# SF on TV: What’s the Greatest Single Teleplay or Episode of All Time?



## Extollager (Mar 22, 2022)

Not the greatest show, but the single greatest half hour- or hour-long (or whatever) broadcast?


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## Droflet (Mar 22, 2022)

Any episode from the new Battlestar Galactica. IMHO.


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## Swank (Mar 22, 2022)

Cowboy Bebop episode Pierrot le Fou.


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## Mr Cairo (Mar 22, 2022)

I could say Duet from DS9, Hush from Buffy, 33 from Galactic, Maybe something from the Sopranos or even Deadwood the list of proper sci fi and genre greats goes on and on, However there were 3 episodes  of the medical comedy drama Scrubs that just stand out as some of the finest TV writing for me 

3rd place - My Lunch - JD encounters a recurring Patient Jill Tracy who is clearly upset and a little manic at being stood up and wants to talk, however he doesn't stay and later that day she commits suicide. JD is hard on himself that he failed a patient. Its an emotional episode that shows that whats on the surface is sometomes hiding real pain underneath and its a supeb Half hour 

2nd Place - My Philosophy -  Death done as a Musical, JD has a patient waiting for a transplant she is a beautiful vibrant patient and all the staff like her, JD and her have a converstion about what comes next and the patient says that she sees death as a broadway musical with all her friends singing, She eventually dies and as Dr Cox is attempting CPR the strains of Colin Hays Waiting for my real life to begin starts and we fade to curtain and she is there in the spotlight and starts to sing, the rest of the cast also sing aling its just Bautiful

1st - My Screw Up - Just a master-class is handwavium writing look here and don't see this over here while you looking at that over there. Dr Cox is real happy as today is his son Jacks first birthday and the episode follows him preparing for the event and interacting with his co workers and his best friend (and Brother in Law) Danny who is in remission from Leukaemia. In the final moments we see Dr Cox and the cast all dressed apparently going to Jacks Birthday Party, Dr Cox makes an odd comment and JD stops and asks Dr Cox "where do you think you are?", we realise that we are at Dannys funeral he never went into remission and Dr Cox had been burying his grief in fantasy 

It is the most heart breaking sublime bit of TV the moment his world crumbles was an emotional punch that is still with me years later

Vastly underrated TV show


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## Elckerlyc (Mar 22, 2022)

The first 18 minutes of GOT, season 6, episode 10. You _know_ what's going to happen, yet you sit and watch spellbound, tied by a haunting score.


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## CupofJoe (Mar 22, 2022)

*Little Green Men* - STS9 [s4,e8]
A riff on the 1947 Roswell incident.
A great concept and one of the rare times that Quark [Armin Shimerman] got to take the lead.
I think it also showed that DS9 was not afraid to step outside the Star Trek franchise/concept once in a while.


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## Rodders (Mar 22, 2022)

Babylon 5: Severed Dreams or Sleeping In Light.


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## M. Robert Gibson (Mar 22, 2022)

Red Dwarf - Back to Reality








						"Red Dwarf" Back to Reality (TV Episode 1992) - IMDb
					

Back to Reality: Directed by Rob Grant, Juliet May, Doug Naylor. With Chris Barrie, Craig Charles, Danny John-Jules, Hattie Hayridge. The Red Dwarf investigates an ocean ship, The Esperanto, where they find the ship's crew have all committed suicide, and are attacked by a sea monster called The...




					www.imdb.com
				




The top review says it best








						User-submitted review of "Red Dwarf: Back to Reality"
					

Check out snoozejonc's 10/10 review of "Red Dwarf: Back to Reality"




					www.imdb.com


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## hitmouse (Mar 23, 2022)

The Preacher season 1 episode 1 takes some beating. 
The first episode of the original TV series HHGTTG.
Red Dwarf, as above.


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## PadreTX (Mar 23, 2022)

In the 20th century, there are two I can think of. From Star Trek: The Doomsday Machine. From Star Trek-The Next Generation: The Best of Both Worlds.

However, there is an episode from the 21st century that I think falls into the greatest of all time. The Mandalorian Season 2 Episode 8: The Rescue. It's famous for what John Favreau did, many people talk about it, and most importantly, it was outright fun to watch.


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## BAYLOR (Mar 23, 2022)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer  *Hush *


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## BAYLOR (Mar 23, 2022)

Star Trek the Next Generation  *Yesterdays Enterprise. *
Star Trek Deeps Space Nine  *In A Pale  Moonlight *
Star Trek Voyager  *Year In Hell*
Dr Who * Blink  *
The original Outer Limits  * Solider * and *Demon With A Glass Hand*
Thriller * Pigeons From Hell  
Quaternass and the Pit  *1958 Serial


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## Mark_Harbinger (Mar 23, 2022)

Love it! 
√ "Amok Time" -- Star Trek #201 ('67)
√ "Journey to Babel" -- Star Trek #210 ('67)
√ "Sarek" -- Star Trek: The Next Generation #323 ('90)
√ "The Inner Light" -- Star Trek: The Next Generation #525 ('92)
√ "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" -- X-Files #304 ('95)
√ "Jose Chung's From Outer Space" -- X-Files #320 ('96)
and
√ "Epilogue" -- Justice League Unlimited #213 ('05)


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## Extollager (Mar 24, 2022)

All these nominations for shows I have never seen!  We don't have cable, other pay TV, etc.

The one I think of, though it has visual and soundtrack shortcomings, is Harlan Ellison's teleplay for the original *Outer Limits*, "Demon with a Glass Hand."  Intriguing story well-acted and well paced, with great use of the Bradbury Building, great atmospheric photography, and my favorite window-breaking scene.


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## BAYLOR (Mar 24, 2022)

Extollager said:


> All these nominations for shows I have never seen!  We don't have cable, other pay TV, etc.
> 
> The one I think of, though it has visual and soundtrack shortcomings, is Harlan Ellison's teleplay for the original *Outer Limits*, "Demon with a Glass Hand."  Intriguing story well-acted and well paced, with great use of the Bradbury Building, great atmospheric photography, and my favorite window-breaking scene.



The 1958 Version of *Quatermass and the Pit*  is quite good , It's a six part series  and was the basis for the equally good  1967 Hammer film .  

It is available on dvd. 

Also by him  by Nigel Kneale.  *The Stone Tape   *172 the entire serial can be found on Youtube.


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## Extollager (Mar 24, 2022)

Please, single episodes or teleplays, thanks, not series.  And you get one choice, one.


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## dask (Mar 24, 2022)

Whoops! Sorry.


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## Swank (Mar 24, 2022)

dask said:


> Combat, “Hills Are For Heroes.” A two parter but still one episode.


SF?


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## dask (Mar 24, 2022)

Whoops! Sorry.


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## KGeo777 (Mar 24, 2022)

I nominate

To Serve Man  - The Twilight Zone


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## dask (Mar 24, 2022)




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## Mr Cairo (Mar 24, 2022)

dask said:


> View attachment 87865




That episode is class and reminds me of that moment in third rock from the sun where William Shatner has a cameo as the Big Giant Head

The Big Giant Head (William Shatner) says that he looked out the window and saw something on the side of the airplane he flew in on,
whereupon Dick (John Lithgow) exclaims, "The same thing happened to me!".

Now that was quality Sci Fi.

Anyway realise that my original choice was not really Sci fi so I have to go with that first episode of The Prisoner, from the opening montage through to the end it was a magnificent setup that hooked me.


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## mosaix (Mar 24, 2022)

M. Robert Gibson said:


> Red Dwarf - Back to Reality
> 
> 
> 
> ...



This, but run close by any episode of Quatermass and The Pit - a 1950s BBC series. Considering the special effects available at the time it was startling and scared the wits out of me.


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## BAYLOR (Mar 24, 2022)

mosaix said:


> This, but run close by any episode of Quatermass and The Pit - a 1950s BBC series. Considering the special effects available at the time it was startling and scared the wits out of me.



*Quatermass and  the Pit*  was well written, produced and acted . This is why it still holds up .


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## Guttersnipe (Mar 24, 2022)

"It's a Good Life" from The Twilight Zone. The actors really sell the idea that little Anthony is a horrific monster. 

I'd say "The Obsolete Man" from the same series is second-best.


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## paranoid marvin (Mar 25, 2022)

I'd say that Back to Reality is the single best episode of Dwarf, and possibly the single best individual episode of any show ever.

However, it is the culmination of 5 series of shows, and on it's own the viewer wouldn't understand most of the jokes.

If I had to pick out one 30-60 minute slot to show the greatness of science fiction, I would choose an episode of The Twilight Zone (original b&w series). I think that whilst some of the episodes that have been mentioned are both great and memorable, they perhaps fall into the 'fantasy' rather than 'sci-fi' category.

I think my choice would be The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street, which builds tension throughout the show to a satisfactory and unexpected conclusion. Although the majority episodes of Black Mirror would serve just as well.


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## Toby Frost (Mar 25, 2022)

It's not the "best" - but then deciding the absolute best is impossible - but I'd mention "The Believer", the penultimate episode of the second series of _The Mandalorian_. It's very high-quality action-adventure with a well-acted piece of serious drama in the middle.

Some of _The Prisoner _was great when I first saw it, but I suspect it would be pretty kitschy now. "Metalhead" from _Black Mirror _is an excellent 45 minutes of TV: not especially deep, but thrilling.


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## JunkMonkey (Mar 25, 2022)

Toby Frost said:


> Some of _The Prisoner _was great when I first saw it, but I suspect it would be pretty kitschy now. "Metalhead" from _Black Mirror _is an excellent 45 minutes of TV: not especially deep, but thrilling.



_The Prisoner_ stands up well - I watched it a couple of years ago with my teenage daughter who loved it.

My nomination would be *Baby* by Nigel Kneale from his series of one-offs called _Beasts_.  It gave me the absolute whimwhams when I saw it back in the day and was still creepy and disturbing to my much older, hardened self 40 years later.


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## Toby Frost (Mar 25, 2022)

I did wonder about _Beasts_ - "Baby" is unsettling and the one with the ghostly dolphin is one of the weirdest things I've ever seen on TV. Personally, I felt that some of the production values and acting in _Beasts _made me unable to pick it, but it is a good choice.


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## Foxbat (Mar 25, 2022)

Star Trek TNG. The Measure Of A Man


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## JunkMonkey (Mar 25, 2022)

Foxbat said:


> Star Trek TNG. The Measure Of A Man



THE Greatest Single Teleplay or Episode of All Time? - _really_?!


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## Foxbat (Mar 26, 2022)

JunkMonkey said:


> THE Greatest Single Teleplay or Episode of All Time? - _really_?!


It dealt with issues of personal freedom no matter your origins so, yes, really.
The Prisoner dealt with similar issues of personal freedom.


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## KGeo777 (Mar 26, 2022)

For a Star Trek episode, I would nominate *Devil in the Dark.*


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## Swank (Mar 26, 2022)

JunkMonkey said:


> THE Greatest Single Teleplay or Episode of All Time? - _really_?!


Clearly, all of the suggestions so far are patently ridiculous! (Except for mine.)


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## BAYLOR (Mar 26, 2022)

Guttersnipe said:


> "It's a Good Life" from The Twilight Zone. The actors really sell the idea that little Anthony is a horrific monster.
> 
> I'd say "The Obsolete Man" from the same series is second-best.



Both great . 

The 2002 version of The Twilight Zone did sequel story  *It's Still A Good Life  *


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## Rodders (Mar 26, 2022)

What about Star Trek's "City on the Edge of Forever". An outstanding episode in my opinion.


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## KGeo777 (Mar 26, 2022)

Everyone says City on the Edge of Forever but I think Devil in the Dark is more fundamentally sci-fi. An encounter with a completely alien monster, but it turns out to be a mother, and they find a way to live in harmony with it.
It gives Spock the best reason to do a mild meld and McCoy gets in the classic "I'm a doctor, not a brick layer!"

But in City, Kirk is the ultimate edge lord, after the Guardian of Forever.


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## reiver33 (Mar 26, 2022)

In terms of ‘punch to the stomach’...

Jurassic Bark - Futurama

And...

Blake - the finale of Blake’s 7. First time I watched it, just sat there, stunned


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## KGeo777 (Mar 26, 2022)

reiver33 said:


> In terms of ‘punch to the stomach’...
> 
> Jurassic Bark - Futurama


I HATE that episode. What a depressing ending. A joke gone wrong.

I am glad they retconned it in one of the Futurama movies.


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## BAYLOR (Mar 26, 2022)

Rodders said:


> What about Star Trek's "City on the Edge of Forever". An outstanding episode in my opinion.



Yes and no .   It's a great Star Trek episode but it different from Harlan Ellison's screenplay


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## .matthew. (Mar 26, 2022)

While it may not be the best per se, I've always had a fondness for Farscape and the episode Crackers Don't Matter, where they all get increasingly obsessive and violent over stupid little things, while Crichton is mostly saved by the chip he doesn't know is in his head yet. 

It's total insanity but comes together so well.


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## JunkMonkey (Mar 27, 2022)

.matthew. said:


> While it may not be the best per se, I've always had a fondness for Farscape and the episode Crackers Don't Matter, where they all get increasingly obsessive and violent over stupid little things, while Crichton is mostly saved by the chip he doesn't know is in his head yet.
> 
> It's total insanity but comes together so well.



One of my favourite episodes too. That and "Scratch 'n Sniff".


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## .matthew. (Mar 27, 2022)

JunkMonkey said:


> One of my favourite episodes too. That and "Scratch 'n Sniff".


Funnily enough, that's one of the few episodes I had no recollection of - and I love Farscape. Looked it up though and the ending reminded me of the episode where Chiana shoots the poison vein to kill a guy slowly... she really has a knack for making deaths memorable.

There are so many great episodes though, even when they're based on tired tropes like body-swapping or alternate dimensions bleeding together.


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## Parson (Mar 27, 2022)

Star Trek Next Generation *Darmok. *It really made me think about communication and the use of metaphors.


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## Harpo (Mar 28, 2022)

The “Star Wars” episode of Pigs In Space


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## paranoid marvin (Mar 28, 2022)

Parson said:


> Star Trek Next Generation *Darmok. *It really made me think about communication and the use of metaphors.



A very good, very well thought out episode.

I always found it incredible how TNG could swing so much from powerful, profound episodes to banal, tedious ones. Perhaps 25-30 episodes was too many, or perhaps they took the 'scattergun' approach and just fired off loads of ideas hoping that some would stick. I suppose we all have our favourites and our stinkers from the 170-odd episodes that were produced.


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## paranoid marvin (Mar 28, 2022)

reiver33 said:


> In terms of ‘punch to the stomach’...
> 
> Jurassic Bark - Futurama
> 
> ...




Especially Avon's line to Blake.


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## paranoid marvin (Mar 28, 2022)

Foxbat said:


> It dealt with issues of personal freedom no matter your origins so, yes, really.
> The Prisoner dealt with similar issues of personal freedom.




I think at the time of first watching, it was an intriguing episode. There were episodes raising similar issues later in the series, but none as effective as this.


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## BAYLOR (Mar 29, 2022)

Harpo said:


> The “Star Wars” episode of Pigs In Space



I think the Muppet Show  did that one .


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## Harpo (Mar 30, 2022)

BAYLOR said:


> I think the Muppet Show  did that one .


Yeah, and the Tracey Ullman show did The Simpsons.


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