The 20 Best Buffy the Vampire Slayer Episodes of All Time

Buffy the Vampire Slayer transformed television storytelling with episodes that pushed the boundaries of what a genre show could achieve. From the nearly-silent terror of Hush to the revolutionary musical Once More with Feeling and the gut-wrenching emotional devastation of The Body, the series produced some of the most acclaimed hours in TV history. Which episode stands as the greatest of all time?

1

Hush

The nearly silent Season 4 episode where demons steal everyone's voices, earning an Emmy nomination for its innovative storytelling.

1000pts

2

Fool for Love

The Season 5 origin story of Spike told in stylish flashbacks, revealing how he killed two Slayers across the centuries.

792pts

3

Once More with Feeling

The beloved Season 6 musical episode where a demon forces Sunnydale into song, revealing secrets through show-stopping numbers.

625pts

4

The Body

The devastating Season 5 episode dealing with Joyce Summers's sudden death, filmed without music for brutal emotional realism.

482pts

5

School Hard

The Season 2 episode introducing Spike and Drusilla as villains, instantly raising the stakes with their chaotic energy.

482pts

6

Graduation Day

The epic Season 3 two-part finale pitting the entire senior class against Mayor Richard Wilkins's ascension at graduation.

375pts

7

Innocence

The Season 2 episode where Angel loses his soul after a moment of perfect happiness, transforming into the villain Angelus.

375pts

8

Becoming Part 2

The Season 2 finale where Buffy must send the newly re-souled Angel to Hell to save the world.

375pts

9

Normal Again

The Season 6 mind-bending episode that suggests Buffy may be a psychiatric patient who imagined all of Sunnydale.

375pts

10

Prophecy Girl

The Season 1 finale where Buffy learns she is destined to die facing the Master — and chooses to go anyway.

375pts

11

Band Candy

The Season 3 comedy classic where enchanted candy bars cause all the adults to regress into their teenage selves.

225pts

12

Earshot

The Season 3 episode where Buffy temporarily gains the ability to hear people's thoughts, nearly driving her mad.

225pts

13

Tabula Rasa

The Season 6 episode where a spell wipes everyone's memories, leading to absurdist misidentification and heartbreaking results.

225pts

14

Chosen

The series finale where Buffy activates every potential Slayer on Earth, ending the Sunnydale Hellmouth with a massive battle.

1pts

15

Doppelgangland

The Season 3 sequel to The Wish, bringing Vampire Willow to the main universe for a hilarious identity-swap adventure.

1pts

16

Conversations with Dead People

The Season 7 horror anthology episode that isolates each character for personal encounters with sinister dead voices.

1pts

17

The Zeppo

The Season 3 deconstruction episode following Xander's seemingly mundane night while an apocalypse rages in the background.

1pts

18

Passion

The Season 2 heartbreak episode where Angelus murders Jenny Calendar, crossing a line that changed the show's dark tone forever.

1pts

19

Restless

The Season 4 avant-garde finale where the Scoobies share prophetic dreams offering cryptic clues about their futures.

1pts

20

The Wish

The Season 3 alternate-universe episode where Sunnydale never had a Slayer, spawning the beloved character Vampire Willow.

1pts