"It Was A Start-To-Finish Masterpiece": People Are Revealing The Single Best Episode Of Television They've Ever Seen

"Never has a single episode of TV impacted me as much as this did. I thought about it for MONTHS after the series ended."

Note: Given the nature of the article, there will be spoilers ahead.

Even though a collection of TV episodes within a season (or several) is what makes a TV series unique, sometimes there is a single episode that simply just stands out from the rest.

Disney+ / Via giphy.com

So, when I saw Reddit user u/Head_Hauncho ask: "What is the single best episode of television you’ve ever seen?" I thought it would be fun to share their answers to see if you agree. Here's what they had to say below:

1. "Chernobyl — 'Vichnaya Pamyat (Memory Eternal).'"

“When the truth offends, we lie and lie until we can no longer remember it is even there, but it is still there. Every lie we tell incurs a debt to the truth. Sooner or later, that debt is paid. That is how an RBMK reactor core explodes. Lies.”

—u/Kinda_Quixotic

Here's a clip from the episode:

HBO / Via youtube.com

2. "Breaking Bad — 'Ozymandias.'"

"Not a second was boring."

—u/Specific-College-194

"If you noticed, they didn't show the opening credits of 'Ozymandias' until something like 17 minutes in, in order not to break the drama. They had to get special permission to do that from the people who make those rules."

—u/Loggerdon

Here's a clip from the episode:

AMC / Via youtube.com

3. "'You Only Move Twice' had the best Simpson one-off, 'Hank Scorpio.'"

—u/Graehaus

"'You have any sugar around here?'

'Sugar? Sure.'

[Reaches deep into pockets, pulls out mounds of sugar.]

'Here ya go. Sorry, it's not in packages...ya want some cream?'

'Ahhh...yeeee....no.'"

—u/Change_you_can_xerox

Here's a clip from the episode:

FOX / Via youtube.com

4. "It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia — 'Charlie Work.'"

—u/Frank_the_NOOB

"'Mac Bangs Dennis' Mom' is like a modern Shakespearean tragedy.

'Oh no, Dee. It's not sex I want from you. It's sex I don't want from Dennis.'"

—u/jtfriendly

Here's a clip from the episode:

FX / Via youtube.com

5. "Community — ‘Remedial Chaos Theory.’"

—u/executese

Here's a clip from the episode:

NBC / Via youtube.com

6. "True Detective Season 1 Episode 4 — 'Who Goes There.'"

—u/rf8350

"True Detective Season 1 is the greatest single season of TV ever made IMO, so it is not surprising that it had at least one episode on this list. The first episode is pretty good as well."

—u/swentech

Here's a clip from the episode:

HBO / Via youtube.com

7. "The Black Mirror episode 'San Junipero' would be high on my list."

—u/Igpajo49

"When "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" plays during the credits of San Junipero..."

—u/cwilbur22

Here's a clip from the episode:

Netflix / Via youtube.com

8. "The Good Place — the series finale."

"It's wacky, crazy, absurd, and surreal, but it neatly encapsulates the humor and philosophy of the whole series. I would actually use it to introduce someone to the show. The fun, then, would be watching how they got there."

—u/Ident-Code_854-LQ

Here's a clip from the episode:

NBC / Via youtube.com

9. "Fleabag, Season 2 Episode 1.'"

—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

Here's a clip from the episode:

BBC / Via youtube.com

10. "Atlanta, 'Teddy Perkins.'”

—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. And when you recognize that surprise casting."

—u/nosecohn

Here's a clip from the episode:

FX / Via youtube.com

11. "Doctor Who — 'Blink.'"

"I'm not a fan of the series; I haven't watched all episodes. I've seen this very episode accidentally years ago, and it is stuck in my head ever since. It is based on one of the most creative, original, and disturbing ideas I have ever seen in my life."

—u/canred

Here's a clip from the episode:

BBC / Via youtube.com

12. "The Haunting of Hill House — 'The Bent-Neck Lady.'"

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

—u/shedside

Here's a clip from the episode:

Netflix / Via youtube.com

13. "Game of Thrones — 'Red Wedding.'"

—u/ApplicationMassive71

"I think I sat gaping at the TV for 10 minutes after the credits rolled. They killed off 50% of the main characters in four minutes."

—u/zabrakwith

Here's a clip from the episode:

HBO / Via youtube.com

14. "The Last of Us — Episode 3."

—u/Dalkiel

"That episode was a start-to-finish masterpiece and a serious tear-jerker. It was like its own mini-movie of an episode. Just beautiful.

I'd been kind of bored with the first two episodes and said to myself, hey, let's give this show one more chance. Then Episode 3 came along and gave us easily one of the best love stories ever told on screen.

Probably the finest performance I've ever seen from Nick Offerman, who has a long roster of great roles and characters."

—u/Rogue_Wallet

Here's a clip from the episode:

HBO / Via youtube.com

15. "The Season 1 finale of Severance. Unbelievably suspenseful the entire duration. So good."

—u/jkjustjoshing

"I’ve told so many people it’s the best episode of TV I’ve seen in years, if not ever. All the overlapping storylines, the ticking clock (with no idea how much time is left), the emotions (lovesick, lost, confused, etc.), the unlikely hero…just so much going on…agh, I can’t wait for the next season!"

—u/pburydoughgirl

Here's a clip from the episode:

Apple TV / Via youtube.com

16. "Watchmen — 'This Extraordinary Being.'"

"The scene transitions alone will leave your mouth wide open."

—u/ConsistentSorbet638

"Never has a single episode of television impacted me as much as this did. I thought about this episode for MONTHS after the series ended."

—u/erg5

Here's a clip from the episode:

HBO / Via youtube.com

17. "BoJack Horseman — 'The View from Halfway Down.'"

—u/quantitative_granola

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

—u/poopiverse

Here's a clip from the episode:

Netflix / Via youtube.com

18. "Andor — 'One Way Out.'"

—u/HailToTheKingslayer

"A tragedy in three words."

—u/Lokaji

Here's a clip from the episode:

Disney / Via youtube.com

19. "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air when Will’s dad had left him again and he’s crying to Uncle Phil and said, 'Why didn’t he want me, man?' I was in tears."

—u/[deleted]

"Holy shit, I had totally forgotten about this episode. That moment hit me so damn hard. Will's reaction is so out of character for how he usually acts, and because of that, this moment was a massive shock. I didn't see his breakdown coming in the slightest."

—u/MallKid

Here's a clip from the episode:

NBC / Via youtube.com

20. "The CPR episode of The Office is what got me in after trying to watch the show multiple times. The amount of chaos packed into five minutes is incredible."

—u/herpeszooster

Here's a clip from the episode:

NBC / Via youtube.com

21. "Mr. Robot — '407 Proxy Authentication Required.'"

"It was one of the most densely written and tense pieces of television I've ever seen — not to mention the phenomenal acting, editing, and cinematography."

—u/ByDarwinsBeard

"This episode of TV is seriously the best episode of all time. Seriously.

I say proxy authentication required in my sleep.

If you are a lurker and never heard of Mr. Robot, I cannot recommend this masterpiece more. From start to finish, it's the best TV series IMO."

—u/jmjacoby95

Here's a clip from the episode:

USA Network / Via youtube.com

22. "The IT Crowd — 'The Work Outing.'"

—u/EerieArizona

Here's a clip from the episode:

BBC / Via youtube.com

23. "Better Call Saul Season 6 Episode 7 — 'Plan and Execution.'"

"Immediately catapulted that show to the top three of all time for me. The tension, the collision of two outstanding stories, the shock of the finish. It just sent me to the moon."

—u/LloydTheWonderDog

Here's a clip from the episode:

AMC / Via youtube.com

24. "Scrubs — 'My Lunch.'"

—u/TrailerParkPrepper

"'The second you start blaming yourself for people's deaths...there's no coming back.' 

'Yeh...you're right.'

Possibly the most emotional few moments in television history."

—u/Upset-Paper-2738

Here's a clip from the episode:

NBC / Via youtube.com

25. "'Sleepytime' from Bluey. GO. FUCKING. WATCH. IT."

—u/InkblotDoggo

"I laughed, I cried, I went to sleep."

—u/PersonalPickle2025

Here's a clip from the episode:

Disney+ / Via youtube.com

Is there an episode of television that you believe is the best of all time? If so, tell us what it is and why in the comments below: