TV Episodes To Make You Cry

TV Episodes to Make You Cry

After watching the last few minutes of one of the episodes on this list and sobbing like a baby I began to thinking about all the TV episodes that have made me cry. And being quite an emotional person, there’s a lot!! This isn’t a definitive list, but some of the most poignant ones.

Unsurprisingly most of the episodes on this list either contain deaths of characters or are finales of shows (both season and series). The episodes aren’t in any order but grouped together by show (spoilers ahead). Also apologies for any schmaltz, its hard to write about why an episode is sad without being a bit schmaltzy!!

Angel

Hero- The show’s first death is done very early on and the loss of a character only 9 episodes old is hugely emotional. Doyle was/is a beloved character and his heroic death is a real tearjerker.

You’re Welcome- The episode that kills of the shows best characters. Despite not being around for most of season 5, Cordy was sorely missed. Unlike Hero this wasn’t a depressing episode but Cordy’s final goodbye to Angel sure as hell was.




A Hole In the World/Shells- yes yet another death episode from Angel. Whilst the whole episode is skilfully done, I think the saddest thing about this episode were the flashbacks of Fred leaving home. Seeing Fred with her loving parents and contrast that to her dying body and Illyria makes for heartbreaking TV



Not Fade Away- Deaths a plenty in this episode, with Wes’ being undoubtedly the saddest. The whole episode is incredibly sad though, watching our warriors spend their last day on earth. Still the overall tone of the episode and the fact that it is the last episode of Angel is what makes it so upsetting

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

The Gift- Buffy sacrifices herself for her sister and the world after 100 episodes of fighting. Buffy’s speech to Dawn at the end is both inspiring and utterly heartbreaking. As another review I’ve read about this episode commented, this isn’t her first or last death but it is still meaningful all the same.


Chosen- another series finale in which many characters fall during the ultimate fight. Again it’s the finale element of this episode which makes it so sad, especially with the nostalgic throwbacks to the first season.


Brothers and Sisters

Favourite Son- Julia gives birth but sadly one of the twins William dies leaving sister Elizabeth. The choices Julia and Tommy are forced to make in this episode- whether to operate with the hope of saving both or possibly risk losing both, is just heartbreaking. The bit that really gets me is when Julia and Tommy finally hold their surviving child whilst the rest of the family watch on. The loss of a child is a terrible thing to happen, but I think the writers handle it well here.


Domestic Issues- Another child losing episode this time less final, with Sarah losing custody of her children. Its unusual for the mother to lose custody though in a way it made sense, as Joe was the primary caregiver. Rachel Griffiths knocks it out of the park with Sarah’s desperate pleas to the judge and having to be strong for the children as they leave before breaking down in Nora’s arms after they have gone. Very touching.

Desperate Housewives
Bang- the episode that inspired this blog. Even though I watched the cut version (which didn’t include all the shootings), the brutality of the shooting coupled with that excellent score and Lynette’s final dream of Mary Alice, are just completely heartbreaking.


The Best Thing That Ever Could Have Happened- Even though are some significant timeline flaws with this episode; it is a brilliant 100th episode, surprising considering as it focuses on an unseen before male character. Though funny in places, watching Eli after Mary Alice shoots herself and the touching funeral they hold for him, was enough for me to shed a tear

Grey’s Anatomy

Losing My Religion- Even though I knew what goes going to happen I couldn’t help but cry as we saw Izzie lie there next to her love Denny. The episode was perfectly complemented by the prom for a teenage girl with cancer, who you can’t help but feel for as she tells Richard that she was happy as she got a chance to be loved.


What A Difference A Day Makes- Despite only being a casual viewer, and not having watched much of season 5, this 100th episode in which a bunch of graduates die in a horrific car crash and poor cancerous Izzie gets her fairy tale wedding. The voice-over was incredibly beautiful and it hard not to shed a tear as Izzie got her special day.



Gilmore Girls
Those Are the Strings Pinocchio- Not really a tearkjerking episode, but Rory’s graduation speech in this episode, especially the part dedicated to Lorelai, is just so sweet. It’s the perfect testament to both character and the show itself.


Bon Voyage- A heartfelt ending to the series, is not how some would have wanted it, but I think its excellent. The town party, Luke and Lorelai reuniting, Lorelai and Rory’s final goodbyes and the final time in the diner are the saddest moments of the episode, though the whole episode is full of nostalgia and tear-shedding moments.

The OC

The Ties That Bind- The finale montage of this season finale with the haunting Hallelujah playing, is a clear choice for a cry episode. All the actors do a really good job to create the sense of a true sadness in the episode.


Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
Breaking News/ K&R parts 1-3- I wasn’t expecting to be so moved by the incredible 3 parter the show produced in which Jordan goes into premature labour and most poignantly Tom’s brother gets taken hostage whilst serving in Iraq. The saddest moment was Tom’s reaction was upon finding the news. It was strong and angry and completely heart wrenching.



Special mentions go to the series finales of Sex and the City, Veronica Mars, Scrubs, Arrested Development and Rome, all of which bring a tear to my eye but mostly just because they’re final episodes.

What episodes do you find upsetting??