10 Great TV Shows With Only One Bad Episode
These TV shows would be considered perfect... if not for that ONE storyline.
Game of Thrones, The Simpsons, and Scrubs were considered must-watch television for many years, making their inevitable decline more crushing. As disappointing as this was to witness, it highlights how any high-standard series can lose its way.
With that said, there have been a couple of dramas, sitcoms, and cartoons that were great from beginning to end, never suffering a single dip in quality. Although there are storylines in Breaking Bad, The Sopranos, and The Wire that aren't as strong as others, there is no truly awful episode. However, there are a few shows with one single clunker that stops them from having a perfect track record. If it's a self-contained episode, viewers can skip it without missing anything major. And if the dud comes early, it's kinda nice to get it out of the way.
Having said that, one unbearable storyline can taint an otherwise magnificent saga, especially if it arrives right at the end. There's no doubt that each of the following TV shows is top-of-the-line, but there is one infernal episode that stops them from being completely flawless.
10. Beer Bad - Buffy The Vampire Slayer
The creators behind Buffy the Vampire Slayer had a knack for crafting brilliant storylines from outrageous ideas. For example, Hush, which is mostly dialogue-free, was nominated for an Emmy, and musical episode Once More With Feeling is among the show's biggest highlights.
As a result, the writers should've had little trouble doing something innovative with the episode, Beer Bad, where Buffy's gang regresses to a caveman state after consuming enchanted alcohol. But rather than exploring nuanced metaphors and complex themes, the episode boils down to, as the title states, that "beer bad".
Adding insult to injury, Buffy is sidelined for the most part. Instead of her trademark strength and moral complexity, the Sunnydale slayer is reduced to slapstick humour and physical comedy. While Sarah Michelle Gellar commits to her performance, the joke wears thin quickly, and although Buffy the Vampire Slayer is renowned for its witty dialogue, the creators wrote themselves into a corner here since the heroes can barely form cohesive sentences.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer has plenty of filler, but at least those episodes are entertaining. This, on the other hand, feels more like a PSA.