Ugly Betty, created by Fernando Gaitán and Silvio Horta, is a comedic drama based off a telenovela called, "Yo soy Betty, la fea." ("I am Betty, the Ugly One). The show starred America Ferrerra as Betty Suarez, an intelligent young woman who gets a job at a major fashion magazine, known as Mode. Early on after its premiere, Ugly Betty was praised for having a diverse cast and centering on the story of a Mexican woman pursuing her dreams, which wasn't common for TV shows at the time. The series ran on ABC for four seasons before it was abruptly canceled due to a decline in viewership. Despite its cancelation, the show has continued to be referenced in pop culture and gained a cult following long after it aired. Ugly Betty remains a bingeable and popular watch among fans who love to revisit the show's energetic characters and melodramatic plot reminiscent of telenovelas.

With four seasons, there are so many episodes and Y2K fashion for Ugly Betty fashions to watch. However, a few episodes stand out from the rest, according to ratings from IMBb. The highly-rated episodes of Ugly Betty have a couple of things in common: engaging plot lines (some of which touch on important topics), significant character arcs, and are from either the first or fourth season.

10 "I'm Coming Out" - Season 1, Episode 14

IMDb Rating: 8.0/10

"I'm Coming Out," directed by Wendey Stanzler, is a pivotal episode in Season 1. Betty is in charge of planning Mode's runway show at NYC Fashion Week. However, her job becomes harder after Daniel suggests to Betty that she should hire her sister Hilda to help with the event. Betty reluctantly hires Daniela, but then later on has to fire her for making a big mistake. Tensions arise between Ignacio (Tony Plana), Betty's father, and his immigration caseworker Constance Grady (Octavia Spencer). Bradford (Alan Dale) is arrested for Fey's murder. Alexis Meade (Rebecca Romijn) announces that she is a transgender woman to Mode's fashion show attendees.

There's a lot going on in "I'm Coming Out", and the dramatic tension is pretty high. It's definitely one of those episodes where fans can see the telenovela influences coming into play. It's one of the more exciting episodes in season one because it takes a closer look at the dynamics between Betty and Hilda. Hilda was always praised for her accomplishments, like getting a cake for winning a beauty pageant, while Betty wasn't recognized as much. Fans love the bond between the two sisters, especially when they are able to be open with each other.

9 "Sofia's Choice" - Season 1, Episode 12

IMDb Rating: 8.0/10

In "Sofia's Choice," directed by James Hayman, Sofia Reyes (Salma Hayek) and Daniel are deeply in love. Sofia is agitated and confesses she is afraid Daniel doesn't really love her, and that he is going to break up with her. Betty warns Daniel, and he decides to introduce Sofia to his parents. Sofia asks Betty to write about her experiences at Mode, even though Betty wants to put her time at the magazine behind her. While Betty is taking a break for lunch, she witnesses Sofia interacting with her ex, Hunter. Betty and Christina find out from Hunter that he was hired to have a relationship with Sofia. Then it turns out Sofia was writing an article about how fast she got engaged to Daniel. Betty rushes to stop Sofia and Daniel from going on air, but it is too late. Sofia reveals the article that she was working on to Daniel. Due to Sofia's actions, Betty decides to quit her new job. When Betty goes to visit Daniel, she finds out he has left for the airport.

This episode is popular with fans because of Salma Hayek's appearance as Sofia. Sofia is a character who people love to hate, and Hayek does a great job of being a "villain" in "Sofia's Choice." Besides Hayek's role as Sofia, Becki Newton plays two different characters. After watching this episode, many Ugly Betty fans were excited to see Newton show off her polished character-acting skills. It's fun to watch Betty sneak around and try to figure out what Sofia is up to.

8 "Blackout!" - Season 4, Episode 12

IMDb Rating: 8.1/10

Betty feels lonely since she has moved into her new apartment and broke up with Matt (Daniel Eric Gold). She hasn't really gotten a chance to meet her neighbors yet, so, she decides to have a party. She puts up fliers and unintentionally invites robbers into the apartment building. This results in her neighbors' stuff being stolen. Marc's laptop is stolen and Betty feels guilty about what happened, and decides to help him out with his application. Betty gives up on trying to throw a karaoke party after her mistake, but her neighbors show up for it. She decides to throw the party, but her plans are ruined after the power goes out, and she calls Bobby for assistance with the electronic locks. The blackout didn't just affect Betty's party. Wilhelmina and Daniel get stuck in an elevator, and Betty's father gets spooked by an "intruder."

Again, there is so much going on plot wise within this episode. Betty is going through a rough spot, as she tries to figure out how to make friends with her neighbors. Fans love the blackout scenes at the episode's climax. However, it is the episode's ending which hits fans the hardest. A shocking moment with Hilda's pregnancy leaves the Suarez family (and Ugly Betty fans) feeling extremely emotional.

7 "Million Dollar Smile" - Season 4, Episode 17

IMDb Rating: 8.1/10

"Million Dollar Smile" is a very popular episode with Ugly Betty fans. Betty is excited that she can finally get her braces off. After being tackled by a security guard at a Mode event, Betty is knocked out. She dreams of what her life would be like if she didn't have braces. Dr. Frankel (Kathy Najimy) serves as Betty's guide to her "new life" as the managing editor at Mode. Betty falls in love with how perfect everything is, but she quickly finds out everything isn't great when she visits Daniel in his office. Even though Betty doesn't have braces, she is no longer a nice person. After Betty wakes up, she can't find a crucial part of the Mode show, and she thinks Wilhelmina was wearing it. Betty is wrong and runs into the bedazzled bra. She gets her braces stuck in it and Dr. Frankel comes to the Guggenheim to remove them.

This episode is a hit among Ugly Betty fans because they finally get to see Betty without her braces. It’s an entertaining watch to see what Betty’s braceless life would be like. Betty’s braces are finally removed in the iconic episode “Million Dollar Smile,” though it happens in an awkward situation involving a sparkly designer bra.

6 "Be-Shure" - Season 4, Episode 9

IMDb Rating: 8.1/10

Both Hilda and Betty felt like they were under the weather. They both go to the grocery store and get pregnancy tests. Betty thinks that she is pregnant, but finds out she might have accidentally picked up the wrong test. The sisters try to delay dinner so that they can figure out which one of them is actually pregnant. The fight for Mode continues. Connor Owens (Grant Bowler) is serving jail time for stealing Mode's money.

Ugly Betty fans who love a good comedic mix-up enjoy watching this episode. Although this episode is full of hilarious comedic moments, like Hilda and Bety avoiding their father in the grocery store, there is plenty of drama. Fans love this episode even more because it adds more stakes to the race of who is going to end up controlling Mode.

5 "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" - Season 1, Episode 18

IMDb Rating: 8.1/10

Marc (Michael Urie) doesn't want his mother, Jean Weiner (Patti LuPone), to know that he is gay. He asks Betty to invite his mother over for dinner. At dinner, Betty pretends to be Marc's girlfriend in order to help him keep his secret. The dinner takes an awkward turn as Daniel shows up and Justin (Mark Indelicato), Betty's nephew, lets it slip that Daniel is Betty's ex-boyfriend. Daniel tells Betty that he loves the letter she wrote, and he wants to print it. However, Marc informs Betty that Alexis sent her letter to be printed in the magazine. Daniel and Betty race to try and stop the printers, but Alexis doesn't let them. Betty returns home to find Marc by himself. He tells Betty that he came out to his mother, and she didn't accept him. Betty comforts him by saying he has chosen family.

Family is a big theme in this episode. First off, Patti LuPone's guest spot as Mrs. Weiner makes this episode a favorite to rewatch among Ugly Betty fans. The topic of Marc's hesitation to come out to his mother is a relatable issue which many people in the LGBTQ+ struggle to go through. The subplot of family drama between Alexis and Daniel, who are competing with each other for control of Mode, takes the sibling rivalry to a new level.

4 "The Bahamas Triangle" - Season 4, Episode 8

IMDb Rating: 8.3/10

The Mode team is heading to the Bahamas for their annual swimwear shoot. But the drama didn't stay in New York City. A love triangle is revealed between Amanda, Matt, and Betty. Matt realizes he is still in love with Betty. Betty gets Shakira to be on the cover of Mode's swimwear issue, but Betty's job is difficult with Wilhelmina in the picture. Jealously rages after Wilhelmina finds out her nemesis got a career boost. The FBI interrupt the photo shot at the beach, as they have discovered a wanted criminal hiding in the cabanas.

Ugly Betty fans love this episode because it takes the Mode staff out of the office, and into the Bahamas. The romantic drama is in overdrive with Matt and Betty. Plus, Wilhemia discovers Connor is very much alive, which is a twist that not even the characters saw coming.

3 "The Past Present the Future" - Season 4, Episode 19

IMDb Rating: 8.5/10

Big life changes are ahead for Betty and Hilda. Hilda is getting married, and Betty takes Daniel as her date to the wedding. After a lovely ceremony, Betty admits to Daniel she feels like she needs to be there to protect her family, but she realizes they are doing well. She decides to take a job offer to work for a magazine in London.

It’s a touching episode to see the characters come together to celebrate Hilda’s wedding. There are small moments which further spark the potential romance between Daniel and Betty. This is a full-circle moment for Betty as a character. She goes after what she wants, despite her fears of leaving her family to live in another country. Fans enjoy cheering Betty on as she gets the courage to say yes to the job offer.

2 "East Side Story" - Season 1, Episode 23

IMDb Rating: 8.6/10

All the drama from Season 1 builds up to a riveting final episode. Betty's relationship with Henry is going well until she finds out his ex-girlfriend, Charlie, is pregnant. Alexis finds out who her real mother is. Justin gets the role of Tony in his school's production of West Side Story. Santos finds himself in a life-threatening situation.

This is the final episode of Ugly Betty's first season, and it has quite a few very memorable twists and turns. Ugly Betty fans tear up at the episode's climatic ending while the song, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" plays in the background. It's a great conclusion to the show's successful first season and makes fans ready to see what happens next.

1 "Hello Goodbye" - Season 4, Episode 20

IMDb Rating: 9.1/10

Betty gets ready to leave for her new job in London. Daniel is having a hard time with Betty leaving Mode. Wilhelmina recovers from her coma and leaves the hospital. She holds a press conference to tell the "truth" and admits she shot herself while she was cleaning her gun. This clears the air between Wilhelmina and Claire. Daniel signs Betty's papers so that she can quit her job at Mode. Mode throws a goodbye party for Betty. Betty says goodbye to her family and leaves for London. She unexpectedly runs into Daniel, who says he is going to stay in London for a bit.

This is the final episode of Ugly Betty, and many fans see it as a great conclusion to the show. It's hard not to be proud of Betty as she goes after her dream job in London. After everything she has been through (braces and all), she deserves a happy ending. Towards the end of the episode, fans see a busy Betty throw her passion and hard work into her new job, but there is something missing. Betty runs into Daniel and the two talk about having dinner later. Fans couldn't have asked for a better ending for Betty, as she has grown even more confident in her own skin.

Ugly Betty can be streamed on Hulu in the U.S.

Watch On Hulu

KEEP READING: The 10 Funniest 'Ugly Betty' Characters, Ranked