2024 will be remembered for a lot of things, good and bad (and everything in between) — but around these parts, it will be remembered for specific TV episodes that stood out from the dozens, if not hundreds that viewers devour in a year. Whether it’s a weekly treat or annual binge, exceptional shows are one thing, but exceptional episodes will live on in our hearts and sometimes eclipse the very shows from whence they came.

As with every year, the IndieWire staff faces our annual conundrum of weighing good episodes against good shows and seeing where the two overlap. It was a no-brainer to pick the best episode of HBO’s “The Penguin” or “The Rings of Power” Season 2, but trickier when it came to shows like “Expats” or “A Man on the Inside” — or shows like “Pachinko,” and “True Detective: Night Country,” where the overall quality instead earned them...