House on the Prairie - "I'll Be Waving as You Drive Away"
72. Batman - "Better Luck Next Time"
73. The Outer Limits - "Demon with a Glass Hand"
74. Will & Grace - "Homo for the Holidays"
75. Gilmore Girls - "Raincoats and Recipes"
76. Family Ties - "The Real Thing, Part 2"
77. The Waltons - "The Easter Story"
78. Angel - "I Will Remember You"
79. Charlie's Angels - "Angels in Chains"
80. Star Trek - "City on the Edge of Forever"
81. Smallville - "Rosetta"
82. Farscape - "Revenging Angel"
83. Good Times - "Black Jesus"
84. Alias - "The Telling"
85. Melrose Place - "The Bitch Is Back"
86. Scrubs - "My Musical"
87. Happy Days - "Fonzie Loves Pinky"
88. Magnum, P.I. - "Did You See the Sunrise?"
89. Beauty and the Beast - "Orphans"
90. Malcolm in the Middle - "Bowling"
91. Beverly Hills, 90210 - "Spring Dance"
92. Party of Five - "Intervention"
93. Big Love - "Come, Ye Saints"
94. Ally McBeal - "Cro-Magnon"
95. Supernatural - "No Rest for the Wicked"
96. Rescue Me - "Baptism"
97. Mary Hartman - "Chicken Soup"
98. Breaking Bad - "Peekaboo"
99. Family Guy - "Blue Harvest"
100. The Brady Bunch - "The Subject Was Noses"
Post Reply

Return to “Broadcast Media”