The term “filler” is often used in a negative way to criticize episodes that don’t advance a TV show’s storylines, but before streaming introduced shorter seasons, filler episodes were a crucial part of television. Back in the days of traditional network television, the business model supported longer seasons, because the goal was to get audiences to tune in and watch the ads that generated their revenue. The more episodes a popular show had, the more ads its fans would sit through.
But the business model of streaming supports shorter seasons, because it’s all about keeping people subscribed. Rather than giving audiences a 24-episode season every year, streaming services like Netflix and Prime Video release eight-episode seasons every two years, so they can spend as little as possible on production while keeping fans subscribed for as long as possible. It makes sense from a financial perspective, but that means we’ve lost the art of filler. There are no cost-cutting bottle episodes anymore, and they were a great way to get to know characters better.
10
Reynolds Vs. Reynolds: The Cereal Defense
It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia Season 8, Episode 10
The Gang is confined to Paddy’s Pub for a makeshift trial in It’s Always Sunny’s season 8 finale, “Reynolds vs. Reynolds: The Cereal Defense.” After Frank hits Dennis’ car, causing him to spill a bowl of cereal he was eating at the wheel, they get into a legal dispute over who’s responsible for paying to fix the damage. The episode is a great showcase for the characters and their uniquely dysfunctional dynamic. It lampoons the absurdity of drawn-out court proceedings: the prosecution questions the defendant’s mental wherewithal, then the defendant questions the entire concept of science.
9
The Body
Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 5, Episode 16
Not a lot actually happens in the Buffy episode “The Body.” Buffy’s mother Joyce died in the previous episode, and this one doesn’t advance any plotlines; it just shows all the characters reacting to the death in their own way. But despite its inconsequentiality, it’s been deservingly praised as a classic. Buffy and her friends deal with death every week, usually in gruesome and fantastical ways, but in “The Body,” they have to reckon with the grim reality of mortality after Joyce dies of natural causes. Buffy realizes she’s powerless to save the people she cares about.
8
Ice
The X-Files Season 1, Episode 8
The best episodes of The X-Files were the standalone storylines that didn’t advance the overarching plots and simply saw Mulder and Scully solving a spooky supernatural mystery. The X-Files’ first great example of this was season 1’s “Ice,” in which they’re sent to an Alaskan research station, where an alien parasite has infected the crew. It’s The X-Files’ homage to John Carpenter’s The Thing, and it masterfully recaptures the chilling atmosphere and palpable tension of that sci-fi horror masterpiece. This single-location episode was conceived to save money, but it ended up becoming a classic.
7
The Box
Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season 5, Episode 14
Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s season 5 episode “The Box” takes place mostly in the precinct’s interrogation room, where Jake and Holt are trying to get a confession out of an elusive suspect, played by Emmy-nominated guest star Sterling K. Brown. This bottle episode puts the focus squarely on the writing, which is top-notch, and the show’s central relationship between Jake and Holt. Over the course of the series, Holt became a much-needed father figure to Jake, and this episode highlights that relationship. Holt sometimes underestimates Jake, but that pushes Jake to do his best detective work.
6
Toys In The Attic
Cowboy Bebop Season 1, Episode 11
The 11th episode of Cowboy Bebop starts off on a pretty boring, mundane day with no bounty to hunt. But it takes a bizarre turn when a mysterious blob gets onboard the Bebop and starts infecting the crew with its venomous bite. It’s not as eventful or action-packed as the average Cowboy Bebop episode, but it is an ingenious spoof of Alien that replaces the terrifying xenomorph with a goofy, unassuming alien blob. Plus, the episode gives us plenty of time to get to know the characters and their interpersonal dynamic shortly after the team has finally come together.
5
Fly
Breaking Bad Season 3, Episode 10
Breaking Bad’s season 3 episode “Fly” is controversial for wedging a bottle episode right in the middle of an intense, action-packed season. But as a standalone episode, it works beautifully. It takes place almost entirely in the meth lab as Walt refuses to start cooking until he and Jesse can find and neutralize a housefly that could contaminate the batch. The episode highlights Walt’s obsessiveness and his mind deteriorating from his cancer and the pressures of a double life. “Fly” puts a spotlight on Walt and Jesse’s relationship, and even dredges up the residual guilt from Jane’s death.
4
Dinner Party
Frasier Season 6, Episode 17
Some of Frasier’s best episodes simply revolve around Frasier and Niles trying to collaborate on a project, whether they’re co-writing a book, starting a shared practice, or opening a restaurant, and bickering their way into a miserable failure. In season 6’s “Dinner Party,” they join forces on their simplest project yet — planning a dinner party — and have the most disastrous results. They can’t decide on a guest list, they offend their go-to caterer, and the whole thing quickly falls apart. “Dinner Party” sees the Crane brothers at their most hilarious.
3
The Suitcase
Mad Men Season 4, Episode 7
There were a lot of great character duos in Mad Men, but the heart of the show was Don Draper’s relationship with secretary-turned-copywriter Peggy Olson. There was always a healthy amount of mutual respect between Don and Peggy, but they had their fair share of tension, too, and that tension came to a head when they were alone in the office working into the night in the classic season 4 episode “The Suitcase.” Peggy finally confronted Don for undervaluing and overworking her, and Don got furiously defensive.
But as the night goes on and wilder and wilder things happen, their tensions cool off. After Don throws up and gets into a fight with Duck Phillips to defend her honor, Peggy takes care of Don. The episode is a microcosm of their dynamic; Don and Peggy don’t always get along, but they need each other (and, deep down, they know it).
2
The Chinese Restaurant
Seinfeld Season 2, Episode 11
When Seinfeld described itself as “a show about nothing,” it was referring to episodes like “The Chinese Restaurant.” The entire episode takes place in the waiting area of a restaurant, where Jerry, Elaine, and George are waiting for a table. “The Chinese Restaurant” broke new ground for the sitcom genre and showcased the genius of Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld’s writing. Rather than spinning an extravagant comic plotline, they focused in on the relatable minutiae of daily life. Everyone can relate to the endless, seemingly futile wait for a table at a restaurant.
1
Pine Barrens
The Sopranos Season 3, Episode 11
The most iconic filler episode in television history is The Sopranos’ season 3 installment “Pine Barrens.” It begins with a pretty typical setup: Tony sends Paulie and Christopher to make a collection at the apartment of a Russian named Valery. But it escalates from a standard Sopranos episode into a full-blown farce when a fight breaks out at the apartment. When Valery seems to die during the fight, Paulie and Christopher drive him out to the snowy Pine Barrens to dispose of the body, but he’s not dead. He runs off into the woods and disappears.
For the rest of the episode, Paulie and Christopher embark on a futile search for Valery as they slowly freeze. “Pine Barrens” feels like a two-man play, like Waiting for Godot or The Dumb Waiter. It doesn’t have much impact on The Sopranos’ overarching storylines, but it is an unforgettable hour of television, and it introduced one of the show’s most fascinating unsolved mysteries.