Alan's All-Time Favorite

TV Episodes

I must first make a disclaimer. I'm disappointed that my list contains an extreme over-abundance of The Simpsons, Seinfeld, and The X-Files. These are all current shows and are therefore more current in my mind. I do, however, believe that these series produce more quality television episodes in a single season than most series do in their history, and so I am partially justified. Feel free to make your own comments, and visit TV Guide's version of the best All-Time TV Episodes. Thanks to UltimateTV for such a great site for researching.

Episodes 1-20

  1. Star Trek: The Next Generation - Inner Light - After a mysterious accident, Picard wakes up living the life of another person on a faraway planet.
  2. Seinfeld - The Contest - George's "surprise" hospitalizes his mother, and spawns a contest of self-denial, which Kramer quickly concedes, with Elaine close behind after meeting a one-time "sexiest man alive."
  3. M*A*S*H - Abyssinia, Henry - Henry finally gets his discharge. While Henry is tying things up, Burns prepares for his new command. Henry bids a tearful adieu, but not before Klinger turns up in an outrageous tropical outfit (and gets Henry to zip him up) and a kiss to Houlihan. He gives Radar a hug and his last order: "You better be good now or I'm gonna come back and kick your butt!" In the traumatic and shocking last scene, Radar announces that Henry has been killed when his plane was shot down over the Sea of Japan.
  4. Moonlighting - Atomic Shakespeare - In what is undoubtedly the best Moonlighting ever, the cast spoof Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew".
  5. The Practice - Episode # 6 - A father whose daughter was killed goes on trial for killing the murderer who was set free. Is there righteous justification for retribution?
  6. Midnight Caller - Life Without Possibilities (Parts 1 & 2) - Nikki shows who's the new boss by insisting Jack cover a prison riot near San Francisco. Jack arrives at the prison and becomes part of a chosen delegation to go inside and witness the atrocities the convicts are rebelling against. Unknowingly, Jack becomes the target of one of the inmates, who has a personal score to settle. The convicts demand Jack broadcast their side of the story via KJCM, Deacon gets an interview with the prisoner on the outside, and Jack meets up with the prisoner with a bone to pick.
  7. The Simpsons - Lisa the Vegetarian - A trip to a local petting zoo leads to confrontations at the dinner table when Lisa decides to become a vegetarian.
  8. The X-Files - War of the Coprophages - While waiting out the fumigation of his apartment, Mulder stumbles into a Massachusetts town where it appears that cockroaches have been attacking and killing several residents. Upon consulting Scully, he is told that it's probably just a load of crap.
  9. Seinfeld - The Invitations - As the big day grows nearer, George and Susan order their invitations. Susan lets him choose the cheap ones. George tries to think of a way out. Elaine suggests smoking and Kramer suggests a pre-nuptial agreement. Jerry, thinking of a single future with Kramer, nearly gets hit by a car but is saved by his female equivalent, Jeannie. Jerry thinks he is in love with Jeannie. Kramer tries to cash in on a bank's offer of a $100 if one of their tellers doesn't say hello. Is "Hey," hello? George tries the suggestions and strikes out. Susan begins preparing the invitations. Jerry makes a decision. Susan passes out while licking envelopes. Jerry proposes marriage; later he has second thoughts. George finds Susan and the gang meets him over at the hospital, where George gets the news, he's out. Free at last, George makes another attempt at Marisa Tomei.
  10. Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Best Of Both Worlds (Parts 1 & 2) - The evil Borg capture Picard in an attempt to conquer the human race. Riker must choose between saving Picard and saving humanity when the Borg use the kidnapped captain as part of their plan to destroy Earth.
  11. The Simpsons - Homer At The Bat - Mr. Burns bets $1,000,000 that his company team can beat a competing plant's team. In order to do so, he replaced the regular company team with new security guard Roger Clemens, new janitor Wade Boggs, lunchroom cashier Ken Griffey Jr., and other new employees like Steve Sax, Don Mattingly, Ozzie Smith, Darryl Strawberry, Jose Canseco, and Mike Scoscia.
  12. The Andy Griffith Show - Bringing Up Opie - Andy punishes Opie for doing something wrong, when all along, Opie was doing the honorable thing to keep his word.
  13. The X-Files - Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose - Skeptical of a famous psychic's predictions regarding the murder of several prognosticators, Mulder instead finds someone who he believes truly can predict the future. Though catching the killer could prove difficult, particularly if the murderer can also see into his future.
  14. Mad About You - Love Letters - The Buchmans find letters written by former tenants of their apartment that chronicle a World War II love story that Jamie feels parallels hers and Paul's.
  15. The Mary Tyler Moore Show - Mary's Insomnia - Mary develops a dependence on sleeping pills, and Lou tries to force her off the habit.
  16. Seinfeld - The Soup Nazi - While on their way to the "soup place" Elaine finds an antique cabinet she wants. George makes a mistake while trying to get his soup from the "Soup Nazi." Elaine isn't allowed to move her cabinet into her building, so Kramer offers to watch it for her, out on the street. George and Elaine discuss how annoyed they are by Jerry's sweet talking with his current girlfriend. Elaine makes an ordering error in front of the "Soup Nazi," gets on his bad side and is banned for a year. In broad daylight and in Kramer's presence, two guys come along and take the cabinet. Kramer relates the story of the cabinet to the "Soup Nazi," who says he has a cabinet in the basement that Kramer can have. Jerry's girlfriend makes a faux pas in the "soup place" and Jerry disavows any knowledge of her. George confronts Jerry and reminds him about their pact. George and Susan see Jerry and his girlfriend at the diner and they begin to compete against each other. Susan appreciates that George is showing his feelings in public. Kramer gives Elaine the cabinet and tells her where he got it. Elaine goes to thank the "Soup Nazi" but gets even further on his bad side. Jerry discovers the cabinet contains the "Soup Nazi's" recipes and Elaine takes them for the final confrontation.
  17. The Simpsons - Who Shot Mr. Burns?, Part One - It's bad enough that Mr. Burns steals the newly discovered oil under Springfield Elementary, but it's going too far when he steals the town's sunshine. He is shot and everyone wonders who did the dirty deed.
  18. Touched By An Angel - AIDS - Natalie Cole guest stars as a young woman who got AIDS from her recently-deceased husband. Also guest starring Maya Angelou.
  19. American Gothic - The Pilot - Sheriff Lucas Buck, the Devil's close friend, wants his son and tonight is the night he comes for him...
  20. Newhart - Final Episode - Bob wakes up in bed with Suzanne Pleshette, finding that the entire series was a dream.

<<--- Previous 20 episodes | Next 20 episodes --->>

Back to Alan's Favorites

Home Page | Personal Info | Travel | Music Links | Favorites | Dunwoody Community Church | Miscellaneous Links