From shocking deaths to emotional farewells, television has given us some truly unforgettable moments since 2020. Join us as we celebrate the most acclaimed episodes that have left audiences speechless and critics raving. From animated masterpieces to groundbreaking dramas, these episodes represent peak television.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most popular and critically
00:08acclaimed television episodes since 2020.
00:16We will only be including one episode per show, and as we will be discussing major plot
00:21elements, a spoiler warning is in effect.
00:25The We We Are – Severance
00:34It sucks that shows are taking so long between seasons because we had to wait nearly three
00:38years between this and the season 2 premiere.
00:41It was agonizing.
00:43Of course, the wait was so hard because of the finale's jaw-dropping cliffhanger, which
00:47sees Helly exposing the truth about Severance and Mark telling Devin that his dead wife
00:51Gemma is actually alive at Lumen.
01:02The unbelievable ending was widely acclaimed, but that certainly wasn't the only aspect
01:07of the episode to be praised.
01:09Its emotional weight is immense.
01:11Each character's arc reaches a crucial turning point, and the episode is a masterclass in
01:15pacing and tension building.
01:17This is filmmaking and storytelling at its absolute best.
01:34The Base Violence Necessary for Change – Arcane
01:50Who knew that one of the best shows of the 2020s would be based on League of Legends?
01:55Arcane hit the ground running, and by its third episode, it was being hailed as one
01:59of the greatest animated shows of its generation.
02:02The Base Violence Necessary for Change received widespread acclaim and currently sits at
02:079.7 on IMDb, with users unanimously praising its action and emotional impact.
02:22The battles are as visually stunning as always, and with the episode concluding the first
02:26act, it masterfully escalates the stakes and culminates in a beautifully tragic ending.
02:31You certainly don't need to be a League of Legends fan to enjoy the epic scope, beauty,
02:36and storytelling prowess of Arcane.
02:48Forks – The Bear
02:56This FX drama has been a surprise success, with its second season earning particular
03:01acclaim.
03:02While Fishes got a lot of praise for its all-star cast and rich exploration of family
03:06trauma, it's Forks that actually has a higher rating on IMDb with 9.7.
03:12Whichever one you prefer, we can all agree that it's one of the greatest one-two punches
03:16in TV history.
03:22Forks does an unbelievable job in developing Richie, turning him from a sad-sack loser
03:27type into an ambitious and charismatic leader.
03:30Eben Moss-Bachrach is out of this world good, as is the episode's pacing, editing, and
03:35uplifting tone.
03:36Forks inspired us to do better.
03:38What more can you ask for in an episode of television?
03:55Number 7.
03:57Chapter 7.
03:58The Massacre at Hawkins Lab – Stranger Things
04:06A lot of jokes have been made at the show's expense, especially regarding its aging cast.
04:11But then it delivers a knockout episode like The Massacre at Hawkins Lab, and all those
04:16petty criticisms melt away.
04:18This episode served as the mid-season finale, so naturally a lot of amazing stuff goes down.
04:31It is wall-to-wall entertainment, with face-melting action sequences and a relentless pace that
04:37never lets up.
04:38There's also a ton of satisfying narrative payoff, like the reunion of Joyce and Hopper,
04:43the titular lab massacre, and the backstory of Vecna.
04:46And with amazing production values and a 100-minute runtime, this is more like a blockbuster movie
04:52than an episode of TV.
04:54Season 4 definitely delivered the goods.
05:11Number 6.
05:12The Warhammer Titan – Attack on Titan
05:26Widely regarded as one of the best anime shows ever, Attack on Titan has many peaks.
05:31And one of the highest peaks of all has to be Season 4's masterpiece, The Warhammer
05:36Titan.
05:37This episode delivers some of the most intense and fluid battle sequences in the entire series,
05:41with top-tier animation that blends hand-drawn and CG elements.
05:46It also introduces the unique and formidable Warhammer Titan, which quickly became a fan
05:51favorite.
05:57And who can forget Eren's transformation, in which he embraces more ruthless and calculated
06:02strategies?
06:03With spectacular action, a great new titan, and some fantastic character development,
06:08it's no surprise that the Warhammer Titan is so widely acclaimed.
06:17Number 5.
06:18Number 16.
06:19The Rescue – The Mandalorian
06:32This show is easily one of the brighter spots of the Disney Star Wars era, reminding us
06:37all why we loved the franchise in the first place.
06:39The Rescue is the highest-rated episode of the show on IMDb, and the 2020 Christmas gift
06:45we all desperately needed.
06:55The incredible cinematic qualities continued, with eye-popping visual effects, Ludwig Goransson's
07:00amazing score, and brilliant action scenes, like the thrilling assault on Moff Gideon's
07:05cruiser.
07:06It also has a ton of emotional and narrative payoff, with Din Djarin fulfilling his mission
07:11of reuniting Grogu with the Jedi and removing his mask to say goodbye.
07:15And no, we did not forget the return of young Luke Skywalker.
07:19Never before has a mere 45 minutes been packed with so much great material.
07:28Number 4.
07:29The View from Halfway Down – BoJack Horseman
07:442020 was bookended by some amazing episodes of TV, ending with The Rescue and beginning
07:51with The View from Halfway Down.
07:54This is the penultimate episode of BoJack Horseman, and it serves as a startling reminder
07:58of how far the show had come.
08:00There is no hint of the adult comedy it once was.
08:03This is a surreal and existential narrative that blurs the lines between reality and the
08:08subconscious, creating a poetic meditation on life, death, and regret.
08:14It's a psychological plunge into BoJack's broken psyche, with dead characters, an eerie
08:31setting, and profound symbolic visuals representing his impending demise.
08:36It also has one of the best endings in TV history, with BoJack taking comfort in Diane
08:41as he's enveloped by the black tar.
08:53Number 3.
08:54Victory and Death – Star Wars The Clone Wars
09:09In The Mandalorian and a new season of The Clone Wars, Star Wars fans were eating good
09:14in 2020.
09:15Victory and Death serves as the official series finale, and currently has a 9.9 on 10 on IMDb,
09:22so it's pretty darn obvious that the show stuck the landing.
09:30Indeed, you couldn't ask for a better ending, with satisfying payoffs to character arcs,
09:44the tragic execution of Order 66, and the seamless connections to the Star Wars saga
09:49like Darth Vader finding Ahsoka's lightsaber in the snow.
09:52Add to that the incredible action sequences and breathtaking visuals, and it is clear
09:56that a ton of effort went into making the ending as perfect as possible.
10:08Number 2.
10:09Plan and Execution – Better Call Saul
10:21Some people thought that a Saul Goodman spin-off was a bad idea.
10:25However, the consistent quality of Better Call Saul put those fears to rest, and by
10:29the time plan and execution rolled around, some were even calling it better than Breaking
10:33Bad.
10:34For many fans and critics, this episode is the critical peak of the Breaking Bad universe,
10:39expertly mixing humane drama with thrilling action, and wrapping it all in a perfectly
10:43filmed package.
11:02This is the episode where Saul and Kim's scheming finally comes back to bite them,
11:06flawlessly intertwining both the legal and cartel storylines, and having them meet with
11:11a literal bang.
11:13This is top-notch storytelling right here.
11:34Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified
11:38about our latest videos.
11:40You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
11:43If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
11:49Number 1.
11:50Connor's Wedding – Succession
11:52There is so much right with Connor's Wedding we don't even know where to start.
12:03Firstly, killing Logan off-screen was a very gutsy move, but it paid off beautifully.
12:08Not only did it come as a narrative shock, but it allowed the viewer to live the experience
12:13alongside his stunned and panicked children.
12:34And speaking of those children, what an impeccable job the cast did here, with everyone giving
12:39the viewers at home a masterclass in acting.
12:41Of course, they were aided by some literally flawless writing and directing, with both
12:45Jesse Armstrong and Mark Milod receiving Emmys for their work on the episode.
12:49The entire show was building to this episode, and the payoff was nothing short of extraordinary.
13:02Did we forget any other brilliant episodes?
13:11Let us know in the comments below.
13:18Did you enjoy this video?
13:20Check out these other clips from WatchMojo, and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell
13:24to be notified about our latest videos.