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37 TV Episodes That Are So Devastating, People Cry Every Single Time They Watch Them

"Where do you think we are?"

Nora Dominick
by Nora Dominick

BuzzFeed Staff

We asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us which TV episodes are the saddest of all time. Here are just a few of the best responses:

🚨Warning: There are MASSIVE spoilers ahead! And #14 mentions suicide.🚨

1. "100" from Criminal Minds

Hotch sobbing and clutching his wife
CBS

"The whole episode is devastating because Hotch is the team leader and has to face losing his wife, with the knowledge that her killer is still out there, and the fact that their young son heard his mom getting murdered. It's heartbreaking."

—pthorpe169

2. "Part Four" from When They See Us

Korey crying and screaming, "Nobody gives a fuck about me"
Netflix

"The entire series is heartbreaking, but Episode 4 just absolutely killed me. I was actually sobbing watching it! It was just one sad moment after another for the entire episode, especially when Korey hallucinated his girlfriend and they went to the fair together, and when he found out his sister died. I don’t think I’ve ever cried this much watching a TV episode."

—ak9296a

3. "The Bent-Neck Lady" from The Haunting of Hill House

Nell surrounded by her family and the Bent-Neck Lady
Netflix

"We already knew that Nell died, but to watch as her whole story unfolds from childhood, and then realizing that she was haunted by herself since she was a child just added another layer of tragedy. The episode is really well done, but just heartbreaking to watch."

—ashleyh47ff5e58a

4. "The Quarterback" from Glee

Finn's in memoriam plaque and Santana crying
Fox

"Obviously, it was sad before because of Cory Monteith's death, but now there’s the additional layer of Naya Rivera singing 'If I Die Young.' I don’t know if I’ll be able to watch Glee again, much less this episode, just because of how heartbreaking it all is."

—saraw19

5. "The End" from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Mack calming Fitz down and telling him, "We're gonna find a way out of this"
ABC

"There are so many sad moments packed into this single episode. Fitz dies in order to save Mack, Coulson dies, and Daisy defeats Talbot all in one whirlwind episode. All of it is heartbreaking."

—inspire_forever

6. "Sanctuary" and "Death and All His Friends" from Grey's Anatomy

Cristina saying that it's over and Derek is dead while Meredith weeps
ABC

"Both episodes are filled with so much emotion, I basically cried nonstop through both of them."

—rngcec530

7. "Gone, Baby, Gone" from Private Practice

Amelia telling Addison, "Addie. Addie, my baby's gonna die"
ABC

"Amelia wanting to be alone and Addison holding her while she gave birth, then seeing Amelia hold her baby before he died. It's all so horrible and sad."

—serenityjohnson1003

8. "Jurassic Bark" from Futurama

Seymour waiting outside Panucci's pizza
20th Century Fox

"I rewatch Futurama a lot, but I skip this episode every single time."

—andersonemmalucy

9. "...said I'm sorry" from Never Have I Ever

Devi apologizing to her mom and Nalini telling Devi that she loves her and she's her whole family
Netflix

"I was really unprepared to cry as hard as I did during this episode."

—swimmer712

10. "The Tales of Ba Sing Se" from Avatar: The Last Airbender

Iroh saying, "Happy birthday, my son. If only I could've helped you"
Nickelodeon

"Seeing Uncle Iroh singing 'Leaves from the Vine' to his deceased son on his birthday is the saddest thing I've ever seen on television."

—marie-francel

11. "Honor" from The Walking Dead

Carl, Michonne, and Rick saying "I love you" to each other
AMC

"Carl's selfless final acts, his heartfelt speeches to Judith, Michonne, and Rick, hearing the shot, and watching Rick and Michonne fall apart as they lose their son. I can never hold it together through this episode. Carl's death was heartbreaking and so unnecessary."

—aeichamatteson

12. "The Rains of Castamere" from Game of Thrones

Talisa, Robb, and Catelyn dying at the Red Wedding
HBO

"Watching the betrayal and butchering of the Starks is one of the reasons I can't rewatch this show. It hurts me too much."

—scottaaronm

13. "Unsaid Emily" from Julie and the Phantoms

Julie giving Luke's song to his parents and saying that he wrote it for his mom
Netflix

"Even though it's a kid's show, the way they portrayed death was so beautiful and yet so tragic. Julie giving Luke's parents the song that he wrote about wanting to make amends with them was amazing because it gave both Luke and his parents closure. I bawled."

—angelazach1308

14. "Hell Hath No Fury" from Charmed

Piper weeping and saying, "How could she think that I could live without her?"
Warner Bros.

"I lost my sister in 2005 to suicide, so hearing Piper sobbing while saying, 'How could she think I could live without her?' will always, ALWAYS make me sob. Charmed also happened to be one of my sister’s favorite shows, and Piper was her favorite character."

—tracy110302

15. "With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept" from One Tree Hill

The CW

"This episode has so many moments. Peyton gets shot, Brooke's trapped outside, Peyton and Lucas hid in the library, everyone we love is trapped in the tutor center, and then Jimmy dies. This episode is nonstop heartbreaking. Then, at the very end, Dan kills Keith, his own brother. It's a massive and sad episode."

—taylornealy

16. "Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly." from One Tree Hill

Jamie putting Quentin's cape on his coffin
The CW

"Quentin had such a great redemption arc and was becoming one of the best characters. When Jamie and Quentin’s little brother are dealing with understanding death, it’s just so heartbreaking."

—Th3FatPanth3r

17. "Faith" from Outlander

Claire crying and kissing her newborn baby
Starz

"'Faith' from Outlander is the most heartbreaking, soul-crushing hour of television I’ve ever watched. Not only did Claire have to go through the entire ordeal of her baby’s stillbirth without Jamie, she lost her faith in him when he broke his promise not to kill Randall yet. The entire hour is so devastating."

—katrinacomensb

18. "Zoey's Extraordinary Dad" from Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist

Zoey and Mitch dancing and Mitch saying that Zoey will always hear him, whether it's a song or not
NBC

"I sobbed so hysterically that my husband came in and thought someone I knew had died."

—cherrieh2

19. "Swan Song" from Supernatural

Dean saying, "Sammy. It's okay. I'm here. I'm not gonna leave you"
The CW

"'Swan Song' was so well done and also just gut wrenching. At the end of the episode, when Dean is comforting Sam as he's getting beaten to a pulp just breaks my heart. Plus, the combination of the memories of their childhood and the first five seasons with only the sound of wind gushing in the back. Don’t know why it got me, but it got me good. Excuse me while I go cry now."

—hksincco

20. "The Animals" from Orange Is the New Black

Taystee sobbing and holding Poussey's body
Netflix

"I’ve never cried so hard over a TV show in my life. I had to go to the kitchen to ugly cry so I wouldn’t wake up my roommate. I still haven’t forgiven the writers for this episode."

—fedora_the_explorer

21. "The Body" from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Buffy saying, "Mom? Mom? Mommy?" after finding her mom's body
Warner Bros.

"Buffy finding her mom was heartbreaking, but the scene where she told Dawn broke my soul. It was such a beautifully sad and heartbreaking episode. There was no music in the episode, just pure emotion."

—bt617

22. "Laying Pipe" from Sons of Anarchy

FX

"I will always be wrecked by Opie's death."

—tiptopcashew

23. "The Angels Take Manhattan" from Doctor Who

The Doctor pleading with Amy to stay, but Amy saying she'll be fine
BBC

"I was sobbing like a baby when I first watched it. Even my aunt, who didn’t know anything about the show, was a mess. Just when you think everything is going to turn out fine, they just crush your soul. Plus, I can't handle the Doctor's reaction."

—ashkeithsmom

24. "The Diamond of the Day: Part One and Part Two" from Merlin

Merlin crying over Arthur's body
BBC One

"I can count on one hand how many times I’ve watched this finale because I just can’t. I just cry and cry and cry and cry. There is so much that happens in these episodes with every single character on this show. It’s been more than six years since I watched this finale, and I still can’t watch it all the way through."

—megana459810788

25. "Papa's Got a Brand New Excuse" from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

Will saying, "How come he don't want me, man?"
NBC

"I think this is easily one of the saddest episodes of TV that includes one of the most memorable heartbreaking moments of all time."

—courtneyb4046c93a2

26. "My Screwup" from Scrubs

JD asking Dr. Cox, "Where do you think we are?" at Ben's funeral
NBC

"The last two minutes turn me into a blubbering mess every single time. Even just listening to 'Winter' by Daniel Dozier turns me into a puddle of tears."

—nikkifalcon

27. "The View from Halfway Down" from BoJack Horseman

Netflix

"This is the saddest episode of television I’ve watched where nobody dies. Everyone’s just already dead and you know it’s all going to end soon."

—roxjmilotwo

28. "Goodbye Part 1 and Part 2" from 8 Simple Rules

Cate saying she didn't think life would be this cruel and Bridget revealing that the last thing she said to her dad was, "I hate you"
ABC

"With John Ritter's real-life death, you could tell none of the actors were actually acting. The pain was so authentic."

—pennyguide

29. "Super Bowl Sunday" from This Is Us

Rebecca saying "Jack? Jack!" and sobbing in the hospital
NBC

"You already know Jack's going to die at some point, but for a second you thought it wouldn’t be in this moment. Mandy Moore's acting was just astounding in this episode."

—bporter2018

30. "May God Bless and Keep You Always" from Parenthood

NBC

"I ugly cried for an hour after watching this episode for the first time."

—hollandt3

31. "407 Proxy Authentication Required" from Mr. Robot

Elliot sobbing
USA

"The acting in this episode is some of the best I've ever seen, and it is absolutely heartbreaking."

—wonderlandismadness

32. "Not Yet" from One Day at a Time

Penelope crying and saying, "Please, Mami. I'm not ready yet. I'm not gonna say goodbye. You hear me, Mami?"
Netflix / CBS

"One Day at a Time has had a lot of heartbreaking moments, but 'Not Yet' is one of the saddest overall episodes. Watching everyone talk to Lydia while she's unconscious in the hospital was so sad. I was truly not ready to weep this hard watching a comedy series."

—noradominick

33. "Ozymandias" from Breaking Bad

Walt sobbing and falling to the ground
AMC

"Everything hits the fan. I think I lost it when Walt left with the baby. The silent scream Skyler makes is just heartbreaking."

—zeilerra

34. "The Son" from Friday Night Lights

Matt crying and saying he put all his hate on his dad and now that he's gone he doesn't have to hate anybody else
NBC

"Matt always had a complicated relationship with his dad, who was fighting in Iraq, only to find out he was killed in combat. His eulogy at the funeral followed by him helping dig his dad’s grave made me sob."

—hollandt3

35. "Love's Labor Lost" from ER

NBC

"This was a gut-wrenching episode with incredible performances by Anthony Greene and Bradley Whitford. One of the few TV episodes where I’ve consistently bawled my eyes out."

—meaganm46947b20b

36. "A Hole in the World" from Angel

Fred asking Wesley why can't she stay
Warner Bros.

"The whole episode is heartbreaking because Fred is one of the most innocent and lovely characters, and didn't deserve to die. When Wesley is holding her and she says, 'I'm not scared. I'm not scared. I'm not scared. Please, Wesley. Why can't I stay?' Ugh, I ugly sob every time."

—shyleemarier

37. And finally, "In Memoriam" from Riverdale

Archie giving Fred's eulogy and saying that he'll always be part of Riverdale
The CW

"Arguably the best episode of Riverdale and the saddest. A fitting tribute to Luke Perry."

—justanotherfangirl101

What other TV episodes are heartbreaking from start to finish? Tell us in the comments below!

Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.