Top 20 TV Episodes That Made You Cry

Following in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”’s footsteps, “Angel” certainly has as many supernatural hijinks as its predecessor. What it also has is a much darker, much more emotional tone. After inhaling the essence of a demon named Illyria, Winifred "Fred" Burkle becomes deathly ill. But demonology gets pretty complicated sometimes. Just when it seems Fred might be saved, the team realizes that to save her would mean Illyria could cause the deaths of many, many more innocent people. Instead, we are forced to watch Fred draw her last breaths in the arms of Wesley. Her last words still haunt fans decades on.

Edith Bunker was, and still is, one of television’s most beloved characters. Edith’s warm and compassionate presence balanced out the tantrums of her stubborn and irascible husband, Archie. But actress Jean Stapleton only appeared in a few episodes of this “All in the Family” spin-off. Between the first and second seasons, Edith was written out and said to have died of an off-screen stroke. In the two-part season premiere, Archie refuses to show his feelings. This is pretty typical for him. It’s what makes watching him come to terms with his wife’s death after finding one of her slippers under their bed all the more heart wrenching.

Few TV moms loved their kids quite as fiercely, or as sarcastically, as Sophia Petrillo. She adored her children, even if she didn’t always understand them. For instance, her son Phil never appeared on the show, but he was often mentioned. When Phil dies, Sophia’s unable to totally feel her grief because of her unresolved anger at his widow, Angela. But of course, it’s deeper than that. Dorothy’s eulogy for her brother is emotional, but the bigger tears start flowing later, once Sophia gets at the root of her hurt. The other women can only watch as she processes the reality that her son really is gone.

When a show wants to bring the drama to a fever pitch, a natural disaster is a sure way to do it. In this season three episode, the denizens of Tree Hill, North Carolina are caught up in a destructive rainstorm. Though the entire cast gets a chance to shine, the most poignant thread of the episode belongs to Peyton and her birth mother, Ellie. Trying to make up for lost time, the two bond through the storm. However, the real devastation comes on a later day, after the skies have cleared. Ellie succumbs to breast cancer, leaving Peyton to find her body. Peyton ends the episode spreading Ellie’s ashes somewhere special, making us sob.

At Sacred Heart Hospital, few physicians were as demanding and hard to get along with as Dr. Perry Cox. That’s probably why “Scrubs” hit its most heartbreaking notes when he was the focus. “My Screw Up” sees Dr. Cox’s lovable brother, Ben, coming back to town. In a “Sixth Sense”-like twist, it’s revealed that Ben died about halfway through the episode and Cox had been imagining him. The episode toys with us, leaving clues to the twist throughout, but the reveal that the characters are at a funeral at the end of the episode is the ultimate gut punch.

This one starts out like almost any other episode of the hit sitcom. The standard zingers fly between the team at the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, even as one of their own, Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake, prepares to leave. Having received an honorable discharge, Blake spends the episode saying his meaningful goodbyes. Then, things take a sudden and dark turn. During one of the show’s famous operating-room scenes, the news comes that Blake was killed when his plane was shot down over the Sea of Japan. The silence that falls over the scene is atypical of the show, and makes the shocking announcement even harder to shake.

Many companions have come and gone, but Rose Tyler was among the most popular. Her chemistry with the Doctor was off the charts. Sadly, the two are separated forever, ending up in parallel Earths. Their parting is sudden and deeply unfair. Near the end of the episode, the two make one last contact through a breach between worlds, where they almost confess their feelings for each other. She does so, but he fades away before he can say the words. He’ll continue his adventures across time and space, but it’s a reminder that he’ll always have to say goodbye to the people he comes to care about.

Dr. Mark Greene was one of the few constants of the ever-changing cast of doctors that made up the fictional Cook County General Hospital. He was a stalwart presence, level-headed and supportive to his fellow physicians. When he passed away from a brain tumor in the season eight episode “On the Beach,” it represented a huge shift in the show’s direction. Although his death had been announced in the previous episode, this one chronicled his last days in Hawaii with his daughter Rachel, among others. His final moments with Rachel are some of the most touching we’ve ever seen. And the montage that accompanies his passing is a hard-hitting, but appropriate send-off for one of the show’s most beloved characters.

For three seasons, “Pose” brought to life the joy, drama, and artistry of the underground ballroom scene, among other things. However, it also reflects the hard lives many of these performers lived. Candy Johnson-Ferocity’s murder comes as a great shock, but it sadly reflects many real-life events. The episode isn’t all sadness and tears, though. Even in death, Candy’s not safe from a playful dressing down by her best friends. But if anything, her passing serves as a reminder of the importance of forgiveness, community, and family among the ones she left behind. The episode’s final, beautiful stroke of genius is that it gives Candy one last performance for the ages.

More often than not, sitcoms will keep up their humorous tone even when tackling grave subject matter. But following a real life tragedy that affected this TV family, this show got serious. The family members dealing with the unexpected death of their patriarch was particularly difficult to watch given that this in-story loss was prompted by the all-too real unexpected passing of John Ritter. Bridget’s struggle was particularly heartbreaking as she tried to resolve her guilt over the fact that the last words she said to him were "I hate you". We all shed a tear as Cate read Paul’s last article about how every “I hate you” is an “I love you”.

In this bittersweet episode, everyone’s favorite boss, Michael Scott, says goodbye to Dunder Mifflin and ventures off into a new life with his true love. Though out of character, Michael forgoes a grandiose farewell, and instead lies about his last day so he can share personal final moments with each member of his Dunder Mifflin family. Making the episode even more emotional, Pam leaves for part of the day, meaning that Michael risks not getting to say goodbye to his surrogate daughter. Thankfully, in the final minutes of the episode, Pam catches up to him at the airport and our tears of sadness turn into tears of joy as the two share a tearful goodbye.

Cory and the gang were always certain they’d be best friends forever, and as viewers, so were we. But as the gang becomes divided when a prank war gets out of hand, old problems emerge, loyalties are questioned, and the future of this friendship is threatened. Eric calls on Mr. Feeny to help, but even he doesn't seem to be able to get them through this one. In a flash forward, we get a glimpse into the tragic future for these friends if they do not work it out. Seeing these cherished bonds severed is truly heartbreaking. Thankfully, they work things out before that future can become reality.

West Philadelphia, born and raised, but with no help from his absentee father. After fourteen years of radio silence, Will's father returns claiming he wants to make things right. But just when Will starts letting himself get close to the man who disappointed him, Lou Smith takes off yet again. In the final moments of one of the most emotionally charged episodes of the series, we see the usually carefree and goofy Fresh Prince break down in an unforgettable and heart wrenching monologue. Thankfully, there’s another father figure in Will’s life to comfort him.

Though the show centers on Joel taking the young Ellie across a post-apocalyptic America, the third episode was a surprisingly devastating departure following two side characters. The suspicious and paranoid Bill takes in a drifter, Frank, and the two fall in love as the world falls apart around them. Over the 75 minute episode, the show managed to craft a love story between them that captured viewers’ imaginations and revived the long-neglected Linda Ronstadt song it was named after. Their life and death together are poignant, and have since seen the episode cited as one of the best ever made.

This medical drama has a flare for episodes highlighting dramatic character deaths. For example, the “How To Save A Life” episode sees Meredith watch as the nurse slowly unplugs all of the machines keeping Derek alive after a terrible car accident. But the one making this list is the heartbreaking episode containing the death of Denny Duquette. Things were looking up for Denny; he received the heart transplant he so desperately needed, and Izzie finally accepted his marriage proposal. Then in a twist that broke hearts of both characters and the viewers, he suffers a sudden and fatal stroke. Who didn’t lose it as Izzie cried over his body?

This series about the events leading up to a young woman taking her own life and its aftermath pulls no punches. In the finale of this first season, Clay plays the last tape which reveals that Hannah, in one last cry for help, went to her guidance counselor, whose line of questioning regarding her assault only makes things worse. Of course, it’s one of many difficult scenes in this episode. One of the most tear jerking moments however, comes when Clay imagines what life might have been like if he had done just a few simple things differently with Hannah.

Let’s be honest: every episode of this show makes us cry, but this one seriously brings on the waterworks. For nearly two seasons, viewers tried to piece together how Jack, the Pearson family patriarch, passed away. It seemed at first like the fire that engulfs the Pearson home might claim his life, but miraculously everyone makes it out. The episode postpones the inevitable event by showing how the Pearsons are handling the 20th anniversary of Jack’s death. Both the audience and characters don’t know which scene is Jack’s last, until his wife Rebecca leaves the room, and he suffers a fatal heart attack caused by smoke inhalation. Even though we knew it was coming, losing him was absolutely devastating.

With all the vampires and demons from hell in this drama, you almost forget that people can die of the most ordinary things. Buffy, the titular vampire slayer, comes home to find her mother Joyce lifeless on the sofa. Her death – which we eventually learn was due to an aneurysm – comes seemingly out of nowhere, which makes it all the harder to process. Of course, this is what often happens in real life, and only adds to the hurt we feel alongside the characters. The group rallies around Buffy and her sister, Dawn, but no one has any concrete answers. For all her supernatural abilities, not even Buffy is immune from the pain of losing a parent.

As Barney found out in previous episodes, putting a clock on an unfortunate circumstance you are about to face, does not make it any easier. Even with the episode title, and the countdown built into the episode, fans couldn't have expected the devastating news of Marshall's father's death. Although he is a minor character in the series, the news nonetheless rocked fans. The episode centers around Marshall and Lily visiting a fertility doctor, and therefore, fans naturally assumed that the bad news would be that the couple are unable to have a baby. As a result, the twist hit twice as hard in the final scene when Lily delivers Marshall the bad news.

Another show affected by a devastating real life tragedy, in this episode there was a beautiful tribute to late Glee star Cory Monteith, which allowed the fans and the cast to grieve together. The older cast reunited to mourn their friend’s death in their own ways. Finn’s parents talk about how they could possibly go on without him, the Glee kids reminisce on good times shared with him, and sing songs that remind them of him. Even Sue ditches her stony exterior and expresses her true feelings for him. There weren’t enough tissues in the world for this moving episode.