Streaks of Best and Worst Episodes

"Once More, with Feeling" may be the best single episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but what are the best back-to-back episodes? What is the best five-episode streak? What is the best ten-episode streak? Another page on this site ranks individual episodes from best to worst. This page looks at streaks of best and worst episodes.

The streaks below represents periods in which fans were blessed with one great episode after another and periods in which fans had to endure a long string of mediocrity. Streaks are ranked based on the average point value of the episodes. Sometimes, a weak episode can be buoyed up when surrounded by strong episodes or a strong episode can be drowned by weak episodes. Streaks with at least 50% overlap with higher ranked streaks are excluded. Also, all streaks assume that "Earshot" aired when it was originally supposed to air rather than, as was the case in the United States, after all other third season episodes aired.

Top Back-to-Back Episodes

1. "Once More, with Feeling" (6.07) and "Tabula Rasa" (6.08)
2. "Becoming, Part 1" (2.21) and "Becoming, Part 2" (2.22)
3. "Something Blue" (4.09) and "Hush" (4.10)
4. "Graduation Day, Part 1" (3.21) and "Graduation Day, Part 2" (3.22)
5. "The Gift" (5.22) and "Bargaining, Part 1" (6.01)
6. "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" (2.16) and "Passion" (2.17)
7. "End of Days" (7.21) and "Chosen" (7.22)
8. "The Body" (5.16) and "Forever" (5.17)
9. "Lovers Walk" (3.08) and "The Wish" (3.09)
10. "Surprise" (2.13) and "Innocence" (2.14)
11. "Doppelgängland" (3.16) and "Enemies" (3.17)
12. "Primeval" (4.21) and "Restless" (4.22)
13. "Family" (5.06) and "Fool for Love" (5.07)
14. "Prophecy Girl" (1.12) and "When She Was Bad" (2.01)
15. "This Year's Girl" (4.15) and "Who Are You?" (4.16)
16. "Two to Go" (6.21) and "Grave" (6.22)
17. "Him" (7.06) and "Conversations with Dead People" (7.07)
18. "Storyteller" (7.16) and "Lies My Parents Told Me" (7.17)
19. "Earshot" (3.18) and "Choices" (3.19)
20. "Help" (7.04) and "Selfless" (7.05)

Weak Back-to-Back Episodes

1. "Inca Mummy Girl" (2.04) and "Reptile Boy" (2.05)
2. "Ted" (2.11) and "Bad Eggs" (2.12)
3. "Gone" (6.11) and "Doublemeat Palace" (6.12)
4. "Teacher's Pet" (1.04) and "Never Kill A Boy on the First Date" (1.05)
5. "I, Robot - You, Jane" (1.08) and "The Puppet Show" (1.09)
6. "Shadow" (5.08) and "Listening to Fear" (5.09)
7. "Superstar" (4.17) and "Where the Wild Things Are" (4.18)
8. "The I in Team" (4.13) and "Goodbye Iowa" (4.14)
9. "Older and Far Away" (6.14) and "As You Were" (6.15)
10. "Beer Bad" (4.05) and "Wild at Heart" (4.06)
11. "Anne" (3.01) and "Dead Man's Party" (3.02)
12. "The Killer in Me" (7.13) and "First Date" (7.14)
13. "When She Was Bad" (2.01) and "Some Assembly Required" (2.02)
14. "The Freshman" (4.01) and "Living Conditions" (4.02)
15. "Never Kill a Boy on the First Date" (1.05) and "The Pack" (1.06)
16. "After Life" (6.03) and "Flooded" (6.04)
17. "The Replacement" (5.03) and "Out of My Mind" (5.04)
18. "Beauty and the Beasts" (3.04) and "Homecoming" (3.05)
19. "Smashed" (6.09) and "Wreaked" (6.10)
20. "Out of My Mind" (6.04) and "No Place Like Home" (6.05)

Top Streaks of Five Episodes

1. "Earshot" (3.18), "Choices" (3.19), "The Prom" (3.20), "Graduation Day, Part 1" (3.21), and "Graduation Day, Part 2" (3.22)
2. "Life Serial" (6.05), "All the Way" (6.06), "Once More, with Feeling" (6.07), "Tabula Rasa" (6.08) and "Smashed" (6.09)
3. "Surprise" (2.13), "Innocence" (2.14), "Phases" (2.15), "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" (2.16), and "Passion" (2.17)
4. "Wild at Heart" (4.06), "The Initiative" (4.07), "Pangs" (4.08), "Something Blue" (4.09), and "Hush" (4.10)
5. "I Only Have Eyes For You" (2.19), "Go Fish" (2.20), "Becoming, Part 1" (2.21), "Becoming, Part 2" (2.22), and "Anne" (3.01)
6. "Something Blue (4.09), "Hush" (4.10), "Doomed" (4.11), "A New Man" (4.12), and "The I in Team" (4.13)
7. "Band Candy" (3.06), "Revelations" (3.07), "Lovers Walk" (3.08), "The Wish" (3.09), and "Amends" (3.10)
8. "Bad Girls" (3.14), "Consequences" (3.15), "Doppelgängland" (3.16), "Enemies" (3.17), and "Earshot" (3.18)
9. "Intervention" (5.18), "Tough Love" (5.19), "Spiral" (5.20), "Weight of the World" (5.21), and "The Gift" (5.22)
10. "Weight of the World" (5.21), "The Gift" (5.22), "Bargaining, Part 1" (6.01), "Bargaining, Part 2" (6.02), and "After Life" (6.03)
11. "Crush" (5.14), "I Was Made to Love You" (5.15), "The Body" (5.16), "Forever" (5.17), and "Intervention" (5.18)
12. "Graduation Day, Part 1" (3.21), "Graduation Day, Part 2" (3.22), "The Freshman" (4.01), "Living Conditions" (4.02), and "The Harsh Light of Day" (4.03)

Weak Streaks of Five Episodes

1. "Gone" (6.11), "Doublemeat Palace" (6.12), "Dead Things" (6.13), "Older and Far Away" (6.14), and "As You Were" (6.15)
2. "When She Was Bad" (2.01), "Some Assembly Required" (2.20), "School Hard" (2.03), "Inca Mummy Girl" (2.04), and "Reptile Boy" (2.05)
3. "Teacher's Pet" (1.04), "Never Kill A Boy on the First Date" (1.05), "The Pack" (1.06), "Angel" (1.07), and "I, Robot - You, Jane" (1.08)
4. "Showtime" (7.11), "Potential" (7.12), "The Killer in Me" (7.13), "First Date" (7.14), and "Get It Done" (7.15)
5. "The Dark Age" (2.08), "What's My Line? Part 1" (2.09), "What's My Line? Part 2" (2.10), "Ted" (2.11), and "Bad Eggs" (2.12)
6. "Shadow" (5.08), "Listening to Fear" (5.09), "Into the Woods" (5.10), "Triangle" (5.11), "Checkpoint" (5.12)
7. "Anne" (3.01), "Dead Man's Party" (3.02), "Faith, Hope & Trick" (3.03), "Beauty and the Beasts" (3.04), and "Homecoming" (3.05)
8. "The Freshman" (4.01), "Living Conditions" (4.02), "The Harsh Light of Day" (4.03), "Fear Itself" (4.04), and "Beer Bad" (4.05)
9. "Sleeper" (7.08), "Never Leave Me" (7.09) "Bring on the Night" (7.10), "Showtime" (7.11), and "Potential" (7.12)
10. "Buffy vs. Dracula" (5.01), "Real Me" (5.02), "The Replacement" (5.03), "Out of My Mind" (5.04), "No Place Like Home" (5.05)
11. "Doomed" (4.11), "A New Man" (4.12), "The I in Team" (4.13), "Goodbye Iowa" (4.14), and "This Year's Girl" (4.15)
12. "Bargaining, Part 2" (6.02), "After Life" (6.03), "Flooded" (6.04), "Life Serial" (6.05), and "All the Way" (6.06)

Top Streaks of Ten Episodes

1. "Surprise" (2.13) through "Becoming, Part 2" (2.22)
2. "The Zeppo" (3.13) through "Graduation Day, Part 2" (3.22)
3. "The Gift" (5.22) through "Smashed" (6.09)
4. "The Body" (5.16) through "After Life" (6.03)
5. "Becoming, Part 1" (2.21) through "Lovers Walk" (3.08)
6. "Pangs" (4.08) through "Superstar" (4.17)
7. "Villains" (6.20) through "Conversations with Dead People" (7.07)
8. "The Freshman" (4.01) through "Hush" (4.10)

Weak Streaks of Ten Episodes

1. "Smashed" (6.09) through "Entropy" (6.18)
2. "The Harvest" (1.02) through "Invisible Girl" (1.11)
3. "School Hard" (2.03) through "Bad Eggs" (2.12)
4. "Sleeper" (7.08) through "Lies My Parents Told Me" (7.17)
5. "Buffy vs. Dracula" (5.01) through "Into the Woods" (5.10)
6. "Doomed" (4.11) through "The Yoko Factor" (4.20)
7. "Beneath You" (7.02) through "Showtime" (7.11)
8. "Graduation Day, Part 2" (3.22) through "Something Blue" (4.09)

This page was last modified on June 28, 2005