Time keeps marching on … for some. For others, it repeats itself.
If there’s one thing science fiction and fantasy TV does well, it’s Groundhog Day-themed episodes. For the uninitiated, the “Groundhog Day” trope finds a character reliving a specific day (or moment) in a time loop. Some might associate this trope with the 1993 Bill Murray film, which is aptly titled Groundhog Day.
We at GGA are quite partial to this trope. So, to celebrate the upcoming annual tradition of the same name (regardless of whether the groundhog sees its shadow), we’ve compiled a list of our eight favorite Groundhog Day-themed TV episodes.
The Magicians, “Oops!…I Did It Again”
I think they did it again.
The Magicians is a lovely little fantasy series that, despite flying under the radar for its run, took admirable creative swings that usually panned out. “Oops!…I Did It Again” tries on the Groundhog Day/time loop theme for size and knocks it out of the park (and to the broken moon).
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The gang tries to save Earth from an apocalyptic event as fragments of the moon barrel toward the planet. Unfortunately, they’re stuck in a time loop, and every attempt ends in death and bloodshed. Margo (Summer Bishil) and Eliot (Hale Appleman) are the only ones aware of the time loop in which they’re trapped. So, they join forces to break said loop before things get … wait for it … even loopier. Well, that and prevent Earth from exploding.
It’s a standout episode in the show’s fifth and final season, to be sure, bolstered by sensational performances from Bishil and Appleman. After all, Margo and Eliot are objectively the best characters, so any episode featuring them is bound to be top-tier. — Melody McCune
Star Trek: The Next Generation, “Cause and Effect”
The USS Enterprise-D is the first Starfleet vessel to investigate the Typhon Expanse. Unfortunately, the ship soon becomes entrapped in a time loop that concludes with the Enterprise’s destruction. Unfortunately, none of the crew members recall the loop’s events once it’s been reset. But thanks to the re-use of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart)’s Captain’s Log, the audience easily understands the nature of the time loop.
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Eventually, Doctor Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) and the rest of the D crew determine the nature of the their enloopment. They discover that the Enterprise is repeatedly colliding with the USS Bozeman, a Starfleet ship missing for nine decades.
Ultimately, the Enterprise and the Bozeman can escape the disastrous loop. After this episode, the Bozeman’s captain, Morgan Bateson (Kelsey Grammer), continues to serve in Starfleet. Bozeman can be heard in Star Trek: First Contact and seen in Star Trek: Lower Decks’ “Grounded.” This episode is directed by Jonathan Frakes. — Avery Kaplan
Fringe, “White Tulip”
The Fringe episode, “White Tulip,” is hands down one of the best episodes of the acclaimed science fiction series. It’s the 18th episode of the series’ second season.
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In this episode, Walter tries to write a letter to his son Peter, attempting to explain that he stole him from a parallel universe after his own son Peter tragically died. Then, a commuter train is found full of dead passengers with their electronic devices drained of energy. Olivia (Anna Torv), Walter (John Noble) and Peter (Joshua Jackson) show up to investigate. The investigation brings them to a scientist named Alistair Peck’s (Peter Weller) apartment.
It turns out that Peck has turned his body into a type of Farraday device. He wants to travel 10 months into the past to save his fiancée from a fatal car accident. What ensues is a time loop where the team tries to stop him; every time they get close, the time loop is reset.
What makes this episode so wonderful, aside from the science fiction aspect of it, are the themes of science, forgiveness, and redemption. White tulips are representative of purity and honor.
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In the end, Walter talks to Peck, scientist to scientist. Peck once again escapes back in time, except this time, he chooses to die with his fiancée. As with all great time loop episodes, time is reset and Walter, Peter and Olivia are none the wiser. This only adds to the gravity of Walter’s past misdeeds. Peck may have reset time, but not before mailing Walter an image of a white tulip, which helps Walter deal with his major transgressions regarding Peter. — Audrey Kearns
Eureka, “I Do Over”
When I think of time loop Groundhog Day episodes within the sci-fi world, I can’t help but fondly remember Eureka’s third season episode, “I Do Over.” Of course, in a town packed with genius-level scientists whose experiments continuously go wrong, there must be an issue with an atomic clock.
This forces Jack Cater (Colin Ferguson) to relive his day over and over. Except it isn’t the typical, “Oh, just solve the problem, and everything will be fine.” This one either ends in a way that lets everyone see tomorrow or with the universe ripping apart. Plus, we can’t forget to add the stress of Allison (Salli Richardson-Whitfield) and Nathan’s (Ed Quinn) wedding.
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And while they solve the problem in the end, it comes at a terrible cost. Eureka’s “I Do Over” manages to balance the comedic tone of the series while also giving us a punch in the gut at the end that will have you thinking about the episode for days after. — Julia Roth
Wynonna Earp, “Undo It”
As if killing Revenants and preventing the revival of one of the oldest demons wasn’t enough, now Wynonna Earp (Melanie Scrofano) has to deal with her own Groundhog Day. Even worse, she doesn’t have a bottle of whiskey or a box of doughnuts to help her break this seemingly impenetrable time loop. Bulshar (Jean Marchand) traps Wynonna and Doc Holliday (Tim Rozon) in said time loop, hoping Wynonna will hand over her trusty demon-killing gun, Peacemaker, and potentially take herself out of the equation.
Amid the numerous times Wynonna tries and fails to escape the loop, she encounters none other than Bobo Del Rey (Michael Eklund), whom she battles. This is my favorite scene in the episode. There’s a gorgeous shot of both of them laying next to each other, blood pooling from their stab wounds, as Wynonna resolves to fight and Bobo’s resolve dissolves.
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“Undo It” is your typical Wynonna Earp episode — it’s ridiculously campy, creative, irreverent, sharp-witted and action-packed. — Melody McCune
Star Trek: Discovery, “Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad”
After running afoul of Harry Mudd (Rainn Wilson) in an earlier episode, Captain Gabriel Lorca (Jason Isaacs) thinks he’s escaped without consequence. But when the USS Discovery unexpectedly encounters a penetrated space whale, Mudd returns with a vengeance. Motivated by a desire to avenge what he perceives to be betrayal, Mudd intentionally traps the crew of the Discovery in a time loop.
While no one on the crew recalls the events of the loop’s previous iterations, Mudd retains his memories, allowing him the advantage he needs to capture command of the ship. Fortunately, Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) work together to break the loop and free the crew. However, Mudd avoids consequences to sow chaos for Starfleet another day, as seen in the Star Trek: Short Treks episode “The Escape Artist.” — Avery Kaplan
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Stargate SG-1, “Window of Opportunity”
In the episode “Window of Opportunity” in Stargate SG-1’s fourth season, Colonel O’Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) and Teal’c (Christopher Judge) find themselves in a time loop.
On a faraway planet, the team meets an archeologist named Malikai who has been studying the world — and he definitely has nefarious motives. A strange disturbance hits the planet, and suddenly, it’s 10 hours earlier — O’Neill is eating a bowl of Fruit Loops, and Teal’c is struck by a door that an airman is opening. The time loop begins to repeat itself.
O’Neill and Teal’c realize that they are the only ones affected by this and set out to solve the issue but are consistently waylaid. So what are they to do? Only what every great time loop story does — enjoy yourself. They hit golf balls through the Stargate cycle; Jack tries his hand at pottery and in a more interesting move, tenders his resignation and kisses Sam Carter (Amanda Tapping).
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Ultimately, the two learn an alien language and work with Sam and Daniel to get back to the planet. There, they learn that Malikai is trying to see his deceased wife one more time. O’Neil speaks with him about the loss of his son, and Malikai turns off the device, and the time loop ends.
This episode had a wonderful balance of suspense and that wonderful SG-1 humor. Most importantly, it gave fans a peek at their favorite ship: Sam and Jack. — Audrey Kearns
Steven Universe, “Steven and the Stevens”
My very favorite sci-fi cartoon is Steven Universe, which aired on Cartoon Network from 2013 to 2020 and continues to air in my living room daily. Steven Universe (Zach Callison) protects and lives in Beach City with the help of the Crystal Gems. It manages to be both a magical girl adventure series with the transformations and emotional topics mixed with the war-hungry, space-faring alien awesomeness of a sci-fi series.
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The “Steven and the Stevens” episode aired during the first season is my favorite Ground Hog Day/time travel hijinks episode on television. Steven needs a partner to play in the upcoming music festival, Beach-A-Palooza, but everyone else is busy. Steven uses a magic hourglass to travel back in time to fix his mistakes but quickly learns he can clone himself with it instead.
When the band eventually falls to infighting, Steven enters the festival with the Crystal Gems and drops one of the catchiest beats of the season. The best part about this episode is that it is a throwback to the unaired pilot episode, where we see the same device. — Lauren Darnell
What are your favorite Groundhog Day/time loop episodes? Sound off in the comments below.
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What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet.
Bylines in: Tell-Tale TV, Culturess, Sideshow Collectibles, and inkMend on Medium.
Critic: Rotten Tomatoes, CherryPicks, and the Hollywood Creative Alliance.
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