A pint-sized murder mystery, a searing Spike Lee-directed doc entry and a bittersweetly hilarious Thanksgiving rank among THR critics' favorite small-screen chapters of the year.
There are times, watching a TV show, when it seems obvious which chapter is meant to be the season's big standout.
They're the splashy ones that spotlight a side character, or bring in a big A-list name, or drop a shocking twist that scrambles the chess board for good. Then there are the quieter installments that do none of those things, but simply represent the show at its best, with everyone in front of and behind the camera firing on all cylinders.
Our annual list of favorite episodes of the year contains some of both, hailing from a similarly vast range of networks, genres and overall vibes. What it doesn't contain are titles we've already included in either of our top 10 lists or our "favorite performances" list."
-ANGIE HAN, DANIEL FIENBERG
