I’ve chosen only to highlight scripted television moments, and not things like UT winning the '05 National Championship or the ‘96 Summer Olympics.
(And before Miles throws his yoga mat at me, there’s no Falcon Crest on this list. Just… deal with it!)
10. Wings - Joe pleads for Helen to marry him.
The entire set up of this sitcom is that Joe and Helen are going to get together. But when she meets Davis, a rich tycoon that was thinking of investing in Sandpiper, she is totally enthralled, and Joe gallantly bows out. But when push comes to shove (and after they have that awkward “I know you’re marrying someone else, but lets have sex anyway” moment), Joe gets off his ass and follows her to New York to profess his love. What follows is one of the most honest scenes network TV has ever delivered. Best line: “Marrying him? Having kid with him? Dammit Helen, that’s our marriage, and those are our kids.”
9. Sports Night - Sam takes on the network brass.
Brought in to help the show’s failing ratings, William H. Macey’s Sam was a pariah from the beginning. Starting with his introduction of being mean to everyone and not caring about their input for the show, Sam is set up as character that we will all love to hate. But then comes this scene, where he not only tells the story of two of the greatest innovative thinkers of all time, but also tells the network brass exactly where the hands of time have come to rest. Grand-standing on network TV is usually horrible, but this one takes the cake. Best line: “In case you think I’m just mouthing at ya, you should ask around about me. I have absolutely no conscience about these kinds of things.” after he tells them that if they ever disrespect his boss again, he’ll take them down.
8. Quantum Leap - Sam does right by Al.
The genius of this show is that it was “one man, trying to put right what once went wrong” and there were so many moments of this show that shined (honestly, almost every episode had a cliffhanger moment). But in the series finale, Sam realized that the one thing that he should’ve put right, he didn’t and he gets the chance to fix that mistake. Being the only time in the series that he leaps into a situation as himself and not another person, Sam goes back to Al’s fiancee's house in 1961 and tells her that Al will survive the war and make it back, so she shouldn’t marry anyone else. For his best friend, he’ll do this, just because it’s the right thing to do. Best line: the card at the end of the series that said “Dr. Sam Beckett never returned home.” after we learn that Sam controls the leaping and can quit at anytime that he feels he’s done enough.
7. Batman: The Animated Series - The opening.
It was this little show that thought it could, and thanks to Bruce Timm and Paul Dini it did. But in the wake of Tim Burton’s take on Batman, this show arrived and truly demonstrated who Batman was. And in this ninety second opening (which was actually the concept preview that they showed to the network brass), it tells us everything that we ever needed to know about the Dark Knight. Batman shows up and dispatches two thugs in quick succession. No thrills, no gimmicks, just Batman doing what it is that he does. Flawless. Best line: the fact that there’s no dialogue at all in this entire thing.
6. Cheers - Sam says goodbye to Diane.
This series existed to show that an intellectual waitress and a washed up baseball player could make it work. But with Shelly Long departing for a film career, the integrity of the character had to be serviced. Once Sam knows that he’s lost her, he looks at the love of his life and says the only thing he can, “Have a good life.” When she refutes that with her promise that she’ll be back in six months, we all see what Sam knows. She won’t be back, and there’s nothing that he can do to change that fact. Best line: “Have a good life” after she’s walked out of the bar and reality has settled in on him.
5. Seinfeld - The final retrospective.
Not only did we get a glimpse into that mad world that was basically four characters doing nothing, we got a send off that surpassed all of our expectations. We got to see these actors fleshing out these roles (not to mention one of the greatest outtake reels in all of television history), and we got to relive a show that had been part of our lives for nine years. I still remember the announcer saying, “Thank you Seinfeld, for nine wonderful years” and agreeing wholeheartedly with that statement. Best line: a photographic timeline of the show set to GreenDay’s “I hope you had the time of your life.”
4. The West Wing - Toby rails at Bartlett.
My personal favorite show could have all the entries on this list, but this is the one that stands the test of time. Not only is Toby Ziegler reeling from learning the truth about Bartlett’s illness, but he’s also the only character that processes the magnitude of the fraud that Bartlett has committed. Taking full range of Richard Schiff’s skills and Aaron Sorkin’s writing, this scene allows someone to dress Bartlett down for the crimes that he’s committed. Rarely does a show let its best character be crucified, and this one did it best. Best line: “For ninety minutes, there was a coup d’état in this country!”
3. Saturday Night Live - Post 9/11 Monologue.
After the horror of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, New York was reeling from a feeling that no one had ever felt. Hurt, afraid, and unbelievably sad, these people had to wake up everyday and confront that situation, and not from CNN where most of us got it, but from their own street corner. And then came this little moment from the SNL gang that hit us perfectly. Standing on the SNL stage with members of the NYPD and the NYFD, Lorne Michaels and Rudy Giuliani made it ok for us to laugh again, because in all honesty, isn’t that better than anything? Best line: Lorne asking the Mayor of New York City, “Can we be funny?” and Giuliani’s pitch perfect response to the moment, “Why start now?”
2. Glee - Sue’s sister.
I haven’t cried about something on a screen in over nineteen years, but this little scene grabbed me harder than anything I’d seen in years. Anyone who’s seen Jayne Lynch’s Emmy Award winning portrayal of Sue, the Cheerio’s coach, knows that she’s a manipulative person that will always twist everything to her benefit. That’s why this story line is so compelling, after going head to head with Matthew Morrison’s Mr. Shu, she shows us her motivation: that handicapped people should be treated like everyone else, and she knows where of she speaks. Best line: “My sister’s famous!”
1. Scrubs - Ben’s funeral.
This show reveled in the fantasy, and for most of the time, it was all in J.D.’s head so that we could see his world through his eyes. However, this little moment just jumped up and grabbed us harder than we ever thought possible. After a series of mishaps lets Perry ride J.D. about a mistake, his best friend Ben convinces him to let the kid off the mat, and forgive himself in the process. But its at that final moment when Perry turns to J.D. and asks him why he didn’t bring a camera to his son’s birthday that we realize that we’ve spent the entire episode inside Perry’s fantasy, and that he’s agonizing over the death of his best friend. Best Line “Where do you think we are?” in response to Perry’s camera question, as they head to Ben’s funeral.
