Villain of the week

This article is about antagonists in episodic fiction. For the tabletop game, see Monster of the Week. For the 1998 song "Freak of the Week", see Marvelous 3.

A "villain of the week" or, depending on genre, "monster of the week" (MOTW) or "freak of the week", is an antagonist that only appears in one episode of a multi-episode work of fiction, such as a television series.[1][2]

The expression "monster of the week" was first used during the production of the 1960s series The Outer Limits.[3] However, the origins of the concept predate this.[3][4][5]

Use in television

As many TV shows of the "villain-of-the-week" type air episodes weekly at a rate of ten to twenty new episodes per year, there is often a new antagonist in the plot of each week's episode. The main characters usually confront and vanquish these characters, often never encountering them again.

Shows that use such characters include Doctor Who,[4] Scooby-Doo,[6] Kolchak: The Night Stalker,[7] The X-Files[8] and its spin-off Millennium,[9] Charmed,[10] Smallville,[11] Supernatural,[12][13] Primeval, Justified[14] and Grimm.[15] Some series alternate between using such antagonists and furthering the series' ongoing plotlines (as in Buffy the Vampire Slayer,[1][16] Supernatural,[11] Fringe,[17] and The X-Files),[18][19] while others use these one-time foes as pawns of the recurring adversaries (as in Kamen Rider,[20] Sailor Moon,[21] the Ultra series and Super Sentai[22] and its American equivalent, Power Rangers).[23][24]

In The X-Files, some monsters of the week make return appearances.[25] In other series, villains may return reformed, becoming invaluable allies or gaining a larger role in the story.

While the defeat of the villain of the week in each episode allows the presentation of heroic action, "satisfying the casual or infrequent viewer", the "domestic melodrama" and personal relationships of the characters in contrast are usually developed over the course of a number of episodes sustaining interest for "regular viewers and fans".[26]

Reception

The villain-of-the-week format has been considered a "traditional plot formula"[27] and a "standard format for genre television" until the 1980s.[28] Since then, a trend towards longer story arcs has led to villain-of-the-week installments being negatively considered "filler episodes"[28] with "lazy" storytelling.[14] According to Screen Rant, viewers are increasingly familiar with the format, making it a less popular choice for writers.[15] Charlie Jane Anders has described it as "an endangered beast".[29]

"Villain-of-the-week" plotlines are attractive to syndicators, as it means that episodes can be rerun in any order and do not need to be aired in sequence as serials with continuing storylines do.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Recht, Markus (2011). Der sympathische Vampir – Visualisierungen von Männlichkeiten in der TV-Serie Buffy [The likeable vampire – Visualisations of masculinities in the TV series Buffy] (in German). Campus Verlag. p. 18. ISBN 978-3-593-39421-3.
  2. ^ Neff-Strickland, Jaymen (2024). "Freak of the Week to Super Serialized: The Complex Narrative Evolution of Smallville". Cinematic Codes Review. 9 (3): 49–69. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  3. ^ a b McCoy, Joshua Kristian (October 5, 2022). "Monster-of-the Week Trope, Explained". Game Rant.
  4. ^ a b "Monster-of-the-Week Format | New Rules for Fifth Edition (BroadSword Magazine Preview)". DMDave Publishing. August 5, 2019.
  5. ^ Rudy, Jill; McDonald, Jarom (June 3, 2016). "Baba Yaga, Monsters of the Week, And Pop Culture's Formation of Wonder and Families Through Monstrosity". Humanities. 5 (2): 40. doi:10.3390/h5020040.
  6. ^ Sproull, Patrick (September 13, 2018). "The 10 Scariest Scooby-Doo Episodes". Den of Geek. Retrieved July 11, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  7. ^ "'Supernatural' And The Best Monster-of-the-Week Shows Of All Time". JustWatch. January 11, 2026.
  8. ^ Kurland, Daniel (January 18, 2023). "10 Greatest Monster-of-the-Week Shows, Ranked". CBR.
  9. ^ Day, Melody (August 17, 2025). "Before Supernatural, Millennium Was TV's Boldest Monster-of-the-Week Series". CBR.
  10. ^ Eirth, Annabelle (January 20, 2019). "25 Things Wrong With Charmed Fans Choose To Ignore". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on May 12, 2024. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  11. ^ a b Leane, Rob (April 1, 2015). "Does Superhero TV Need the Villain-of-the-Week Format?". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on February 14, 2024. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  12. ^ Declan, Liz (October 18, 2025). "Supernatural's 10 Best Monster-of-the-Week Villains, Ranked". ScreenRant.
  13. ^ Petty, Michael John (April 24, 2022). "Best Monster-of-the-Week Episodes From Each Season of Supernatural". collider.com.
  14. ^ a b Sturgeon, John (March 2012). "Entertainment Blender". The Forum. Vol. 41, no. 6. Valparaiso University School of Law.
  15. ^ a b Kassel, Mary (January 18, 2025). "10 Best 'Monster-of-the-Week' Horror TV Shows". Screen Rant.
  16. ^ Vinney, Cynthia (March 16, 2019). "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The 5 Best Monsters Of The Week (And The 5 Worst)". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on December 12, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  17. ^ Jeffery, Morgan (March 26, 2012). "Fringe: 'A Short Story About Love' Recap". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on February 14, 2024. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  18. ^ Bassett, Jordan (January 8, 2018). "The X Files' Scariest 'Monster-of-the-Week' Episodes". NME.com. New Musical Express. Archived from the original on February 13, 2024. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  19. ^ Navarro, Megan (September 10, 2018). "The X-Files Turns 25: The 10 Best Monster-of-the-Week Episodes!". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on February 28, 2024. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  20. ^ Eisenbeis, Richard (January 17, 2014). "I Can't Decide If Samurai Flamenco Is Brilliant or Terrible". Kotaku. Retrieved July 11, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  21. ^ Wellham, Melissa (November 21, 2016). "Re-Watching Sailor Moon as an Adult". SBS.com.au. Special Broadcasting Service. Archived from the original on August 28, 2024. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  22. ^ Whitbrook, James (April 7, 2016). "The Io9 Guide to Super Sentai". io9. Gawker Media. Retrieved July 11, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  23. ^ Clements & McCarthy 2015.
  24. ^ Bruce, Amanda (August 25, 2017). "Power Rangers: Every Major Villain, Ranked Worst To Best". Screen Rant. Retrieved July 11, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  25. ^ Kennedy, Michael (August 18, 2020). "X-Files: Every Time a Monster of the Week Returned". ScreenRant.
  26. ^ Shimpach, Shawn (2010). Television in Transition: The Life and Afterlife of the Narrative Action Hero. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 36-37. ISBN 978-1-4051-8536-3.
  27. ^ "Analyzing the Avatar of Lois Lane: What We Learn from the Daily Planet Reporter". Works & Days. 32. 2014. ISSN 0886-2060.
  28. ^ a b Harrison, Juliette (January 6, 2014). "In Defence of 'Monster-of-the-Week' Episodes". Den of Geek. Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  29. ^ Anders, Charlie Jane (January 21, 2014). "The 10 Best 'Monster-of-the-Week' Episodes of All Time". Gizmondo. Retrieved 2026-02-24.

Sources

  • Clements, Jonathan; McCarthy, Helen (2015). The Anime Encyclopedia, 3rd Revised Edition: A Century of Japanese Animation. Stone Bridge Press. ISBN 978-1-61172-018-1.
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