Top 10 Classic Episodes That Defined Television

It’s been over 25 years, so it’s safe to say this HBO masterpiece belongs in the classic category now. Feel old yet? This episode, which sees Tony Soprano taking his daughter on college tours, activates all the strands of drama that fueled the show. Spotting a former associate who turned informant, Tony juggles his duties as boss and family man as he faces his daughter’s growing up – and growing awareness of his job. Then there’s his wife Carmela’s spiritual confusion over how they make their fortune. It’s a pitch perfect episode, full of subtext, symbolism, and humor. If “The Sopranos” is what led to the new, antihero-driven golden age of television, “College” is a perfect encapsulation of why it was so influential.

Norman Lear was famous for using TV as a medium to explore social and political issues people would discuss at the dinner table. “All in the Family” covered racism, sexism, antisemitism, homophobia, and dozens of other sensitive topics with ease. Nothing was off the table. In this famous and beloved episode guest-starring Sammy Davis Jr., Archie Bunker becomes a symbol of the cognitive dissonance of white bigots’ dehumanizing adoration of Black artists. Through its incisive and outrageous humor, the episode finds Davis watching Bunker’s ignorant comments. But he comes out on top. The cackling at the episode’s famous punchline, which sees Davis kissing Archie’s cheek for a photo, was so long it had to be edited for the broadcast.

In the last episode of this medical drama, St. Eligius Hospital is revealed to exist in a snowglobe owned by a young, autistic boy named Tommy Westphall. The ending heavily implies that the hospital, and its characters, only exist in Tommy’s mind. Mind-blowing and frustrating in equal measure, the series finale became emblematic of a new kind of television. It also may have foretold multiverse and fan theories coming to mainstream TV. Given that “St. Elsewhere” had a few spin-offs and crossovers with other shows, there’s no telling how many characters exist only in the so-called Tommy Westphall Universe.

A trio of misanthropes waiting to be seated at a busy Chinese restaurant doesn’t sound like it’d have the makings of this much humor and conflict. Yet their attempts to secure a table and distract themselves from their tale of restaurant woes is peak comedy. Of course, finding the humor in everyday occurrences is what “Seinfeld” was all about. A review in Time Magazine described “The Chinese Restaurant,” and the show it came from, as the “anti-sitcom,” where nothing actually happens but the laughs don’t stop. This and the boundary-pushing “The Contest” are often cited as game-changing episodes in a genre that heavily relies on convention.

Despite the decades of media it inspired, the original “Star Trek” series may also be the original definition of a cult classic. “Plato’s Stepchildren” is famous for a scene that is often considered to depict one of the first interracial kisses ever shown on American television. Though it’s only brought about by the telekinetic powers of an evil alien race, the smooch between William Shatner’s Captain Kirk and Nichelle Nichols’ Uhura was a landmark TV moment. This was 1968, a time when physical contact between members of different races was still taboo to an extent. What it did prove is that even a science fiction show could have a huge social impact.

The first season of this classic sitcom had teased and practically tortured us with the delayed romantic connection of bar owner Sam Malone and his highfalutin employee, Diane Chambers. Will-they-or-won’t-they romances are a dime a dozen on TV now. Back when “Cheers” premiered, this wasn’t the case. In the two-part season one finale, Sam and Diane are in the middle of what seems like a standard argument. As it gets increasingly more hostile, they let their passion take over, and they kiss. Our cheers are as much about rooting for the couple as they are about the relief that it finally happened.

When actor McLean Stevenson left this hit Korean War-set series, it signaled a huge change in the show’s tone, and what viewers would accept from sitcoms in general. The revelation that the beloved Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake was killed on his way home to the States ended the episode, and the third season, on a heartbreaking note. TV viewers of the ‘70s were not used to getting such hard-hitting human drama on their sitcoms. “Abyssinia, Henry” started the formerly laugh track-heavy show on a track that would culminate in its barnburner of a series finale (xref).

Many today might be familiar with the story of Dr. Richard Kimble because of the critically acclaimed film adaptation. But that doesn’t even account for half of the original series’ impact. “The Fugitive” told the story of Kimble’s wrongful conviction for his wife’s murder and the ensuing search for the real culprit. His confrontation with the killer at an abandoned amusement park – and exoneration – in the finale broke viewership records. There’s a reason. TV wasn’t generally considered a mode for good storytelling, as shows often ended without notice or closure. That the audience would get to follow a story through to the end may seem like a no-brainer, but it wasn’t in the mid-late 1960s. “The Judgment” changed the way TV was written and watched.

Long before “Succession” aired, the 1980s were the height of primetime soaps full of petty, wealthy people fighting over money, power, and resources. These power struggles often led to outlandish storylines and violent scuffles. But when J.R. Ewing was shot at the end of “Dallas’” third season, it set the pop culture landscape ablaze. All across America, TV fans were asking “Who shot J.R.?” It became such a hot topic that people began taking bets on who the shooter was, and the cliffhanger was even mentioned by the year’s presidential candidates. If you want to know why practically every TV season ends with a dramatic cliffhanger, “Who shot J.R.?” is probably the answer.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

“Time Enough at Last,” “The Twilight Zone” (1959-64)
A Shining Example of Rod Serling’s Knack for Weird & Tragic Tales with Twist Endings

“Maude's Dilemma,” “Maude” (1972-78)
This Two-Part Episode Brought a Woman’s Right to Choose to Primetime TV

“The Puppy Episode,” “Ellen” (1994-98)
Guest Stars Oprah Winfrey & Laura Dern Helped Ellen Morgan Come Out

“The $99,000 Answer,” “The Honeymooners” (1955-56)
Ralph Kramden Got His Just Desserts in This Classic Episode

Premiering in 1951, “I Love Lucy” saw Lucille Ball and company throw down the gauntlet for every comedy series to come. From her desperate attempts to get into her husband’s nightclub act to her various domestic disasters, Lucy Ricardo was the foundational sitcom heroine. Her chocolate factory job and taboo-breaking pregnancy were iconic. But her most defining moment had to be when she landed a TV commercial for a new supplement. Helped along by Vitameatavegamin’s secret ingredient, alcohol, the scene was essentially an uninterrupted demonstration of Ball’s flair for clowning. Over 70 years later, it remains a monument to comedic genius.

What classic episode do you think changed the game? Let us know in the comments.