The 20 worst episodes of great shows

The third season of The White Lotus was arguably the most divisive the show has produced so far. The third episode, in particular, was a frustrating one, even if it did have some mildly entertaining moments (such as Chelsea getting bitten on the leg by a snake). Despite these, the episode seems not to really give its characters much to do, and as a result, it feels as if it is dragging the story out for no real reason.

The Wheel of Time series certainly had its work cut out for it, since it had to adapt Robert Jordan’s sprawling series. It does a fairly good job, particularly in the second and third seasons, but the first was often rough going. The finale in particular dropped the ball, though some of this was due to the constraints of COVID and other production issues. It all ended up feeling very anticlimactic, with a cliffhanger that doesn’t make much sense and that, as it turns out, is essentially forgotten about by the second season's premiere.

The Rings of Power  might be the most ambitious fantasy show on TV, and for the most part, it captures something of the spirit of J.R.R. Tolkien’s creation.  Some episodes, though, are a little weak, and this is particularly true of the second season episode “Eldest.” Some parts work, but overall, it seems as if the various characters are just spinning their wheels, which makes this feel like a bit of a filler episode. In a season that only has eight episodes, this is a bit of a problem, and it really slows down the momentum of the entire second season.

House of the Dragon had some mighty big shoes to fill when it premiered, since it existed in the fearsome shadow of Game of Thrones. For the most part, it has succeeded, though it did stumble a bit in the second season. Particularly frustrating was the season finale, which failed to move the plot forward appreciably and capped off a season in which not a lot happened. The finale felt more like a season midpoint, leaving many big plot developments to presumably appear in the third season, and it ended up feeling like a very weak episode of television. 

Buffy is arguably Joss Whedon’s magnum opus, and for the most part, its episodes still hold up. Others, however, are undeniably weak, including “Beer Bad,” which essentially focuses on a malevolent bartender whose beer turns people into Neanderthals. Aside from that, it’s also a rather pedantic episode, with its rather simplistic message that drinking is bad and can have negative consequences. It’s thus easy to see why it has earned a reputation for being the worst episode of the series among critics and fans.

Parks and Recreation might be a beloved show now, but it was rough going for its first two seasons. The pilot is particularly excruciating to watch, given the extent to which it emphasizes Leslie Knope’s awkwardness and silliness at the expense of her do-gooder personality. The bigger flaw with the pilot, however, is that it makes the show as a whole feel more like a retread of The Office than anything new and interesting, so it’s good that Parks and Recreation finally found its footing in later seasons.

Like many other sitcoms, Will & Grace has more than its fair share of weaker episodes. This is understandable, given how many of them there are in a given season. Even so, “Cowboys and Iranians” is a remarkably weak episode, in part because it relies on some very questionable humor revolving around Shohreh Aghdashloo, the guest actor for the episode. It’s also just a real waste of Aghdashloo’s formidable talents, and one can’t help but wish they’d given a bit more thought as to how to make better use of her.

Few series have been as acclaimed as Succession, which became a true darling for HBO. While none of its episodes are truly bad, there are a few that don’t measure up to the high standard set by the show as a whole. “Retired Janitors of Idaho,” for example, is something of a retread in terms of character relationships. While it’s always a bit of a sadistic delight to spend time with the dysfunctional Roys, one leaves this episode wishing it had pushed things a bit further.

On paper, “The Ann Who Came to Dinner” should be a slam dunk for a show like Frasier, a series noted for its strong writing and ability to make good use of its guest actors. This episode, however, is a bit of a misfire, and though Julia Sweeney is often quite entertaining, she is a bit of a pill in this particular outing. Aside from this, it’s also just a weak setup for an episode — Sweeney’s Ann has to stay with Frasier after breaking her leg at his apartment — and it just doesn’t measure up to the show’s other episodes. 

For most of its run, Killing Eve  was a truly remarkable TV series, with stellar performances from the likes of Sandra Oh, Jodie Comer, and Fiona Shaw. It all fell apart at the end, however, when Comer’s Villanelle was abruptly and unceremoniously killed. In addition to partaking of the “bury your gays” trope so common in TV, it was also just a very weakly written episode, and it ended up leaving a very bad taste in the mouth of even the show’s most devoted and passionate fans.

American Horror Story has certainly had its fair share of ups and downs during its time on the air. However, there’s no question that the episode “The Future Perfect,” the tenth episode of the tenth season, is the weakest of its long run. The episode tries to bring a deeply frustrating season to a satisfactory conclusion, but unfortunately, too many plot twists end up subverting what could have been a fascinating finale. Then again, given that the second story of the season focused on aliens collaborating with the US government, perhaps such a botched ending was inevitable. 

A series like Lost only comes along once in a few decades, and, in many ways, it changed the landscape of TV writ large. However, the series wasn’t without subpar episodes, and most in the fandom regard “Stranger in a Strange Land” as the worst. Most of the episode is an explanation of Jack’s tattoos. In other words, it is a filler episode, which helps to explain why even the show’s many fans view it as one of the series’ weakest offerings.

Even though Friends remains one of the most popular sitcoms of the late ‘90s and early ‘00s, one notable episode has aged remarkably poorly. “The One with Chandler’s Dad” has the dubious distinction of starring Kathleen Turner as Chandler’s dad, who is framed in the series as a drag queen but may also be a trans woman. It’s a remarkably insensitive episode, given the extent to which Chandler's dad is treated as the butt of every joke, and even the show’s creators and stars have acknowledged it could have been handled much better.

Given the sheer number of episodes that The Simpsons has produced, it’s inevitable that some will be less compelling than others. However, “The Principal and the Pauper” is arguably the worst, if only because it fundamentally changes and betrays the character of Principal Skinner, who is revealed to have been an impostor for years. Aside from the abrupt retconning, it also raises a whole host of logistical questions that it refuses to answer, which helps explain why the episode is rarely referred to within the series itself.

Breaking Bad more than earned the critical praise it received throughout its run. However, even the best show has an episode or two that fail to live up to the rest of its offerings, and the episode “The Fly” is that episode for Breaking Bad. As its title implies, most of the episode focuses on Walter and Jesse as they try to kill a fly that keeps tormenting them, in the process revealing their traumas. It’s an interesting conceit for this hard-hitting show, but it ultimately drags down what could have been another terrific episode.

Even though Seinfeld was never a show that cared very much about preserving feelings, “The Puerto Rican Day Parade” still managed to ignite a firestorm of controversy. Of particular note was the scene in which Kramer stomped on the Puerto Rican flag, a gesture that led to significant outcry. In fact, the episode was later taken out of syndication. Sometimes, even an episode that delightfully flouts good taste can take things too far (though it’s worth noting that the episode was ultimately shown again when the series became available on Netflix).

Game of Thrones managed to squander a lot of goodwill during its last season, when the story took some strange turns. Arguably, the worst episode was, tragically, the finale, which saw Daenerys at the height of her power, right before she was assassinated by none other than Jon Snow. It seemed like an anticlimactic ending to one of the true cultural juggernauts of the 21st century. It has proven to be remarkably divisive in the show’s fandom, with many thinking that George R.R. Martin’s characters deserved better than what they got from the series.

There’s no doubt that Stranger Things has been a huge success for Netflix, and the sci-fi drama has received critical acclaim. Most of its episodes are compellingly written and tie into the larger story. The episode “The Lost Sister,” however, focuses on Eleven and her time with a rag-tag band of misfits, and, while entertaining in itself, it sticks out like a sore thumb when it comes to the rest of the series. It’s thus small wonder that it’s hardly ever been referred to in subsequent episodes.

The Golden Girls was arguably one of the best-written series of the 1980s. It managed to be both funny and socially engaged, and few of its episodes can be said to be truly bad. One exception to this is “Empty Nests,” which was intended as a backdoor pilot for a spin-off. Unfortunately, this meant that much of the action revolves around the girls’ next-door neighbors rather than the central foursome, so it lacks the traditional appeal of the show’s more normal run of episodes. Small wonder that it is often regarded as the worst episode, even among the show’s devoted fandom.

Black Mirror has received a great deal of deserved praise for its ability to predict the future and to tap into deep cultural anxieties about the impact of technology on society. However, it’s had a few missteps over the years, including the episode “Mazey Day,” which focuses on an actress, Mazey Day, who becomes a werewolf, even as the paparazzi pursue her. Though it clearly intends to offer commentary on America’s unhealthy fixation with celebrities, it gets too tangled up in its own horror for its message to really land.