Buffy's mother dies (February 27, 2001)

Dismissed by the clueless as little more than culty teen fantasy-horror, Buffy the Vampire Slayer proved unequivocally with its fifth-season episode ''The Body'' that it could leave viewers gasping without throwing a single punch. Indeed, the sudden, unexpected, and heartbreaking death of Joyce Summers (Kristine Sutherland), and in particular the moment she was found lying on the living room couch by the show's titular heroine, proved as devastating as it was watercooler-worthy. The show, alas, is still waiting for its Emmy.