25 Emotional Moments in TV

I get emotional pretty easily. Normally, you'd see this kind of list applied to movies, but honestly, I've seen upwards of 600 movies, it's so hard to track the most emotional moments anymore. It's so much more fun to do this to TV.

So how did I compile this list? Basically, I looked at the list of all the shows I've seen at least one season of and checked to see if there were any really emotional moments in it. If yes, I picked the most emotional one and added it to this list so yes, you will only see one entry per show to keep this list short. From fairly emotional to super emotional, here are 25 emotional moments in TV. Also, here's a massive spoiler warning for any show on this list.

25. The Walking Dead, Abraham and Glenn's Deaths (S07E01 - The Day Will Come When You Won't Be)

Abraham was one of my favorite characters in the show, but Glenn... oh my god, I loved Glenn. I always knew he would make it out of that dumpster. I wasn't surprised when he did, but let me just say when Negan lined them all up and the dumbass producers didn't pay off the amazing build up in the Season 6 finale with the identity of the victim right away, I was pissed. I almost forgave them when the S7 premiere was so emotionally draining, especially after I had a particularly bad day. I stopped watching TWD because it got boring after this episode in my opinion. Maybe it's because Glenn was the heart of the show. Maybe it's for other reasons, but I put this moment low because I think this marked the moment I stopped caring about the show, and it leaves me feeling rather colder than this list deserves.

24. Friends, The Morning After (S03E16 - The One The Morning After)

I was never the biggest fan of Friends, but when I made myself get back into this show after five years of not being able to watch it, I was eagerly awaiting this one. Needless to say, it did not disappoint and I felt Ross and Rachel's pain throughout the entire thing. That last scene is absolutely heartwrenching. 

It's low though coz in retrospect, it does feel kinda soap opera-ish. I can't help but think "it's cheesy". I mean it works, but I just don't want to put it higher on this list.

23. 13 Reasons Why, The Eleventh Tape (S01E11 - Tape 6, Side A)

This show took a nosedive in Season 2, which is why I don't want it high on my list, but in Season 1, I think this episode was the highlight of the the season. For ten episodes we wonder what Clay did to contribute to Hannah's decision to kill herself and once we get there, we realize he was one part of her life that could have been good but she thought herself too damaged to even risk ruining Clay. The image I put here says it all. Devastating. 

22. Parks and Recreation, Ben Proposes to Leslie (S05E05 - Halloween Surprise)

Parks and Rec is my favorite sitcom. It has the best cast of characters you can ask for, so obviously it's a big deal when two of them decide to get married. Andy and April were the more outrageous and fun couple and their wedding could totally take a spot on this list, but I have to eventually give it to this moment in Season 5, where Ben just surprises Leslie with one perfect moment where he proposes that they spend the rest of their lives together. The script of the scene itself is fantastic, but what puts this scene over the top is Amy Poehler's fantastic performance. I have rarely seen pure joy portrayed on screen by a performer like Poehler does here. 

21. Better Call Saul, "I broke my boy" (S01E06 - Five-O)

Better Call Saul is hands down the best prequel I have ever seen. Despite the title, it actually follows two characters from Breaking Bad: Saul Goodman and Mike Ehrmantraut. For the first five episodes of the show, Mike takes the backseat as we see things from Jimmy McGill's perspective AKA the man who Saul was before he changed into the sleazy lawyer he became in BrBa. 

I very nearly chose the courtroom scene in S03E05 - Chicanery or the rooftop argument in S04E09 - Wiedersehen, but in the end, I had to choose this scene from Season 1 where Mike explains to his daughter-in-law what happened to his son.

How Mike explains that he debased his image in his son's eyes just to attempt to save his life all for naught as he breaks down and says "I broke my boy." just breaks my heart. Jonathan Banks deserved all the awards for that scene.

20. Stranger Things, Eleven's Farewell (S01E08 - The Upside Down)

Stranger Things introduced us to one of the most lovable casts in recent memory. As with all great casts, it's always sad to see them be ripped apart, and this scene, at the end of Season 1, ripped apart Mike and Eleven. Their burgeoning adolescent romance was a sweet thing to watch and seeing her go away as Mike watches, knowing that he's about to lose his friend, is painful. Her agreeing to go with him to the snow ball is just another punch in the gut. This moment would lead to them being separated for most of Season 2 as well, so this moment had a lot of long lasting repercussions.

19. Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, "It's a terrible day for rain." (S1E10 - Separate Destinations)

Of course I considered Nina Tucker and Alexander's fate for this list, but that didn't exactly have long standing repercussions across the show. This episode, however, showed us that this threat is 100% legit by murdering the nicest man on the show, Maes Hughes. Just as Hughes is about to uncover a dark conspiracy, Envy takes the form of his wife and shoots him at point blank range. 

The real emotional moment comes when Hughes is about to be buried. His daughter screams as her father is lowered into his grave, then we get the titular moment with Mustang as he mourns his best friend. Hawkeye is puzzled when he says it's a terrible day for rain, but everything becomes clear, when Roy Mustang, for the first time in the show's run, shows unabashed vulnerability by breaking down into tears.

18. Cowboy Bebop, "Bang" (S01E26 - The Real Folk Blues, Part 2)

Cowboy Bebop still has my favorite ending of any anime ever. Spike Spiegel, after facing all kinds of danger across the entire series, faces the last thing he hoped to ever face, the death of the woman he loves, Julia. 

He charges at his archnemesis' base, hoping to confront him one final time, but not before Faye tries to talk him out of it. This barely fazes him as he charges into Vicious' base, shooting guys left and right like John Wick. Finally he reaches the room of the man responsible for most of his pain and suffering and they have a final showdown. He gains the upper hand but not before taking some hits himself, the combined weight of which is fatal. The police enter as he descends the steps. He turns to the audience and utters one final word: "Bang" as he falls down to the ground and dies. Then Blue on the soundtrack starts playing.

It's a perfect ending and throughout it all, you feel the weight of all of Spike's actions. I love this show and this moment deserves it's spot on this list.

17. 24, Jack finds Teri (S01E24 - 11:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m)

Before Game of Thrones was known for killing its characters left and right, 24 was known for popularizing that kind of show, where anyone can die. In episode 12 of season 1, the main villain actually dies only to be replaced by someone higher on the hierarchy. However, the first major main good guy to die on this show was actually none other than Jack's wife Teri. Jack's navigator, Nina Myers, is revealed to be working for the Drazens. As her last act before escaping CTU headquarters, she coldly murders Jack's wife.

After Jack takes out the Drazens, he goes back to headquarters and reunites with his daughter, Kim. But then he finds a trail of dead bodies and he sees his wife in a server room shot to death. He holds her dead body in his arms as the show cuts to a silent clock. This moment is one final punch in the guy for Jack and the audience and as a way to close out the season, it shows you just what is in store for you as an audience member.

16. Breaking Bad, Jane's Death (S02E12 - Phoenix)

Jesse and Jane weren't hard to root for in the beginning of their relationship. They had chemistry and they were sweet together. As they sunk into heroin and screwing Walt out of his hard earned money though, audience members started to sway away from them. This scene was their wake up call.

If I'm being accurate, the hardest part to watch here is actually in S02E13 - ABQ, when Jesse is desperately trying to resuscitate Jane, but the actual moment where Jane starts to choke on her own vomit as Walt coldly watches is chilling, unnerving, and disturbing. 

15. The Good Place, Solving the Trolley Problem (S02E10 - Rhonda, Diana, Jake, and Trent)

This show is all about problematic people becoming better people in the end so for me, the part that got me super emotional was when the most evil, irredeemable character's arc came to a head at the end of Season 2. Michael had done nothing but torture our main cast since the beginning of the show, but his arc in Season 2 shows him becoming a better person... err... demon... than he was before. 

Earlier in the season, Chidi explains the Trolley Problem which Michael doesn't take seriously, but as the season comes to a close and Eleanor, Chidi, Tahani, and Jason come close to being sent to The Bad Place for all eternity, Michael tells Eleanor he has solved the Trolley Problem. He says the answer is to sacrifice yourself. He pins the security pin on Eleanor and pushes her through the portal to safety as he faces down the demons who want him gone. Now that is how you do a character arc.

14. The Legend of Korra, Crippled Korra (S03E13 - The Venom of the Red Lotus)

I usually can't decide whether I like Season 3 or Season 4 of LOK more but I tend to say Season 3 because of S03E11 - The Ultimatum and this ending.

Zaheer succeeded in putting the poison into Korra. She enters the Avatar state and proceeds to fight Zaheer to the best of her ability. In the end, she wins with some help from the new airbenders. However, Korra is now crippled and she can no longer do the one thing she loves doing: being the Avatar. As she watches Jinora get her tattoo, Tenzin promises that they will do everything in their power to maintain balance. Then Korra sheds a single tear as we smash to credits.

It's such an effective ending because unlike the previous two seasons where Korra either reverses the damage done to her or at least can still do what she does even after being severed from the previous Avatars, this time, she is legit crippled and at the time, I had no idea how Season 4 was going to resolve that.

13. House, Three Stories (S01E21 - Three Stories)

Yeah, I could put Amber's death from S04E16 - Wilson's Heart on here, but that would be a bit too melodramatic. I personally prefer this episode from Season 1. House holds a class where they analyze three cases of people whose legs hurt. Eventually, one of the patients is revealed to be House himself, as this episode suddenly serves as the first real look at House's backstory. It informs the audience on how he became the damaged man he is and it is honestly my favorite episode of House.

12. Bojack Horseman, The Planetarium (S03E11 - That's Too Much, Man)

I've been liking the show a great deal since around episode 6 of Season 1 but the show hit a certain point of not being just a good show but a great one in S02E11 - Escape from LA.. This episode, however, brought the show to a whole new level. 

Bojack invites his former co-star, Sarah Lynn, to a long bender where he tries to make amends with all the people he has hurt. At the end, a plot element from earlier in the season comes back to bite our protagonist in the form of the Bojack heroin. They take this extra drug before going to the Planetarium. Sarah Lynn says "I want to be an architect." before resting her head on Bojack as Bojack goes on a monologue about life. He asks affirmation by saying "Right, Sarah Lynn?" to no response."Sarah Lynn?" He says again, fearing the worst as the screen cuts to black with one final "Sarah Lynn?"

It's not the most effective scene of the show, but this entire scene just got me all emotional, all leading up to that gut punch of an ending.

11. American Vandal, Ending of Season 2 (S02E08 - The Dump)

In general, I liked Season 1 of American Vandal more then Season 2. It was more fun and more meta than Season 1. But I usually have a hard time saying that out loud, because the ending of Season 2 brings up the entire season so well.

This show is so good that I won't actually spoil who the Turd Burglar is, but Peter's final narration about how our generation lives with social media is one of the most poignant endings to any season I have ever seen and it makes me cry every single time I watch it.

10. Black Mirror, Kelly's Outburst (S03E04 - San Junipero)

This is one of the few moments in Black Mirror that can actually make me cry, so yeah. It involves a desperate Yorkie trying to convince Kelly to stay in San Junipero, saying what Kelly's husband did to her was selfish. This drives Kelly into a harsh, heartbreaking monologue about why she doesn't want to stay and leaves Yorkie in the dust.

I mean the ending cleans it up a bit hastily, but that doesn't diminish the power of this moment, I think.

9. Avatar: The Last Airbender, Zuko reunites with Iroh (S03E19 - Sozin's Comet, Part 2: The Old Masters)

Zuko is easily the most complex character on ATLA and his journey was the most interesting one in my opinion. It was a heartbreaking moment in the Season 2 finale when he betrays his uncle to help his sister kill Aang. After an entire season's worth of build-up to their reunion, they finally reunite in the series finale. Expecting Iroh to be unforgiving, Zuko shamedly enters the tent and begins to apologize. He is interrupted by Iroh's embrace and, well, the image speaks for itself. Iroh is my favorite character in ATLA and this shows one reason why.

8. Sherlock, The Note (S02E03 - The Reichenbach Fall)

Sherlock's first two series were amazing television and they climaxed perfectly in this one episode. As Moriarty plays one last game with Sherlock, threatening to kill his friends if he doesn't jump off the roof, Sherlock says that he can always escape as long as Moriarty is alive. Moriarty commits suicide in front of Sherlock as he is left with no choice but to jump.

He calls John one last time affirming Moriarty's story. Then he tells John that the phonecall is his note. He then jumps off the roof.

Sure he survives and we never find out exactly how, but the moment is a really powerful one to behold, especially for the first time.

7. The Haunting of Hill House, The Bent-Neck Lady (S01E05 - The Bent-Neck Lady)

Having lost her husband and mother to Hill House and living a few years tormented by her memories of the house, Nell finally returns for one final confrontation with the ghosts of Hill House. What she finds there is her family in an idealized state. Her junkie brother is clean and her mother has never seemed so alive. Finally, her dead husband is there to ask her for one final dance. She accepts, breaking down, telling him how much he missed him.

As they dance around the house, she is led to the upper balcony, where her mother gives her the necklace she'd promised to give her back in her childhood. All of this turns out to be an illusion made by Hill House as the necklace is actually a noose as the apparition of her mother throws her off the balcony, cracking her neck. She is then sent by Hill House back across her timeline to haunt her as she discovers the Bent-Neck Lady that has terrified her since her childhood is in fact her. Equal parts heartbreaking and scary, this episode was the high point of this show.

6. Sense8, Nomi and Amanita's Proposal (S02E11 - You Want a War?)

There are too many emotional moments in Sense8 that either made me laugh, smile, feel sad, or feel all sort of emotions. It's just that kind of show. But one moment stands out as the one to finally make me cry and that is Nomi and Amanita's dual proposal.

After so much shit happens in their lives, Amanita realizes she never wants to let Nomi go and takes out a ring and proposes to her. Apparently, Nomi had the same idea and takes out a ring as well and proposes to Amanita. It is a natural climax to their relationship and I really love the two of them together.

5. Inside No. 9, "Thanks, old pal" (S04E02 - Bernie Clifton's Dressing Room)

When you think of emotional moments in Inside No. 9, you'd usually first think of the ending of S02E02 - "The 12 Days of Christine" but as much as I love that episode, I have to give my spot to Bernie Clifton's Dressing Room. I actually don't want to spoil the moment, so just check out this episode and see the heartbreaking final moments for yourself. Trust me, it's totally worth it.

4. LOST, Desmond Calls Penny (S04E05 - The Constant)

LOST is another show with a seemingly endless stream of emotional moments, but the scene that makes me cry every time is this one from Season 4, arguably the best season of the show. Desmond flies from the Island to the freighter and his consciousness is displaced in time. This means he's constantly flashing from past to present and back. The only way to fix it is by finding a "Constant" which is something he recognizes from the past that he can access in the present. Seeing as he's on an uncharted, deserted island, this doesn't prove easy.

He eventually decides to ask the love of his life whom he has estranged at the request of her father, to answer the phone at the date where he is flashing to the present. When he zaps back to the present, he calls her and she answers. Desmond's pure joy at hearing Penny's voice is absolutely a joy to watch and is probably my favorite moment in this amazing show.

3. Fate/Zero, Iskandar's Final Battle (S02E10 - The Sea of the Ends)

Fate/Zero is one of my favorite anime, and this scene is my favorite. Iskandar is probably my favorite character in the whole series, so seeing him charge one final fruitless charge at Gilgamesh is absolutely heartbreaking. The golden bastard takes out his sword Ea and uses Enuma Elish to wipe out Iskandar's reality marble. Left to face each other on the bridge at Fuyuki City, Iskandar charges alone as Gilgamesh throws every weapon in the universe at him. He finally kills him and he passes, thanking Gilgamesh for the battle. It's a heartbreaking scene as we say farewell to character who, chances are, we didn't want to say goodbye to.

2. Doctor Who, Twelve's Regeneration (S10E13 - Twice Upon a Time)

If I'm being honest, Eleven's regeneration made me cry harder because I think it was more emotional, but I would be remiss not to put Twelve's regeneration if only for the reason that Peter Capaldi is my Doctor, and even though losing him didn't make me as emotional as Eleven's, I still think his regeneration scene is perfect for his Doctor. 

Laugh Hard. Run Fast. Be Kind. Doctor, I let you go.

1. Game of Thrones, Hold the Door (S06E05 - The Door)

Hodor was one of the kindest souls in Westeros, so to see him go was a painful experience. But what seals the deal with me putting this at #1 is Bran flashing back to a teenage Hodor. He wargs into him as he's about to die in the present, echoing Meera's screams of "hold the door." As Hodor in the present dies, teenage Hodor feels his death and his mind leaves him, devolving him into the clueless innocent giant he is. His screams of "hold the door" devolve into "hodor" and he is set to fulfill his own destiny years later as he holds that door and dies a hero. 

There have been plenty of deaths in Game of Thrones, but this one hit me the hardest. I'll miss you, Hodor.