Wednesday 17 June 2009

TV Guide's Top 100 Episodes

TV Guide completed their list of the Top 100 Episodes (According to them at least) and here it is:

I've marked in bold all the ones I've seen. There's a little discussion afterwards as well.
  • 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: "Season 1: 11PM-12AM"
  • 11. The Twilight Zone: "Time Enough at Last"
  • 12. SNL from 4/22/78
  • 13. The Dick Van Dyke Show: "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: "Judgment"
  • 17. South Park: "Trapped in the Closet"
  • 18. The Andy Griffith Show: "Opie the Birdman"
  • 19. The Office: "Diversity Day"
  • 20. MASH: "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:TNG: "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 Gallactica: "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 and 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: "Home 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: "Peek a Boo"
  • 99. Family Guy: "Blue Harvest"
  • 100. The Brady Bunch: "The Subject Was Noses"
Big Love is in italics because I'll be watching it later this week.

101 Was the Pilot Episode for Friday Night Lights (which I've seen and loved).

First of all I absolutely agree with Six Feet Under's entry; the finale "Everyone's Waiting" is one of two episodes which battles it out whenever I try to decide which was the best finale I've ever seen. (The second one doesn't make an appearance on this list). Likewise the entries for The Shield, Supernatural, Arrested Development, Rescue Me, Family Guy, The West Wing, Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Buffy, Freaks and Geeks, My So Called Life, How I Met Your Mother and Twin Peaks are all greatly deserving. I'd even give a nod to House's "Three Stories" (but only after I went away and reminded myself what it was about).

The Homicide episode "Subway" was a real pleasure to see on the list, Homicide: Life on the Streets is a show which just needs more exposure in my opinion and Subway is a seriously powerful episode amongst a whole battalion of amazing stories.

Call me a cynic, but I'm not surprised TV Guide went with Seinfeld as a winner; The Contest is a great episode, possibly the best Seinfeld episode (not my favourite mind you) but there are better episodes on this list.

Dexter, Heroes, Lost and Damages all have their entries marred somewhat by what followed after them, both episodes are superb when you look at them in the context of what came before, but let down by what followed afterwards. In every case it's the season after the one which the episode appeared in which sucked somewhat.

I'm rather surprised to see My Musical in there for Scrubs, that was an episode which really didn't impress me and felt like a bit of an attempt to cash in on "Once More With Feeling". Scrubs has provided a lot of more moving and funnier episodes.

"Bowling" from Malcolm in the Middle was a surprise entry, I'm not sure it really deserves to be in there, but it's split story showing the difference between each parent supervising the boys bowling (like Sliding Doors) was certainly memorable. I don't think Malcolm in the Middle would have made it onto

There are a few noticable abscences; there seems to be no non-American shows at all, and there's a glaring abscense where Firefly should be present (which episode, is a different matter for debate) and there are a few other shows with episodes I can't help but feel should have made it on there; The Dead Zone "Precipitate", Futurama's "The Devil's Hands are Idle Playthings", Doctor Who's "Blink" or "Family of Blood" and I'm sure shows like Boston Legal, Justice League Unlimited, Nip/Tuck (Season One or Two) and Deadwood have at least one episode strong enough to make an appearance.

Still, agree or no. This has inspired me enough to consider sitting down and writing up the ten or twenty best episodes I've ever seen. That will turn up later this week. With possibly a top five finales list as well because I've been mulling that one over for some time.

Edit: Probably a little late to add this in, but a warm hello to those of you visiting my little site from Brazil and South America!

21 comments:

  1. Not a bad list considering. The Scrubs one is weird, if you had to choose the best episode then "My Screw Up" takes the spot. That episode was incredible.

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  2. I'm so happy Farscape made it to the list. It's a show that doesn't get as much recognition as it deserves.

    Doctor Who's "Blink" should DEFINITELY be up there. And other British shows like Life on Mars.

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  3. Hell, yes. Blink is way too good for someone to miss it. Everytime I think about it, I start freaking out about statues once again.

    And Three Stories is surely the best episode House ever delivered. It's excellent. Slap Bet isn't my favorite HIMYM episode, but it's classical and everything.

    It isn't a bad list at all. Just... Could be improved.

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  4. here's my favorites of all time in no particular order...

    X Files: "Bad Blood"
    Simpsons: (Don't know the tag name...the one with Baldwin Bassinger and Howard)
    Scrubs: "My Lunch" (musical sucks)
    Roseanne: "Stash from the Past"
    Northern Exposure: "Aurora Borealis: A Fairytale for Grownups"
    Cheers: (The Kelly Song)
    Newsradio: "The Cane"
    My So Called Life: (The Christmas One)
    30 Rock: (The one where Jack and Tracey have therapy)
    Dallas: Who Shot JR?

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  5. Oh, hi i discovery your blog in another blog about tv shows that is very famous here in Brasil , so i want to thank you fo hello , hello to you too . I am glad that Sopranos, X files, Buffy , and Twuin peaks, because are my favorite shows ever, but iam sad because doctor who, life on mars no being in the list > bye to all and you have a great blog bye

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  6. I always like to Watch Smallville TV Show. The characters and scenes are very excellent and fantastic. The story lines are really very interesting.

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  7. Its an beautiful collection of top 100 episodes. In the list all are good episodes but i like the most Beverly Hills episodes. Wanna watch whole show then go ahead and get it now. Beverly Hills Download

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  8. Where is prison break on this list?

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  9. Smallville Rosetta was great, but they have so many better episodes that should have been higher up! What about Memoria? Should be top 5 definitely. I agree with number one though.

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  10. Not a bad list but it is your own thinking. Every person have their own choice. I have my own choice on that like, naruto, friends, family guy, bleach etc etc....

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  11. Um. It's not my own list, it's TV Guide's list. I was commenting on it and noting which ones I've seen.

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  12. I found your blog through a google search for this list, so I did a little looking around and saw your list of your top 50 tv shows. I just want to let you know that your stance on Lost makes it impossible to take you at all seriously as a television critic.

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  13. "Take me seriously?"

    Seriously mate, thanks for one heck of a laugh. You do realise I just write this for fun? As a consequence I'm not a TV Critic at all, just an enthusiastic blogger.

    Additionally I'm amused about your intepretation about my "stance on Lost"

    You do realise I've called it one of the best shows I don't watch and I've written many times that I intend to watch the entire show when it's out on DVD as a complete set?

    http://rev-views.blogspot.com/2009/09/revviews-top-shows-other-and-best-shows.html

    Oh, wait. No, you don't - because you're little more than a drive-by random who most likely won't read this response.

    Regardless, thanks for the laugh - there's nothing so amusing as blatant ignorance.

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  14. Get TV Episodes along with updated information of all tv series from here only. Thanks.

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  15. Scrubs "My Musical" is more than awesome - glad that it appeared as out-of-the-box episode. I would have also welcomed Star Trek TNG "The inner light" instead of that Borg action nonsense...

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  16. Thanks for this lovely post. I am crazy about TV Shows.

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  17. Watch TV Shows Online from here if you have missed some episodes.

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  18. Go through this link and Watch TV Shows Online including all latest and old episodes.

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  19. Desperate Housewives' 'Bang' is much better than 'One Wonderful Day'

    Also Grey's Anatomy's ''It's the End of the World' and ''Death and All His Friends'' are better than ''Losing My Religion''.

    What was your 2nd favorite Six Feet Under episode?

    Will you edit the list?

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  20. Take it as a compliment that someone thought this web log is a product of a paid, professional television critic. I agree that the title of their list should have been prefaced by the words, United States or American. Blink immediately came to mind for me as well as a peculiar omission. One could list many, many others of course such as MI-5 (Spooks) but that would a contest of which one left the viewer in more limp, slack jawed horror induced depression than the other episodes.

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  21. Alfred Hitchcock Presents: "The Man From the South" 1960 i believe..has Steve McQueen...he takes on a bet for a brand new convertable that he can light his lighter 10 times in a row..if not he loses his finger...To me..i would have opened with this episode...great acting..great times..and my parents weren't even born yet lol...Thanks for posting the list. :)

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