Every Inside No. 9 Episode Ranked From Worst To Best
How do you rank perfection?
Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith's Inside No. 9 is, quite arguably, the greatest show on television that you're (probably) not watching.
An anthology series of half-hour stories which all take place in a location numbered 9 and feature some sort of plot twist, Inside No. 9 is a show which changes from week to week and you never quite know what you're going to get next.
The only thing you can really be sure of is that you're going to get an absolutely incredible piece of television.
With amazing screenplays from Pemberton and Shearsmith (who also act in nearly every episode), a stunning round-up of guest stars and brilliantly inventive storytelling and direction across the board, Inside No. 9 is an utterly phenomenal series.
It's not as well-known as it should be, but it has a strong cult following and is loved by most who've had the pleasure to watch it.
As far as your writer is concerned, it's the best show on TV.
With the sixth season having recently concluded, it's a great time to see how the show's 37 episodes stack up. So, what is Inside No. 9's best story? What is its biggest dud? It's time to find out...
Warning: Some spoilers ahead.
37. Death Be Not Proud
Plot: A young couple, Beattie (Jenna Coleman) and Sam (Kadiff Kirwan) move into a flat with a very sinister past. Characters from Psychoville, a previous Shearsmith and Pemberton work, show up in this one.
Location: A flat.
Very few TV shows get through their entire run without a single bad episode and sure enough, even Inside No. 9 has a single dud to its name. Unfortunately, it's a big one.
Death Be Not Proud has solid performances, a good ending, some witty lines and Psychoville fans will no doubt enjoy the fan-service, but this story has very little going for it otherwise.
This episode is mean-spirited, unfunny, directionless and incredibly distasteful. Prior to the ending nothing all that weighty really happens, the tone-deaf representation of mental illness is uncomfortable to watch and the way in which the episode wasted the marvellous Jenna Coleman on such a nothing role was outrageous.
Since it lacks the rich writing, cracking jokes and fascinating story-lines that define this show, it feels fair to call this the worst Inside No. 9 episode to date. Due to the ridiculously high standards of most of the rest of the show's run, it ain't even close.