Multi-Part Episode

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Sometimes, an episode is so long that it has to split into multiple episodes via a Story Arc. Long Story Arcs are usually the perfect reason multiple parts would work. The episodes' titles are the same, except the phrases "Part 1" and "Part 2" will be added after them. For example:

  • "Episode Title: Part 1"
  • "Episode Title: Part 2"

Also, at the end (probably a Cliff Hanger) of the first part, a message reading "To Be Continued" will appear on the screen. This means the rest of the story is saved for the second part. And the second part will always begin with a "Previously On..." montage that contains footage from the first part. A multi-part episode is used when a given plot development is, quite simply, too big for one time slot. It commonly shows up in the Pilot Episode because that has to establish the entire setting, and the Season Finale because producers like to make a given year go out with a bang to help secure financing for another year.

Five-Episode Pilot is a specialized subtrope. See also To Be Continued.

Examples of Multi-Part Episode include:

Anime and Manga

Live-Action TV

  • NCIS has quite a few of these for season finales, i.e. "Hiatus", "Kill Ari", etc.
  • Case in point, although rarely dubbed "Part 1 & 2", the only two-or-more-parters in The X-Files were the ones that dealt with the Myth Arc. In fact, after season 1, standalone mythology episodes became very rare.
  • The Six Million Dollar Man and its related shows loved this trope and wanted to have its children.
    • The Six Million Dollar Man. Of its 96 episodes, 20 were two-parters: "The Bionic Woman", "The Return of the Bionic Woman", "The Secret of Bigfoot", "The Return of Bigfoot", "Death Probe", "Sharks", "Deadly Countdown", "Dark Side of the Moon", "Return of the Death Probe" and "Date With Danger".
    • The Bionic Woman (1976–78). Of its 58 episodes, 14 were two parters: "Kill Oscar" parts 1 and 3 (part 2 was an episode of The Six Million Dollar Man), "Jaime's Shield", "Doomsday is Tomorrow", "Deadly Ringer", "The Bionic Dog", "Fembots in Las Vegas", "Welcome Home, Jaime"
  • The original 1970s Battlestar Galactica. Of its 24 episodes, 8 were two-parters: "Lost Planet of the Gods", "Gun on Ice Planet Zero", "The Living Legend" and "War of the Gods".
  • Star Trek: The Next Generation liked to do two-parters as season-ending Cliffhangers: "The Best of Both Worlds" (seasons 3/4), "Redemption" (seasons 4/5), "Time's Arrow" (seasons 5/6) and "Descent" (seasons 6/7). It also had the two-parters "Unification" in Season 5, "Chain of Command" and "Birthright" in season 6 and "Gambit" in season 7.
  • The most critically-acclaimed season finale of House was actually two episodes: "House's Head" and "Wilson's Heart."
  • An interesting example is the two Epitaphs from Dollhouse. They were conceived and produced separately, but together form a continuous two-part story.
  • The second season finale of Community was split into two parts.
  • Batman was made of this for the first season.
  • "Calderone's Return Part 1/2", "Golden Triangle Part 1/2" and "Down For The Count Part 1/2" from Miami Vice. Two of the three two-parters ("Calderone's Return" and "Down For The Count") feature the death of the series' Big Bad (up to that point in the story) and a major supporting character, respectively.
  • The CSI: Crime Scene Investigation franchise LIVES on this trope for its season finales. The later seasons have nearly all ended on a dramatic note that audiences must wait until the next season to see resolved. Probably the most notable example were season 7 and 8's "Living Doll/Dead Doll" and season 9 and 10's "For Gedda/For Warrick" pairing. The original series has also had at least two notable season finale two parters, season 5's "Grave Danger 1 and 2", as well as the season 6 finale "A Bullet Runs Through It". Season 7 then opened with the two part "Built To Kill". Season 10 had Grissom's departure in "19 Down"/"One to Go". Catherine's departure in season 12 had "Ms.Willows Regrets"/"Willows In The Wind".
  • Merlin had four: 'Beauty and the Beast' 1 and 2, 'The Tears of Uther Pendragon' 1 and 2, 'The Coming of Arthur' 1 and 2 and 'The Sword In The Stone' 1 and 2. The last two were the season 3 and 4 finales.
  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer had What's My Line 1 and 2, Bargaining 1 and 2,Becoming 1 and 2, and 'Graduation Day 1 and 2'.
  • Highlander 'Counterfeit 1 and 2', 'Unholy Alliance 1 and 2' and 'Finale 1 and 2'. Two other sets also qualify, though they were not a 1 and 2 case. The episodes were 'Comes a Horseman' and 'Revelation 6:8' and the series finale, 'To Be' and 'Not To Be'.
  • This was frequent in The Lone Ranger, usually ending with "Will the Lone Ranger triumph as he fights on for justice, law and order? Tune in next week when General Mills brings you another exciting episode of 'The Lone Ranger' "
  • Tracker Fever Of The Hunt 1 and 2.
  • The Golden Girls had a few, including 'We're Outta Here' 'the Very Special Episode 'Sick and Tired',and the series finale, 'One Flew Out Of The Cuckoo's Nest'.
  • Law and Order had a two-part episode titled "The Torrents of Greed" in its first season and a three-part episode in season 7 ("D-Girl", "Turnaround", and "Showtime"), but otherwise avoided this trope.
  • Before the 2005 revival, Doctor Who didn't have episodes, it had serials, mostly four- and six-parters. After the revival, it's had several two- and three-parters, though so far, only The End of Time has used Part 1 and 2 naming.
  • Stargate SG-1, especially on season transitions: The first two parts of a three-parter at the end of one season and the last part at the start of the next.
  • Married... with Children has several two-parters, as well as two three-parters.
  • The last season of Star Trek: Enterprise had no less than three three-parters, along with four two-parters and four stand-alone episodes.
  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel had frequent arcs that were essentially one very long episode, each one picking up where the previous one left off.
  • Highlander For more than two parts, there's the season 5 ending and sesaon 6 opener, the Archangel-Armageddon-Avatar arc
  • CSI: NY had a three part arc at the end of season 7 with Peter Fonda as Mac's first partner.
  • The original Hawaii Five-O had a few multi-part episodes. The most notable was the several-part "V for Vachon" arc.

Western Animation

  • South Park has "Cartoon Wars" and "Pandemic".
  • American Dad: "Stan of Arabia".
  • Justice League consisted almost entirely of these to allow for more epic and expansive plots. In fact, until Unlimited, there was exactly one standalone episode produced.
  • Major world-shaking villains got two-parters in both Batman the Animated Series and Superman: The Animated Series.
  • Teen Titans season finales tend to have this format. Season 5 is the exception.
  • My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic began with a two-part episode ("Friendship is Magic") about the ponies becoming friends and saving the world from eternal darkness. The second season began with another two-parter ("The Return of Harmony") involving a new villain, Discord, and ended with a two-part Season Finale ("A Canterlot Wedding").
  • Captain Planet and the Planeteers' had a few of these over its run.
  • Jem had "The Music Awards" and "The Jem Jam" in the first season, "The Talent Search" and "Hollywood Jem" in the second season, and "The Stingers Hit Town" in the third season,
  • To date,[when?] The Simpsons has only had one two-parter, "Who Shot Mr. Burns?", which was split over the end of Season 6 and the start of Season 7.
  • The Grand Finale of Avatar: The Last Airbender, Sozin's Comet, is split up into four parts.
  • Beast Machines featured a trio of three-part episodes, which all had individual subtitles in addition to their "Part" titles (e.g. "Revelations, Part I: Discovery", "Sparkwar Part III: The Siege").
  • The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes has several. Two-part episodes include "Breakout Part 1/Breakout Part 2" (sixth and seventh episodes produced), "Gamma World Part 1/Gamma World Part 2" (episodes 12 and 13), and "Ultron-5/The Ultron Imperative" (episodes 22 and 23). Episodes with more than two parts include "The Man Who Stole Tomorrow/Come the Conqueror/The Kang Dynasty" (the 16th, 17th, and 18th episodes produced) and "This Hostage Earth/The Fall of Asgard/A Day Unlike Any Other" (episodes 24-26).
  • G.I. Joe, in addition to having two Five-Episode Pilots, had five-episode miniseries to start each of three seasons, five two-parters in season 1, and five more two-parters in the DiC seasons.
  • The Transformers featured two three-parters in the first season (including Three-Episode Pilot "More Than Meets The Eye"), several two-parters in the second season, a five-parter to open the post-movie season 3, a two-parter to close that season, and a three-parter to serve as the series-ending season 4.
  • Most of Beast Wars' mutli-part episodes were two-parters, except for season 2's "The Agenda", which was a three-parter.
  • Transformers Prime started with a five-parter ("Darkness Rising"), ended season 1 with a three-parter ("One Shall Rise"), started season 2 with a three-parter ("Orion Pax"), and followed that up right away with a two-parter ("Operation Bumblebee"). Of course, given that this series is very Story Arc-oriented, there are several other episodes that could be considered multi-part, even though they're separately titled ("Sick Mind"/"Out Of His Head"; "T.M.I."/"Stronger, Faster"; "One Shall Fall" leading right into "One Shall Rise", and that's just the first season).
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