What is the greatest 3-episode run of all time? (not including miniseries)
My personal pick is Mad Men — ep. 406, 407 and 408 — “Waldorf Stories” into “The Suitcase” into “The Summer Man”.
All three brought something unique to the series that we hadn’t seen before (unexpected self-contained flashback subplot, intimate bottle episode, diegetic narration), and we essentially saw none of it replicated in the back half of the series. Not to mention “The Suitcase” is widely regarded to be one of the single greatest TV episodes of all time.
A unique and flawless theme-reinforcing midpoint to arguably the greatest TV drama of all time.
My honorable mentions:
- The Sopranos, ep. 510, 511, and 512 — “Cold Cuts” into “The Test Dream” into “Long-Term Parking”.
- Succession, ep. 307, 308 and 309 — “Too Much Birthday” into “Chiantishire” into “All the Bells Say”
- Breaking Bad, final episodes — “Ozymandias” into “Granite State” into “Felina”.