11. The Twilight Zone
Ok, I'm going to bend Tim's Fifth Law here.
Twilight Zone is too broad of a show to only choose one robot.
"The Lonely" (1959) I love this episode. A prisoner with a life sentence of solitary confinement on a remote asteroid (are there any non-remote asteroids?) is given a gift by the sympathetic captain of the supply ship. The gift is a female robot. At first, the prisoner hates the fake woman, but by the end of the episode he is in love with her and considers her human. Not surprisingly, his life sentence is commuted and he must make a choice between staying on the planet with Alicia or leaving her behind due to weight restrictions on the rocket ship. It's quite an interesting look at love and what makes us human.
"I Sing the Body Electric" (1962) This is one of those touchy-feely episodes of the
Twilight Zone that I could live without, but the grandmother robot is spectacular. I barely knew either of my grandmothers. Having one of these robots would have been great. Obviously the next step is the hot-foreign-exchange-student robot.
"Steel" (1963) The impetus for the Hugh Jackman movie
Real Steel, this episode with the fighting robot is one of my favorites. As with most
Twilight Zone episodes, this one explores the human condition quite effectively. Written by
I Am Legend author Richard Matheson, this is a must-see. Other episodes with robots include: "The Mighty Casey" (1960) "In His Image" (1963) "Uncle Simon" (1963) "The Brain Center at Whipple's" (1964) Did I forget any?