The only TV episode in history to hold a perfect 10/10 on IMDb(Photo Credit –YouTube)
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Think of all the legendary TV episodes that you’ve seen, the ones that left you breathless, that had you pacing the room, that made you sit in stunned silence as the credits rolled. With so many masterpieces gracing our screens, it seems almost impossible that only one episode in television history has achieved a flawless 10/10 score on IMDb.
Several Iconic Shows But No 10/10
Even in the golden age of TV, where every other week a new ‘masterpiece’ drops, nothing else has quite managed to achieve perfection.
Just a few days back, Netflix’s Adolescence landed with a bang, earning a stellar 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, yet its highest-rated episode? An 8.6. Over on Apple TV+, the much-lauded Severance continues to mesmerize audiences, but even its best episode from the latest season caps out at 9.4.
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Some of the all-time classics such as Band of Brothers, Game of Thrones, The Sopranos, Peaky Blinders, and Fleabag have great storytelling that’s been put to screen, and yet, not a single episode among them has hit that elusive 10.
So, is there any series who did the impossible? Of course, it is none other than Breaking Bad. And if you’re a fan, you already know which episode it is before we even say the name.
The final season of Breaking Bad was a relentless, heart-pounding ride, with its last four episodes all scoring 9.7 or higher on IMDb. But the undisputed peak? The 14th episode—Ozymandias.
A Masterpiece of Tension and Tragedy
The episode is nothing but a single hour of television that is so powerful, so devastating, that even a decade later, it still stands as the only episode in IMDb history to hold a perfect 10.
Fans have described it as an out-of-body experience. One popular ten-star review on IMDb titled ‘You will not breath for an hour’ said, “Ozymandias unquestionably made sure that this will stand as one of the best TV Shows of all time. This was, without a doubt, the best hour of television I have ever seen.”
“This episode is a drug, you will be experiencing; nausea, fear, sickness, disbelief, an overwhelming sorrow blooming inside the very core of your being,” they added. “These symptoms will leave you paralyzed and unable to comprehend this hour of apocalyptic proportions. Still shaking and pumped with adrenaline, I solemnly vow that I, for one, won’t forget and will be remembering the name several years to come.”
Ozymandias, directed by Rian Johnson and inspired by the Percy Shelley poem of the same name, is a masterclass in tension and tragedy. It captures the crumbling empire of Walter White with ruthless precision—every moment a gut punch, every second dripping with inevitability.
Other Episodes That Came Close
Of course, some episodes have come tantalizingly close. The highest-rated entries of Game of Thrones, Six Feet Under, Bojack Horseman, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Better Call Saul all sit at a near-perfect 9.9. And occasionally, an episode, like today’s Invincible season three finale, might debut with a 10, only to slip as more votes roll in.
But Ozymandias? It stands alone – a singular moment in television history.
