The counter that appears at the beginning and ending of every episode, before every commercial break, and sometimes in the corner showing how much real world time has elapsed.
Teri's death at the end of Day 1, firmly establishing the Anyone Can Die principle that held true for the rest of the run of the series.
From Day 2, Kim getting Trapped by Mountain Lions, a moment that had nothing to do with the overall plot and was so infamous that it coined the term and trope.
Erica's abortion, the first legal abortion on television.
Bianca and Lena's kiss, the first same sex kiss in Daytime history.
Arrow: Stephen Amell working out shirtless on a Salmon Ladder. The CW's way of showing how a vigilante keeps up his physique between night, it gave a slice of Fanservice that everyone remembers, and became a recurring joke that finding Oliver on his Salmon Ladder was the best way for another character to find The Hood training between scenes. It was even a Throw It In!, since they only put it on every other episode after they learned that Amell can do a Salmon Ladder. Shirtless. With his tattoos...
Better Call Saul: Chuck losing his cool on the stand in "Chicanery": "I AM NOT CRAZY!" It is among the most beloved scene of the show due to both Michael McKean's performance and the rant's quotability, which is frequently snowcloned if the show is brought up outside of the fandom.
Black Mirror: Given the fact the show is an anthology, each episode has its most memorable moment, most of which are for disturbing reasons. But when it comes to the show overall, the one moment most fans agree they will never forget is the Prime Minister having sex with a pig from “The National Anthem.”
The final third of the episode "White Christmas", where it's revealed how exactly everything is connected, giving one of its most brutal Downer Endings to its protagonists.
The Plot Twist of “Shut Up and Dance” is also extremely memorable. And as usual, not for good reasons. Kenny's mother's desperate phone call to him and Kenny getting detained by the police are usually the parts that get talked about the most.
The endings to "San Junipero", "USS Callister" and "Hang the DJ" due to them being few episodes that actually have a happy ending.
The opening flashforward of Walt holding a gun in his underwear in anticipation for the police. It's remembered for being a tense Establishing Series Moment that leaves the viewer wondering what led to that moment. In many parodies of the show, this scene will almost always get referenced.
Walt Laughing Mad at his attic after realizing all his money has gone to Beneke, very famous for its depiction of Walt finally losing it as well as many calling the scene the death of Walter White.
Gus Fring's death as half of his face is destroyed by Walt's pipe bomb in the Season 4 finale, which is so iconic that even non-viewers have heard of it.
Walt crying and falling to the ground after Jack kills Hank in "Ozymandias". For fans, it's a tear-jerking reaction to a beloved main character's death. Outside of the fandom, Walt's shocked face is taken out of context and becomes a popular source for reaction memes, so much that the original is hard to take seriously anymore.
Walt's and Skyler's knife fight, also from "Ozymandias". This scene in particular is so emotionally intense that it's often considered the climax of the show even though there are two and a half episodes left.
Joyce's death in the "The Body," it has been pointed out constantly that in a show where death is a prominent fixture, that the ordinary and natural passing away of Buffy's Mother, is also the series' most shattering and poignant. The episode is also significant for being the only one with no soundtrack. Like the show's iconic quips, critics had noted the show's use of its score. As a result, no music. Also: no supernatural shit anywhere, until the final scene. Just a dead body and the people who loved that person reacting to it.
There's also the famous scene of Buffy pulling out a bazooka in a crowded mall to defeat a demon who boasted that "no weapon forged" could hurt him.
Buffy: That was then. (reveals the rocket launcher)' This is now.
"Whodunit" the answer to the biggest Cliffhanger in television history, that a record 80+ million people worldwide tuned in to see that Kristen had shot JR Ewing.
Pam waking up to find a previously though dead Bobby in the shower, revealing that the entire season beforehand was just a dream. The moment is infamous for just how hard the series had Jumped the Shark.
Doctor Who: Every Doctor gets one at some point, usually in the form of a an epic speech. Some notable examples:
The Eleventh Doctor's explosive regeneration sequence. After fighting for hundreds of years to get home to Galifrey, he's dying of old age, seemingly out of options in the face of the Daleks. And then, The Time Lords give up their chance to return to the universe by giving 11 a new set of 12 regenerations. And with this dramatic reset of his "lives", he gives an epic quip about "Never tell me the rules" and regenerates so explosively it displaces and destroys all the daleks in the area. Easily the most explosive regeneration sequence in Dr. Who's history, solving the 12 regenerations problem, and allowing Matt Smith to go out with a bang at the end of his tenure.
The heavily parodied, Catfight between Krystal and Alexis in which the two end up in falling into a fountain.
The Moldovian Massacre, one of the biggest Cliffhanger in television history. In the middle of Amanda's wedding to Michael, the Prince of Moldovia, they are besieged by Terrorist in a military coup, and the entire cast is gunned down, leaving viewers to wait until the next season to see who among them survived and who had died.
The Ed Sullivan Show: One of the most remembered moments of the show was the episode where Ed had The Beatles perform, which was the first major performance the Fab Four did for American audiences.
"The One with the Prom Tape", the episode in which the gang watches Monica's prom tape from the 80s, and learning the depths of how much Rachel meant to Ross, with the episode ending with the pair officially getting together. In a poll by NBC leading up to the series finale, fans voted it the series #1 episode.
Ross and Rachel breaking up with Ross screaming "WE WERE ON A BREAK!" is highly infamous.
Ned's execution in the ninth episode of Season 1 is extremely iconic, as it shattered all the expectations regarding the series as Ned was thought to be the hero of the show, and established the show as a staple of Anyone Can Die.
Similarly, "Rains of Castamere" is very infamous in Live-Action history due to the Red Wedding, which featured the brutal murders of Robb, Catelyn, Talisa, Grey Wind and the Stark contingent, while many regarding this event as theWham Episode.
Rhaegal's Surprisingly Sudden Death from miles away by 3 accurate ballista shots at the hands of Euron Greyjoy, for its sheer Diabolus ex Machina. Not helped with the showrunners infamously explaining the scene as "Dany kinda forgot about the Iron Fleet" with some scenes in the very episode in which Daenerys was discussing about the said Fleet.
Daenerys burning King's Landing after it surrendered, extremely infamous among viewers and media due to how out of character and sudden it was for Daenerys to burn King's Landing when declaring she's not her father through the rest of the series.
The "Council" scene in the final episode, in which Bran, of all people, is named the new King of Westeros and Sansa declaring the North's independence from the united realms, which many reviewers, as well as the series high 19.3 million viewers, have stated has stained the series, and dampened the chance of any rewatchability in the future.
General Hospital: The wedding of Luke and Laura, the highest rated moment in the history of daytime television, drawing in an audience of 30.0 Million viewers world-wide.
The Good Doctor: Shaun's emotional breakdown at the season 2 finale alongside Dr. Han. In context, it is an intense and heartbreaking scene due to Shaun being effectivelly fired for being autistic, on top of everything he went through to get where he was. In meta however, it became a Memetic Mutation and the scene non-viewers are most likely to hear about.
The Good Place has the famous scene from the first season finale, when Eleanor realizes she's been in The Bad Place all along. The scene showed just how massive a plot twist the makers were willing to pull.
The finale has Chidi's explanation of the Buddhist explanation of death as a wave returning to the sea before he ends his existence. Commentators consider it to perfectly encapsulate the show's combination of philosophy and emotion.
Guiding Light: Reva's "Slut of Springfield" breakdown, in which after being humiliated in public by Josh she, after performing a mocking and degrading Stirp tease for him, finally gives in to his demands, jumping into a fountain and "baptizing" herself the Slut of Springfield. In its 73 year history the moment is still ranked the greatest in GL history, and daytime in general, and Kim Zimmer was guaranteed the Emmy that year.
From "Lucy Does A Television Commercial", Lucy's attempt at selling at a medical pick-me-up "Vitameatavegamin", unaware that it is made up of 23% alcohol, and ending completely shit-faced after multiple rehearsals, has remained and consistently ranked a Top 10 funniest television moment for over 70 years.
The often parodied "wrapping scene" in "Job Switching", where Lucy and Ethel end up in a battle, and loosing, against a chocolate conveyor belt.
The Birth of Little Ricky, coinciding with the real life birth of Desi Arnaz Jr. which remained the most viewed episode on television until Dallas "Whodunnit" nearly 30 years later.
For that matter, Lucy revealing that she was pregnant to Ricky, or as they would say, expecting. While contrary to popular belief, it wasn't the first pregnancy in television history, it was the first that had a real impact on the cultural zeitgeist of tv.
"Lucy Does the Tango", Lucy dancing the tango with Ricky, while hiding over three dozen eggs in her blouse, leading to a record 67 seconds continuous roaring laughter from the audience.
Happy Days: The bizarre moment when Fonzie on water skies, jumped over a cage of sharks. It became so infamous it coined the trope and concept of a series Jumping the Shark.
Those outside Finland will know Hyvät herrat for its bizarre intro, mainly because of its memetic status in The New '20s. The sequence consists of objects and people inexplicably transforming into one another, all set to a funky 90s beat.
The explanation of the "D.E.N.N.I.S. System". It's largely well known due to how memetic it is. Similarly, Dennis' "the implication" speech has also become incredibly memetic and a noteworthy example of the show's Black Comedy. Note: the former is Dennis laying out a systematic plan for being an abuser and the latter is him laying out a plan for rape with the threat of death if the victims don't comply. That show didn't fuck around.
Charlie desperately tries to find out who Pepe Silvia is. The scene is so memetic even people who don't watch the show are familiar with it.
Kamen Rider X: Starfish-Hitler and his Nazi minions fighting X is the one scene from the series that are likely to be talked about, solely due to the bizarre nature of Starfish-Hitler.
Yusuke's First Transformation into Kuuga Mighty Form: "I fight to protect people's smiles, so that nobody will have to cry! So please, witness...my transformation!". It's backed by flames that highlight Mighty Form's red armour, making it an instant classic.
The brutal, rage-fueled No-Holds-Barred Beatdown delivered by Kuuga in episode 35 towards Go-Jaraji-Da, showing what happens when you push the all-loving Yusuke too far. It also gives the audience the first glimpse at Kuuga's Ultimate Form.
Tachibana watching Kenzaki fight in the first episode, with Kenzaki asking if Tachibana has truly betrayed him. It's the slurred, near-unintelligible pronunciation of Kenzaki's lines that made it an instant meme among Japanese fans, so much that even fans outside of Japan caught on to it.
Tachibana screaming in fear at the Trilobite Undead, with the ridiculous sound he makes being a rich source of Narm.
Hajime making an over-the-top expression while threatening to kill Kenzaki, which looped back from frightening to hilarious. Kamen Rider Zi-O would later base Another Blade's face on this expression, making it an Ascended Meme.
Kamen Rider Ex-Aid has when Kuroto Dan tells Emu Hojo the Awful Truth about his connection to the Bugster and let's out an Evil Laugh, mostly because it marks the point when the former became the hammy maniac fans know and love.
Kamen Rider Zi-O has the finale where Sougo accepts his future as Maou the Demon King and transforms into Ohma Zi-O in order to avenge Geiz. He goes against and one-shots five final villains from previous series, including infamously strong ones like N-Daguva-Zeba, Gamedeus and Evol Black Hole, showing the audience that Ohma Zi-O's indomitable reputation is completely true and cementing him as the most powerful being in the franchise, period.
Kamen Rider Saber has Touma running on an energy bridge to reach Luna in episode 35, which became popular to due how memetically poorly-composited the bridge is.
The ending of Killing Eve, where Carolyn has Villanelle executed via unseen snipers. The fact that viewers just had to describe the ending is a good sign that Killing Eve had become an irrelevance long before it ended.
The Mary Tyler Moore Show: Mary tossing her hat in the air at the end of the intro, became so linked to the show, there is a statue in Minneapolis of Mary Tyler Moore performing that iconic action, in the location where it was shot.
Mimpi Metropolitan: Melani crying while calling out Bambang for taking a level in jerkass in episode 43 and Melani confessing her love to Bambang in episode 47. Both are some of the most memorable scenes among fans and are prone to be reposted out of context in social media.
Mister Rogers' Neighborhood: The Balloon segment in "The Land of Make Believe" from the very first season. What starts out innocent enough when Daniel Tiger asks Lady Aberlin to blow up a balloon and then let the air out. When she does so again, he asks her what assassination means, a sentiment many children had in the wake of the recent assassination of Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King. She honestly but gently explains the meaning to Daniel, while also assuring him that its okay if he feels afraid. The show established Fred Rogers's motive for the show to be there to comfort children with the harder truths of the world, but never in a way of talking down to them.
The Office (US): Toby's return from Costa Rica in Season 5, to which Michael gives an epic Big "NO!". It's so memetic that even non-viewers are aware of it.
Person of Interest: The opening montage to "The Devil's Share," given its intense subject matter and stirring use of the Johnny Cash rendition of "Hurt."
Power Rangers in Space: Zordon having Andros shatter his energy tube to destroy "all evil". After a season going chasing after Zordon to rescue him, for the good of the universe, they have to kill him. And thus, with his sacrifice and power, The "Zordon Era" of continuous storytelling came to an end with grief, hope and sacrifice.
Power Rangers Lost Galaxy: Kendrix, disappearing from holding the Quasar Saber. The first on screen ranger to die in the line of duty.
Power Rangers Wild Force: Forever Red's morph. A 10 red ranger team up celebrating 10 years of the series. While not related to the story of the season around it, it's one of if not the most memorable teamups in franchise history with great fights, a straightforward story, and given respect to every ranger present.
Power Rangers Dino Fury: Izzy going off on a date with Fern, cementing them as the first LGBT couple of the TV series.
Sesame Street: The groundbreaking episode in which the adults explains to Big Bird that Mr. Hooper had died, and helping him understand what death means, while also comforting him and helping him through his grief. The episode is still used today to help children come to terms with death of a loved one.
Star Trek: The Next Generation: Season 3 ends with the franchise's first (and still best-remembered) cliffhanger, "The Best of Both Worlds, Part I". The final moments have Captain Picard, now Locutus of Borg, giving the "Resistance Is Futile" speech to the Enterprise, followed by Riker's iconic response: "Mr. Worf...fire." To Be Continued...
Stranger Things: The climax of Season 4's "Dear Billy," in which Max is held by Vecna and runs to escape when Dustin, Lucas, and Steve begin playing Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill" on her walkman. It is considered by many fans to be the iconic scene, not just of Season 4 but of the entire series.
Supernatural: Castiel's debut and Unflinching Walk as Dean and Bobby unleash everything they can on him only for it all to be shrugged off, while the lights above burst with each step and the wind rattles the walls rabidly. This is followed by Castiel showing Dean the shadow of his large rising wings, the shadow only being visible because of the bolts of lightning. It underscores how much of a badass Eldritch Abomination Castiel is.
The lead character in one episode, a bookworm constantly abused by everyone around him, surviving a nuclear holocaust. This leaves him free to finally read his books in peace, only to break his reading glasses, just when he had "Time Enough At Last". One of the earlier episodes, this was one of the first examples of Cruel Twist Ending which rendered him getting what he wanted in a Be Careful What You Wish For way. Presented in such a dramatic and heartbreaking way that it became a big part of pop culture afterwards.
The ending of "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street", in which the neighborhood's chaos is a plot by Aliens planning to turn humanity against itself to make their invasion easier. In the middle of the McCarthy era of politics, there was no better metaphor for how the politics of paranoia are self-destructive. Thus, making the ending of the episode timeless, despite it coming from the '50s.
"Mr. Chambers, don't get on that ship! To Serve Man! It's a... IT'S A COOKBOOK!!!" In a pre-Watergate era of politics, this episode wasn't afraid to talk about how a venire of benevolence could hide something malicious. It became a highly recognized/parodied and homaged moment to capture the horror of realizing you sold out for someone who would eat you alive.
Ultraman deflecting Neronga's lightning ray with nothing but his pecs, a badass introduction to Ultraman's Super-Toughness that gets referenced in Ultraman Mebius and Shin Ultraman.
Jamila's tragic, drawn-out death by Ultraman's Ultra Shower, with the mutated human's painful cries as he dissolves proving that the goofy, optimistic original series can pull off emotional scenes. Even Ultraman's suit actor expressed reluctance at pretending to hurt Jamila.
Ultraman's rematch against Gomora at the Osaka Castle, combining Monumental Damage with a rematch with the Badass Normal dinosaur
Hayata mistaking a spoon for the Beta Capsule in Skydon's episode, a funny moment that gets referenced countless times in the franchise.
Ultraman's defeat at the hands of Zetton, traumatising many Japanese children and cementing Zetton's status as a Breakout Villain.
Seven's battle against Eleking in a lake, and Eleking's subsequent graphic death. While the fight scene was short, given Eleking's cool design and Seven's overkill with the Eye Slugger it remains an iconic moment of the series.
Alien Metron inviting Dan to sit down at a coffee table and discuss his invasion plan, a surreal scene that propelled the strange alien to Breakout Character status.
Seven vs. Alien Metron, backed by a beautiful sunset often praised as some of director Akio Jissoji's best work.
Seven's rematch with King Joe in Kobe's harbour, as well as the robot using an oil tanker as a weapon. It's an iconic fight scene with an iconic Breakout Villain, with the distinction of being a fight where Seven could not defeat the enemy by himself and needed the humans' help to deliver the finishing blow.
Dan revealing his true identity as Seven to Anne in the finale, backed by Schumann's piano concerto and beautiful visuals to highlight the emotionally-charged reveal.
Jack vs. Gudon and Twin Tail, the first in a long series of fights where Jack had to fight more than one monster at the same time.
Jack vs. Alien Nackle and Black King during a sunset. Nackle's insidious plot and Black King's great power made the two of them iconic foes, and there are fans who felt this should have been the series finale.
Vakishim making his entrance by shattering the sky like glass, an impressive entrance that shows how different from regular kaiju the Choju are.
Muruchi meeting an unusually brutal death at the hands of Doragory by being violently torn apart, widely cited by fans as the best example of the show's Family-Unfriendly Violence.
Yapool crucifying the Ultra Brothers on Planet Golgotha, a ridiculous scene which nonetheless is a reference to franchise creator Eiji Tsuburaya's Catholic beliefs.
Ultraman slapping Ace, widely seen as more evidence of Ultraman being a Memetic Psychopath after his genocide of the Baltans in his home series.
Silver Bloome destroying the MAC base, establishing that Anyone Can Die. It's the first time in the franchise where the Badass Crew was completely wiped out by a Monster of the Week, which shows how powerful the Saucer Beasts are compared to the foes faced up to this point.
The civilians using any light source they can find to empower Tiga when he's about to be finished off by Kyrieloid II, which reinforces the franchise's them that Humans Are Special.
Tiga vs. Evil Tiga, the first instance in the franchise where two legitimate Ultras fought each other. It's also surprisingly tragic, given the fact that Evil Tiga was a benevolent Ultra who got driven into madness by forcibly fusing with Keigo Masaki and ended up killing his own pet Guardie.
The finale, where Tiga is empowered by the hope of the children around the world and overpowers Gatanozoa with several finishers in his Glitter Form. It's an incredibly awesome finale which gets homaged later in Ultraman Trigger: New Generation Tiga, to mixed results.
Ultraman Dyna: Dyna's fight against Imitation Dyna, especially the Cross Counter at the end of the duel. It's an incredibly cool fight staged like a wrestling match and was recreated as a mission in the Fighting Evolution spin-off game.
Gaia landing on the ground, sending a lot of dirt and debris flying. It's an impressive introduction that gets shown Once an Episode, showcasing Gaia's status as the avatar of Earth itself.
Fake Agul's Slasher Smile. The sheer Uncanny Valley of seeing an Ultra smile has traumatised many fans and made it become a common reaction image in the fandom.
Agul V2's debut by splitting the sea apart, with impressive, almost biblical visuals making it an incredibly awesome moment of the series.
Gaia and Agul sharing a handshake after their victory against Zogu in the finale, while backed by the setting sun. It shows that, while the Radical Destruction Bringer is still at large, with the two Ultramen to protect Earth humanity would not be destroyed.
Max forgetting how to fight courtesy of the Space Cats, an embarrassing moment which the fans have refused to let him live down.
Max vs. Dark Baltan, in particular the scene where Baltan grows in size to dwarf even Max. It's the finest showcase of what the franchise's most iconic alien is truly capable of, and given the entire Baltan race was Put on a Bus after Max, this fight is the perfect sendoff to them.
Ryu yelling at Mebius for not protecting the buildings in the first episode, widely used by fans to reference the Ultras' Destructive Saviour tendencies.
Mirai's Ocular Gushers, a random moment that makes no sense in context and became a meme.
Ultraman X: Greeza demonstrating its unsettling Reality Warper abilities against X and Cyber Gomora, with the awesome visual effects showing how much of an Eldritch Abomination it is.
Orb Thunder Breastar delivering a violent beatdown towards Maga-Orochi. It's one of the most brutal fight scenes in the Lighter and Softer New Generation series and serves as a perfect debut for Orb's berserker form.
Orb Origin's debut against Zeppandon, a satisfying culmination of the Character Development Gai goes through in the series as he crushes the Hybrid Monster.
The Crisis Impact, where Belial succeeds in destroying the universe only for Ultraman King to restore it by merging with it, is considered one of the most impactful beginnings of any series in the franchise and sets the stage of the story.
Geed's final beam clash with Ultraman Belial, giving his Archnemesis Dad a Mercy Kill once and for all. It's a surprisingly somber and tragic moment, even considering how irredeemably evil Belial is, as Geed quietly bids his father goodbye while his beam destroys the evil Ultra.
Haruki's awkward first meeting with Z and subsequently fumbling through his first transformation, which parodies a franchise convention and establishes their characters.
Delta Rise Claw's debut and its first fight against Greeza, in which Z manages to defeat the near-invincible Greeza with his new form.
Ace and Z teaming up against Barabas, widely cited as one of the best fight scenes in the series with awesome effects.
Walking with Dinosaurs: Probably the most iconic scene in the entire series, and indeed the entire Walking with… franchise, is the opening of the episode "Cruel Sea", a Bait-and-Switch where a Eustreptospondylus is ambushed and dragged into the ocean by a gargantuan Liopleurodon. This portrayal immediately propelled the latter species, formerly obscure, to great popularity (although it's well-known now that its portrayal in the show is massively over-sized).
Wednesday: Wednesday's dance sequence during the Rave'N has become iconic for perfectly capturing her stoic yet off-the-wall nature. Netflix themselves wasted no time in using it as one of their clips to draw people to the show. It even became a TikTok trend to dance this dance, albeit to Lady Gaga's “Bloody Mary” instead of “Goo Goo Muck” by The Cramps, as Wednesday did in the show..
The X-Files: The entire opening sequence, which remains one of the most iconic television openings in the world.
Young Sheldon: The Season 2 finale, which shows the rest of the Big Bang Gang as kids, is considered to be the highlight of the series, as a glimmer of optimism in an otherwise depressing episode. It helps that this episode aired immediately after its parent show's Grand Finale.
during the Rave'N has become iconic for perfectly capturing her stoic yet off-the-wall nature. Netflix themselves wasted no time in using it as one of their clips to draw people to the show. It even became a TikTok trend to dance this dance, albeit to Lady Gaga's “Bloody Mary” instead of “Goo Goo Muck” by The Cramps, as Wednesday did in the show..