Greatest scenes in TV history

Sirs, Madames,

Water-tower, last episode of The Fugitive

Jim Rockford's chase scene down Hoover Dam ("Even Geronimo would say that's a good deal.")

Inflatable raft, Dick Van Dyke (Honey, did a package come for me?) or Alan Brady talking to his hairpieces (there she is guys, the woman who put you out of business)

Chuckles's eulogy

Archie Bunker doing Kate Smith (God Blees America ... you dumb Polack) (everybody says Sammy Davis Jr 'cept me)

Columbo confronting Jack Cassidy as Santini the magician

Mike Logan popping the pol in his last go-round on L & O before walking the beat on Staten Island

Too many to pick from on the Sopranos ... it's small but when the one-legged Russian puts her smoke out with her crutch I laughed so hard I threw my back out ...

Northern Exposure ... Fleishman's farewell (World Trade Center)

YD&OHS, etc

 

I've been thinking all day about this, and it's almost too hard. It's like when I asked Zeke to name his five favorite Pearl Jam songs and he thought that was downright ridiculous. I love TV, and it's just too hard to chose. I could probably name 10 scenes from The Wire alone, something I'll try to do later this week (kind of like what we did in anticipation of the finale for the Sopranos). In the meantime, these are 10 of my favorites...

1. Cheers, The Food Fight/Thanksgiving scene. I really, really like the Season 2 finale where Sam and Diane slap one another, but this one is too classic to ignore. I love The Office. I truly do. But Cheers is still the greatest ensemble comedy ever, and

is a great example of why. The part where Diane is trying to stop them from throwing food and Sam splats her with the cranberry sauce gets a chuck out of me every time.

2. Arrested Development, Mole Problem (From Mr. F): This was a hard selection too, because the final scene from Pier Pressure -- where Gob and Michael try to teach George Michael a lesson with the Hot Cops, only to have it get flipped around on them their father teaches them the lesson that you don't teach lessons -- is what vaulted this show into greatness for me. But I don't think anything has ever made me laugh harder than the scene where Tobias dresses up like a mole, George Michael wears his grandfathers Astroboy backpack, and they battle over Gob's tiny village like it's a Godzilla movie whiel the Japanese investors look on. If you've never seen the show, this makes no sense, but it's simply one of the funniest things I've ever seen on TV.

3. Seinfeld, The Sea Was Angry That Day My Friends (From The Marine Biologist): The scene where George and the woman he's interested in are walking on the beach absolutely kills me because of Larry David shouting out "Is anyone here a marine biologist?" but George's story back in the coffee shop contains what I think is the best line of the entire series: "The sea was angry that day, my friends. Angry as an old man trying to send back soup in a deli."

4. ER, finale scene from "Love's Labor Lost": This is pretty much everyone's favorite ER episode. From the first season, where Marc misdiagnoses a pregnant woman's condition and he tries and fails to save her. The last scene where Marc has to go tell the husband, Bradley Whitford, that his wife dies (while he's holding their baby in his arms) is simply unbelievable. I refuse to watch ER anymore. I let it fade from my TV schedule after Greene died. But the way the camera kept moving around and around in circles of this episode has always stayed with me. One of my most intense TV experiences ever, I think.

5. Friends, Trivia Game, (From The One With All The Embryos): Lot of people have mentioned The Prom Video, and that's a great scene, certainly the sweetest Friends scene, and one that always gets me a little sentimental, but Friends was a comedy, and in terms of funny,

is the show's high point. My friends and I used to play trivia games like this all the time, and it was the kind of thing that rewards the die-hard viewer, but is also funny as a stand alone. "It's actually Miss Chanandaler Bong."

6. Sopranos, "Who knew all this time you wanted Tracy and Hepburn?" (From Whitecaps): In my opinion,

is the best in the whole series. The best acting, the best writing, everything. The Sopranos was about gangsters, sure. But it was really about marriage and life and love and hatred. I love that both Tony and Carmella call one another on their bullshit in this scene. And I love that Edie Falco stands toe-to-toe with Gandolfini as an actor here, and just nails her lines.

7. The Wire, Cole's Wake, (From Dead Soliders): As I said, I can probably pick 10 scenes from The Wire that would make my list. I'll probably do so later this week. But this one remains my favorite. Bob Colesbury, who was one of the executive producers on The Wire, died of a heart attack as they were filming Season 3. David Simon shot

to say goodbye to his friend. If I should ever die while I'm still a member of SportsJournalists.com, I would like it if my friends would sing The Pogues and drink till dawn in my memory. "He was called. He served. He is counted."

8. West Wing, Paul Revere's Carving Knife, (From Shibboleth): Understated and perfect. President Bartlett gives Charlie the carving knife that his father gave to him. "I'm proud of you, Charlie." Makes me tear up, and

on Dule Hill's face when Jed says "Paul Revere" is just awesome.

9. How I Met Your Mother, Robin Sparkles, (From Slap Bet): The best YouTube clip I can find runs out before Marshall backhands Barney, but you still get the gist of the

The Canadian pronounciation of "about" and "sorry" make the Robin Sparkles video, but it's an exchange between Barney and Marshall that I love earlier in this episode, the first time Marshall slaps Barney.

Barney: Jesus. Your hands are huge.

Marshall: Well ... You've seen my penis.

10. The Wire, The King Stay The King, (From The Buys): I know my boy Zeke loves the series opener, and I love it too, but I love how D'Angelo explains The Game, and life,

Other than "You come at the King, you best not miss." The line "The king stay the king" is my favorite of the series. I think.

Honorable mention: Casino Night closer from The Office (which was summed up nicely already in this thread; the non-verbal acting is just wonderful); The Cosby Show Monopoly Game; The ending of the Scrubs episode My Life in Four Cameras (which might be one of the most creative, meta, episodes of television ever); The Wizard of Oz ending to the Scrubs episode My Way Home; The FNL scene where Tami and Julie talk about when Tami lost her virginity from "I Think We Should Have Sex"; the FNL scene were Saracen sings to his grandmother from "Full Hearts". From LOST, Jack and Kate's flash forward, although it only deserves to be mentioned here if LOST actually pays off in the end three seasons from now, something I have my doubts about; Seth and Summer's Spiderman kiss in The O.C. episode "Rainy Day Woman"; Mr. Eko's reading of 23rd Psalm on LOST;

 

It upsets me that I didn't think of these scenes first. Thank you for reminding me of them. Awesome stuff.

"The sea was angry that day my friends. Like an old man trying to return soup at a deli." -- Comedy brilliance.

 

This one goes out to Simon Cowbell: the "Freaks and Geeks" when Bill makes out with the cheerleader in the closet as Bob Seger's "You'll Accompany Me" plays. Talk about a perfect soundtrack to a spontaneous, never-will-happen again moment:

Some people say that love's a losin game
you start with fire but you lose the flame.
the ashes smolder but the warmths soon gone
you end cold and loneley own your own

Ill take my chances babe i'll risk it all
i'll win your love or i'll take the fall
ive made my mind up girl its meant to be,
someday lady you'll accomp'ny me

The most perfect scene I've ever, uhh, seen. Almost brought me to tears.

 

DD, I have no idea what type of sports writer you are, but you would make a fucking hell of an entertainment writer.

 

4. ER, finale scene from "Love's Labor Lost": This is pretty much everyone's favorite ER episode. From the first season, where Marc misdiagnoses a pregnant woman's condition and he tries and fails to save her. The last scene where Marc has to go tell the husband, Bradley Whitford, that his wife dies (while he's holding their baby in his arms) is simply unbelievable. I refuse to watch ER anymore. I let it fade from my TV schedule after Greene died. But the way the camera kept moving around and around in circles of this episode has always stayed with me. One of my most intense TV experiences ever, I think.
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There's a reason this was unquestionably the best TV show of the 1990s.

First off, this is an incredible recut by someone with too much time on their hands. A fusion of episodes 18 and 20 of season 1, with flashbacks.

Secondly, some very powerful stuff here.

Thirdly, watch what happens when Greene tells the father (Whitford) about his wife's death. He's in a rocking chair, and that simple prop adds incredibly to the emotion.

 

I love the looks that the other characters give each other after he says it, clearly not getting the simile at all. But then Jerry (I think) shrugs and George carries on with the story. This is my favorite comedy ever, and that's one of the best scenes.

I could probably go through every episode and pull a scene or a line, or in some cases, just cite a whole episode. Two that stick out off the top of my head is the host at the Chinese restaurant calling out Cartwright when a call came for George and their ensuing conversation and Jerry and George explaining shrinkage to Elaine in the Hamptons.

 

Even BJ's mustache was insufferable.

 

I watched this a few minutes ago, and, oddly enough, I thought about posting this scene when I got home from work, but got sidetracked. Then ... bam. The episode is on television.

Lawrence's best writing, in my opinion, is when he gives The Janitor a deeper, emotional meaning. And Neil Flynn always seems to knock it out of the park, which I bet takes him about zero effort. In this scene, Janitor tricks Elliot into going on a date with him to beat Cox on a bet. But when Cox busts the two, Elliot gets made and tells Janitor, "You're unbelievable" ... and not the good kind, like Carla tells Turk.

Then, as Elliot walks away, Janitor stops her and bares his soul. It's a beautiful scene. And it's where "Blond Doctor" becomes "Elliot."

Click here for brilliance:

.

 

There's a reason this was unquestionably the best TV show of the 1990s.

First off, this is an incredible recut by someone with too much time on their hands. A fusion of episodes 18 and 20 of season 1, with flashbacks.

Secondly, some very powerful stuff here.

Thirdly, watch what happens when Greene tells the father (Whitford) about his wife's death. He's in a rocking chair, and that simple prop adds incredibly to the emotion.

[/quote]

I watched ER on and off over the years...I am so damn glad I hadn't seen that before my little one was born. The doctors were concerned about preeclampsia (the condition that led to the mother's death in the show) at one point during her pregnancy. I was paranoid as hell of exactly what happened in the show.

Powerful scene watching Whitford's character hear his wife is gone.

 

Jerry looked at Kramer in disbelief. In the "Inside Look" on the DVD, Seinfeld said he finished writing that monologue that morning and throughout the entire scene, he was in disbelief of Jason Alexander because he memorized that scene and nailed it in very little time. So the look of astonishment of the story was actually very genuine.