The 10 Highest-Rated Episodes In Television History (According to IMDb)

Television media has come a long way in the past few decades. Once thought to be a relatively inferior method of entertainment, it is now considered even better than Hollywood movies in many cases. What has changed is not only the sheer quality of work that is being produced but a drastic change in people’s mentality about how effective an episodic method of storytelling can be. Although IMDb ratings are not an absolute unit of measurement, they can provide some insight into what can be expected from a movie or TV show.

Its top rankings are dominated by the likes of Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad, but instead of overall ratings, this list will be looking at the absolute highest rated individual episodes on the content rating platform. For the sake of not being repetitive, each series has been mentioned only once.

10 Doctor Who: Blink – 9.8/10 (18185+ Votes)

One of the longest-running television shows in history, Doctor Who is a cornerstone of British pop culture that has literally outlived generations of people. It is so old that some of the older episodes are actually missing and are thought to be not in existence anymore.

Ironically, Doctor Who’s highest-rated episode is one that doesn’t involve the titular doctor much. Stuck in 1969, the doctor tries to stop the Weeping Angels, agreed upon to be one of the scariest monsters in the series, from hijacking the TARDIS with the help of a woman Sally Sparrow.

9 Rick and Morty: The Ricklantis Mixup – 9.8/10 (25341+ Votes)

Messing around with the concept of alternate realities is one of Rick and Morty’s signature trope’s, and the episode “The Ricklantis Mixup” does it exceptionally well. The episode revisits the famous Citadel of Ricks where Rick’s and Morty’s from millions of alternate universes have formed a secret society of their own.

At the end of the episode, an evil version of Morty takes control of the place. It won several accolades from various sources such as the Annie Award for “Outstanding Achievement for Writing in an Animated Television”.

8 Person of Interest: If-Then-Else – 9.9/10 (11008+ Votes)

Person of Interest is not a name as popular as some of the others on the list. But at the time of its debut, it proved to be so popular that a high-profile series such as CSI was pushed aside to make time for airing it. The 11th episode of the 4th season, “If-Then-Else” acts as a climax to one of the longest-running storylines in the series against the A.I. named Samaritan.

Protagonist John Reese and his companions, with the help of The Machine attempt to stop the Samaritan from causing an international economical disaster.

7 Hannibal: Mizumono – 9.9/10 (15879+ Votes)

Hannibal is one of those shows that didn’t garner much attention while it was airing but has achieved cult status in recent years as more people have come to appreciate it, especially since its cancellation.

“Mizumono” is the culmination of the two whole seasons of the show, and sees Will Graham and Jack Crawford making their final move against the serial killer and cannibal  Hannibal Lecter. The plan falls apart at the last minute, but the moments leading up to it are the show’s most jarring and suspenseful.

6 Mr. Robot: 407 Proxy Authentication Required – 9.9/10 (19687+ Votes)

Created by Homecoming director Sam Esmail and featuring Bohemian Rhapsody star Rami Malek, Mr. Robot is the story of a socially-challenged programmer who joins an anarchist group of hackers. “407 Proxy Authentication Required” didn’t amaze viewers and critics just from a storytelling point of view but was a visually stunning experience as well due to the cinematography.

The whole episode takes place in a single place, between two rooms, almost like a stage play and is even divided into “acts”.

5 The Mandalorian: Chapter 16: The Rescue – 9.9/10 ( 38880+ Votes)

The finale of Disney’s blockbuster Star Wars series The Mandalorian is an emotional rollercoaster ride. It is not without its faults, such as the poorly done Luke Skywalker CGI face, but the drama and the sheer epicness outshines it all.

In its last moments, the episode provides a glimpse of what Luke at his full potential can accomplish in terms of strength, something a big part of the fanbase had wanted to see for a long time. And calling the final scene between Grogu and Mando “heartwrenching” would still be an understatement.

4 Chernobyl: Vichnaya Pamyat – 9.9/10 (52432+ Votes)

Retelling the story of a historical and real-life event in the form of a movie or TV series can certainly prove to be challenging. It needs to be factually accurate and at the same time, unless it’s a documentary, dramatic enough to capture the attention of the general audience.

HBO’s Chernobyl manages to do both meticulously, and all the critical acclaim it has deservingly received is proof of that. The fifth and final episode wraps up its tale of one of the worst man-made disasters in history and the politics behind it in an excellent manner, and the ratings reflect that.

3 Game of Thrones: Battle Of The Bastards (188918+ Votes)

No matter how disappointed many fans had been left after the season finale, it doesn’t take away from the fact that the previous seasons consist of some of the highly praised episodes ever on television. “Battle Of The Bastards” was quite literally a battle between the two most featured bastards in the show John Snow and Ramsey Bolton.

A horrendous villain since the very beginning, nothing gave fans more pleasure than seeing John go to war against Ramsey. The exceptional choreography of the fight sequences made it even more memorable.

2 Attack on Titan: Hero – 10/10 (31420+ Votes)

Attack on Titan is not just another anime series, it has transcended to the level where it is larger than life and the genre itself.  The drama and action in “Hero” were simply off the charts.

Commander Erwin rallies a literal suicide squad towards the Beast Titan in order to distract him and the others, while Levi unleashes the fury of God on them from behind. The final and fourth season is being anticipated to be even more mindblowing, and the only thing that remains to be seen is whether expectations will be met or not.

1 Breaking Bad: Ozymandias – 10/10 (124300+ Votes)

Breaking Bad is one of the most critically acclaimed TV shows ever, and it shouldn’t be a surprise that one of its episodes holds the title for being the highest-rated episode in the history of modern television. Every minute of its fifth and final season is absolutely jam-packed with drama and action, and “Ozymandias” is the peak.

It is the tragic end to nearly 7 years worth of storytelling. Hank is killed by a gang of Nazi’s and Jesse is taken captive. The White family falls apart for once and for all, as Walt is forced to flee the country.

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