23 Staggeringly Brilliant Episodes Of Television People Are Calling The Greatest Of All Time

"A masterpiece of writing and acting."

I recently stumbled upon an AskReddit thread where user Head_Hauncho asked: "What is the single best episode of television you've seen?" So, in no particular order, here are some top-liked entries shared as the G.O.A.T. of all TV show episodes:

1. House: "Three Stories" (Season 1, Episode 21)

FOX

—u/PhantomMav

"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."

—u/deathsblade2002

2. Chernobyl: "Vichnaya Pamyat" (Season 1, Episode 5)

HBO

—u/Kinda_Quixotic

"A masterpiece of writing and acting. It instantly resonates with the audience and makes us wonder what modern lies we tell ourselves as a society that will eventually produce their own Chernobyls."

—u/notoneforusernames

3. Breaking Bad: "Ozymandias" (Season 5, Episode 14)

AMC

—u/Specific-College-194

"Is that the only true 10.0 on IMDb? Such a banger." 

—u/StevenTiggler

4. M*A*S*H: "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen" (Season 11, Episode 16)

CBS

—u/suitetee73

"Glad M*A*S*H is on this list. Best series in history." 

—u/yunoeconbro

5. Game of Thrones: "Battle of the Bastards" (Season 6, Episode 9)

HBO

—u/drewhead118

"That battle scene is powerful. Especially in the beginning when Rickon is trying to run away, and Jon is drawing his sword as Bolton's cavalry are charging at him. Gave me chills." 

—u/FriendOfTheDevil2103

6. SpongeBob SquarePants: "Band Geeks" (Season 2, Episode 15)

Nickelodeon

—u/x_tiny_little_bows_x

"Me and my brother cried laughing at this one." 

—u/tycr0

7. Lost: "The Constant" (Season 4, Episode 5)

ABC

"A self contained love story on its own, with strange sci-fi weirdness that just worked." 

—u/greatest_fapperalive

8. Mad Men: "The Suitcase" (Season 4, Episode 7)

AMC

—u/debinprogress

"Don and Peggy’s relationship arc is definitely a driving force behind the success of the show." 

—u/ktkutthroat

9. Doctor Who: "Blink" (Season 3, Episode 10)

BBC

"One episode with a simple premise, making people feel unease around statues forever." 

—u/killingjoke96

"I have not looked at stone statues the same after that episode."

—u/Local_Masterpiece_

10. Atlanta: “Teddy Perkins” (Season 2, Episode 6)

FX

—u/TripleThreatTua

"That was some wild sh*t! I remember finishing that and thinking, 'What did I just watch?' Great acting and really inventive story." 

—u/nosecohn

11. Seinfeld: "The Marine Biologist" (Season 5, Episode14)

NBC

—u/rubyskinner65

"Had to scroll way too far to find Seinfeld." 

—u/Old-Stick8086

12. Severance: "The We We Are" (Season 1, Episode 9)

Apple TV+

"Unbelievably suspenseful the entire duration. So good." 

—u/jkjustjoshing

13. The Haunting of Hill House: "The Bent-Neck Lady" (Season 1, Episode 5)

Netflix

—u/shedside

"Honestly, this entire show from start to finish was incredible, but yeah, this episode was absolutely a standout." 

—u/maggiesusannah

14. BoJack Horseman: "The View from Halfway Down" (Season 6, Episode 15)

Netflix

—u/quantitative_granola

"BoJack Horseman is, I can confidently say, the only cartoon about talking animals that can make me absolutely inconsolable. Seriously amazing show."

—u/poopiverse

15. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: "Papa's Got a Brand New Excuse" (Season 4, Episode 24)

NBC

"I still cry every time I watch that scene. Confident, unshakeable Will breaking down like that just guts me every time." 

—u/StarsLikeLittleFish

16. True Detective: "Who Goes There" (Season 1, Episode 4)

HBO

—u/rf8350

"Absolute perfection in television. That tracking scene with McConaughey trying to escape the trailer park is probably the greatest scene in TV history, too."

—u/interprime

17. Firefly: "Out of Gas" (Season 1, Episode 8)

Fox

—u/whitedevilwhitedevil

"Came here for this. It's textbook fine writing, and, for some reason, the last shot chokes me up." 

—u/Kevin_Uxbridge

18. Succession: "Connor's Wedding" (Season 4, Episode 3)

HBO

—u/catimpersonator9

"Wow, just wow. Easily one of the most powerful hours of television I've ever watched. Not a single weak link in the writing or the cast." 

—u/Rogue_Wallet

19. The Good Place: "Whenever You're Ready" (Season 4, Episode 13)

NBC

"It's wacky, crazy, absurd, and surreal. But neatly encapsulates the humor and philosophy of the whole series." 

—u/Ident-Code_854-LQ

20. The Expanse: "Force Projection" (Season 6, Episode 3)

Syfy

"Such an amazing space battle that really showed how just a single mistake could ruin your day, even if you have the bigger and more powerful ship."

—u/Youpunyhumans

21. Fleabag: (Season 2, Episode 1)

BBC

—u/PitchforkJoe

"Fleabag is the perfect TV show. Every single part of it is perfect, and they made the correct choice to end it before it dropped in quality." 

—u/doyouevenoperatebrah

22. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: "Hush" (Season 4, Episode 10)

The WB

—u/dalici0us

"This was amazing. No dialogue in the whole episode, if I remember correctly."

—u/rc042

23. Barry: "ronny/lily" (Season 2, Episode 5)

HBO

"That is the most delightfully bonkers sh*t I’ve ever seen." 

—u/Head_Hauncho

What do you think is the most remarkable single episode of television? Maybe you think a different episode from one of these shows is the real G.O.A.T.? Comment below and perhaps you'll see your entry on a future BuzzFeed post!