Groundhog Day episodes have been a mainstay in sci-fi and fantasy shows for a while. But which episodes would viewers love returning to and why?
What day is it? This question has been repeated ad nauseum on social media, in emails, and in office group chats. Since nobody can keep track of days or times—is today Friday or was yesterday Friday? Who knows!—we decided to delve into pop culture to uncover more about this feeling.
Turns out, some of our favorite TV shows have expertly explored the feeling of living the same day over and over again. These episodes usually require the protagonist(s) to resolve one central issue before they can break the loop and go back to living a normal life.
The concept originated from the seminal Bill Murray film, Groundhog Day, where Murray plays a curmudgeonly character who is forced to live through the same day until he becomes a better person. It takes a while—hence an entire feature-length film being dedicated to the plot.
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On the small screen, Netflix’s excellent Russian Doll turned the concept on its head with Natasha Lyonne playing a fairly ordinary human—who isn’t all that bad—trying to make it through one evening without dying.
If you haven’t watched it, you definitely should. It’s hilarious, it’s emotional, and it’ll have you desperate for a second season.
But not all concept shows have space or time to dedicate whole arcs to time loops—though many have distilled the plot device to one singular episode that generally turns out to be everyone’s favorite.
We look at five sci-fi and fantasy shows that nailed their Groundhog Day episodes.
5. “Lullaby” from 12 Monkeys
Dr Cassandra Railly (Amanda Schull) is sent back in time to complete an all-important mission—kill Dr Katarina Jones (Barbara Sukowa), the creator of time travel. There’s just one hitch in the plan—time doesn’t want Jones dead.
Stuck in a loop that resets every time a significant change is made in Jones’ life, and unable to complete her mission, Railly has to team up with James Cole (Aaron Stanford) and Jennifer Goines (Emily Hampshire) to find a way to break the cycle and save the world.
12 Monkeys was all about time travel and was unfortunately prescient about the plague-like conditions we now find ourselves in. If that wasn’t coincidental enough, ‘Lullaby’ is set almost entirely in 2020 and focuses on a mass outbreak.
But that’s not why ‘Lullaby’ is on this list—the time loop plotline probably fits this show better than any of the others on this list. Throughout the series, the characters struggle with their time travel technology—so it’s entirely plausible that a glitch would leave characters reliving the same day.
Additionally, because of the rigors of time travel, every loop leaves Cassandra and Cole a little worse off physically, until it looks like they may just be marching towards death.
Then there’s the ending, which is unexpected and cathartic, not to mention, immensely powerful. All the clues are laid out for the audience, but it’s only when you see it that you understand how the denouement was reached.
If you’re looking for one of the best Groundhog Day episodes that will tickle your brain and squeeze your heartstrings, ‘Lullaby’ is the one for you.
4. “Here I Go Again” from DC’s Legends of Tomorrow
The Waverider’s newest member, Zari Tomaz (Tala Ashe), is struggling to fit in with the crew, especially with her hard-ass captain, Sara Lance/ White Canary (Caity Lotz).
To make things worse, Zari tries to experiment with the ship’s computer, Gideon, causing a time loop that is reset every time a hidden bomb on the ship goes off.
After exhausting her options for saving the ship, Zari enlists the help of Nate Heywood (Nick Zano), resident historian and pop culture geek—Groundhog Day is the code word Zari uses to tell Nate about the time loop. Together, they investigate the crew to find the saboteur.
On the way, Zari discovers more about her colleagues and realizes her real place among the crew and ship.
Zari has been one of the best additions to the cast of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow—her current avatar is hilarious, but the first version of the character was full of heart and pathos, with a healthy dose of sarcasm.
This spotlight episode does wonders for the character but it also sets up so many key aspects of the crew that have become synonymous with the show—such as Sara and Ava’s romance, and Mick’s secondary career as an erotic fantasy writer.
Plus, those 70s costumes the crew wears for most of the episode suit them perfectly!
The ending is a bit of a copout considering how much growth Zari has during this episode but it’s so much fun and has so many call-backs to previous events on the show that it’s worth watching repeatedly.
3. “Cause and XS” from The Flash
The Flash (Grant Gustin) has to leave the team for a short while on a mission of great importance, having put his daughter from the future, XS/ Nora West-Allen (Jessica Parker Kennedy), in charge of the city in his absence.
While XS is up to the task, when the villainous Cicada goes after her mother, Iris West-Allen (Candice Patton), XS takes matters into her own hands to save her. In the process, she loses a member of Team Flash, forcing XS to travel back in time to save a life.
The only problem? Every change XS makes puts another member of Team Flash in Cicada’s sights. What one thread can XS pull on to ensure no one dies tonight?
Unlike most of the episodes on this list, The Flash’s ‘Cause and XS’ isn’t about a time-loop as such. Though the same day and events are repeated, XS has the agency to go back and forward in time.
The reason why this episode is on this list—apart from the fact that it is amazing—is because the story has a similar direction as the Groundhog Day concept. XS not only has to complete her mission, but she also needs to discover something important about herself.
As a Groundhog Day episode, ‘Cause and XS’ is seriously suspenseful—you can feel the tension building in Nora every time someone new is taken.
What’s fascinating is that Nora’s lesson isn’t just about becoming a better person—she also learns that her time traveling may have serious consequences on the world, and not all of them good ones.
Not the happiest of endings out of the many Groundhog Day episodes but an important one. And besides, how can we complain about an entire episode dedicated to Nora?
2. “Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad” from Star Trek: Discovery
The crew of the Discovery are having a rare fun evening in the midst of Starfleet’s war with the Klingons. But the evening is interrupted by the arrival of an endangered space creature who needs their immediate assistance.
Unfortunately, no good deed goes unpunished. The creature yields a dangerous foe who has the technology to bend time to his will and destroy the Discovery.
Though the ship has been blown up multiple times, there is one crewmember who knows that the crew is stuck in the fatal time loop—engineer Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp).
But he can’t do anything on his own—how can Stamets convince his colleagues and friends about something only he can remember?
There’s a tangible sense of danger in this episode—not only does the ship keep getting destroyed, but the tech that is controlling the loop is winding down.
The crew can’t afford to run out of time when they’ve lost someone—that means trusting each other with little evidence so as to outwit their foe.
Star Trek is known for its time loop episodes—The Next Generation’s ‘Cause and Effect’ was very close to being on this list.
But this season one gem from Discovery went beyond the suspense and action one would expect from the story—the episode is also about the bonds that tie people together.
And it’s super romantic—setting up the tragic pairing of Michael Burnham and Ash Tyler. What else could you ask for from great sci-fi?
1. “Mystery Spot” from Supernatural
Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles), hunters of all things that go bump in the night, investigate the disappearance of a man who went looking for the infamous Mystery Spot.
But far from finding the missing man, Sam finds himself stuck in an endless loop, repeating the same day over and over again—which always ends with Dean’s death.
Undoubtedly one of pop culture’s favorite Groundhog Day episodes of all time, Supernatural’s ‘Mystery Spot’ is a cultural icon it is own right, topping most best-of Supernatural episode lists.
The episode is hilarious in every way—which is saying something considering one of the two beloved protagonists is killed constantly.
But there is no denying that watching a montage of Dean getting killed in the most ludicrous ways—from a piano being dropped on him to eating a dodgy sandwich—is nothing short of hilarious.
Padalecki steals the show with his excellent comic timing, while also capturing Sam’s frustration with a situation that he can’t get out of.
The episode has gone down in Supernatural-lore for expanding Richard Speight Jr.’s Trickster role into a pivotal one for the show. But it has also given rise to memes about never-ending Tuesdays and spawned fans’ adoration for Asia’s ‘Heat of the Moment’, which signals the start of a new loop in the episode.
What sets ‘Mystery Spot’ apart from the other episodes on this list is its unexpectedly dark ending—Sam breaks the cycle only for Dean to die for real on Wednesday. Though Dean is eventually brought back, there’s a sense of dread that stays with the viewer far beyond the episode.
What was are your favorite Groundhog Day episodes? Share your pick in the comments below.
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