In my last post I mentioned Groundhog Day as a theme for a binge list. What I meant by that is a list of episodes from varying tv shows that feature the “Groundhog Day” trope: a character or characters in the show get stuck in a time loop, like Bill Murray in the 1993 movie Groundhog Day. This trope is surprisingly prevalent in a lot of different shows.

Groundhog Day episodes

• The Twilight Zone S2:E26 “Shadow Play” – A man (Dennis Weaver) on trial for murder relives the same day over and over, ending with his execution in the electric chair, at which point he bounces back to the courtroom pre-verdict and goes through it all again. Written by Charles Beaumont, original airdate: May 5, 1961. Currently streaming on Paramount+, Freevee, PlutoTV.
• Star Trek: The Next Generation S5:E18 “Cause and Effect” – The Enterprise blows up initiating a time loop. Various members of the crew experience déjà vu. Written by Brannon Braga, original airdate: March 23, 1992. Currently streaming on Paramount+ and PlutoTV.
• Xena: Warrior Princess S3:E2 “Been There, Done That” – Xena keeps repeating a day that begins with Joxer waking her up in an obnoxious fashion (she kills him in one loop). Written by Hilary J. Bader, original airdate: October 4, 1997. Currently streaming on Prime.
• The X-Files S6:E14 “Monday” – Mulder goes to the bank to cash his paycheck before work and gets embroiled in a bank robbery in progress. When the bank robber sets off a bomb, the loop begins again. Written by Vince Gilligan & John Shiban, original airdate: February 28, 1999. Currently streaming on Hulu.
• The Outer Limits S5:E16 “Déjà Vu” – A teleportation experiment goes awry, plunging the lead scientist (Kevin Nealon) into a time loop. Written by A.L. Katz & Naren Shankar, original airdate: July 9, 1999. Currently streaming on the Fubo, MGM+, the Roku Channel.
• Stargate SG-1 S4:E6 “Window of Opportunity” – Something happens on a planet the team visits that creates a 10-hour time loop that only Colonel O’Neill and Teal’c are aware of. Some of their ‘no consequences’ actions are pretty funny. Written by Joseph Mallozzi & Paul Mullie, original airdate: August 4, 2000. Currently streaming on Prime and PlutoTV.
• Sealab 2021 S1:E6 “Lost in Time” – Quinn and Stormy get caught in a time loop that resets every time Sealab blows up. Written by Mc Chris, Adam Reed, Matt Thompson & John J. Miller, original airdate: September 30, 2001. Currently streaming on Max, Spectrum and [adult swim].
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer S6:E5 “Life Serial” – Jonathan casts a spell on Buffy that traps her in a time loop until she satisfies a customer at the Magic Box who is trying to purchase a mummy hand. Written by David Fury & Jane Espenson, original airdate: October 23, 2001. Currently streaming on Hulu and Spectrum.
• Supernatural S3:E11 “Mystery Spot” – Sam experiences the time loop, Dean doesn’t remember. Each loop ends with Dean dying in a variety of ways (gunshot wound, dog attack, a piano falls on him, etc.) Written by Jeremy Carver & Emily McLaughlin, original airdate: February 14, 2008. Currently streaming on Netflix and Spectrum.
• Eureka S3:E4 “I Do Over” – The sheriff is the only one aware of a time loop on the day of Allison and Nathan’s wedding. He makes the usual series of mistakes before discovering the true cause. Written by Thania St. John, original airdate: August 19, 2008. Currently streaming on Prime.
• Community S3:E4 “Remedial Chaos Theory” – This one is a bit of a cheat because it’s more of a multiverse situation than a time loop, but it’s too damn funny to leave it off the list. At Troy & Abed’s housewarming party, Jeff creates multiple timelines with a roll of the dice, in Abed’s mind at least. The ‘darkest timeline’ results in terrible outcomes for everyone. Written by Chris McKenna, original airdate: October 13, 2011. Currently streaming on Peacock.
• Legends of Tomorrow S3:11 “Here I Go Again” – Zari is the only one aware of a time loop that resets when the ship blows up again and again. Written by Morgan Faust & Ray Utarnachitt, original airdate: February 19, 2018. Currently streaming on Prime and CW.
• Russian Doll – The entire series is a time loop, with Nadia dying every night on her 36th birthday. Created by Natasha Lyonne, Leslye Headland and Amy Poehler, season 1 dropped on February 1, 2019; season 2 dropped on April 20, 2022. A Netflix original.
• The Magicians S5:E6 “Oops!… I Did It Again” – The moon is broken and the world is about to end when Eliot and Margo get caught in a 12 hour time loop. Written by Hillary Benefiel, original airdate: February 12, 2020. Currently streaming on Netflix.

There are a lot of movies that use the time loop trope besides Groundhog Day, such as:

• ARQ (2016) – Currently streaming on Netflix
• Edge of Tomorrow (2014) – For rent on various platforms
• The Endless (2017) – Currently streaming on Peacock, Roku, Kanopy, Hoopla, Tubi, Fubo, Plex
• Happy Death Day (2017) – For rent on AppleTV
• Happy Death Day 2U (2019) – For rent on AppleTV and FLIX Fling
• The Map of Tiny Perfect Things (2021) – Currently streaming on Prime and Freevee
• Palm Springs (2020) – Currently streaming on Hulu
• Run Lola Run (1998) – Currently streaming on Prime
• Source Code (2011) – Currently streaming on Hulu, Tubi, Mubi, PlutoTV
• Triangle (2009) – Currently streaming on Prime, Peacock, AMC+, Roku, Hoopla, Vudu
• Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer (1984) – Currently streaming on PlutoTV

Do you have any favorite Groundhog Days that I didn’t mention? Drop me a comment.

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