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.

848pts

3

Once More with Feeling

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

726pts

4

The Body

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

623pts

5

School Hard

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

623pts

6

Becoming Part 2

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

545pts

7

Innocence

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

545pts

8

Graduation Day

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

545pts

9

Normal Again

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

545pts

10

Prophecy Girl

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

545pts

11

Earshot

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

436pts

12

Band Candy

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

436pts

13

Tabula Rasa

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

436pts

14

Doppelgangland

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

272pts

15

Conversations with Dead People

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

272pts

16

Chosen

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

272pts

17

The Zeppo

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

272pts

18

Passion

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

0pts

19

The Wish

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

0pts

20

Restless

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

0pts