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The 100 Best TV Episodes of the Century (2018)

The 100 Best TV Episodes of the Century

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The Ringer

More than seven years ago, in July of 2018, The Ringer published its ranking of The 100 Best TV Episodes of the Century. The list came at a quasi-end of an era for television, which made its timing apt, and we as a staff sought to encapsulate the medium in all of its genre-spanning, highbrow-to-lowbrow glory. About a year later, both Disney+ and Apple TV+ launched, kicking off the streaming era in full and redefining the term “Peak TV.” (In 2018, 495 scripted shows were produced, a number that continued to rise annually, peaking in 2022 with 600 shows.)

You could say we’re now at another quasi-end of an era for television: The Streaming Wars have been settled, the number of produced scripted shows has plateaued, and consolidation is approaching. Considering that, and the fact that we’re officially a quarter of the way through the 21st century, the timing feels right to update and rerelease The 100 Best TV Episodes of the Century for 2025. 

The process this go-around was almost identical to the first time: The entire Ringer staff was asked to submit their favorite episodes since July 2018, the first time this ranking was published. The list was then assembled with those submissions in mind. There were a few stipulations:

The result is a list of 100 episodes of TV that covers the medium’s vast variety of genres and greatness while also bringing the original list into the modern day. (But don’t worry; if you want to see the original ranking from 2018, just click the toggle in the overhead toolbar. For better and worse, it’s quite the blast from the past.) Without further ado, here are The 100 Best TV Episodes of the Century. —Andrew Gruttadaro

After only 10 days of getting to know her through a wall, Jimmy gets down on one knee and proposes to Chelsea. He insists that he’s a changed man after realizing that physical attraction is not a prerequisite to falling in love. Importantly, however, as he’s “blindly” fallen in love with Chelsea, she has heavily implied that she looks like Megan Fox, the straight-man-mind’s-eye equivalent of MDMA. So when the doors open on their first in-person meeting and it is revealed that Chelsea doesn’t really look like Megan Fox, like, at all, we watch Jimmy unpack all he thought he’d learned about love and attraction—and expectations—until he hits us with the titular line: “She definitely lied to me on some, uh, how she looks.”

What is the episode’s most iconic moment? This episode of television is exactly why I say that if you watch reality TV, then anything Nathan Fielder or Tim Robinson has ever made is basically child's play. Take the part when the door opens and Chelsea squeals, “I can’t run” but still attempts to in a dress that is very fitted around her knees and, in doing so, moves toward Jimmy kind of like … a T. rex on a balance beam. In this moment, Jimmy and Chelsea are certainly dealing with a lot of thoughts and feelings—but as is most often the case with reality TV, it’s the editors who construct our thoughts (“no!”) and feelings (“nooo!”) at home. Like when they capture Jimmy <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/LoveIsBlindOnNetflix/comments/1bshz5x/not_jimmy_looking_at_the_camera_like_its_the/">looking directly into the camera</a> like Jim from The Office as Chelsea excitedly hugs him, or when they cut from Jimmy skeptically saying, “Chelsea told me she looks like Megan Fox” in his testimonial to Chelsea exclaiming, “I’m so sweaty!” These are all completely understandable private reactions … and are all a wonder and horror to publicly behold.

How did this episode influence the future of TV? Netflix made an entire genre out of doing pseudoscience experiments with Love Is Blind, The Ultimatum, The Circle, and more. And while they have absolutely never proved whether love is or is not blind, Chelsea did prove that you have to allow the pseudoscientific method to do its pseudo-work in a pseudo-situation like this one. If you try to skirt the system, the system will likely skirt you. To my knowledge, since Megan Fox–gate, celebrity doppelgängers haven’t been invoked, on Love Is Blind or any other reality show. —Jodi Walker

Reality TV

Love Is Blind S6 E5

<h2>“She Lied to Me”</h2>

Netflix

For an experimental TV show whose basic premise was “Yo, let’s warp the reality of an innocent rando, The Truman Show style,” Jury Duty delivered a surprisingly wholesome final verdict: that there really are still good-hearted people out there, just doin' their best in a world full of actors!

What is the episode’s most iconic moment? The one that we’d all been waiting for since the beginning of the series, of course: the big reveal that everything Ronald Gladden thought he knew about his weeks-long civic duty as a sequestered juror was a big orchestrated lie. The trial? The judge? The documentary about the judicial process that Gladden thought he was in? All his extremely hectic fellow jurors, including that asshole James Marsden? Fake, fake, fake, fake! (Marsden, while real, is <a href="https://deadline.com/2025/02/james-marsden-jury-duty-ronald-gladden-dupe-1236277502/">reportedly much nicer</a> than that.)

What is the best behind-the-scenes anecdote about this episode? In a <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/arts/commotion/jury-duty-director-explains-the-time-the-show-went-too-far-with-non-actor-ronald-gladden-1.6870245">CBC interview</a>, Jury Duty director Jake Szymanski spoke of one late-season stunt—in which Marsden narcissistically smashes someone else’s birthday cake—that appeared to distress dear sweet Gladden deeply enough that the production crew had to call an audible and scramble to patch things up. “When you're dealing with a real human person with real emotions,” Szymanski said, “that's where it gets tricky.” —Katie Baker

Comedy

Season Finale

Jury Duty S1 E8

<h2>“The Verdict”</h2>

Prime Video

The Ringer Staff

Honorable Mentions for the Best TV Episodes of the Century Update

When it’s spring break in Laguna Beach, you go to Cabo, the magical land of drama and underage drinking. With Kristin and Stephen broken up, L.C. sees an opportunity. Kristin, meanwhile, acts like a completely normal single girl, while Stephen has a breakdown and vigorously slut-shames her for it.

What is the most memorable line from this episode? “What happens in Cabo stays in Cabo.” It’s a line that so efficiently lays down the rules of spring breaks across the globe—one that is so good that seemingly everyone in the Laguna Beach cast says it at least once in a 26-minute span.

What is the episode’s most iconic moment? “Iconic” might be the wrong word, but Stephen’s freakout over seeing Kristin dancing on a bar is at least one of the most memorable scenes in reality TV history. Shockingly (at least on rewatch), the show depicts Kristin—a teenage girl with free will, unbound by any commitments—as the villain, and Stephen as the hero, as he shouts “Slut!” across a Mexican bar like a sentient Twitter egg. The framing of Laguna Beach certainly hasn’t aged well, but they should still get some credit for, <a href="https://akns-images.eonline.com/eol_images/Entire_Site/2016214/rs_600x334-160314124659-600.kristin-cavallari-stephen-colletti-laguna-beach.31416.jpg?fit=inside%7C900:auto&amp;output-quality=90">in one shot alone</a>, showing us such a clear depiction of toxic masculinity before the phrase was even popularized. —Andrew Gruttadaro

Laguna Beach S1 E5

<h2>“What Happens in Cabo”</h2>

Paramount+

Sally Sparrow (Carey Mulligan!) discovers that the Doctor, a time-traveling Gallifreyan stuck in the past, has left a series of messages in her DVD collection warning her about the Weeping Angels, monsters who appear frozen in angelic statue when looked upon but who attack in an instant if you even blink. Hence the episode title.

What is the best behind-the-scenes anecdote about this episode? The episode falls into a category of “Doctor-lite” scripts for the BBC series, in which the Doctor is relegated to what amounts to a guest-starring role in someone else’s story. (Imagine an episode of Curb that focuses on Marty Funkhouser and features Larry David via Skype.) “Blink” allowed showrunner Russell T. Davies to work on two episodes simultaneously: one prominently featuring the Doctor (David Tennant) and his companion Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman) and CGI effects, and “Blink,” which barely featured the protagonists and whose main villains were statues with spooky lighting.

How did this episode influence the future of TV? Doctor Who has been on the air in various forms since 1963 and, like Batman, has a rogues’ gallery of recurring villains. The show has been criticized for playing those hits too often—every season has to have some appearance by the plunger-armed murderous BBQ smokers known as the Daleks—so the creation of a new and rather frightening adversary in the Weeping Angels was noteworthy. They made six other appearances and played a pivotal role in the departure of Doctor companions Amy and Rory, who—spoiler—blinked. —Rubie Edmondson

Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Doctor Who S3 E10

<h2>“Blink”</h2>

Celebrating Drew Carey’s 10th anniversary as Price Is Right host, the show raised the stakes, awarding contestants $10,000 if they hit a dollar on the wheel and $25,000 if they hit a dollar again on their additional spin. In a sequence of sheer madness and impossible chance, three people hit a dollar five times in a row, and a record-setting $80,000 was given out.

What is the most memorable line of this episode? “We’ve given away $80,000 just on this wheel spin,” Carey says in a fit of laughter, partially stunned and perhaps partially considering if this could bankrupt the show.

Who stole the episode, and why? The wheel itself? The odds of hitting the dollar five times in a row are apparently <a href="https://twitter.com/dianagram/status/911268271864860672">1 in 3.2 million</a>, and the stakes were already raised to begin with. We talk about impossible-to-beat sports records—Cal Ripken’s consecutive games played, Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 points—but barring an extreme rewriting of the Price Is Right rules, the odds of this moment being topped are nearly impossible. —Miles Surrey

Live Tapings

The Price Is Right S46 E5

<h2>“Episode 46.5”</h2>

The Dennis Rodman episode. A peek under the soil at the Worm, a Hall of Fame enigma and X factor. We get the full story arc of an all-time character, from his days with the Bad Boys Pistons to his peak with Michael Jordan’s Bulls (and Madonna).

What is the episode’s most iconic moment? Maybe the coolest hatchet burying in history and the turning point in Michael Jordan and Dennis Rodman’s relationship. It was 1995, and Jordan was furious with Rodman for foolishly getting kicked out of a game. Rather than just apologize, Rodman extended an olive branch in a way he knew Jordan would appreciate: He showed up to MJ’s hotel room that night and asked, “Man, you got an extra cigar?” Jordan did, of course, and recognized that it “was [Rodman’s] way of saying, ‘I fucked up.’” From there, the two Hall of Famers got on the same page and went on to win, oh, wow, this can’t be right … the next three titles.

What is the most memorable line from this episode? “You don’t put a saddle on a mustang.” Words of wisdom from former Pistons coach Chuck Daly. And the Zen master himself understood that, too: Phil Jackson got the most out of Rodman not by controlling him after his burnout with the Spurs, but by letting him loose in all the right ways. Before there was ever Manny being Manny or Russ being Russ, there was let Dennis be Dennis. —Matt Dollinger

Docuseries

The Last Dance S1 E3

<h2>“Episode III”</h2>

How’s that for a happy ending? After successfully rescuing his daughter from terrorists and foiling an assassination plot, Jack Bauer gets to the end of the longest day of his life (one of many to come), only to find out that his ex, Nina Myers, is a double agent. In the final seconds of the episode, we find out that Nina has murdered Jack’s wife, Teri.

How did this episode influence the future of TV? 24 paved the way for shows like Game of Thrones. There had been twists in television before, but 24 weaponized them. Audiences generally came to television to be comforted, knowing that everything would eventually work out. 24 was an assault on the senses, and the final episode of the first season changed what we thought the rules of mainstream TV entertainment were. The hero might “win,” but at great personal cost.

What is the episode’s most iconic moment? Teri Bauer noticing the blood on the floor in the tech room with Nina. It’s a wrap for you, sis. —Chris Ryan

Drama

24 S1 E24

<h2>“11:00 P.M &#8211; 12:00 A.M.”</h2>

Hulu

The hard-living teens of Euphoria High get the school play they deserve as Lexi breaks out of her shell, debuts her melodrama master class, and puts on a production that would bankrupt even the richest academic institution’s theater department.

Who stole the episode, and why? It brings me no pleasure to declare that “The Theater and Its Double”—and truthfully, most of Euphoria Season 2—is largely a showcase for America’s most infamous jean model, Sydney Sweeney. It’s further proof that when she’s given down-the-middle, “prestige” material, like Christy, Sweeney is largely forgettable. But when she’s able to go full gonzo mode—like in Immaculate or the unhinged mirror scene from this episode—there are very few actors you’d rather have hamming it up.

What is the most memorable line from this episode? “Wait, is this fucking play about us?” Yes, it is, Maddy, right down to the Kat stand-in gyrating in front of a webcam. It’s only right that the characters got to experience the same surreality that we viewers have enjoyed throughout Euphoria’s run, even if it bears no resemblance to how you remember high school. —Justin Sayles

Euphoria S2 E7

<h2>“The Theater and Its Double”</h2>

HBO Max

Margaret Thatcher and Diana Spencer visit the queen's country estate in Scotland, Balmoral Castle, where they have to prove that they can hang with the royals by walking around with dogs and shooting stuff. The future Princess Di nails it. Thatcher, not so much.

What is the episode's most iconic moment?  Diana and Prince Philip are stalking around in their Barbour coats looking for something to shoot when, lo and behold, Diana spots a noble stag at the top of a ridge. They stare at it significantly for a while, and Diana proves that she's a natural aristocrat by correctly guessing which way the wind is blowing so that Philip can shoot it. Philip shoots it. Diana has passed the Balmoral Test. The family, having done all the due diligence anyone needs to do when selecting a future monarch, will now encourage Charles to marry her. Nothing can possibly go wrong.

Who stole the episode, and why?  Gillian Anderson, as Thatcher, excruciatingly embodies the fish-out-of-water prime minister's mounting horror as her visit to the castle reaches heights of social awkwardness <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLm4aeb3Uws">even Great Britain has never seen before</a>. Her sour-faced combination of humiliation and distaste as she puts every conceivable foot wrong in an environment she loathes will be recognizable to everyone who's ever face-planted in slow motion over a long weekend. Or, wait, is that just me? —Brian Phillips

The Crown S4 E2

<h2>“The Balmoral Test”</h2>

The contestants complete a silly challenge (do cockney accents next to Boris Kodjoe) and pose for an uncomfortable photo shoot (pillow fight with a male model while being sprayed with feathers). But the true stuff of memes goes down when Tyra eliminates underdog model Tiffany Richardson, Richardson responds flippantly, and Tyra just snaps.

What is the episode’s most iconic moment? If you’re a citizen of the internet it’s probably already playing on loop in your head: the typically composed Tyra, in a black tube-top dress, standing before two girls onstage, her fiery red hair bouncing as she screams, “I WAS ROOTING FOR YOU! WE WERE ALL ROOTING FOR YOU. HOW DARE YOU?”

The scene has since been chopped apart and memed to no end, becoming a go-to mode of expression in online vernacular. An episode of Family Guy even memorably portrayed Tyra as a model who, mid-angry speech, transforms into a lizard and swallows a contestant.

What is the best behind-the-scenes anecdote about this episode? In a BuzzFeed News <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/michaelblackmon/we-were-rooting-for-you-we-were-all-rooting-for-you?utm_term=.qcG3evaNe#.hlq2GrMBG">feature</a> published in 2017, Richardson alleged that Tyra also took digs at her socioeconomic status, yelling, “You can go back to your house and sleep on your mattress on the floor with your baby,” but that line was edited out of the episode. Richardson also revealed that Tyra and her mother, Carolyn London, later visited her in her hotel room to smooth things over. Immediately after that meeting, which Richardson says left her feeling “juiced up,” producers filmed an exit interview to capture a more hopeful resolution to the conflict. —Alyssa Bereznak

America&#8217;s Next Top Model S4 E7

<h2>“The Girl Who Pushes Tyra Over the Edge”</h2>

Kurt tries out for football after his father catches him dancing to “Single Ladies,” which he claims is a training exercise for the team. He comes out to his father at the end of the episode. Quinn admits to Finn that she’s pregnant, and Will’s wife, Terri, reveals that she’s been faking a pregnancy of her own.

What is the most memorable line from the episode? “Hi, I'm Kurt Hummel and I'll be auditioning for the role of kicker.”

What is the episode’s most iconic moment? Many aspects of Glee have not aged well, but the show never went wrong by throwing Lea Michele on a stage and letting her sing her heart out. This episode’s cover of Celine Dion’s “Taking Chances” was a prime example of Glee taking a cult-classic song and endearing it to a new generation through some good old-fashioned belting. —Kate Halliwell

Glee S1 E4

<h2>“Preggers”</h2>

Somehow, the Oprah cameo is only the third most important thing to happen in this hour of television, because it also features (a) the now-famous cleanout of Kim Kardashian’s closet by one Kanye West and (b) a deeply intimate family therapy session in which Kim, Kris Jenner, and therapist Dr. Nicki make Rob Kardashian cry. (The business dispute over Rob’s forthcoming sock line Arthur George is the fourth most important thing on this episode.)

What is the episode’s most iconic moment? It is truly jarring, now, with a full knowledge of the tabloid ups and downs and more downs to come, to watch Kanye West remake Kim Kardashian to his specific visual standards. The scene confirms every negative suspicion one might have about their relationship, and also illustrates the remarkable extent to which Kardashian’s appearance, both sartorially and physically, has changed in the last six years. I cannot believe Kris Jenner has not scrubbed this from the internet. It is riveting to watch.

How did this episode influence the future of TV? Kardashian episodes always involve family squabbles, but some themes are solidified in this episode: Kim as the solo star (with help from Kanye), Rob as the outcast, the sisters as future makeup moguls, Kris as the business mind. This is the configuration that would lead the Kardashians to take over every major media platform — TV included — for the next decade. Blame it on Dr. Nicki. —Amanda Dobbins

Keeping Up With the Kardashians S7 E15

<h2>“Kardashian Therapy: Part 1”</h2>

Peacock

The Righteous Gemstones was Danny McBride and his crew’s most ambitious project yet. It had explosive action, elaborate period pieces, and musical numbers that involved jet packs. But some of the show’s best moments came in episodes like this one—a more intimate look into the daily lives of the three funniest failchildren on TV.

Who stole the episode, and why?  Gemstones episodes always get turned up a notch when Judy’s middle-child energy flares up. Two examples from this installment: She enviously destroys Kelvin’s soda machine and spanks her future husband, BJ, in a futile attempt to seduce him. Thanks to Edi Patterson’s hilariously unhinged performance, Judy steals every scene she’s in.

What is the most memorable line from this episode?  Jesse spends most of the first season of the show lying to his wife. None of those lies are funnier than the one he tells her to explain why they were involved in a high-speed car chase: “We do elaborate pranks. I mean, we’re like George Clooney or the Impractical Jokers. We go big.” —Alan Siegel

THE 100 BEST EPISODES of the Century