Executive Producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss said the production of the show is a massive undertaking. It lasts the entire year and they shoot the show like a ten-hour movie. Season 5 alone was shot in five countries, on 151 sets, for 240 days, having 166 cast members, over 1,000 crew members and over 5,000 extras.
Prior to being cast, Lena Headey, who plays Queen Cersei, and Jerome Flynn, who plays Bronn, were in a relationship that ended on such bad terms that each had a clause inserted into their contracts that they were never to share scenes and must remain apart on set.
The horse heart Daenerys had to eat in Season 1 was essentially a giant gummy candy—one that, per Clarke, tasted a little bit like bleach. (It also had pasta running through it to mimic arteries.) She ate 28 hearts, and apparently did a lot of puking between takes. To make the proceedings even grosser, all the fake blood made Clarke so sticky that she got stuck to a toilet.
In June 2014, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip visited the “Game of Thrones” set in Belfast as part of a three-day visit to Northern Ireland. Elizabeth was offered the chance to sit on the Iron Throne but declined, as the monarch of Great Britain is not supposed to sit on a foreign throne, even a fictional one. Some news sources claimed Elizabeth is a viewer of the series, though Maisie Williams remarked on the visit, “I did not get the impression she is a fan” as the Queen was unaware of her role in the show.
In the year 2012, around 160 baby girls in the U.S. were legally named “Khaleesi”, after the character in the show, although it is not the character’s name, Daenerys, but a title that is an equivalent of ‘queen’ in Dothraki language.
Queen Cersei was fan-voted as the series’ most hated character. The actress who plays the role, Lena Headey, said that the fans’ hatred for the character often translates to her personally as people at times insult or shun her in real life. While there are plenty of people who adore her and her portrayal of Cersei, Headey reported that during an autograph session at Comic Con, people would snatch their books from her hands to prevent her from signing it.
Peter Dinklage, who portrays Tyrion Lannister in the show, appears in more episodes than any other cast member. Dinklage is in total of 61 out of 67 episodes.
We are living in the Golden era of television. Since the year 2000, television has evolved dramatically. The rise of cable networks resulted in a period of more innovation, quality and quantity, which has since been surpassed by the arrival of streaming services. TV has become the primary source of entertainment for the majority of the population since the introduction of streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, HBO Max and Disney Plus. Previously the thought of a network airing a complete season on a single day was unthinkable. Episodes aired week after week, sometimes back to back, and so on – until streaming services showed their willingness to take a different path. With the knowledge that television is undergoing yet another revolution, and that the medium’s limits and definitions may alter yet again, it seems appropriate to reflect on the past.
With that said, let’s directly jump into the very best chapters of television the medium had to offer.
Note: I’ve considered only one episode per a TV show to make the list more diverse.
The Winds of Winter, Game of Thrones (Season 6, Episode 10)
IMDb Rating: 9.9
Written by: David Benioff, D. B. Weiss
Directed by: Miguel Sapochnik
Air date: June 26, 2016
This is an all-timer. This episode is Game of Thrones at its very best. It offers everything a fan wished for, a shocking yet satisfying end to one of the best seasons of the show.
International Assassin, The Leftovers (Season 2, Episode 8)
IMDb Rating: 9.6
Written by: Damon Lindelof, Nick Cuse
Directed by: Craig Zobel
Air date: November 22, 2015
International Assassin is the most polarizing episode of the most polarizing show, a stress test of an episode that pushes the show’s concept and expands its universe in ways that not everyone will appreciate and that makes it so special and unique.
Chicanery, Better Call Saul (Season 3, Episode 5)
IMDb Rating: 9.7
Written by: Gordon Smith
Directed by: Daniel Sackheim
Air date: May 8, 2017
A standout episode of the show as it stages a bittersweet showdown. This episode marks the climax of a seasons-long power play between Chuck and Jimmy. This episode is a relatively simple installment on a plot level. But it’s the character interactions, as well as the show’s willingness to bring out the worst in these characters and pit them against each other, that have us hooked. This is one of the defining TV episodes you’ll come across on television today.
407 Proxy Authentication Required, Mr. Robot (Season 4, Episode 7)
IMDb Rating: 9.9
Written by and Directed by: Sam Esmail
Air date: November 17, 2019
If there was ever an episode that defined a series, then this is the one. The episode that finally revealed the origin of the titular character. A riveting hour of television, you feel like the characters when you complete the episode, but you embrace every second of it because this is how good television should feel: thrilling, horrifying, and a little bit nauseating.
The Suitcase, Mad Men (Season 4, Episode 7)
IMDb Rating: 9.7
Written by: Matthew Weiner
Directed by: Jennifer Getzinger
Air date: September 5, 2010
The Suitcase says so much with so little, without a visual or narrative trick in sight. And in doing so, it defines a show and sets a high bar for the next decade of television, and most likely the next decade after that. The Suitcase is the one of the best episodes because it tells the show’s story in miniature: flawed, difficult, and damaged characters finding salvation in their job, though not enough to save them from themselves.
Start, The Americans (Season 6, Episode 10)
IMDb Rating: 9.8
Written by: Joe Weisberg, Joel Fields
Directed by: Chris Long
Air date: May 30, 2018
Perhaps the most overlooked episode in the list. The series finale of The Americans is a subdued, sublime, and utterly tragic send-off to one of television’s best shows. It delivered a wondrous wallop that crackled with sadness and urgency. The episode is a fascinating flight full of heartbreaking decisions and unexpected swerves.
If-Then-Else, Person of Interest (Season 4, Episode 11)
IMDb Rating: 9.9
Written by: Denise Thé
Directed by: Chris Fisher
Air date: January 6, 2015
Person of Interest’s never-ending ability to deliver mind-blowing episodes is what makes it one of the best tv shows. And the episode If-Then-Else does exactly the same. Smart, action-filled chapter with a powerfully sad and meaningful conclusion. As the main plot of the show is about the relationship between humans and machine, this episode in particular dig deeper in to that. This episode is about what it means to be a machine, but it’s also about what it means to be human.
Final Grades, The Wire (Season 4, Episode 13)
IMDb Rating: 9.5
Written by: David Simon, Ed Burns
Directed by: Ernest Dickerson
Air date: December 10, 2006
The Wire’s fourth season came to a close with a mega-episode that alternated between periods of crushing despair and sparks of hope and optimism. Watching this episode was like putting down a fantastic book, one that had provided knowledge, excitement, a view into another world, and consistent brilliance with character development throughout the season.
ronny/lily, Barry (Season 2, Episode 5)
IMDb Rating: 9.8
Written by: Alec Berg, Bill Hader, Taofik Kolade
Directed by: Bill Hader
Air date: April 28, 2019
Perhaps the most recent episode on the list. It was released during the same weekend when Game of Thrones most awaited episode The Long Night and Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame came. But somehow this episode of Barry impressed me the most when it comes to action sequences and storytelling. The episode is an absolute knockout it’s suspenseful, surreal, and darkly hilarious.
Pine Barrens, The Sopranos (Season 3, Episode 11)
IMDb Rating: 9.7
Written by: Tim Van Patten, Terence Winter
Directed by: Steve Buscemi
Air date: May 6, 2001
The oldest episode on the list but the one that defined television forever. A distinctly self-contained short story. The episode is a classic example of the show’s unpredictability and surprisingly humorous tone. It’s basically a cross between an anti-buddy comedy and a nightmare; it’s funny, absurd, and horrifying all at the same time.
The View From Halfway Down, BoJack Horseman (Season 6, Episode 15)
IMDb Rating: 9.9
Written by: Alison Tafel
Directed by: Amy Winfrey
Air date: January 31, 2020
The only animated episode in the list. The episode is a depressing perspective on the inevitability of death. Although this is an adult cartoon, one of the things that make it wonderful is that the writers put a lot of effort into crafting strong writing and a great tale that does credit to all of the characters and the result can be seen in this episode.
Ozymandias, Breaking Bad (Season 5, Episode 14)
IMDb Rating: 10
Written by: Moira Walley-Beckett
Directed by: Rian Johnson
Air date: September 15, 2013
Do you ever watch something where you are so emotionally invested by the characters, setting and story that when it’s over, you can’t help but sit and contemplate what you just watched? Exactly felt the same after watching this episode. Ozymandias is perhaps the most gut-wrenching, twisted, horrific, well-planned episode ever made. This episode is Breaking Bad storytelling at its finest. It’s completely flawless. Not surprising that it is the highest-rated episode in the history of television.
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