Sometimes, writers are imaginative. They think up the most amazing Plot Twists, the funniest dialogue, the best characters possible for their episode.
And then they have to think up an episode title. Sometimes with Idiosyncratic Episode Naming it's easy, but most shows don't have that, so the writer is forced to make it up themself. And sometimes, they turn to the Stock Episode Title.
What makes a Stock Episode Title? Well, the minimum requirement is five separate shows using it (and not just one writer using it over and over again, like Aaron Sorkin does with "What Kind of Day Has It Been?
"note Weirdly, he uses it as the first season finale nearly every time, with The Newsroom being the first exception.). For example, the episode title "My Brother's Keeper"
has been used sixty times over the yearsnote Two more uses for I am My Brother's Keeper, probably because it's a Literary Allusion Title from The Bible. Most Stock Episode Titles are either Literary Allusion Titles or simple, single word titles. A great many Stock Episode Titles relate to weddings.
Because a writer may be able to write a great episode, but will still bang their head against the wall when trying to think up a title.
See also Stock Subtitle, The Joy of X.
A chart of the most popular Stock Episode Titles. Note: Two- or three-part episodes have been counted as one.
Further note: While the pilot episode of a show is very commonly called "Pilot" - over 1,700 times, in fact
- it doesn't really count, does it?note Well, maybe if it's a show about airplanes.
open/close all folders
Over 150
# of Episodes | Title | Notes / See Also / Not to Be Confused with |
367 | "Finale" / "The Finale" | Grand Finale; Stock Series Finales |
334 | "Reunion" / "The Reunion" | Survivor uses the exact title 3 times (2 not counted) as well as numerous times with Colon Cancer, as of 7 August 2020. However, many viewers consider reunion shows to be part of the preceding episode. |
279 | "Homecoming" / "The Homecoming" | The Homecoming (Harold Pinter play) |
262 | "Wedding" / "The Wedding" | Wedding and Engagement Tropes, as of 9 June 2021 |
247 | "Revelation" / "The Revelation" / "Revelations" | Five examples of "Révélations" and two of "Révélation" counted |
243 | "Return" / "The Return" | |
240 | "Party" / "The Party" | Counting one episode called "P.A.R.T.Y.", as of 7 August 2020 |
215 | "Second Chance" / "Second Chances" | Second Chance, as of 9 June 2021 |
211 | "Aftermath" / "The Aftermath" | Includes two multi-part episodes from Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps and A Country Practice |
204 | "Lost and Found" | Includes the Lost episode "...And Found", and three different two-part episodes |
201 | "Halloween" | All Hallows' Eve (holiday), Halloween (film series); one example of "Halowe'en" counted, as of 16 June 2011 |
200 | "Double Trouble" | As of 15 January 2020 |
200 | "The Morning After" | What Did I Do Last Night? |
200 | "Home" | As of 25 May 2020 |
196 | "Secrets" | The Secret Index |
192 | "Legacy" / "The Legacy" | As of 7 August 2020 |
190 | "Runaway" / "The Runaway" / "Runaways" / "The Runaways" | The Runaway, Runaways (comic book), The Runaways (band), Runaway ~Aisuru Kimi no Tame ni~ |
187 | "The Beginning" | |
186 | "Family" | |
185 | "Christmas" | Christmas Tropes |
184 | "Love" | Love Tropes |
183 | "Betrayal" / "The Betrayal" | Betrayal Tropes |
180 | "Dream" / "Dreams" / "The Dream" | |
176 | "Trapped" | The Trapped Trilogy (flash games) |
168 | "Family Affair" / "A Family Affair" | Family Affair (TV series) |
165 | "Judgment Day" / "Judgement Day" | Includes 4 two-part episodes |
164 | "Valentine's Day" | Valentine's Day (film) |
162 | "The End" | The End |
160 | "Home Sweet Home" | Home Sweet Home |
159 | "No Place Like Home" / "There's No Place Like Home" | There's No Place Like Home |
158 | "Hide and Seek" | Hide and Seek (film); includes two multi-part episode from Dog the Bounty Hunter and Degrassi: The Next Generation, a subtitled multi-part episode of Jackanory, and a half-episode example from Phineas and Ferb. |
157 | "Escape" | |
156 | "Blind Date" / "The Blind Date" | Blind Date |
154 | "Arrival" / "The Arrival" | Includes a multi-part episode from The Jeffersons listed under "partial matches" |
154 | "The Gift" | The Gift, as of 7 August 2020 |
153 | "Confession" / "The Confession" | Confessional |
101- 150
# of Episodes | Title | Notes / See Also / Not to Be Confused with |
150 | "Revenge" | Revenge, Revenge Tropes, Revenge (series) |
144 | "Birthday" / "The Birthday" | Birthday Tropes |
141 | "Awakening" / "The Awakening" / "Awakenings" | The Awakening (novel), Awakenings (film); contains five multi-part episodes from Doctor Who, Spider-Man: The Animated Series, Amazing Extraordinary Friends, The Lazarus Man and Gargoyles listed under "partial matches" |
140 | "Showdown" / "The Showdown" | Includes one multi-part episode from WMAC Legends listed under "partial matches" |
138 | "Witness" / "The Witness" | As of 7 August 2020 |
137 | "Sacrifice" / "The Sacrifice" | Used twice (episodes 25 and 153) in the English dub of Dragon Ball Z. |
134 | "Father's Day" | Includes one example of "Fathers Day" and one example of "Fathers' Day" |
133 | "Mother's Day" | Includes one example of "Mothers Day" |
132 | "The Interview" | |
131 | "End Game" / "Endgame" | Includes four multi-part episode from Waking the Dead, Beast Machines, Transformers: Animated and Wild C.A.T.S. listed under "partial matches" |
130 | "Happy Birthday" | "Happy Birthday to You!" (song) |
128 | "Ghosts" | |
126 | "Double Date" / "The Double Date" | Double Date |
126 | "Lights, Camera, _____!" | Includes 32 examples of the exact title "Lights, Camera, Action!" |
124 | "Survivor" / "Survivors" / "The Survivor" / "The Survivors" | Survivor Dogs by Erin Hunter and Survivors (TV series) |
123 | "Ties That Bind" / "The Ties That Bind" | |
122 | "Hero" / "The Hero" | The Hero, as of 15 January 2020 |
122 | "Trial" / "The Trial" | The Trial (Franz Kafka) |
118 | "Rescue" / "The Rescue" | |
117 | "Blast from the Past" / "A Blast from the Past" | Blast from the Past (film); includes three multi-part episodes from Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, Street Legal and Webster |
117 | "Money" | |
116 | "Nightmare" / "The Nightmare" | |
115 | "Game Over" | Game Over |
115 | "Til Death Do Us Part" / "Till Death Do Us Part" | Until Death Do Us Part (manga) |
114 | "Secrets and Lies" | |
113 | "Fire" / "The Fire" | Includes a multi-part episode of Magkaribal and a multi-part episode of Jackanory listed under "partial matches" |
113 | "One" | |
112 | "The Date" | |
111 | "Reckoning" / "The Reckoning" | |
111 | "Survival" | Includes two multi-part episodes from Doctor Who and Alienators: Evolution Continues listed under "partial matches" |
110 | "Great Expectations" | Great Expectations (novel), includes 3 two-part episodes |
110 | "Surprise" | |
108 | "Crossroads" | |
108 | "Sins of the Father" / "The Sins of the Father" | Sins of Our Fathers; one example of "Sins of Our Father" and one of "The Sins of Our Father" not counted. |
107 | "The Secret" | The Secret (book) |
106 | "Lost" | Lost (TV series) |
106 | "Missing" | |
106 | "Unfinished Business" | Unfinished Business |
104 | "_____ to the Rescue" | Manually counted, only counting variations upon (Noun) to the Rescue, and not including episodes titled "To the Rescue" or "Race to the Rescue". |
104 | "The Great Escape" | Great Escape |
102 | "Duel" / "The Duel" | |
102 | "Eye for an Eye" / "An Eye for an Eye" | |
102 | "The Show Must Go On" | The Show Must Go On |
102 | "Under Pressure" | |
101 | "Chase" / "The Chase" | Cha$e, The Chase, Chase Scene |
81- 100
71- 80
61- 70
51- 60
41- 50
31- 40
# of Episodes | Title | Notes / See Also / Not to Be Confused with |
40 | "Angel" | Angel (TV series) |
40 | "Armageddon" | |
40 | "Carnival" | |
40 | "Encounter" | |
40 | "First Blood" | First Blood, Rambo (film series); includes a two-part episode from Shadow Squad under "partial matches" |
40 | "Home Invasion" | |
40 | "Monday" | |
40 | "The Whole Truth" | |
40 | "Truth and Consequences" | Truth or Consequences |
39 | "Bon Voyage" | |
39 | "Chaos" | |
39 | "Dear Diary" | |
39 | "Fall From Grace" | |
39 | "Message in a Bottle" | Message in a Bottle |
39 | "Prison Break" | |
38 | Alibi / TheAlibi | As of 24 July 2015 Including variations Not to be confused with: more than 40 films and short films using variations. |
38 | "Blood" | |
38 | "Charlie" | |
38 | "Coming of Age" | Coming-of-Age Story |
38 | "Dead or Alive" | Dead or Alive (game) |
38 | "Diamond in the Rough" | |
38 | "Doomsday" | |
38 | "Earthquake" | Earthquake |
38 | "Fatal Attraction" / "A Fatal Attraction" | Fatal Attraction, Fatal Attraction (film) |
38 | "Forever Young" | |
38 | "Gold" | |
38 | "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" | allusion to film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner |
38 | "Home Again" | |
38 | "In Sickness and in Health" | |
38 | "My Dinner with _____" | allusion to film My Dinner with Andre; excludes example of "Dinner With My..." |
38 | "Recovery" | |
38 | "See No Evil" | |
38 | "The Curse" | |
38 | "To Catch A Thief" | To Catch a Thief (film) |
37 | "Asylum" | |
37 | "Blood Ties" | |
37 | "Graduation Day" | |
37 | "Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow" | Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow |
37 | "High Noon" | High Noon |
37 | "Life After Death" | |
37 | "Out of the Blue" | |
37 | "Silence" | |
37 | "Silent Night" | |
37 | "Something Old, Something New" | Old, New, Borrowed and Blue |
37 | "Sunday" | |
37 | "Suspect" / "The Suspect" | |
37 | "The Contest" | |
37 | "The Hunter" | Hunter of Monsters |
37 | "Thursday" | |
37 | "Whatever It Takes" | One example of "I'll Do Whatever It Takes" and one of "I Do Whatever It Takes" not counted |
36 | "Bad Medicine" | |
36 | "Carpe Diem" | |
36 | "Day of Reckoning" / "The Day of Reckoning" | |
36 | "Demons" | Demons (TV series) |
36 | "Descent" / "The Descent" | Descent (video game series), The Descent (film) |
36 | "Homeward Bound" | Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (film) |
36 | "Killer Instinct" / "The Killer Instinct" | Killer Instinct (game) |
36 | "Lust" | |
36 | "Mind Over Matter" | |
36 | "Partners in Crime" | |
36 | "The Big Game" | Big Game |
36 | "To Have and to Hold" | |
36 | "The Invisible Man" | |
36 | "Tuesday" | |
36 | "Wedding Bells" | |
36 | "Loss" | |
35 | "Cat and Mouse" | |
35 | "Chameleon" / "The Chameleon" | |
35 | "Crossfire" | |
35 | "Dangerous Liaisons" | Dangerous Liaisons (novel) |
35 | "Gimme Shelter" | |
35 | "Heart of the Matter" / "The Heart of the Matter" | |
35 | "Hurricane" | |
35 | "The Big Sleep" | Big Sleep, The Big Sleep (film) |
35 | "The Bully" | |
35 | "Wedding Bell Blues" | "Wedding Bell Blues", song made famous by The 5th Dimension, commonly misidentified as "(Marry Me) Bill" |
35 | "Wednesday" | |
34 | "After Hours" | |
34 | "Drive" | |
34 | "The Accused" | |
34 | "The Big Day" | |
34 | "The Last Temptation of _____" | allusion to novel and film The Last Temptation of Christ |
33 | "Beer" | |
33 | "Boys Will Be Boys" | |
33 | "Collision" | |
33 | "Do Or Die" | |
33 | "Hearts and Minds" | |
33 | "Illusion" / "Illusions" | |
33 | "Journey's End" | Includes 1 three-part episode and two sub-subtitled episodes |
33 | "Panic" | |
33 | "Shattered" | |
33 | "Someone to Watch Over Me" | |
33 | "The Sound of Silence" / "The Sounds of Silence" / "Sound of Silence" / "Sounds of Silence" | Simon & Garfunkel |
33 | "Swan Song" | |
32 | "All Good Things" / "All Good Things Must Come to an End" | |
32 | "Battle" / "The Battle" | |
32 | "Dead Reckoning" | |
32 | "Epiphanies" / "Epiphany" / "The Epiphany" | |
32 | "Grace" | |
32 | "He Said, She Said" | |
32 | "Ice" | |
32 | "Into the Fire" | |
32 | "Night Shift" | |
32 | "Nightmares" | |
32 | "Nowhere to Run" | |
32 | "Out of Sight" | |
32 | "Red" | Red, a disambig |
32 | "Release" | |
32 | "Rescue Me" | Rescue Me (TV series) |
32 | "Rest in Peace" / "R.I.P." | |
32 | "Shadow" / "The Shadow" | |
32 | "Silent Partner" / "Silent Partners" / "The Silent Partner" | |
31 | "Bad Boys" | |
31 | "Blind Faith" | As at 14 January 2020 |
31 | "Chain Reaction" | |
31 | "Chosen" / "The Chosen" | The Chosen One |
31 | "Come Fly with Me" | |
31 | "Games People Play" | |
31 | "Happy Anniversary" | |
31 | "Inside Job" | |
31 | "Merry Christmas" | |
31 | "Paradise" | |
31 | "Skin" | |
31 | "Surf's Up" | Surf's Up (film) or Surf's Up (Beach Boys album) |
31 | "The Tower" | |
21- 30
11- 20
# of Episodes | Title | Notes / See Also / Not to Be Confused with |
20 | "And Baby Makes Three" | |
20 | "Atonement" | |
20 | "Believe" | |
20 | "Blowback" | |
20 | "Breaking and Entering" | |
20 | "Burnin' Down the House" / "Burning Down the House" | |
20 | "Day of The Dead" | |
20 | "Don't Look Back" | |
20 | "Green" | |
20 | "I Do" | |
20 | "It's A Wonderful Life" | It's a Wonderful Life |
20 | "Justice For All" / "And Justice For All" | |
20 | "Odyssey" / "The Odyssey" | The Odyssey |
20 | "Out of the Ashes" | |
20 | "Remembrance" | 4 times from Songs of Praise, 5 from other shows |
20 | "_____ Saves the Day" | |
20 | "Star Crossed" | |
20 | "The Cave" | |
20 | "The Incident" | |
20 | "Whisper" / "Whispers" | |
20 | "Windows" | |
19 | "Circle" / "The Circle" | |
19 | "The Enemy" | |
19 | "Extreme Measures" | |
19 | Gorilla My Dreams | A pun on the expression Girl of My Dreams. There are also 2 episodes called "Gorilla of My Dreams" and one called "Guerilla My Dreams" |
19 | "Homefront" / "Home Front" | |
19 | "In the Line of Fire" | |
19 | "Indian Summer" | |
19 | "Learning to Fly" | |
19 | "Lightning" | |
19 | "Midnight" | |
19 | "Nightfall" | The Asimov novelette, the Asimov & Silverberg novel, and the webcomic |
19 | "Peer Pressure" | |
19 | "Sex, Lies and Videotape" (and variations) | allusion to film sex, lies, and videotape ; 11 straight examples, one "Sex, Lies and No Videotape", one "Oral Sex, Lies and Videotape", three "Sex, Lies and Videotapes", two "Ex, Lies and Videotape", one "Dex, Lies and Videotape" and one "Sex, Lies and Red Tape". |
19 | "The Prophet" | |
19 | "Still Waters" | |
19 | "Storm Warning" | |
19 | "The Prom" | |
18 | "A Tale of Two Cities" | A Tale of Two Cities (novel) |
18 | "All About Eve" | All About Eve (film) |
18 | "Alter Ego" | |
18 | "Borrowed Time" | |
18 | "Chaos Theory" | |
18 | "Culture Shock" | |
18 | "Dark Side of the Moon" | The Dark Side of the Moon (album) |
18 | "Dream Girl" | |
18 | "Dream Lover" | |
18 | "Hook, Line and Sinker" | |
18 | "Kill or Be Killed" | |
18 | "Long Live the King" | |
18 | "One Small Step" | |
18 | "Pound of Flesh" / "A Pound of Flesh" | |
18 | "Prime Suspect" | Prime Suspect series |
18 | "Sleight of Hand" | |
18 | "Talk Show" / "The Talk Show" | |
18 | "Walkabout" | |
17 | "Affairs of the Heart" | |
17 | "The Assignment" / "Assignment" | |
17 | "Blaze of Glory" | |
17 | "Bounty" | |
17 | "Chain of Command" | |
17 | "The Darkest Hour" | |
17 | "Deliver Us From Evil" | |
17 | "Explorers" / "The Explorers" | |
17 | "Fear And Loathing" / "Fear And Loathing In _____ " | Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas |
17 | "Fury" | |
17 | "Gone But Not Forgotten" | |
17 | "Hanging by a Thread" | |
17 | "It's About Time" | |
17 | "Lessons" | |
17 | "Life Support" | |
17 | "Matter of Honor" / "A Matter of Honor" / "Matters of Honor" | |
17 | "The Quality of Mercy" | |
17 | "Salvage" | |
17 | "Squeeze Play" | |
17 | "The Adventure Begins" | |
17 | "The Great Train Robbery" | |
17 | "Time and Tide" | |
17 | "Two For The Road" | |
16 | "As Time Goes By" | |
16 | "Blood Feud" | |
16 | "Dreamland" | |
16 | "Employee of the Month" | |
16 | "Heart of Stone" | |
16 | "Innocence Lost" | |
16 | "Letter of the Law" | |
16 | "Love on the Rocks" | |
16 | "Progress" | |
16 | "Reign of Terror" | |
16 | "Sleeper" | |
16 | "Sleepwalker" | |
16 | "Something in the Air" | |
16 | "The Usual Suspects" | The Usual Suspects (film); the two pre-1995 examples are probably direct references to Casablanca |
16 | "Uprising" | |
16 | "We All Fall Down" | Warehouse 13 (TV series) |
16 | "Wonderland" | |
15 | "A Knight to Remember" | |
15 | "April Fool's Day" | |
15 | "Chance of a Lifetime" | |
15 | "College" | |
15 | "Dawn" | |
15 | "Deus Ex Machina" | |
15 | "Duet" | |
15 | "Enemies" | |
15 | "Fly Away Home" | |
15 | "Gemini" | |
15 | "Hammer Time" / "It's Hammer Time" | MC Hammer |
15 | "Hat Trick" | |
15 | "If Looks Could Kill" | |
15 | "Infection" | |
15 | "Little White Lies" | |
15 | "An Officer and a Gentleman" / "Officers and Gentlemen" | Officer and a Gentleman, An Officer and a Gentleman |
15 | "Ouroboros" | |
15 | "S.O.S." | |
15 | "Pandemic" | |
15 | "Shadow of the Past" / "Shadows of the Past" | |
15 | "The Big Race" | |
15 | "The Passenger" | |
15 | "Under the Skin" | |
15 | "War Stories" | |
15 | "Zero Hour" | |
14 | "A Bone to Pick" | |
14 | "A Little Learning" | |
14 | "The Bank Job" | The Heist; The Bank Job |
14 | "The Big Squeeze" | |
14 | "Class Reunion" | |
14 | "Dear John" | |
14 | "Enigma" | |
14 | "Family Man" | |
14 | "Guys and Dolls" | |
14 | "Hard Time" | |
14 | "Heartless" | |
14 | "In the Name of the Father" | |
14 | "Legacies" | |
14 | "Lessons Learned" | |
14 | "The Match" | |
14 | "Pas De Deux" | |
14 | "Past Lives" | |
14 | "Phoenix Rising" | |
14 | "Save the Last Dance for Me" | |
14 | "Selling Out" | |
14 | "Shotgun" | |
14 | "Snake in the Grass" | |
14 | "Succession" | |
14 | "White Rabbit" /White Rabbits /The White Rabbit | As of 9 August 2020 |
13 | "Breathless" | |
13 | "Cease Fire" / "Ceasefire" | |
13 | "In Deep" | |
13 | "The Locket" | |
13 | "Not Fade Away" | |
13 | "Outlaws" | |
13 | "The Past is Prologue" / "Past Prologue" / "What's Past is Prologue" | |
13 | "Potato" | 4 separate uses in Iron Chef, in addition to four other shows that use it once each |
13 | "Suffer the Little Children" | |
13 | "The Impossible Dream" | |
13 | "Too Cool For School" | |
13 | "Walk the Line" | |
13 | "Werewolf" | |
13 | "The Wire" | |
12 | "All the King's Horses" | |
12 | "Bus Stop" | |
12 | "The Eleventh Hour" | |
12 | "Extinction" | |
12 | "Live and Learn" | |
12 | "Muddy Waters" | |
12 | "No Rest for the Wicked" | |
12 | "The Vampire" | |
12 | "Wannabe" | |
12 | "What If" | |
11 | "And Baby Makes Two" | |
11 | "Babel" | |
11 | "Black Hole" | |
11 | "Body Parts" | |
11 | "Burn, Baby, Burn" | |
11 | "Comedy of Errors" / The Comedy of Errors | |
11 | "Company Man" / "The Company Man" | |
11 | "Damned If You Do" | |
11 | "Dust to Dust" | |
11 | "Ebb Tide" | |
11 | "Force Majeure" | |
11 | "Forsaken" / "The Forsaken" | |
11 | "Fragments" | |
11 | "Human" / "Humans" | |
11 | "Man Alone" / "A Man Alone" | |
11 | "Pier Pressure" | |
11 | "Profit and Loss" | |
11 | "Rain of Terror" | |
11 | "Real Life" | |
11 | "Snapshot" | |
11 | "Storyteller" / "The Storyteller" / "The Story Teller" / "Story Teller" | |
11 | "The Window" | |
11 | "Time Out of Mind" | |
11 | "To the Death" | |
11 | "Undertow" | |
11 | "Valentine's Day Massacre" | The Saint Valentine's Day Massacre |
11 | "What About Bob?" | What About Bob? (film) |
5- 10
"Seriously, what's with all these episodes about pilots? ...Wesley?"