10 Experimental TV Episodes You NEED To See

Though Xena Warrior Princess delivered a musical episode ("The Bitter Suite") almost four years before Buffy the Vampire Slayer did, Buffy's sixth season romp "Once More, with Feeling" is the definitive example of a random musical episode in a non-musical TV series.

Rather than simply produce a musical aside just because, Buffy came up with an in-universe reason to go all-singing, all-dancing, as a demonic entity forces the citizens of Sunnydale to suddenly break into song and reveal secrets about their lives to those around them.

It's a hugely ambitious undertaking for any show without classically trained singers among its ensemble, yet almost every major member of the cast ends up singing, even if Michelle Trachtenberg (Dawn) and Alyson Hannigan (Willow) asked series creator Joss Whedon to keep their vocal parts to a bare minimum.

That the episode manages to feature genuinely great song-and-dance numbers while remaining true to the emotional core of its characters and storytelling is truly impressive. What could've been a mere goofy gimmick ended up as one of Buffy's finest hours.