SF on TV: What’s the Greatest Single Teleplay or Episode of All Time?

[dask]

 

[Mr Cairo]

View attachment 87865

That episode is class and reminds me of that moment in third rock from the sun where William Shatner has a cameo as the Big Giant Head

The Big Giant Head (William Shatner) says that he looked out the window and saw something on the side of the airplane he flew in on,
whereupon Dick (John Lithgow) exclaims, "The same thing happened to me!".

Now that was quality Sci Fi.

Anyway realise that my original choice was not really Sci fi so I have to go with that first episode of The Prisoner, from the opening montage through to the end it was a magnificent setup that hooked me.

 

[mosaix]

Red Dwarf - Back to Reality

"Red Dwarf" Back to Reality (TV Episode 1992) - IMDb

Back to Reality: Directed by Rob Grant, Juliet May, Doug Naylor. With Chris Barrie, Craig Charles, Danny John-Jules, Hattie Hayridge. The Red Dwarf investigates an ocean ship, The Esperanto, where they find the ship's crew have all committed suicide, and are attacked by a sea monster called The...

www.imdb.com

The top review says it best

User-submitted review of "Red Dwarf: Back to Reality"

Check out snoozejonc's 10/10 review of "Red Dwarf: Back to Reality"

www.imdb.com

This, but run close by any episode of Quatermass and The Pit - a 1950s BBC series. Considering the special effects available at the time it was startling and scared the wits out of me.

 

[BAYLOR]

This, but run close by any episode of Quatermass and The Pit - a 1950s BBC series. Considering the special effects available at the time it was startling and scared the wits out of me.

Quatermass and the Pit was well written, produced and acted . This is why it still holds up .

 

[Guttersnipe]

"It's a Good Life" from The Twilight Zone. The actors really sell the idea that little Anthony is a horrific monster.

I'd say "The Obsolete Man" from the same series is second-best.

 

[paranoid marvin]

I'd say that Back to Reality is the single best episode of Dwarf, and possibly the single best individual episode of any show ever.

However, it is the culmination of 5 series of shows, and on it's own the viewer wouldn't understand most of the jokes.

If I had to pick out one 30-60 minute slot to show the greatness of science fiction, I would choose an episode of The Twilight Zone (original b&w series). I think that whilst some of the episodes that have been mentioned are both great and memorable, they perhaps fall into the 'fantasy' rather than 'sci-fi' category.

I think my choice would be The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street, which builds tension throughout the show to a satisfactory and unexpected conclusion. Although the majority episodes of Black Mirror would serve just as well.

 

[Toby Frost]

It's not the "best" - but then deciding the absolute best is impossible - but I'd mention "The Believer", the penultimate episode of the second series of The Mandalorian. It's very high-quality action-adventure with a well-acted piece of serious drama in the middle.

Some of The Prisoner was great when I first saw it, but I suspect it would be pretty kitschy now. "Metalhead" from Black Mirror is an excellent 45 minutes of TV: not especially deep, but thrilling.

 

[JunkMonkey]

Some of The Prisoner was great when I first saw it, but I suspect it would be pretty kitschy now. "Metalhead" from Black Mirror is an excellent 45 minutes of TV: not especially deep, but thrilling.

The Prisoner stands up well - I watched it a couple of years ago with my teenage daughter who loved it.

My nomination would be Baby by Nigel Kneale from his series of one-offs called Beasts. It gave me the absolute whimwhams when I saw it back in the day and was still creepy and disturbing to my much older, hardened self 40 years later.

 

[Toby Frost]

I did wonder about Beasts - "Baby" is unsettling and the one with the ghostly dolphin is one of the weirdest things I've ever seen on TV. Personally, I felt that some of the production values and acting in Beasts made me unable to pick it, but it is a good choice.

 

[Foxbat]

Star Trek TNG. The Measure Of A Man

 

[JunkMonkey]

Star Trek TNG. The Measure Of A Man

THE Greatest Single Teleplay or Episode of All Time? - really?!

 

[Foxbat]

THE Greatest Single Teleplay or Episode of All Time? - really?!

It dealt with issues of personal freedom no matter your origins so, yes, really.
The Prisoner dealt with similar issues of personal freedom.

 

[KGeo777]

For a Star Trek episode, I would nominate Devil in the Dark.

 

[Swank]

THE Greatest Single Teleplay or Episode of All Time? - really?!

Clearly, all of the suggestions so far are patently ridiculous! (Except for mine.)

 

[BAYLOR]

"It's a Good Life" from The Twilight Zone. The actors really sell the idea that little Anthony is a horrific monster.

I'd say "The Obsolete Man" from the same series is second-best.

Both great .

The 2002 version of The Twilight Zone did sequel story It's Still A Good Life

 

[Rodders]

What about Star Trek's "City on the Edge of Forever". An outstanding episode in my opinion.

 

[KGeo777]

Everyone says City on the Edge of Forever but I think Devil in the Dark is more fundamentally sci-fi. An encounter with a completely alien monster, but it turns out to be a mother, and they find a way to live in harmony with it.
It gives Spock the best reason to do a mild meld and McCoy gets in the classic "I'm a doctor, not a brick layer!"

But in City, Kirk is the ultimate edge lord, after the Guardian of Forever.

 

[reiver33]

In terms of ‘punch to the stomach’...

Jurassic Bark - Futurama

And...

Blake - the finale of Blake’s 7. First time I watched it, just sat there, stunned

 

[KGeo777]

In terms of ‘punch to the stomach’...

Jurassic Bark - Futurama

I HATE that episode. What a depressing ending. A joke gone wrong.

I am glad they retconned it in one of the Futurama movies.

 

[BAYLOR]

What about Star Trek's "City on the Edge of Forever". An outstanding episode in my opinion.

Yes and no . It's a great Star Trek episode but it different from Harlan Ellison's screenplay