37 TV Episodes That Are So Devastating, People Cry Every Single Time They Watch Them
"Where do you think we are?"
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

"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."
2. "Part Four" from When They See Us

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

"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."
4. "The Quarterback" from Glee

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

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

"Both episodes are filled with so much emotion, I basically cried nonstop through both of them."
7. "Gone, Baby, Gone" from Private Practice

"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."
8. "Jurassic Bark" from Futurama

"I rewatch Futurama a lot, but I skip this episode every single time."
9. "...said I'm sorry" from Never Have I Ever

"I was really unprepared to cry as hard as I did during this episode."
10. "The Tales of Ba Sing Se" from Avatar: The Last Airbender

"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."
11. "Honor" from The Walking Dead

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

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

"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."
14. "Hell Hath No Fury" from Charmed

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

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

"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."
17. "Faith" from Outlander

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

"I sobbed so hysterically that my husband came in and thought someone I knew had died."
19. "Swan Song" from Supernatural

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

"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."
21. "The Body" from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

"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."
22. "Laying Pipe" from Sons of Anarchy

"I will always be wrecked by Opie's death."
23. "The Angels Take Manhattan" from Doctor Who

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

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

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

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

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

"With John Ritter's real-life death, you could tell none of the actors were actually acting. The pain was so authentic."
29. "Super Bowl Sunday" from This Is Us

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

"I ugly cried for an hour after watching this episode for the first time."
31. "407 Proxy Authentication Required" from Mr. Robot

"The acting in this episode is some of the best I've ever seen, and it is absolutely heartbreaking."
32. "Not Yet" from One Day at a Time

"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."
33. "Ozymandias" from Breaking Bad

"Everything hits the fan. I think I lost it when Walt left with the baby. The silent scream Skyler makes is just heartbreaking."
34. "The Son" from Friday Night Lights

"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."
35. "Love's Labor Lost" from ER

"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."
36. "A Hole in the World" from Angel

"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."
37. And finally, "In Memoriam" from Riverdale

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