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** Really, every ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' show had various MonstersOfTheWeek, though in ''Series/PowerRangersTimeForce'', they were mutants instead of monsters, and during the Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers miniseries-along with ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'' and ''Film/MightyMorphinPowerRangers''-had several of the MOTW as actual aliens instead of created monsters, with the 1995 film having Ivan instead of the usual MOTW.
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** Really, every ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' show had various MonstersOfTheWeek, though in ''Series/PowerRangersTimeForce'', they were mutants instead of monsters, and during the Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers miniseries-along with ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'' and ''Film/MightyMorphinPowerRangers''-had ''Film/MightyMorphinPowerRangersTheMovie''-had several of the MOTW as actual aliens instead of created monsters, with the 1995 film having Ivan instead of the usual MOTW.
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* ''{{Series/Tracker}}'' had a different alien fugitive each week. Sadly even Adrian Paul, who played Cole, felt that they got stuck in this formula and the show suffered because of it.
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* ''{{Series/Tracker}}'' ''Series/Tracker2001'' had a different alien fugitive each week. Sadly even Adrian Paul, who played Cole, felt that they got stuck in this formula and the show suffered because of it.
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* While ''Series/HomicideLifeOnTheStreet'' did have recurring villains, most episodes centered around the detectives tracking down a new criminal. Notably, many episodes followed multiple investigations, meaning they had multiple Villains of the Week.
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Removed two anthology series, which while they technically do have a monster every week, do not fit the trope at all.
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* ''Series/GuillermoDelTorosCabinetOfCuriosities'': Unsurprisingly, from the [[Creator/GuillermoDelToro Master of Monsters]] himself.
** "Lot 36": [[spoiler:The demon possessing the mummified body of Dottie Wilmar, [[TheWormThatWalks a mass of writhing tentacles]].]]
** "Graveyard Rats": [[spoiler:[[RodentsOfUnusualSize A gigantic mother rat]], and an undead priest whose Cthulhu-esque deity might be the force behind the rats.]]
** "The Autopsy": [[spoiler:A deaf, blind and [[AliensAreBastards very malevolent]] PuppeteerParasite.]]
** "The Outside": [[spoiler:The Alo Glo skin lotion, which [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane may or may not be]] a supernatural substance with a will of its own (but then again, hallucinations are noted to be a side-effect of using it). Also, the people who talk to Stacey through the TV and drive her insane.]]
** "Pickman's Model": [[spoiler:The monstrous cannibal witch who was Pickman's ancestor, the ghouls, and the EldritchAbomination that appears in his paintings.]]
** "Dreams in the Witch House": [[spoiler:Keziah Mason, the ghost of a witch from the Salem witch trials who appears with a wooden body, and also Brown Jenkins, her {{Familiar}}, a rat with a human head.]]
** "The Viewing": [[spoiler:The psionic Shoggoth-like entity that emerges from the meteorite and merges with [[AndIMustScream poor Lassiter]] in the end, creating a terrifying and powerful humanoid entity.]]
** "The Murmuring": [[spoiler:The troubled spirits of a crying boy and a screaming woman who torments Nancy with the accusatory yell [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone "What have you done!?"]] TheReveal [[TearJerker shows she was a mentally ill woman who drowned her son in the bathtub in a fit of psychosis and then committed suicide when she came to]].]]
** "Lot 36": [[spoiler:The demon possessing the mummified body of Dottie Wilmar, [[TheWormThatWalks a mass of writhing tentacles]].]]
** "Graveyard Rats": [[spoiler:[[RodentsOfUnusualSize A gigantic mother rat]], and an undead priest whose Cthulhu-esque deity might be the force behind the rats.]]
** "The Autopsy": [[spoiler:A deaf, blind and [[AliensAreBastards very malevolent]] PuppeteerParasite.]]
** "The Outside": [[spoiler:The Alo Glo skin lotion, which [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane may or may not be]] a supernatural substance with a will of its own (but then again, hallucinations are noted to be a side-effect of using it). Also, the people who talk to Stacey through the TV and drive her insane.]]
** "Pickman's Model": [[spoiler:The monstrous cannibal witch who was Pickman's ancestor, the ghouls, and the EldritchAbomination that appears in his paintings.]]
** "Dreams in the Witch House": [[spoiler:Keziah Mason, the ghost of a witch from the Salem witch trials who appears with a wooden body, and also Brown Jenkins, her {{Familiar}}, a rat with a human head.]]
** "The Viewing": [[spoiler:The psionic Shoggoth-like entity that emerges from the meteorite and merges with [[AndIMustScream poor Lassiter]] in the end, creating a terrifying and powerful humanoid entity.]]
** "The Murmuring": [[spoiler:The troubled spirits of a crying boy and a screaming woman who torments Nancy with the accusatory yell [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone "What have you done!?"]] TheReveal [[TearJerker shows she was a mentally ill woman who drowned her son in the bathtub in a fit of psychosis and then committed suicide when she came to]].]]
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* As mentioned above, ''Series/TheOuterLimits1963'' named and codified the trope, but there were several episodes that eschewed the formula;
** "[[Recap/TheOuterLimits1963S1E2TheHundredDaysOfTheDragon The Hundred Days of the Dragon]]" is centered around a Chinese government operative who uses a special drug that can shapeshift his face, but no monster is present or implied.
** "[[Recap/TheOuterLimits1963S1E6TheManWhoWasNeverBorn The Man Who Was Never Born]]" turns the formula on its head by having the monster (Andros, a deformed mutant from a far-flung BadFuture) be the protagonist, seeking to undo the very future he's from.
** "[[Recap/TheOuterLimits1963S1E12TheBorderland The Borderland]]" has no monster to speak of; the episode is set around a machine that can reach into another dimension.
** "[[Recap/TheOuterLimits1963S1E16ControlledExperiment Controlled Experiment]]" likewise has no "monster", with the central characters being two Martians with completely human appearances and a time control device on hand, and they aren't evil.
** "[[Recap/TheOuterLimits1963S1E32TheFormsOfThingsUnknown The Form of Things Unknown]]" is another episode with no monster, but a science fiction element (namely, a Time Tilter device).
** "[[Recap/TheOuterLimits1963S2E10TheInheritors The Inheritors]]" has no monster in either part of the episode.
* In contrast to its TropeCodifier predecessor, ''Series/TheOuterLimits1995'' mostly averted this trope. Monsters made only occasional appearances. Generally, the stories involved exploring a specific scientific concept and its effects on humanity or featured a completely alternate society that may highlight the flaws of our own (through FantasticRacism for instance).
** "[[Recap/TheOuterLimits1963S1E2TheHundredDaysOfTheDragon The Hundred Days of the Dragon]]" is centered around a Chinese government operative who uses a special drug that can shapeshift his face, but no monster is present or implied.
** "[[Recap/TheOuterLimits1963S1E6TheManWhoWasNeverBorn The Man Who Was Never Born]]" turns the formula on its head by having the monster (Andros, a deformed mutant from a far-flung BadFuture) be the protagonist, seeking to undo the very future he's from.
** "[[Recap/TheOuterLimits1963S1E12TheBorderland The Borderland]]" has no monster to speak of; the episode is set around a machine that can reach into another dimension.
** "[[Recap/TheOuterLimits1963S1E16ControlledExperiment Controlled Experiment]]" likewise has no "monster", with the central characters being two Martians with completely human appearances and a time control device on hand, and they aren't evil.
** "[[Recap/TheOuterLimits1963S1E32TheFormsOfThingsUnknown The Form of Things Unknown]]" is another episode with no monster, but a science fiction element (namely, a Time Tilter device).
** "[[Recap/TheOuterLimits1963S2E10TheInheritors The Inheritors]]" has no monster in either part of the episode.
* In contrast to its TropeCodifier predecessor, ''Series/TheOuterLimits1995'' mostly averted this trope. Monsters made only occasional appearances. Generally, the stories involved exploring a specific scientific concept and its effects on humanity or featured a completely alternate society that may highlight the flaws of our own (through FantasticRacism for instance).
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* The ''Series/{{Arrowverse}}'' tends to use this to differing degrees across its shows, in addition to all having a seasonal StoryArc and BigBad:
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* The ''Series/{{Arrowverse}}'' ''Franchise/{{Arrowverse}}'' tends to use this to differing degrees across its shows, in addition to all having a seasonal StoryArc and BigBad:
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** ''Series/{{The Flash|2014}}'' has a different metahuman criminal every episode, similar to the earlier example from ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' mentioned below.
** ''Series/{{Supergirl|2015}}'' has a different superpowered criminal or villain every week, though they're mostly aliens or alien-related in season 2.
** ''Series/{{Supergirl|2015}}'' has a different superpowered criminal or villain every week, though they're mostly aliens or alien-related in season 2.
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** ''Series/{{The Flash|2014}}'' ''Series/TheFlash2014'' has a different metahuman criminal every episode, similar to the earlier example from ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' mentioned below.
**''Series/{{Supergirl|2015}}'' ''Series/Supergirl2015'' has a different superpowered criminal or villain every week, though they're mostly aliens or alien-related in season 2.
**
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!!!'''Creators:'''
* Irwin Allen: Almost every episode of ''Series/VoyageToTheBottomOfTheSea'', ''Series/LostInSpace'', and several other 60s SF shows produced by this man.
!!!'''Series:'''
* Irwin Allen: Almost every episode of ''Series/VoyageToTheBottomOfTheSea'', ''Series/LostInSpace'', and several other 60s SF shows produced by this man.
!!!'''Series:'''
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* ''Series/{{Hunter}}'': With the exception of a few double episodes, [[CowboyCop Rick Hunter]] and [=DeeDee=] [=McCall=] will always investigate one case a week involving a criminal who will be either locked up or shot dead by the end of the episode.
to:
* ''Series/{{Hunter}}'': ''Series/{{Hunter|NBC}}'': With the exception of a few double episodes, [[CowboyCop Rick Hunter]] and [=DeeDee=] [=McCall=] will always investigate one case a week involving a criminal who will be either locked up or shot dead by the end of the episode.
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----
[[MonsterOfTheWeek Monsters of the Week]] in LiveActionTV.
----
[[MonsterOfTheWeek Monsters of the Week]] in LiveActionTV.
----
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!!!'''Creators:'''
* Irwin Allen: Almost every episode of ''Series/VoyageToTheBottomOfTheSea'', ''Series/LostInSpace'', and several other 60s SF shows produced by this man.
!!!'''Series:'''
* ''Series/TheFortyFourHundred'': Just under half of the episodes were like this. Several episodes would focus on a specific person out of the forty-four hundred people who had disappeared and been returned (and, later on, [[spoiler: people who had taken the Promicin shots handed out by Jordan Collier)]], what sort of supernatural power they had developed, and a problem they had created (either willingly or otherwise) that would be resolved by the end of the episode. As stated above, it could in this case perhaps be more accurately called something like 'Freak of the Week', as the people in focus weren't always deliberately antagonistic.
* ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'': The show starts off this way, though the Centipede organization and the mysterious Raina reoccur throughout various episodes.
* ''Series/{{Angel}}'' started by following this trope, but the format was discarded in favor of an [[StoryArc arc-based]] one. ExecutiveMeddling in season 5 brought it back full circle.
* The ''Series/{{Arrowverse}}'' tends to use this to differing degrees across its shows, in addition to all having a seasonal StoryArc and BigBad:
** ''Series/{{Arrow}}'' itself has CorruptCorporateExecutive of the Week in Season 1, followed by a more generic Criminal of the Week in Season 2.
** ''Series/{{The Flash|2014}}'' has a different metahuman criminal every episode, similar to the earlier example from ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' mentioned below.
** ''Series/{{Supergirl|2015}}'' has a different superpowered criminal or villain every week, though they're mostly aliens or alien-related in season 2.
** ''Series/LegendsOfTomorrow'' mostly averts this, since it has a much larger emphasis on the season villains, and instead has a [[TownOfTheWeek Time-Period of the Week]].
* ''Series/TheAquabatsSuperShow'' gleefully indulges in this, and its monsters run from the fairly standard to the truly bizarre.
* ''Series/BabylonFive'' had these from time to time, most often in the first two seasons, with StoryArc episodes mixed in and becoming more common as the show continued. By the third season, such episodes became very rare as the plot began to reach critical mass.
* ''Series/BigWolfOnCampus'': Since it's technically a MonsterMash, that's [[JustifiedTrope reasonable enough]].
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'':
** The series interspersed monster of the week episodes with StoryArc episodes, especially toward the beginning of the season. This became less common in later seasons.
** Vampire Willow was this for two weeks.
** Eyghon the Sleepwalker, although he becomes much more important in ''Angel & Faith''.
* ''Series/BurnNotice'' episodes usually worked within a dual structure where Mike and his friends helped a Client of the Week fight a Loan Shark/Drug Dealer/Gang Member of the Week while also investigating the larger MythArc about Michael's [[TitleDrop burn notice]]. Mike almost always completely out-classed the villain of the week, so the larger arc was usually a chance to humble him and show him struggling with an equally matched opponent.
* ''Series/ElChapulinColorado'' had most of its episode base on a Monster of the Week/Villain of the Week dynamics, although most monsters were a ScoobyDooHoax, so probably will be more accurate to say always Villain of the Week.
* ''Series/{{Charmed|1998}}'' utilized this, although it became less prevalent in later seasons.
* ''Series/ChouSeiShinGransazer'' actually averts this trope for most of the series. The first 12 episodes has an alien agent put the Gransazers against each other. The next quarter of the show deals with a trio of recurring villains. Only the third quarter of the show has the heroes consistently deal with random monster attacks, which subsequently get replaced by another set of recurring villains in the final arc.
* ''Series/CriminalMinds'' has a new case almost every week (through at least Season 3) -- usually dealing with the type of people you could call "monsters".
* ''Series/DarkAngel'': The [[SecondSeasonDownfall second season]] is a good example of this trope, with new transgenics popping up in several episodes who need to be either fought or helped, after Max released all of them from the burning Manticore facility in the season premiere.
* ''Series/DarkShadows'' often had season-long arcs like this with one supernatural villain.
* The "To Catch a Predator" segments of ''Series/{{Dateline}}'' generally featured Pedophiles of the Week.
* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
** This show was originally supposed to be an edutainment program... until the Daleks [[Recap/DoctorWhoS1E2TheDaleks showed up]], whereupon it careened irreversibly into monster of the week territory.
** Notably, the old series was made up of serials, usually three or four parts... making it more like monster of the ''month''. Though, the new series follows this trope straight, while also including more {{Story Arc}}s.
** They even lampshade this trope in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E1TheEleventhHour "The Eleventh Hour"]], during Matt Smith's [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome epic speech]]: "'cause you're not the first to have come here, oh, there have been ''so'' many!"
** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E7AmysChoice "Amy's Choice"]] parodies it by having the Doctor able to identify the species possessing the elderly and why they're on Earth without them even having to say anything, since [[spoiler:it's AllJustADream]].
* ''Series/{{Farscape}}'' had monsters of the week interspersed with the StoryArc episodes throughout the series.
* ''Series/{{Forever|2014}}''. Although Adam is the primary villain of the series, it's still a cop procedural, with weekly cases and criminals.
* ''Series/ForeverKnight'': Nick Knight generally faces a new criminal every week in his job as a metropolitan police detective. Recurring villains include his vampire sire [=LaCroix=].
* ''Series/{{Fringe}}'' starts out as primarily a monster of the week show, but later on they're either in service of or serve as a distraction to the MythArc.
* The adult-oriented Toku ''Series/{{Garo}}'' has monster of the week episodes spliced in with StoryArc episodes. On several occasions, the MOTW turns out to be relevant to the arc.
* In every episode of the ''Franchise/GirlsXHeroine'' shows, the main characters have to fight a human who has been [[BrainwashedAndCrazy brainwashed]] through touching a corrupted MacGuffin.
* ''Series/{{Grimm}}'': The first half of the first series follows this to a tee. The second half of the series featured more character arcs and ongoing plotlines but it still largely stuck with one case every week, whether certain cases fed into a previous one or not.
* ''Series/GuillermoDelTorosCabinetOfCuriosities'': Unsurprisingly, from the [[Creator/GuillermoDelToro Master of Monsters]] himself.
** "Lot 36": [[spoiler:The demon possessing the mummified body of Dottie Wilmar, [[TheWormThatWalks a mass of writhing tentacles]].]]
** "Graveyard Rats": [[spoiler:[[RodentsOfUnusualSize A gigantic mother rat]], and an undead priest whose Cthulhu-esque deity might be the force behind the rats.]]
** "The Autopsy": [[spoiler:A deaf, blind and [[AliensAreBastards very malevolent]] PuppeteerParasite.]]
** "The Outside": [[spoiler:The Alo Glo skin lotion, which [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane may or may not be]] a supernatural substance with a will of its own (but then again, hallucinations are noted to be a side-effect of using it). Also, the people who talk to Stacey through the TV and drive her insane.]]
** "Pickman's Model": [[spoiler:The monstrous cannibal witch who was Pickman's ancestor, the ghouls, and the EldritchAbomination that appears in his paintings.]]
** "Dreams in the Witch House": [[spoiler:Keziah Mason, the ghost of a witch from the Salem witch trials who appears with a wooden body, and also Brown Jenkins, her {{Familiar}}, a rat with a human head.]]
** "The Viewing": [[spoiler:The psionic Shoggoth-like entity that emerges from the meteorite and merges with [[AndIMustScream poor Lassiter]] in the end, creating a terrifying and powerful humanoid entity.]]
** "The Murmuring": [[spoiler:The troubled spirits of a crying boy and a screaming woman who torments Nancy with the accusatory yell [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone "What have you done!?"]] TheReveal [[TearJerker shows she was a mentally ill woman who drowned her son in the bathtub in a fit of psychosis and then committed suicide when she came to]].]]
* In ''Series/HarmonQuest'', a part-animated series, part-improvisational comedy show where Creator/DanHarmon invites comedians and actors to play TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons in front of a live studio audience, the special guest players usually takes this role as their characters become the episode's villain of the week (in cases where the character doesn't die at the end, they just make an excuse to go their separate ways instead).
* ''Series/{{Haven}}'' revolves around the supernatural mystery disaster of the week. The town seems to attract people who are "troubled" and have supernatural abilities.
* ''Series/{{Heroes}}'': This show is normally entirely serialized, but volume three would often put the arc in the background for a one-off evolved human. Examples include the man who could create wormholes and the Haitian's brother.
* ''Series/{{Highlander}}'' often had an evil Immortal of the week, due to the need to have a sword duel OnceAnEpisode.
* ''Series/{{Hunter}}'': With the exception of a few double episodes, [[CowboyCop Rick Hunter]] and [=DeeDee=] [=McCall=] will always investigate one case a week involving a criminal who will be either locked up or shot dead by the end of the episode.
* ''Franchise/KamenRider'', being a {{Tokusatsu}} franchise, has this as a staple. The following list includes notable implementations or subversions and aversions to this trope:
** The first and second monster in the original ''Series/KamenRider'' series are the Spider-Man and Bat Man respectively. [[note]]Not to be confused with the famous comic book heroes[[/note]]. The first monster to appear in more than one episode was the Cobra Man. Many of the newer Kamen Rider series reference all three by either basing the first monsters a Rider would face on these animals, or basing important antagonists on them.
** The 51 Undead in ''Series/KamenRiderBlade'' are actually in conflict with one another to see which will be the dominant species on Earth (the human Undead was the winner of the last such competition, hence ''us''). It can probably be assumed most of them are simply laying low and gathering their strength at the beginning of the series.
** Multiple shows starting with ''Series/KamenRiderDenO'' are a slight variation on this, as almost every episode is a two-parter (or more); therefore, almost every monster of the week actually lasts at least two weeks -- and that's not counting the ones that were just slightly rebranded and reused, or those revived to serve as the BigBad's army in the GrandFinale.
** ''Series/KamenRiderGaim'', ''Series/KamenRiderExAid'' and ''Series/KamenRiderBuild'' each introduce a small array of monsters at the start of the show, but transition away from monsters as the primary threat to focus on conflicts between multiple Riders with different philosophies or motivations. Only near the beginning of each show are single monsters treated like a genuine threat, with appearances afterward being more like EliteMooks. ''Ex-Aid'' puts an extra twist on the formula by having there only be about ten to twelve monsters; they just have ResurrectiveImmortality. This ties into the series theme of comparing [[VideoGameLives death in video games]] to [[AllDeathsFinal death in real life]].
** ''Series/KamenRiderDrive'' establishes in its first episode that there are exactly 108 monsters, mooks included, which means that killing a mook is equally valuable to killing a named monster when it comes to making progress towards the series goal. Between the show, its movies, and all of the specials, it's possible to track exactly where all 108 are killed.
** ''Series/KamenRiderGhost'' eventually drops using individual Gamma as notable threats in favor of the Gammaizers, unique monsters with ResurrectiveImmortality. The Gamma costumes are recycled by [[TheDragon Igor]], who can use them as a dark mirror of Ghost's own MultiformBalance.
** One distinguishing feature of ''Series/KamenRiderZiO'' is that, thanks to the show’s TimeTravel gimmick, almost all of its weekly monsters are monstrous versions of the franchise’s previous Kamen Riders, starting with ''Build'' and working down from there.
** ''Series/KamenRiderZeroOne'' has one set of monsters (androids hacked into {{killer robot}}s) for the first third of the show, which are usurped by a second set (''humans'' [[PsychoSerum hacked]] into killer cyborgs) during the second act. The third act turns both types of monster into mass-produced mooks for the named antagonists.
** ''Series/KamenRiderSaber'' gradually phases out the biweekly Mamono for a single IncreasinglyLethalEnemy which has all of their individual powers combined, in addition to the usual slate of evil Riders.
** ''Series/KamenRiderGeats'' has "{{Mooks}} of the Week" where the Riders would have to fight a different variant of Pawn Jyamato in each round of the Desire Grand Prix.
* ''Series/KolchakTheNightStalker'' could be considered the ultimate archetype. It was, in fact, even mockingly dismissed by some as "Kolchak's Monster of the Week" when its transfer from a pair of movies to a TV series ended up not quite panning out.
* ''Series/{{Legacies}}'' generally follows this format, as the main villain keeps sending monsters after {{MacGuffin}}s in season 1 and after Landon in season 2.
* The Creator/AnimalPlanet show ''Series/LostTapes'' features a different monster tormenting the PointOfView character(s) each week.
* ''Series/{{Merlin|2008}}'': This was a big part of the first series, and the BigBad only appeared in 4 of the 13 episodes. From Series 2 onwards the writers concentrated more on a singular villain ([[spoiler:Morgause, Morgana and Agravaine]], though occasionally a one-off monster will appear for a {{Filler}} episode.
* The ''Series/MetalHeroes'' show followed this.
** In the first episode of ''Series/ChoujinkiMetalder'', ''every monster from the show'' can be seen in the BigBad's lair. There are four groups of monsters, each with its own general, and each has his or her own rank. Most are just in the background until it's their turn at being MOTW, but there are monsters who live to tell the tale and come back to fight another day ''multiple'' times, and some who rise to become major characters even if not "Victorious Saint" (general) rank.
** ''Series/SekaiNinjaSenJiraiya'' had a different [[McNinja World Ninja]] of the week, although quite a few survived their initial episode and went on to reappear, forming a RoguesGallery of sorts. Not all of them are evil as well and some of them even become Jiraiya's allies.
** Episodes of the [[Series/TokkeiWinspector Rescue]] [[Series/TokkyuuShireiSolbrain Police]] [[Series/TokusouExceedraft trilogy]] each feature a different "criminal of the week" who the Rescue Police have to stop, though uniquely for the franchise all of them are independent from each other, as the shows all lack a BigBad or any sort of overarching threat.
** ''Series/TokusouRoboJanperson'' doesn't have as many monsters, but they do have a "Cyborg of the Week" who fits the same mold, being a character that fights the heroes, gets defeated, and never seen again after their episode.
* Every episode of ''Series/MonsterSquad'' had Count Dracula, Frank N. Stein and Bruce W. Wolf fight a different supervillain.
* The format of ''Series/MonsterWarriors''. Every episode Klaus Von Steinhauer (or, more rarely, someone else) creates a monster (intentionally or unintentionally) which attacks Capital City and the Monster Warriors have to stop it. The monsters are generally the sort of creature one would find a 1950s giant monster movie because BigBad Klaus is an embittered film director from the 1950s who now has the means to bring his movie monsters to life.
* ''Musica Piccolyno'' an Creator/{{NHK}} children's musical program takes this format. The main characters are 4 Musica doctors travelling a strange {{Steampunk}} dimension in their CoolAirship as each episode they try to help one of the MechanicalLifeforms in that setting.
* ''Series/PainkillerJane'' followed this formula, with the agency facing a different [[DifferentlyPoweredIndividual neuro]] every week.
* ''Series/{{Primeval}}'': Just what will come through the [[NegativeSpaceWedgie Anomaly]] this week? Gorgonopsid? Mammoth? Velociraptor? Future predator? KnightInShiningArmor? The show also has a StoryArc that ran parallel, with the heroes battling human villains while still handling the monsters of the week, who filed both sides under "dinner".
* As mentioned above, ''Series/TheOuterLimits1963'' named and codified the trope, but there were several episodes that eschewed the formula;
** "[[Recap/TheOuterLimits1963S1E2TheHundredDaysOfTheDragon The Hundred Days of the Dragon]]" is centered around a Chinese government operative who uses a special drug that can shapeshift his face, but no monster is present or implied.
** "[[Recap/TheOuterLimits1963S1E6TheManWhoWasNeverBorn The Man Who Was Never Born]]" turns the formula on its head by having the monster (Andros, a deformed mutant from a far-flung BadFuture) be the protagonist, seeking to undo the very future he's from.
** "[[Recap/TheOuterLimits1963S1E12TheBorderland The Borderland]]" has no monster to speak of; the episode is set around a machine that can reach into another dimension.
** "[[Recap/TheOuterLimits1963S1E16ControlledExperiment Controlled Experiment]]" likewise has no "monster", with the central characters being two Martians with completely human appearances and a time control device on hand, and they aren't evil.
** "[[Recap/TheOuterLimits1963S1E32TheFormsOfThingsUnknown The Form of Things Unknown]]" is another episode with no monster, but a science fiction element (namely, a Time Tilter device).
** "[[Recap/TheOuterLimits1963S2E10TheInheritors The Inheritors]]" has no monster in either part of the episode.
* In contrast to its TropeCodifier predecessor, ''Series/TheOuterLimits1995'' mostly averted this trope. Monsters made only occasional appearances. Generally, the stories involved exploring a specific scientific concept and its effects on humanity or featured a completely alternate society that may highlight the flaws of our own (through FantasticRacism for instance).
* ''Franchise/PowerRangers''
** ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'' would take the monsters from ''[[Series/KyoryuSentaiZyuranger Zyuranger]]'', ''[[Series/GoseiSentaiDairanger Dairanger]]'', and ''[[Series/NinjaSentaiKakuranger Kakuranger]]'' and change them into [[AdaptationalSpeciesChange Evil Space Aliens]], with most of them being created by either Rita, Finster, or Lord Zedd. Some monsters, such as Madame Woe, Mondo the Magician, and the Face Stealer were not created by any of them, as they had already existed. (There were also ''MMPR''-exclusive monsters, part of the "[[FanNickname [=Zyu2=]]]" footage created by Toei exclusively for ''MMPR'' when it became clear the show was a runaway success.)
** ''Series/PowerRangersMegaforce'' first had Insectoids (aliens resembling different insects), followed by the Toxic Beasts (monsters born of pollution who joined forces with the Insectoids), and finally, the Robots Vrak created.
** Really, every ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' show had various MonstersOfTheWeek, though in ''Series/PowerRangersTimeForce'', they were mutants instead of monsters, and during the Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers miniseries-along with ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'' and ''Film/MightyMorphinPowerRangers''-had several of the MOTW as actual aliens instead of created monsters, with the 1995 film having Ivan instead of the usual MOTW.
* ''Series/ThePrisoner1967'' had the No. 2 of the week, who tried the scheme of the Week to attempt to break No. 6. (There were a couple of returning No. 2s with new schemes.)
* ''Series/RedDwarf'' goes this way after about the third series. To their credit, the crew is pretty GenreSavvy about it, especially in Series 6. For example, Rimmer explains to one monster that everybody they'd met to that point has tried to kill them. It also swings the other direction in Series 7 & 8, having the storylines cover multiple episodes. (Although they are still self-contained.)
* ''Series/{{Revolution}}'': This show goes with the villain Of the week variety. "[[Recap/RevolutionS1E2ChainedHeat Chained Heat]]" had the bounty hunter Jacob. "[[Recap/RevolutionS1E3NoQuarter No Quarter]]" had Captain Jeremy Baker (who got DemotedToExtra afterward). "[[Recap/RevolutionS1E4ThePlagueDogs The Plague Dogs]]" had a mad dog-trainer named Ray Kinsey. "[[Recap/RevolutionS1E6SexAndDrugs Sex and Drugs]]" had a drug lord named Drexel. "[[Recap/RevolutionS1E7TheChildrensCrusade The Children's Crusade]]" had Lieutenant Slotnick. "[[Recap/RevolutionS1E8TiesThatBind Ties That Bind]]" had Sergeant Will Strausser (who still appeared in a couple more episodes). "[[Recap/RevolutionS1E9Kashmir Kashmir]]" had Sergeant Joseph Wheatley. "[[Recap/RevolutionS1E12Ghosts Ghosts]]" had Captain Joseph Deckert. "[[Recap/RevolutionS1E14TheNightTheLightsWentOutInGeorgia The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia]]" had Alec Penner.
* ''Series/SevenStarFightingGodGuyferd'': Each episode had [[TheSyndicate Crown]] sending a different mutant monster to either defeat Guyferd or complete a part of one of their evil schemes.
* ''Series/{{Smallville}}'':
** The show has the "meteor freak" of the week, mutants created by [[GreenRocks Kryptonite]]. Season 6 also gave us the Phantom Zone escapees-of-the-week. As the series has progressed, it has much more of a StoryArc, but also keeps the Monster of the Week format.
** It also had an interesting variation starting in Season 4: ''Hero'' of the Week. Every season would have about two or three episodes where a superhero or two from the comics would guest star, run amuck, get on Clark's bad side, then ultimately they'd make their peace and help each other out before leaving in a manner that some could interpret as a PoorlyDisguisedPilot. The CW's second superhero show ''Series/{{Arrow}}'' seemed to play with this method when it introduced Huntress: at first she seemed like she was going to be a hero of the week, then her second episode has her declare she'd rather practice revenge, not justice, then her third has her cross the MoralEventHorizon, turning her into a villain-of-the-week.
* ''Series/{{Space 1999}}'': One of the most common fan complaints about the second season was that it dropped the metaphysical and psychodrama aspects in favour of more monster-of-the-week action-oriented stories.
* ''Series/SpiderManJapan'' has Professor Monster's Machine [=BEMs=] serve this purpose, with nearly every episode having a different monster assist the Iron Cross Army in their evil schemes until Spider-Man ends up soundly defeating them, frequently with the help of his HumongousMecha Leopardon.
* ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'':
** In SF author David Gerrold's book about writing the episode "The Trouble With Tribbles", he recounts seeing the first episode broadcast, which featured a creature that sucked all of the salt out of people's bodies, thereby killing them. He hoped ''Star Trek'' wasn't going to turn out to be a monster of the week show, which ironically for him, it did.
** While later series rarely had weekly ''monsters'', ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' and especially ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' had [[NegativeSpaceWedgie stellar anomalies]] of the week that were always solved by a healthy amount of {{Technobabble}}.
** The first season of ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' started to become a ''[[SufficientlyAdvancedAlien god-like alien]]'' of the week show, but fortunately found sturdier footing in subsequent seasons.
* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' usually has actual monsters, more so in the first two seasons. This is balanced against the MythArc villains, who tend to be demons, rogue angels, and, in Season 7, [[EldritchAbomination Leviathans]]. In the later episodes, where the MythArc dominates because of VillainPedigree, the writers still bring in a monster of the week every once in a while for a [[BreatherEpisode breather]].
* ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' has traditionally had these throughout their run.
** ''Series/HimitsuSentaiGorenger'' has the Masked Monsters, the Black Cross Army's field agents known for their bizarre masks and deadly skills.
** ''Series/JAKQDengekitai'' has the Machine Robots, who were around for the early episodes until Shine was introduced in Episode 23. After that, they were replaced by the Invader Robots.
** ''Series/ChoudenshiBioman'' features an interesting variation of the formula. Instead of the villains sending monsters to fight the team on foot, they instead send the Beastnoids, a recurring QuirkyMinibossSquad of five monsters, to fight the Rangers human-sized and send separate [[{{Robeast}} giant creatures (and later giant robot creatures)]] to fight the Rangers giant-sized in mech battles.
** ''Series/KyoryuSentaiZyuranger'' has the Dora Monsters, which are created by Preplechaun and have a theme around Myth/ClassicalMythology.
** ''Series/GoseiSentaiDairanger'' had the Gorma Monsters, a group of humans from an ancient tribe that were able to transform into more monstrous forms.
** ''Series/NinjaSentaiKakuranger'' had the Yokai, who were released when Sasuke and Saizō wound up opening the gate that had them sealed.
** The Jakanja in ''Series/NinpuuSentaiHurricaneger'' have ''four'' monster divisions - the Puppet Ninja Corps, Alien Ninja Corps, Masked Ninja Corps and Phantom Beast Ninja Corps - each led by a different commander, who all take turns sending out one of their members to cause havoc. (They also had [[MakeMyMonsterGrow a corresponding growth method for each Corps]].)
** ''Series/TokusouSentaiDekaranger'' had the Alienizers, intergalactic criminals that would target Earth for nefarious ends. Unlike previous and future series, rather than working directly for [[BigBad Agent Abrella]], he would offer them weaponry, [[MechaMook robotic foot soldiers]], [[HumongousMecha Heavy Industrial Machines]] and all assorted illegal items for conducting unlawful activities provide that they would willing to pay his exorbitant prices.
** ''Series/MahouSentaiMagiranger'' has the Hades Beasts and Hades Beastmen. Due to a seal that was placed on the Infershia, they are not allowed to send in more than one monster.
** Although there are four villain groups in ''Series/GoGoSentaiBoukenger'', the Jaryuu Clan and Dark Shadow are the only two who regularly make use of monsters of the week. The Questers followed something akin to a "HumongousMecha of the Week" formula and Gajah rarely made use of henchmen that weren't his {{Mooks}}. Several episodes also saw the Boukengers going up against entirely independent monsters who embodied Precious artifacts.
** ''Series/UchuSentaiKyuranger'' had the Daikaan, basically "{{Evil Overlord}}s of the Week" who each served as the overseer of one of the planets controlled by the [[TheEmpire Space Shognunate Jark Matter]]. After defeating enough of them, the Karo, the star system governors the Daikaan answer to, started picking fights with the Kyurangers as well.
** ''Series/AvataroSentaiDonbrothers'' features an unique twist: the Hitotsu-Ki are monstrous {{Oni}} forms taken on by humans with extreme desires in their hearts and are fought by ''both'' the heroes and villains with the difference that the Donbrothers seek to turn them back to their original human selves while the Noto simply destroy them, killing the host in the process, in order to stop them from disrupting the Noto Layer that keeps their world hidden from the human world.
* ''Series/{{Torchwood}}''... At least, the first two series. After the successful switch to "mini-series focused on a single threat" of ''[[Series/TorchwoodChildrenOfEarth Children of Earth]]'', RTD decided to drop the MOTW format altogether.
* ''{{Series/Tracker}}'' had a different alien fugitive each week. Sadly even Adrian Paul, who played Cole, felt that they got stuck in this formula and the show suffered because of it.
* ''[[Series/{{Tremors}} Tremors: The Series]]'':
** In the series, monsters of the week were produced by a chemical compound called "[[MutagenicGoo Mix Master]]" which, once released into the valley, randomly scrambled together the DNA of all living things except humans. This created monstrosities ranging from acid-shooting plants to giant shrimp.
** And one of them was defeated by the resident monster, El Blanco.
* The ''Franchise/UltraSeries'', especially [[Series/{{Ultraman}} the original series]], was built around this trope (except for the occasional MultiPartEpisode, as well as any battles against a BigBad). However, a large number of these weekly monsters end up becoming recurring opponents that face the Ultras multiple times if they become extreme popular with fans, creating a sort of RoguesGallery in the process.
** In a few series, the majority of [=MOTWs=] are recycled from previous shows due to the aforementioned PopularityPower. ''Series/UltramanMebius'', ''Series/UltramanGinga'', and ''Series/UltramanX'' are good examples, but ''Series/UltramanMax'' was the one that popularized the trend despite only eight monsters returning in that series. Additionally, some [=MOTWs=] might appear two or three times in a single series (eg: Baltan and Red King both appeared twice in ''Series/{{Ultraman}}''). [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools Most fans are not bothered by this]], since it means more opportunities to see their favorite monsters fight the Ultras.
** When compared to other {{Toku}} franchises like ''Franchise/SuperSentai'', the [=MOTWs=] of the ''Ultra Series'' do not have any connection with each other and are treated much like natural disasters or animals-on-the-loose (ie: they do not serve the BigBad), as popularized by the original ''Series/{{Ultraman}}''. This is averted in some series, like ''Series/UltramanGaia'' and ''Series/UltramanAce''.
** Obviously, most [=MOTWs=] in the franchise are {{kaiju}} or aliens that can turn giant-sized, since they're the only things big enough to fight an Ultra. However, ''Series/UltraQ'' and its [[Series/UltraQDarkFantasy two]] [[Series/NeoUltraQ remakes]] feature a much broader variety of [=MOTWs=], with supernatural phenomena and human-sized creatures straight out of ''Series/TheXFiles''. Only a few ''Ultraman'' shows have since featured these as the primary threat of an episode, notably ''Series/UltraSeven'' and episode 13 of ''Series/UltramanTiga''.
** The ''Ultra Series'' sometimes turns the trope on its head by having ''friendly'' [=MOTWs=]. While there are many times where such creatures end up becoming corrupted by evil forces, there are also plenty of times where they aren't. Often in such situations, the humans and Ultras have to protect or assist the monster in some way instead of just killing it. ''Series/UltramanCosmos'' is a golden example of this, as almost all the monsters in that series were {{Gentle Giant}}s, [[NonMaliciousMonster Non-Malicious Monsters]], or BenevolentMonsters.
** In case the point about the franchise's [=MOTWs=] being as popular as the heroes hasn't been hammered in to you yet, there have been ''[[Series/UltraGalaxyMegaMonsterBattle whole series]]'' entirely centered solely around the kaiju with some of them such as Gomora and Litra, taking up the role of the heroic forces.
** Averted in ''Series/UltramanNexus'', where each monster forms its own story arc that can run anywhere between two to four episodes, and sometimes longer.
** ''Series/UltramanGeed'' has an interesting take on this scenario, where a good chunk of its [=MOTWs=] are fusions of [=MOTWs=] from previous series.
** Of course, the many ''Ultraman'' copycats that form the "Kyodai Hero" genre also use the formula, notably ''Series/ZoneFighter'' and ''Series/{{Spectreman}}''. The former should get a particular shoutout for having Franchise/{{Godzilla}} showing up a few times to help Zone battle the Terror-Beasts. Two of his enemies, King Ghidorah and Gigan, also appeared as [=MOTWs=]!
*** ''Series/VRTroopers'' had all the guys from ''Series/ChoujinkiMetalder'', but no clear ranking system; any time they got destroyed it could be [[HandWave hand waved]] that, since they were virtual creations to start, Grimlord could bring them all back whenever he wanted (as to explain why they kept appearing in the stock footage of his lair day after day). Since they also adapted ''Series/JikuuSenshiSpielban'' and later ''Series/SpaceSheriffShaider'', so there were plenty of [=MOTWs=] who made the traditional one-off appearances. Eventually, Grimlord gets [[YouHaveFailedMe fed up with their failures]] and once he gets an upgrade that means he doesn't need them anymore, he slaughters all of them but his favorites and replaces them with stronger minions who he has made each week.
* ''Series/Warehouse13'' revolves around the Artifact of the Week, which can range from purely a MacGuffin all the way up to an actual Monster.
* ''Series/TheWestWing'' does this metaphorically, with political crisis of the week, caused by idiot politician of the week (in fact, many episodes are around one week long).
* ''Series/{{The Witcher|2019}}'', while Ciri and Yennefer's arcs are more narrative, Geralt's arc for the first six episodes is a case of this, appropriately enough for a monster hunter.
* ''[[Series/WonderWoman1975 Wonder Woman]]'': Most of the episodes were self contained, no matter what threads were left hanging - we're looking at you, [[PoorlyDisguisedPilot Tina ("The Girl from Ilandia") and Bryce ("The Man Who Could Not Die")]]. Some examples are the Nazi spy, Wotan ("Last of the Two Dollar Bills"), the Falcon ("The Pluto Files"), and a literal example, the KillerGorilla Gargantua ("Wonder Woman vs. Gargantua").
* ''Series/TheXFiles'': The show alternated weekly monsters and MythArc episodes. ''The X-Files'' is famous for not quite wrapping up a [=MotW=] and closing with a TheEndOrIsIt ending. Unusually, while most fandoms consider [=MotWs=] to be filler, a large group of ''X-Files'' fans consider the weekly monster episodes to be superior to the Myth Arc episodes, especially in later seasons... mostly because the latter were [[TheChrisCarterEffect made up as they went along]].
* Irwin Allen: Almost every episode of ''Series/VoyageToTheBottomOfTheSea'', ''Series/LostInSpace'', and several other 60s SF shows produced by this man.
!!!'''Series:'''
* ''Series/TheFortyFourHundred'': Just under half of the episodes were like this. Several episodes would focus on a specific person out of the forty-four hundred people who had disappeared and been returned (and, later on, [[spoiler: people who had taken the Promicin shots handed out by Jordan Collier)]], what sort of supernatural power they had developed, and a problem they had created (either willingly or otherwise) that would be resolved by the end of the episode. As stated above, it could in this case perhaps be more accurately called something like 'Freak of the Week', as the people in focus weren't always deliberately antagonistic.
* ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'': The show starts off this way, though the Centipede organization and the mysterious Raina reoccur throughout various episodes.
* ''Series/{{Angel}}'' started by following this trope, but the format was discarded in favor of an [[StoryArc arc-based]] one. ExecutiveMeddling in season 5 brought it back full circle.
* The ''Series/{{Arrowverse}}'' tends to use this to differing degrees across its shows, in addition to all having a seasonal StoryArc and BigBad:
** ''Series/{{Arrow}}'' itself has CorruptCorporateExecutive of the Week in Season 1, followed by a more generic Criminal of the Week in Season 2.
** ''Series/{{The Flash|2014}}'' has a different metahuman criminal every episode, similar to the earlier example from ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' mentioned below.
** ''Series/{{Supergirl|2015}}'' has a different superpowered criminal or villain every week, though they're mostly aliens or alien-related in season 2.
** ''Series/LegendsOfTomorrow'' mostly averts this, since it has a much larger emphasis on the season villains, and instead has a [[TownOfTheWeek Time-Period of the Week]].
* ''Series/TheAquabatsSuperShow'' gleefully indulges in this, and its monsters run from the fairly standard to the truly bizarre.
* ''Series/BabylonFive'' had these from time to time, most often in the first two seasons, with StoryArc episodes mixed in and becoming more common as the show continued. By the third season, such episodes became very rare as the plot began to reach critical mass.
* ''Series/BigWolfOnCampus'': Since it's technically a MonsterMash, that's [[JustifiedTrope reasonable enough]].
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'':
** The series interspersed monster of the week episodes with StoryArc episodes, especially toward the beginning of the season. This became less common in later seasons.
** Vampire Willow was this for two weeks.
** Eyghon the Sleepwalker, although he becomes much more important in ''Angel & Faith''.
* ''Series/BurnNotice'' episodes usually worked within a dual structure where Mike and his friends helped a Client of the Week fight a Loan Shark/Drug Dealer/Gang Member of the Week while also investigating the larger MythArc about Michael's [[TitleDrop burn notice]]. Mike almost always completely out-classed the villain of the week, so the larger arc was usually a chance to humble him and show him struggling with an equally matched opponent.
* ''Series/ElChapulinColorado'' had most of its episode base on a Monster of the Week/Villain of the Week dynamics, although most monsters were a ScoobyDooHoax, so probably will be more accurate to say always Villain of the Week.
* ''Series/{{Charmed|1998}}'' utilized this, although it became less prevalent in later seasons.
* ''Series/ChouSeiShinGransazer'' actually averts this trope for most of the series. The first 12 episodes has an alien agent put the Gransazers against each other. The next quarter of the show deals with a trio of recurring villains. Only the third quarter of the show has the heroes consistently deal with random monster attacks, which subsequently get replaced by another set of recurring villains in the final arc.
* ''Series/CriminalMinds'' has a new case almost every week (through at least Season 3) -- usually dealing with the type of people you could call "monsters".
* ''Series/DarkAngel'': The [[SecondSeasonDownfall second season]] is a good example of this trope, with new transgenics popping up in several episodes who need to be either fought or helped, after Max released all of them from the burning Manticore facility in the season premiere.
* ''Series/DarkShadows'' often had season-long arcs like this with one supernatural villain.
* The "To Catch a Predator" segments of ''Series/{{Dateline}}'' generally featured Pedophiles of the Week.
* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
** This show was originally supposed to be an edutainment program... until the Daleks [[Recap/DoctorWhoS1E2TheDaleks showed up]], whereupon it careened irreversibly into monster of the week territory.
** Notably, the old series was made up of serials, usually three or four parts... making it more like monster of the ''month''. Though, the new series follows this trope straight, while also including more {{Story Arc}}s.
** They even lampshade this trope in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E1TheEleventhHour "The Eleventh Hour"]], during Matt Smith's [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome epic speech]]: "'cause you're not the first to have come here, oh, there have been ''so'' many!"
** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E7AmysChoice "Amy's Choice"]] parodies it by having the Doctor able to identify the species possessing the elderly and why they're on Earth without them even having to say anything, since [[spoiler:it's AllJustADream]].
* ''Series/{{Farscape}}'' had monsters of the week interspersed with the StoryArc episodes throughout the series.
* ''Series/{{Forever|2014}}''. Although Adam is the primary villain of the series, it's still a cop procedural, with weekly cases and criminals.
* ''Series/ForeverKnight'': Nick Knight generally faces a new criminal every week in his job as a metropolitan police detective. Recurring villains include his vampire sire [=LaCroix=].
* ''Series/{{Fringe}}'' starts out as primarily a monster of the week show, but later on they're either in service of or serve as a distraction to the MythArc.
* The adult-oriented Toku ''Series/{{Garo}}'' has monster of the week episodes spliced in with StoryArc episodes. On several occasions, the MOTW turns out to be relevant to the arc.
* In every episode of the ''Franchise/GirlsXHeroine'' shows, the main characters have to fight a human who has been [[BrainwashedAndCrazy brainwashed]] through touching a corrupted MacGuffin.
* ''Series/{{Grimm}}'': The first half of the first series follows this to a tee. The second half of the series featured more character arcs and ongoing plotlines but it still largely stuck with one case every week, whether certain cases fed into a previous one or not.
* ''Series/GuillermoDelTorosCabinetOfCuriosities'': Unsurprisingly, from the [[Creator/GuillermoDelToro Master of Monsters]] himself.
** "Lot 36": [[spoiler:The demon possessing the mummified body of Dottie Wilmar, [[TheWormThatWalks a mass of writhing tentacles]].]]
** "Graveyard Rats": [[spoiler:[[RodentsOfUnusualSize A gigantic mother rat]], and an undead priest whose Cthulhu-esque deity might be the force behind the rats.]]
** "The Autopsy": [[spoiler:A deaf, blind and [[AliensAreBastards very malevolent]] PuppeteerParasite.]]
** "The Outside": [[spoiler:The Alo Glo skin lotion, which [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane may or may not be]] a supernatural substance with a will of its own (but then again, hallucinations are noted to be a side-effect of using it). Also, the people who talk to Stacey through the TV and drive her insane.]]
** "Pickman's Model": [[spoiler:The monstrous cannibal witch who was Pickman's ancestor, the ghouls, and the EldritchAbomination that appears in his paintings.]]
** "Dreams in the Witch House": [[spoiler:Keziah Mason, the ghost of a witch from the Salem witch trials who appears with a wooden body, and also Brown Jenkins, her {{Familiar}}, a rat with a human head.]]
** "The Viewing": [[spoiler:The psionic Shoggoth-like entity that emerges from the meteorite and merges with [[AndIMustScream poor Lassiter]] in the end, creating a terrifying and powerful humanoid entity.]]
** "The Murmuring": [[spoiler:The troubled spirits of a crying boy and a screaming woman who torments Nancy with the accusatory yell [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone "What have you done!?"]] TheReveal [[TearJerker shows she was a mentally ill woman who drowned her son in the bathtub in a fit of psychosis and then committed suicide when she came to]].]]
* In ''Series/HarmonQuest'', a part-animated series, part-improvisational comedy show where Creator/DanHarmon invites comedians and actors to play TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons in front of a live studio audience, the special guest players usually takes this role as their characters become the episode's villain of the week (in cases where the character doesn't die at the end, they just make an excuse to go their separate ways instead).
* ''Series/{{Haven}}'' revolves around the supernatural mystery disaster of the week. The town seems to attract people who are "troubled" and have supernatural abilities.
* ''Series/{{Heroes}}'': This show is normally entirely serialized, but volume three would often put the arc in the background for a one-off evolved human. Examples include the man who could create wormholes and the Haitian's brother.
* ''Series/{{Highlander}}'' often had an evil Immortal of the week, due to the need to have a sword duel OnceAnEpisode.
* ''Series/{{Hunter}}'': With the exception of a few double episodes, [[CowboyCop Rick Hunter]] and [=DeeDee=] [=McCall=] will always investigate one case a week involving a criminal who will be either locked up or shot dead by the end of the episode.
* ''Franchise/KamenRider'', being a {{Tokusatsu}} franchise, has this as a staple. The following list includes notable implementations or subversions and aversions to this trope:
** The first and second monster in the original ''Series/KamenRider'' series are the Spider-Man and Bat Man respectively. [[note]]Not to be confused with the famous comic book heroes[[/note]]. The first monster to appear in more than one episode was the Cobra Man. Many of the newer Kamen Rider series reference all three by either basing the first monsters a Rider would face on these animals, or basing important antagonists on them.
** The 51 Undead in ''Series/KamenRiderBlade'' are actually in conflict with one another to see which will be the dominant species on Earth (the human Undead was the winner of the last such competition, hence ''us''). It can probably be assumed most of them are simply laying low and gathering their strength at the beginning of the series.
** Multiple shows starting with ''Series/KamenRiderDenO'' are a slight variation on this, as almost every episode is a two-parter (or more); therefore, almost every monster of the week actually lasts at least two weeks -- and that's not counting the ones that were just slightly rebranded and reused, or those revived to serve as the BigBad's army in the GrandFinale.
** ''Series/KamenRiderGaim'', ''Series/KamenRiderExAid'' and ''Series/KamenRiderBuild'' each introduce a small array of monsters at the start of the show, but transition away from monsters as the primary threat to focus on conflicts between multiple Riders with different philosophies or motivations. Only near the beginning of each show are single monsters treated like a genuine threat, with appearances afterward being more like EliteMooks. ''Ex-Aid'' puts an extra twist on the formula by having there only be about ten to twelve monsters; they just have ResurrectiveImmortality. This ties into the series theme of comparing [[VideoGameLives death in video games]] to [[AllDeathsFinal death in real life]].
** ''Series/KamenRiderDrive'' establishes in its first episode that there are exactly 108 monsters, mooks included, which means that killing a mook is equally valuable to killing a named monster when it comes to making progress towards the series goal. Between the show, its movies, and all of the specials, it's possible to track exactly where all 108 are killed.
** ''Series/KamenRiderGhost'' eventually drops using individual Gamma as notable threats in favor of the Gammaizers, unique monsters with ResurrectiveImmortality. The Gamma costumes are recycled by [[TheDragon Igor]], who can use them as a dark mirror of Ghost's own MultiformBalance.
** One distinguishing feature of ''Series/KamenRiderZiO'' is that, thanks to the show’s TimeTravel gimmick, almost all of its weekly monsters are monstrous versions of the franchise’s previous Kamen Riders, starting with ''Build'' and working down from there.
** ''Series/KamenRiderZeroOne'' has one set of monsters (androids hacked into {{killer robot}}s) for the first third of the show, which are usurped by a second set (''humans'' [[PsychoSerum hacked]] into killer cyborgs) during the second act. The third act turns both types of monster into mass-produced mooks for the named antagonists.
** ''Series/KamenRiderSaber'' gradually phases out the biweekly Mamono for a single IncreasinglyLethalEnemy which has all of their individual powers combined, in addition to the usual slate of evil Riders.
** ''Series/KamenRiderGeats'' has "{{Mooks}} of the Week" where the Riders would have to fight a different variant of Pawn Jyamato in each round of the Desire Grand Prix.
* ''Series/KolchakTheNightStalker'' could be considered the ultimate archetype. It was, in fact, even mockingly dismissed by some as "Kolchak's Monster of the Week" when its transfer from a pair of movies to a TV series ended up not quite panning out.
* ''Series/{{Legacies}}'' generally follows this format, as the main villain keeps sending monsters after {{MacGuffin}}s in season 1 and after Landon in season 2.
* The Creator/AnimalPlanet show ''Series/LostTapes'' features a different monster tormenting the PointOfView character(s) each week.
* ''Series/{{Merlin|2008}}'': This was a big part of the first series, and the BigBad only appeared in 4 of the 13 episodes. From Series 2 onwards the writers concentrated more on a singular villain ([[spoiler:Morgause, Morgana and Agravaine]], though occasionally a one-off monster will appear for a {{Filler}} episode.
* The ''Series/MetalHeroes'' show followed this.
** In the first episode of ''Series/ChoujinkiMetalder'', ''every monster from the show'' can be seen in the BigBad's lair. There are four groups of monsters, each with its own general, and each has his or her own rank. Most are just in the background until it's their turn at being MOTW, but there are monsters who live to tell the tale and come back to fight another day ''multiple'' times, and some who rise to become major characters even if not "Victorious Saint" (general) rank.
** ''Series/SekaiNinjaSenJiraiya'' had a different [[McNinja World Ninja]] of the week, although quite a few survived their initial episode and went on to reappear, forming a RoguesGallery of sorts. Not all of them are evil as well and some of them even become Jiraiya's allies.
** Episodes of the [[Series/TokkeiWinspector Rescue]] [[Series/TokkyuuShireiSolbrain Police]] [[Series/TokusouExceedraft trilogy]] each feature a different "criminal of the week" who the Rescue Police have to stop, though uniquely for the franchise all of them are independent from each other, as the shows all lack a BigBad or any sort of overarching threat.
** ''Series/TokusouRoboJanperson'' doesn't have as many monsters, but they do have a "Cyborg of the Week" who fits the same mold, being a character that fights the heroes, gets defeated, and never seen again after their episode.
* Every episode of ''Series/MonsterSquad'' had Count Dracula, Frank N. Stein and Bruce W. Wolf fight a different supervillain.
* The format of ''Series/MonsterWarriors''. Every episode Klaus Von Steinhauer (or, more rarely, someone else) creates a monster (intentionally or unintentionally) which attacks Capital City and the Monster Warriors have to stop it. The monsters are generally the sort of creature one would find a 1950s giant monster movie because BigBad Klaus is an embittered film director from the 1950s who now has the means to bring his movie monsters to life.
* ''Musica Piccolyno'' an Creator/{{NHK}} children's musical program takes this format. The main characters are 4 Musica doctors travelling a strange {{Steampunk}} dimension in their CoolAirship as each episode they try to help one of the MechanicalLifeforms in that setting.
* ''Series/PainkillerJane'' followed this formula, with the agency facing a different [[DifferentlyPoweredIndividual neuro]] every week.
* ''Series/{{Primeval}}'': Just what will come through the [[NegativeSpaceWedgie Anomaly]] this week? Gorgonopsid? Mammoth? Velociraptor? Future predator? KnightInShiningArmor? The show also has a StoryArc that ran parallel, with the heroes battling human villains while still handling the monsters of the week, who filed both sides under "dinner".
* As mentioned above, ''Series/TheOuterLimits1963'' named and codified the trope, but there were several episodes that eschewed the formula;
** "[[Recap/TheOuterLimits1963S1E2TheHundredDaysOfTheDragon The Hundred Days of the Dragon]]" is centered around a Chinese government operative who uses a special drug that can shapeshift his face, but no monster is present or implied.
** "[[Recap/TheOuterLimits1963S1E6TheManWhoWasNeverBorn The Man Who Was Never Born]]" turns the formula on its head by having the monster (Andros, a deformed mutant from a far-flung BadFuture) be the protagonist, seeking to undo the very future he's from.
** "[[Recap/TheOuterLimits1963S1E12TheBorderland The Borderland]]" has no monster to speak of; the episode is set around a machine that can reach into another dimension.
** "[[Recap/TheOuterLimits1963S1E16ControlledExperiment Controlled Experiment]]" likewise has no "monster", with the central characters being two Martians with completely human appearances and a time control device on hand, and they aren't evil.
** "[[Recap/TheOuterLimits1963S1E32TheFormsOfThingsUnknown The Form of Things Unknown]]" is another episode with no monster, but a science fiction element (namely, a Time Tilter device).
** "[[Recap/TheOuterLimits1963S2E10TheInheritors The Inheritors]]" has no monster in either part of the episode.
* In contrast to its TropeCodifier predecessor, ''Series/TheOuterLimits1995'' mostly averted this trope. Monsters made only occasional appearances. Generally, the stories involved exploring a specific scientific concept and its effects on humanity or featured a completely alternate society that may highlight the flaws of our own (through FantasticRacism for instance).
* ''Franchise/PowerRangers''
** ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'' would take the monsters from ''[[Series/KyoryuSentaiZyuranger Zyuranger]]'', ''[[Series/GoseiSentaiDairanger Dairanger]]'', and ''[[Series/NinjaSentaiKakuranger Kakuranger]]'' and change them into [[AdaptationalSpeciesChange Evil Space Aliens]], with most of them being created by either Rita, Finster, or Lord Zedd. Some monsters, such as Madame Woe, Mondo the Magician, and the Face Stealer were not created by any of them, as they had already existed. (There were also ''MMPR''-exclusive monsters, part of the "[[FanNickname [=Zyu2=]]]" footage created by Toei exclusively for ''MMPR'' when it became clear the show was a runaway success.)
** ''Series/PowerRangersMegaforce'' first had Insectoids (aliens resembling different insects), followed by the Toxic Beasts (monsters born of pollution who joined forces with the Insectoids), and finally, the Robots Vrak created.
** Really, every ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' show had various MonstersOfTheWeek, though in ''Series/PowerRangersTimeForce'', they were mutants instead of monsters, and during the Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers miniseries-along with ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'' and ''Film/MightyMorphinPowerRangers''-had several of the MOTW as actual aliens instead of created monsters, with the 1995 film having Ivan instead of the usual MOTW.
* ''Series/ThePrisoner1967'' had the No. 2 of the week, who tried the scheme of the Week to attempt to break No. 6. (There were a couple of returning No. 2s with new schemes.)
* ''Series/RedDwarf'' goes this way after about the third series. To their credit, the crew is pretty GenreSavvy about it, especially in Series 6. For example, Rimmer explains to one monster that everybody they'd met to that point has tried to kill them. It also swings the other direction in Series 7 & 8, having the storylines cover multiple episodes. (Although they are still self-contained.)
* ''Series/{{Revolution}}'': This show goes with the villain Of the week variety. "[[Recap/RevolutionS1E2ChainedHeat Chained Heat]]" had the bounty hunter Jacob. "[[Recap/RevolutionS1E3NoQuarter No Quarter]]" had Captain Jeremy Baker (who got DemotedToExtra afterward). "[[Recap/RevolutionS1E4ThePlagueDogs The Plague Dogs]]" had a mad dog-trainer named Ray Kinsey. "[[Recap/RevolutionS1E6SexAndDrugs Sex and Drugs]]" had a drug lord named Drexel. "[[Recap/RevolutionS1E7TheChildrensCrusade The Children's Crusade]]" had Lieutenant Slotnick. "[[Recap/RevolutionS1E8TiesThatBind Ties That Bind]]" had Sergeant Will Strausser (who still appeared in a couple more episodes). "[[Recap/RevolutionS1E9Kashmir Kashmir]]" had Sergeant Joseph Wheatley. "[[Recap/RevolutionS1E12Ghosts Ghosts]]" had Captain Joseph Deckert. "[[Recap/RevolutionS1E14TheNightTheLightsWentOutInGeorgia The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia]]" had Alec Penner.
* ''Series/SevenStarFightingGodGuyferd'': Each episode had [[TheSyndicate Crown]] sending a different mutant monster to either defeat Guyferd or complete a part of one of their evil schemes.
* ''Series/{{Smallville}}'':
** The show has the "meteor freak" of the week, mutants created by [[GreenRocks Kryptonite]]. Season 6 also gave us the Phantom Zone escapees-of-the-week. As the series has progressed, it has much more of a StoryArc, but also keeps the Monster of the Week format.
** It also had an interesting variation starting in Season 4: ''Hero'' of the Week. Every season would have about two or three episodes where a superhero or two from the comics would guest star, run amuck, get on Clark's bad side, then ultimately they'd make their peace and help each other out before leaving in a manner that some could interpret as a PoorlyDisguisedPilot. The CW's second superhero show ''Series/{{Arrow}}'' seemed to play with this method when it introduced Huntress: at first she seemed like she was going to be a hero of the week, then her second episode has her declare she'd rather practice revenge, not justice, then her third has her cross the MoralEventHorizon, turning her into a villain-of-the-week.
* ''Series/{{Space 1999}}'': One of the most common fan complaints about the second season was that it dropped the metaphysical and psychodrama aspects in favour of more monster-of-the-week action-oriented stories.
* ''Series/SpiderManJapan'' has Professor Monster's Machine [=BEMs=] serve this purpose, with nearly every episode having a different monster assist the Iron Cross Army in their evil schemes until Spider-Man ends up soundly defeating them, frequently with the help of his HumongousMecha Leopardon.
* ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'':
** In SF author David Gerrold's book about writing the episode "The Trouble With Tribbles", he recounts seeing the first episode broadcast, which featured a creature that sucked all of the salt out of people's bodies, thereby killing them. He hoped ''Star Trek'' wasn't going to turn out to be a monster of the week show, which ironically for him, it did.
** While later series rarely had weekly ''monsters'', ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' and especially ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' had [[NegativeSpaceWedgie stellar anomalies]] of the week that were always solved by a healthy amount of {{Technobabble}}.
** The first season of ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' started to become a ''[[SufficientlyAdvancedAlien god-like alien]]'' of the week show, but fortunately found sturdier footing in subsequent seasons.
* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' usually has actual monsters, more so in the first two seasons. This is balanced against the MythArc villains, who tend to be demons, rogue angels, and, in Season 7, [[EldritchAbomination Leviathans]]. In the later episodes, where the MythArc dominates because of VillainPedigree, the writers still bring in a monster of the week every once in a while for a [[BreatherEpisode breather]].
* ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' has traditionally had these throughout their run.
** ''Series/HimitsuSentaiGorenger'' has the Masked Monsters, the Black Cross Army's field agents known for their bizarre masks and deadly skills.
** ''Series/JAKQDengekitai'' has the Machine Robots, who were around for the early episodes until Shine was introduced in Episode 23. After that, they were replaced by the Invader Robots.
** ''Series/ChoudenshiBioman'' features an interesting variation of the formula. Instead of the villains sending monsters to fight the team on foot, they instead send the Beastnoids, a recurring QuirkyMinibossSquad of five monsters, to fight the Rangers human-sized and send separate [[{{Robeast}} giant creatures (and later giant robot creatures)]] to fight the Rangers giant-sized in mech battles.
** ''Series/KyoryuSentaiZyuranger'' has the Dora Monsters, which are created by Preplechaun and have a theme around Myth/ClassicalMythology.
** ''Series/GoseiSentaiDairanger'' had the Gorma Monsters, a group of humans from an ancient tribe that were able to transform into more monstrous forms.
** ''Series/NinjaSentaiKakuranger'' had the Yokai, who were released when Sasuke and Saizō wound up opening the gate that had them sealed.
** The Jakanja in ''Series/NinpuuSentaiHurricaneger'' have ''four'' monster divisions - the Puppet Ninja Corps, Alien Ninja Corps, Masked Ninja Corps and Phantom Beast Ninja Corps - each led by a different commander, who all take turns sending out one of their members to cause havoc. (They also had [[MakeMyMonsterGrow a corresponding growth method for each Corps]].)
** ''Series/TokusouSentaiDekaranger'' had the Alienizers, intergalactic criminals that would target Earth for nefarious ends. Unlike previous and future series, rather than working directly for [[BigBad Agent Abrella]], he would offer them weaponry, [[MechaMook robotic foot soldiers]], [[HumongousMecha Heavy Industrial Machines]] and all assorted illegal items for conducting unlawful activities provide that they would willing to pay his exorbitant prices.
** ''Series/MahouSentaiMagiranger'' has the Hades Beasts and Hades Beastmen. Due to a seal that was placed on the Infershia, they are not allowed to send in more than one monster.
** Although there are four villain groups in ''Series/GoGoSentaiBoukenger'', the Jaryuu Clan and Dark Shadow are the only two who regularly make use of monsters of the week. The Questers followed something akin to a "HumongousMecha of the Week" formula and Gajah rarely made use of henchmen that weren't his {{Mooks}}. Several episodes also saw the Boukengers going up against entirely independent monsters who embodied Precious artifacts.
** ''Series/UchuSentaiKyuranger'' had the Daikaan, basically "{{Evil Overlord}}s of the Week" who each served as the overseer of one of the planets controlled by the [[TheEmpire Space Shognunate Jark Matter]]. After defeating enough of them, the Karo, the star system governors the Daikaan answer to, started picking fights with the Kyurangers as well.
** ''Series/AvataroSentaiDonbrothers'' features an unique twist: the Hitotsu-Ki are monstrous {{Oni}} forms taken on by humans with extreme desires in their hearts and are fought by ''both'' the heroes and villains with the difference that the Donbrothers seek to turn them back to their original human selves while the Noto simply destroy them, killing the host in the process, in order to stop them from disrupting the Noto Layer that keeps their world hidden from the human world.
* ''Series/{{Torchwood}}''... At least, the first two series. After the successful switch to "mini-series focused on a single threat" of ''[[Series/TorchwoodChildrenOfEarth Children of Earth]]'', RTD decided to drop the MOTW format altogether.
* ''{{Series/Tracker}}'' had a different alien fugitive each week. Sadly even Adrian Paul, who played Cole, felt that they got stuck in this formula and the show suffered because of it.
* ''[[Series/{{Tremors}} Tremors: The Series]]'':
** In the series, monsters of the week were produced by a chemical compound called "[[MutagenicGoo Mix Master]]" which, once released into the valley, randomly scrambled together the DNA of all living things except humans. This created monstrosities ranging from acid-shooting plants to giant shrimp.
** And one of them was defeated by the resident monster, El Blanco.
* The ''Franchise/UltraSeries'', especially [[Series/{{Ultraman}} the original series]], was built around this trope (except for the occasional MultiPartEpisode, as well as any battles against a BigBad). However, a large number of these weekly monsters end up becoming recurring opponents that face the Ultras multiple times if they become extreme popular with fans, creating a sort of RoguesGallery in the process.
** In a few series, the majority of [=MOTWs=] are recycled from previous shows due to the aforementioned PopularityPower. ''Series/UltramanMebius'', ''Series/UltramanGinga'', and ''Series/UltramanX'' are good examples, but ''Series/UltramanMax'' was the one that popularized the trend despite only eight monsters returning in that series. Additionally, some [=MOTWs=] might appear two or three times in a single series (eg: Baltan and Red King both appeared twice in ''Series/{{Ultraman}}''). [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools Most fans are not bothered by this]], since it means more opportunities to see their favorite monsters fight the Ultras.
** When compared to other {{Toku}} franchises like ''Franchise/SuperSentai'', the [=MOTWs=] of the ''Ultra Series'' do not have any connection with each other and are treated much like natural disasters or animals-on-the-loose (ie: they do not serve the BigBad), as popularized by the original ''Series/{{Ultraman}}''. This is averted in some series, like ''Series/UltramanGaia'' and ''Series/UltramanAce''.
** Obviously, most [=MOTWs=] in the franchise are {{kaiju}} or aliens that can turn giant-sized, since they're the only things big enough to fight an Ultra. However, ''Series/UltraQ'' and its [[Series/UltraQDarkFantasy two]] [[Series/NeoUltraQ remakes]] feature a much broader variety of [=MOTWs=], with supernatural phenomena and human-sized creatures straight out of ''Series/TheXFiles''. Only a few ''Ultraman'' shows have since featured these as the primary threat of an episode, notably ''Series/UltraSeven'' and episode 13 of ''Series/UltramanTiga''.
** The ''Ultra Series'' sometimes turns the trope on its head by having ''friendly'' [=MOTWs=]. While there are many times where such creatures end up becoming corrupted by evil forces, there are also plenty of times where they aren't. Often in such situations, the humans and Ultras have to protect or assist the monster in some way instead of just killing it. ''Series/UltramanCosmos'' is a golden example of this, as almost all the monsters in that series were {{Gentle Giant}}s, [[NonMaliciousMonster Non-Malicious Monsters]], or BenevolentMonsters.
** In case the point about the franchise's [=MOTWs=] being as popular as the heroes hasn't been hammered in to you yet, there have been ''[[Series/UltraGalaxyMegaMonsterBattle whole series]]'' entirely centered solely around the kaiju with some of them such as Gomora and Litra, taking up the role of the heroic forces.
** Averted in ''Series/UltramanNexus'', where each monster forms its own story arc that can run anywhere between two to four episodes, and sometimes longer.
** ''Series/UltramanGeed'' has an interesting take on this scenario, where a good chunk of its [=MOTWs=] are fusions of [=MOTWs=] from previous series.
** Of course, the many ''Ultraman'' copycats that form the "Kyodai Hero" genre also use the formula, notably ''Series/ZoneFighter'' and ''Series/{{Spectreman}}''. The former should get a particular shoutout for having Franchise/{{Godzilla}} showing up a few times to help Zone battle the Terror-Beasts. Two of his enemies, King Ghidorah and Gigan, also appeared as [=MOTWs=]!
*** ''Series/VRTroopers'' had all the guys from ''Series/ChoujinkiMetalder'', but no clear ranking system; any time they got destroyed it could be [[HandWave hand waved]] that, since they were virtual creations to start, Grimlord could bring them all back whenever he wanted (as to explain why they kept appearing in the stock footage of his lair day after day). Since they also adapted ''Series/JikuuSenshiSpielban'' and later ''Series/SpaceSheriffShaider'', so there were plenty of [=MOTWs=] who made the traditional one-off appearances. Eventually, Grimlord gets [[YouHaveFailedMe fed up with their failures]] and once he gets an upgrade that means he doesn't need them anymore, he slaughters all of them but his favorites and replaces them with stronger minions who he has made each week.
* ''Series/Warehouse13'' revolves around the Artifact of the Week, which can range from purely a MacGuffin all the way up to an actual Monster.
* ''Series/TheWestWing'' does this metaphorically, with political crisis of the week, caused by idiot politician of the week (in fact, many episodes are around one week long).
* ''Series/{{The Witcher|2019}}'', while Ciri and Yennefer's arcs are more narrative, Geralt's arc for the first six episodes is a case of this, appropriately enough for a monster hunter.
* ''[[Series/WonderWoman1975 Wonder Woman]]'': Most of the episodes were self contained, no matter what threads were left hanging - we're looking at you, [[PoorlyDisguisedPilot Tina ("The Girl from Ilandia") and Bryce ("The Man Who Could Not Die")]]. Some examples are the Nazi spy, Wotan ("Last of the Two Dollar Bills"), the Falcon ("The Pluto Files"), and a literal example, the KillerGorilla Gargantua ("Wonder Woman vs. Gargantua").
* ''Series/TheXFiles'': The show alternated weekly monsters and MythArc episodes. ''The X-Files'' is famous for not quite wrapping up a [=MotW=] and closing with a TheEndOrIsIt ending. Unusually, while most fandoms consider [=MotWs=] to be filler, a large group of ''X-Files'' fans consider the weekly monster episodes to be superior to the Myth Arc episodes, especially in later seasons... mostly because the latter were [[TheChrisCarterEffect made up as they went along]].
