besttv.theringer.comThe 100 Best TV Episodes of the Century

. Please upgrade . 100 Best TV Episodes of the Century Jump To 100 - 81 80 - 61 60 - 41 40 - 21 20 - 1 THE 100 BEST TV EPISODES OF THE CENTURY Headphones in? Click to read the list with audio. No thanks, I prefer to read without audio. Jump To 100 - 81 80 - 61 60 - 41 40 - 21 20 - 1 Spoiler Alert (Duh) At the turn of the 20th century , television began to morph into a new, more expansive medium. NBC’s stranglehold on comedy loosened, giving way to more varied perspectives and formats. On HBO, The Sopranos entered its second season, and would go on to not only create the blueprint for prestige TV, but redefine dramatic television and champion the kind of antihero who would dominate the rest of the decade. Then, eight months into the new millennium, 51.7 million people watched the season finale of Survivor , ushering in a boom of reality TV. TV has changed a great deal since 2000. The expansion of cable networks led to an increase in experimentation, quality, and quantity that has since been eclipsed by the advent of streaming, to the point that the monoculture experience of that Survivor finale is almost entirely obsolete. With the understanding that television is going through yet another revolution, and that the boundaries and definitions of the medium could change yet again, it feels like the right time to look back at the past 18 years and determine the 100 best episodes of TV since 2000—the ones that stunned and entertained more than any others, and in turn made television what it is today. For those of us at The Ringer , this meant assembling a list that not only recognizes the best of prestige TV but also encapsulates everything that television has to offer: drama, comedy, variety, reality, game shows, and lifestyle-focused programming. To come up with a list of the 100 best episodes, the entire Ringer staff was asked to submit their favorite episodes of the century. The list was then assembled with those submissions in mind, and with one stipulation—that only one episode per show could make the cut. The result is a list of 100 episodes of TV that covers the medium’s vast variety of genres and recognizes the wealth of greatness delivered on the small screen for the last two decades. Without further ado, here are . INTRO BY ANDREW GRUTTADARO • OPENER VIDEO BY PEDRO VALLEJO SOUZA Spoiler Alert (Duh) 100 Character Death Directed By Michelle MacLaren Written By Scott Gimple Watch On Netflix 100. The Walking Dead S2 E7 Pretty Much Dead Already” Directed By Michelle MacLaren Written By Scott Gimple Watch On Netflix Character Death In Season 2’s Michelle MacLaren–directed midseason finale, Shane goes full Punisher after learning that Hershel has quarantined the county’s walker population in his barn. Meanwhile, a not-yet-ruthless Rick, eager to be a good guest, lamely insists that the farm is still safe. Also, Glenn and Maggie make out. What is the episode’s most iconic moment? It might be the series’s most iconic moment: As Shane and other soon-to-be-killed-off characters (this show did you dirty, T-Dog) silently contemplate the carnage in the wake of what one producer called Barn-ageddon,” a girlish groan emerges from inside. It’s soon followed by its source, Sophia (Madison Lintz), who’d been missing since the season’s first episode. Carol’s undead daughter emerges from the barn and totters toward the group slowly enough for MacLaren to capture reaction shots from everyone. Even Punisher Shane seems paralyzed by the depressing sight, so Rick—who seconds earlier was all set to help Hershel add to the barn’s walker count—strides forward and does to Sophia what he did to the young walker he put down in the pilot. Although in retrospect the significance of the ex-lawman’s conversion to Team Post-Apocalypse is undercut by the countless resolutions Rick makes and breaks in subsequent seasons, it was powerful at the time. What is the best behind-the-scenes anecdote about this episode? According to effects artist Greg Nicotero on AMC’s Talking Dead , MacLaren shot two endings for the episode: one in which Sophia looked like a zombie, and one in which she looked like her old self, reflecting the way that her former companions still wanted to see her. A blend of both might have worked well—maybe MacLaren could have faked the audience out by hiding Sophia’s true nature until after Rick pulled the trigger—but that approach would have detracted from the initial reveal. Not to mention that in most cases, it’s probably wise not to risk any confusion about why a protagonist is killing a kid. Share To Facebook Share To Twitter - Ben Lindbergh 99 Directed By Toby Haynes Written By Steve Thompson Watch On Netflix 99. Sherlock S2 E3 The Reichenbach Fall” Directed By Toby Haynes Written By Steve Thompson Watch On Netflix Moriarty attempts to steal the Crown Jewels and gets himself caught, detained, tried, and—mysteriously—acquitted, despite all evidence, including Sherlock’s testimony, weighing against him. Upon his release, Moriarty sets out to ruin Sherlock’s life. What is the episode’s most iconic moment? Moriarty unexpectedly killing himself in the episode’s final minutes, thus throwing Sherlock—and the viewer—into a logistical panic regarding the episode’s solution. Moriarty’s suicide precipitates the season finale’s notorious cliffhanger, in which Sherlock swan dives off the roof of St. Bartholomew. Who stole the episode, and why? Andrew Scott—as Moriarty, he’s doing the maximally flamboyant version of the Joker’s and Raoul Silva’s get-caught schemes from The Dark Knight and Skyfall , respectively. From stealing the Crown Jewels to shoving a gun in his own mouth, he makes a great spectacle of himself while making a mockery of Sherlock. The show has struggled with villains ever since, and the show’s third-season finale, His Last Vow,” simply remixed The Reichenbach Fall” for Sherlock’s end game with the vengeful mogul Charles Augustus Magnussen. Share To Facebook Share To Twitter - Justin Charity 98 Executive Producer Julie Auerbach Directed By George Plamondon Watch On Amazon 98. Laguna Beach S1 E5 What Happens in Cabo” Executive Producer Julie Auerbach Directed By George Plamondon Watch On Amazon 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, in one shot alone , showing us such a clear depiction of toxic masculinity before the phrase was even popularized. Share To Facebook Share To Twitter - Andrew Gruttadaro 97 Directed By Philip Martin Written By Peter Morgan Watch On Netflix 97. The Crown S1 E5 Smoke and Mirrors” Directed By Philip Martin Written By Peter Morgan Watch On Netflix Queen Elizabeth II is crowned in an elaborate recreation of the real 1953 coronation—featuring Handel, scepters, and hundreds of extras in fur-lined robes. Meanwhile, her uncle and husband both have tantrums about not being king, which puts Elizabeth in...