90. MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE
“Bowling” 4/1/2001Strike! How else can you score this depiction of two very different bowling parties under the supervision of mom Lois and dad Hal.
89. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
“Orphans” 3/6/1989The Catherine-Vincent smooch was TV’s steamiest interspecies kiss ever. And, no, we can’t think of another one, but still...
88. MAGNUM, P.I.
“Did You See the Sunrise?” 9/30/1982Magnum’s revenge on his ’Nam torturer was a gutsty meditation on a hero’s fall.
87. HAPPY DAYS
“Fonzie Loves Pinky” 9/21/1976Roz Kelly began her red-hot stint as the Fonz’s demolition derby doll Pinky Tuscadero, only to leave us all crushed after three episodes.
86. SCRUBS
“My Musical” 1/18/2007Few entries on our list are “gimmick” episodes. But we just couldn’t get this catchy
Scrubs out of our heads. Just try not to hum “Guy Love.”
85. MELROSE PLACE
“The Bitch Is Back” 4/27/1994Only downside to Kimberly’s return from the dead? The Models, Inc. spin-off it launched.
84. ALIAS
“The Telling” 5/4/2003Evil Francie battled ever-good Syd in a smack down rivaled only by an epilogue that roused Syd two years later.
83. GOOD TIMES
"Black Jesus" 2/15/1974Provocative and funny, “Black Jesus” was
Good Times at its best. When aspiring artist J.J. paints Jesus with African features, his devout mom Florida (Esther Rolle) flips out. John Amos, who played patriarch James, says the episode showed producer “Norman Lear’s ability to deliver a message in the envelope of humor.” The portrait was the work of athlete-turned-artist Ernie Barnes, who died earlier this year. Amos knew Barnes from their pro football days. “I was an angry young black man with eruptions of temper,” he says. “Ernie told me, ‘We’re not playing football anymore. Calm down.’ He saved my job. For a while.”
82. FARSCAPE
“Revenging Angel” 8/10/2001The sci-fi series fine-tooned its quirky rep with this animated outing, in which a comatose Crichton did mental battle against Scorpious.
81. SMALLVILLE
“Rosetta” 2/25/2003Christopher Reeve guest starred as Dr. Virgil Swann, and the payoff was truly super.
The Paley Center for Media in Los Angeles is hosting screenings of select episodes of TV Guide Magazine's Top 100 Episodes! For more information, go to
paleycenter.org/visit-daily-schedule/