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100 best TV episodes

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The ringer did this for the past 18 years. Prett solid list and fun to scroll thru on your phone & listen to some of the scenes for shows you care about.

The Ringer’s 100 Best TV Episodes of The Century

Can definitely quibble with the list, particularly high rankings for various reality shows that garnered high spots more for notability than quality which is applying a different criteria than used for dramas or comedies. Some comments:
I liked that they ranked the best episode of Walking Dead #100, appropriate dis yet some recognition given the show's ratings.
Way Too High (under-rated): 24 @ #93 had some big moments, its now horribly dated & callous, but in early 00's was great, in contrast at 74 Blackish should be higher for the opposite reason, very culturally significant show in light of current US issues. Also there's an American Idol somewhere 80-90ish, that show was so popular in its heyday it merits higher.
Way too Low (Over-rated): Jersey Shore at 14 - I guess its having a renaissance, but it is not rewarding to watch other than remarkable that its on, can suck you in and was so popular, Grey's Anatomy at #11, nod to chick show I suppose, but it simply was never that good, worse than so many shows ranked higher & really just an ER knockoff.
Top 10 - Not sure the OC belongs in top-10, but never watched it so maybe. Otherwise I think the order is arbitrary and being in the top 10 is recognition, after that it is personal taste. I'd have put Suitcase #1 and Ozzymandias or the train robbery episode from BBad #2.
 

HuskyHawk

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Groan. Glad to see a Justified episode made the top 20.
 

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scripted and non-scripted should not be on the same list.

A few major oversights:

1) I didn't see Seinfeld's "The Contest" on the list. One of the best comedic episodes of all time.
2) Entourage's "Welcome to the Jungle" is an almost perfect 30 minutes of television. I watch it once every couple of months.
3) Mad Men - the Wheel (1.13). This episode is incredible. It is amazing that I can be so moved by the pitch to Kodak while also realizing that Don Draper is completely full of . This episode is one of many examples why this is the best show in TV history.
4) A completely random one is "Turkeys Away" from WKRP in Cincinnati. This show was way ahead of its time, and today would be a monster hit and award dominator on cable.
5) Season 5 of VEEP is amazing, but See You Next Tuesday - Gate is especially brilliant television.
 
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Cheers - An Old-Fashioned Wedding, Part 1 & 2

This popped into my head. Cheers is a classic, and his was one of those episodes where it was moving quickly. Keep thinking of Lillith trying to keep everyone entertained, rushing out of the kitchen to play spoons. The dead priest. Great one-liners. Not bad for the last episode of the 10th season.
"Calling Dr. Daniels. Dr. Jack Daniels."

Watch An Old-Fashioned Wedding, Part II Free Online - Cheers Season 10 Episode 26


Cheers - One For The Road
 
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meyers7

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1) I didn't see Seinfeld's "The Contest" on the list. One of the best comedic episodes of all time.
4) A completely random one is "Turkeys Away" from WKRP in Cincinnati. This show was way ahead of its time, and today would be a monster hit and award dominator on cable.
Excellent choices.
 
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Folks, they just did since 2000 - so Seinfeld (ended in 98), Cheers (93), WKRP, MASH & others are too old.

But anyway I like the Soup Nazi or Festivus episodes, I think the contest is over rated due to its salacious subject. Best episode needs some of Frank Constanza mixed I, though I'm not sure Seinfeld really had definitively great episodes, just great jokes, scenes or bits.
 
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Criminal Minds - 100. An extremely dramatic scene.

I watch very few of the shows on the list but I did watch The West Wing, Law & Order: SVU, The Good Wife, ER.
 

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24 sucked.

At least they got the right episode of The Leftovers.

The idiotic reality shows that Simmons liked are absurd to include.

Oh the best episode of the OC? How do you pick one.
 

whaler11

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For people who claim they are so smart they actually made a list of the best episode from 100 shows they liked and put them in a mostly random order.

Then they called it a 100 bet episodes while ignoring most of the people who will read it will skip the 2000 disclaimer and immediatly react with Seinfeld.

The best Battlestar Galactica episode is whatever the shortest Battlestar Galactica episode is.
 
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For people who claim they are so smart they actually made a list of the best episode from 100 shows they liked and put them in a mostly random order.

Then they called it a 100 bet episodes while ignoring most of the people who will read it will skip the 2000 disclaimer and immediatly react with Seinfeld.

The best Battlestar Galactica episode is whatever the shortest Battlestar Galactica episode is.
I agree with you about Battlestar Glactica although I think my take dates back to the early 90's. So I actually have no idea.

Your overreaction to an entertainment piece about entertainment is a weird part of the appeal of such things. But thanks for pointing out things you think suck, that's easier by the way than pointing out things you like.
 

whaler11

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I agree with you about Battlestar Glactica although I think my take dates back to the early 90's. So I actually have no idea.

Your overreaction to an entertainment piece about entertainment is a weird part of the appeal of such things. But thanks for pointing out things you think suck, that's easier by the way than pointing out things you like.

I read it, thought the concept, process and output was dopey. I never would have had thought about it again if I hadn’t seen your post.

I liked many of the shows they included - I just can’t take a website that cares so deeply about the OC and Jersey Shore seriously.

If that’s an overreaction so be it.
 
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I read it, thought the concept, process and output was dopey. I never would have had thought about it again if I hadn’t seen your post.

I liked many of the shows they included - I just can’t take a website that cares so deeply about the OC and Jersey Shore seriously.

If that’s an overreaction so be it.
But the point is simply reading it, I might have read 15 or 20 of the entries scrolling by and over most and stopping where I was interested. Probably that's the intent & I thought including the video clips made the execution entertaining.

I don't see why the list or article or website therefore merits a valuation based on clearly subjective choices. TV is like music or any type of art, I'd never expect to like everything on a large list, every article on a website or in a newspaper etc... So I think your point that things suck (Battlestar Gallactica, the article, the website) because they contain things you either disagree with or don't like is myopic.

I.e. Why rank things? I disagree with the criteria used for ranking things. I don't like this list because reality tv shows are on it. I don't like my television because reality tv shows are on it.
 
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The ringer did this for the past 18 years. Prett solid list and fun to scroll thru on your phone & listen to some of the scenes for shows you care about.

The Ringer’s 100 Best TV Episodes of The Century

Can definitely quibble with the list, particularly high rankings for various reality shows that garnered high spots more for notability than quality which is applying a different criteria than used for dramas or comedies. Some comments:
I liked that they ranked the best episode of Walking Dead #100, appropriate dis yet some recognition given the show's ratings.
Way Too High (under-rated): 24 @ #93 had some big moments, its now horribly dated & callous, but in early 00's was great, in contrast at 74 Blackish should be higher for the opposite reason, very culturally significant show in light of current US issues. Also there's an American Idol somewhere 80-90ish, that show was so popular in its heyday it merits higher.
Way too Low (Over-rated): Jersey Shore at 14 - I guess its having a renaissance, but it is not rewarding to watch other than remarkable that its on, can suck you in and was so popular, Grey's Anatomy at #11, nod to chick show I suppose, but it simply was never that good, worse than so many shows ranked higher & really just an ER knockoff.
Top 10 - Not sure the OC belongs in top-10, but never watched it so maybe. Otherwise I think the order is arbitrary and being in the top 10 is recognition, after that it is personal taste. I'd have put Suitcase #1 and Ozzymandias or the train robbery episode from BBad #2.
On comedic episodes, a couple I remember.....



From "Cheers" season 2 "Just Three Friends"....Sam thinks Diane's best friend (Markie Post) is coming on to him.


From "I Dream of Jeannie" season four. Jeannie blinks Tony and Commander Wingate (Richard Mulligan) from their space capsule orbiting the Earth to Tony's garage.

As for drama or action ...

Star Trek's most famous episode "City on the Edge of Forever", starring Joan Collins as Edith Keeler, Kirk's great love. Great writing from Harlin Ellison and DC Fontana. The greatest episode in the entire franchise, not just the original series.

Several episodes from "The Rockford Files".
 

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Did I miss a Mindhunter mention? No 1st episode of Brockmire? No mention of any Peaky Blinders episode with Tom Hardy in it?

List is a fail, even if it took out all the reality show BS.

Somebody actually watches enough Barefoot Contessa to make a quality assessment?
 

whaler11

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But the point is simply reading it, I might have read 15 or 20 of the entries scrolling by and over most and stopping where I was interested. Probably that's the intent & I thought including the video clips made the execution entertaining.

I don't see why the list or article or website therefore merits a valuation based on clearly subjective choices. TV is like music or any type of art, I'd never expect to like everything on a large list, every article on a website or in a newspaper etc... So I think your point that things suck (Battlestar Gallactica, the article, the website) because they contain things you either disagree with or don't like is myopic.

I.e. Why rank things? I disagree with the criteria used for ranking things. I don't like this list because reality tv shows are on it. I don't like my television because reality tv shows are on it.

If you are going to rank things... I guess I just expect you’ll rank them.

The worst episode of Mad Men is better than the best Episode of Floribama Shore.

If you claim to rank the 100 best episodes - you can’t limit shows to one appearance? That seems to be inherent in the exercise.
 
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If you are going to rank things... I guess I just expect you’ll rank them.

The worst episode of Mad Men is better than the best Episode of Floribama Shore.

If you claim to rank the 100 best episodes - you can’t limit shows to one appearance? That seems to be inherent in the exercise.
I agree on Mad Men. The overall reason for the article (any artificial list ranking article) is content, get people talking might be a sub-goal and generally you accomplish that by including more stuff. The list of actual best episodes could be more interesting to some, but it'd be a smaller audience and I think tiresome to have every episode of Mad Men, Sopranos, The Wire, BBad etc.

Someone linked a writers list of best movies ever broken into I think 12 + different categories. I read the sports movie list which was pretty good, but it was one.... click..... per..... movie. Pretty good list though that had Rocky #1, I think Raging Bull would be under his biopics category, but I wasn't up for another 25 clicks.

Anyway its August and this is what websites do.
 

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