Plenty of TV shows come up with experimental episodes to keep things fresh, but this runs the risk of giving fans something that feels completely out of place. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, since eliminating the restrictions of a show can sometimes give writers the freedom to create something more unique and interesting.

In some cases, however, these abnormal episodes are the last things fans want to see. Whether an episode decides to follow new characters, try out a different storytelling structure or change the tone completely, it's always a huge risk, and it can either result in classic episodes or notorious duds.

10 "Beard After Hours" - Ted Lasso

Season 2, Episode 9

Coach Beard is often a great foil to Ted. He has a no-nonsense, deadpan approach that jars with Ted's endless optimism and deep reservoirs of energy. "Beard After Hours" is a rare glimpse into his private life, showing that he's much more complex than he lets on. After his wedding in the season 3 finale, it's unclear what lies ahead for him in Ted Lasso season 4.

"Beard After Hours" abandons lighthearted comedy for the strange tension of a psychological thriller.

"Beard After Hours" follows Coach Beard on a long odyssey after AFC Richmond lose a crucial cup tie. His journey across London puts him on a collision course with all sorts of eccentric characters, most of whom are strangers to the show. The episode has a completely different tone to the rest of the show, abandoning lighthearted comedy for the strange tension of a psychological thriller.

9 "Ronny/Lily" - Barry

Season 2, Episode 5

Bill Hader's dark crime comedy Barry takes a few trips into the surreal, but these excursions are mostly contained within the protagonist's dreams and nightmares. "Ronny/Lily" is the one episode where this absurdity seeps into the reality of the show, and it makes it stand out. The funny part is that Barry's dangerous ordeal comes as a result of him trying to do the right thing for once.

"Ronny/Lily" begins like many other episodes, but a botched job leads to a ridiculous pursuit across the city, as Barry is followed by a child with seemingly supernatural powers. Lily's abilities can't be explained by the taekwondo trophies in her home. She seems to be able to hang in the air, survive endless punishment and attack with a ferocity that outstrips her size.

8 "Long, Long Time" - The Last Of Us

Season 1, Episode 3

The Last of Us is one of the best video game adaptations ever, and it's just as enjoyable for people who never played the game. For fans who already know Joel and Ellie's story, it's a remarkably faithful recreation of the game, with a few notable exceptions. "Long, Long Time" is a bolt from the blue that has little to do with the game.

Bill and Frank's story is a great opportunity for some worldbuilding, but it's also a tender love story that once again brings the human tragedy of the apocalypse into sharp focus. While it has little to do with the main throughline of The Last of Us, it's thematically linked to Joel and Ellie's unusual partnership. The Last of Us season 2 has a tough act to follow.

7 "Finding s" - Nathan For You

Season 4, Episode 7

Nathan For You is mostly a show about Nathan Fielder coming up with bizarre ideas to save struggling businesses, but there are a few journeys into more experimental territory. Season 1's "Claw of Shame" was the first indication that the show was going to be whatever Fielder wanted it to be, but nothing was quite as weird as "Finding s", the series finale.

"Finding s" is a strange sort of documentary, with Fielder helping a Bill Gates impersonator from a previous episode reconnect with a lost love from decades ago. The way that Fielder blurs the lines between fiction and reality, even with his own character, now seems like a warm-up for The Rehearsal. "Finding s" is a complete anomaly, but it's one of the Nathan For You.

6 "American Fung" - American Dad!

Season 12, Episode 14

American Dad has always had an absurd sense of humor and a willingness to deconstruct the form of sitcoms, but the infamous "American Fung" pushes these ideas to breaking point. The episode is a strange metatextual story in which a Chinese billionaire buys American Dad from Seth McFarlane, and his influence warps the reality of the show.

"American Fung" is packed with interesting details and metaphors about how the show itself could become stale if it sells out and bows to network pressure. One has to hope that the creative team got what they wanted from this episode, because it's a little too inside baseball for audiences to enjoy. It's often regarded as one of the show's very worst episodes.

5 "The National Anthem" - Black Mirror

Season 1, Episode 1

For most shows, it takes a few seasons before they start to experiment with the formula, but Black Mirror's very first episode was an outlier. "The National Anthem" has the same vein of social commentary that runs throughout the rest of the show, but it stands out because it lacks any sci-fi elements.

The events of "The National Anthem" could conceivably happen in real life, and not in some nebulous near future like some other Black Mirror episodes. It's more of a crime story and a twisted political drama than a sci-fi story. With Black Mirror season 7 coming soon, it seems that the show has moved further and further away from the style of its first outing.

4 "Rebrand" - Mythic Quest

Season 4, Episode 8

"Rebrand" isn't the only episode of Mythic Quest that departs from the main cast to tell a loosely related story. "Backstory!" delves into CW's origins as a writer, while "A Dark Quiet Death" is a cautionary tale only connected to Ian and Poppy's story based on the building they share. What makes "Rebrand" so unusual is the tone and the pacing.

While "Backstory!" and "A Dark Quiet Death" are both considered among the best episodes of Mythic Quest, "Rebrand" is a contender for the show's worst. Pootie Shoe isn't a character who ever needed more development, and "Rebrand" doesn't find an interesting angle to justify its own existence. It's an odd sports story that makes superficial references to famous streamers without Mythic Quest's usual satirical skill.

3 "Here Comes The Son" - Gilmore Girls

Season 3, Episode 21

Backdoor pilots are often the weirdest episodes of long-running shows, and "Here Comes the Sun" illustrates this point perfectly. The episode was intended to show what a new series about Jess' life in California could have been like, but it seemed wildly different from Gilmore Girls.

Jess is one of the most divisive characters in Gilmore Girls, so an episode centered around his new life with his biological father was always going to split opinions. While there's still plenty of great moments back in Stars Hollow, "Here Comes the Son" lacks the quippy dialogue and the lived-in feel that makes Gilmore Girls stand out.

2 "The Convert" - The Mandalorian

Season 3, Episode 3

The first two seasons of The Mandalorian feel like a throwback to an earlier era of TV in some ways, as it takes a largely episodic format that evokes old western adventure serials. The throughline of the Mandalorian's relationship with Grogu is one thing that carries over from episode to episode, but as the show develops it becomes more closely enmeshed with the rest of the Star Wars universe.

Season 3's "The Convert" leaves the main characters behind to focus on a different story about former Imperial soldiers and bureaucrats trying to adapt to life in the New Republic. It lacks the action that The Mandalorian normally delivers, and it feels more like a political drama. The new movie, The Mandalorian and Grogu, will be defined by the way it merges this sort of patient worldbuilding with sci-fi action.

1 "The Betrayal" - Seinfeld

Season 9, Episode 8

Some episodes of Seinfeld season 9 show how weird the show could soon have become if it hadn't wrapped up. "The Betrayal" is a great example of this, since it stands out from the rest of the show thanks to a bizarre gimmick that tells the entire story backwards.

It wouldn't even look like a normal episode of Seinfled if it was played in the correct order,

"The Betrayal" would be weird enough if its only abnormal element was its structure, but it wouldn't even look like a normal episode of Seinfled if it was played in the correct order. The humor doesn't hit the same, there are some weirdly melodramatic moments and Kramer's subplot is completely out of character.