A special musical episode in a non-musical-style show can be a risky move, but for some shows, it works out to great effect. TV shows typically establish a set of expectations early with viewers which develops into a format and style that can be easily recognized. For example, a crime investigation show will often show the incident occurring, the team doing research, and finally, the criminal being caught. Shaking up these formats and expectations can be an effective way to innovate, but something too different will typically turn fans off.
With that in mind, featuring a musical episode in a series that typically has no musical element or the main cast has never sung before can be confusing. Especially if these episodes are wedged in with little to no context. However, several shows managed to take their already existing format and develop a musical episode within the world they established. Often, a series that is able to weave the musical special into the bigger narrative and provide in-world explanations performs much better than those that don’t.
10 “The Song In Your Heart”
Once Upon A Time Season 6, Episode 20
Once Upon A Time is a show that revolves around blending together dozens of fairytales and classic stories. Considering the show frequently adds new characters from stories full of magic and wonder, having a musical episode seemed almost inevitable. Thankfully, when it did happen late in the sixth season, the execution was solid, with great performances and light-hearted fun as the evil queen Regina sang a melodramatic ballad and songs about the power of love. As a result, the episode worked perfectly in the series.
9 “Duet”
The Flash Season 3, Episode 17
The Flash is a superhero series set in the Arrowverse. Typically, each week, Barry Allen and his friends learn about a new metahuman that could threaten the safety and well-being of the people of Central City, until the team finds a way to stop the threat. During a crossover episode with the stars of Supergirl, Barry, and Kara must face off against an extradimensional being with an unusual power. The Music Meister, played by Darren Criss (Glee), sends them both into a dream world where they must perform and sing to get to the end of the story and escape. It fits perfectly with the usual format, and the songs are genuinely good.
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8 “A Night To Remember”
Riverdale Season 2, Episode 18
Riverdale actually included several musical episodes throughout the show’s run. However, the first is still one of the best of the entire series. The teen drama and mystery series explores strained relationships between teenagers and adults, keeping dark secrets from them in the show, along with students frequently treating one another unkindly. Considering the themes, developing an episode around the students performing a musical adaptation of Carrie was a genius stroke. The songs and emotions experienced by the students echo the sense of betrayal and distrust of the original, and it provides the perfect excuse for a musical episode.
7 “Fan Fiction”
Supernatural Season 10, Episode 5
Sam and Dean Winchester are no strangers to the supernatural and weird, but the musical episode, “Fan Fiction,” took things to another level of weirdness. To mark the show’s 200th episode, Supernatural decided to create a very special episode that looked back on the series as a whole, acknowledged fan’s interest in the story, and told a great Supernatural story. The Winchesters arrive at a high school where odd occurrences are happening, only to discover a musical about their lives and adventures being made by the students. The episode naturally finds a way to have the characters sing and perform, without putting pressure on the actual Winchesters and it works perfectly.
6 “My Musical”
Scrubs Season 6, Episode 6
Perhaps one of the most fun musical episodes of any series, Scrubs did a great job with “My Musical.” While the series is generally funny, it usually stays grounded in reality, but when a female patient begins to hear everyone communicating with her in song, the team at Sacred Heart needs to work quickly to determine what’s wrong. The episode is deeply emotional, as well as playing into its comedy strengths. Whenever the patient is in earshot, the cast performs and sings elaborately, but as soon as she is out of earshot, things go back to normal.
5 “Regional Holiday Music”
Community Season 3, Episode 10
Community is a show that is much looser with its format than most. Throughout the series, there have been animated episodes, stop-motion, and explorations of a wide variety of genres. In a special holiday episode, the odd and untrustworthy glee club teacher attempts to have the study group come and fill in for the indisposed glee club. Through song, he can persuade Abed to help, who in turn sings songs tailored to each member’s desires and better natures to have them join the club. An incredibly clever implementation of a musical episode with fun performances throughout, and a great story.
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4 “Once More With Feeling”
Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 6, Episode 7
Joss Whedon often experimented with Buffy the Vampire Slayer to test the limits of what made a good story, and the musical episode, “Once More With Feeling,” is another experimental episode that paid off in a big way. The town falls under the influence of a supernatural force that makes everyone sing, dance, and reveal their innermost secrets. The music not only contributes to the episode being great but reveals aspects of the character that hadn’t been explicitly confirmed up to that point. It also maintains the action and intensity of the series, as the performances don’t always end happily with this force, causing people to burst into flames as they give in to control.
3 “The Bitter Suite”
Xena: Warrior Princess Season 3, Episode 12
Musicals are great at storytelling through succinct and catchy songs that push the narrative forward, reveal characters’ emotions, and inform the audience of change. Xena: Warrior Princess uses the musical format to tell a moving story, digging deep into its characters and resolving storylines and complicated relationships in just one 45-minute episode. In the absence of emotional and revealing music, these elements could have taken half a season to effectively tackle, but the show used the genre well in order to push forward.
2 “Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious”
The Simpsons Season 8, Episode 13
The Simpsons is another show that isn’t afraid to experiment, which is also helped by the fact that it’s animated, but regardless, the season 8 musical episode is a knock-out for the series. Parodying Mary Poppins, the Simpsons family hires a nanny to help out at home when Marge becomes ill due to stress. The show is comical and witty as always, but it also uses several songs to develop the story to great effect.
1 “Psych: The Musical”
Psych Season 7, Episode 15
Between the seventh and eighth seasons of Psych, this special musical episode was inserted as a way to bridge the gap and resolve some outstanding storylines. Although the show is a crime drama series, it also doesn’t take itself too seriously, and the inclusion of a musical episode further proves this point. The episode did a good job building a musical around the characters and storyline, and it all came together to create a fun and engaging prequel to the final season.
