 The episode was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Musical Direction , but the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences ( NATAS ) neglected to include the title on the ballots for Emmy nominations in 2002 . NATAS attempted to remedy this by mailing a postcard informing its voters that it should be included , but the episode did not win . NATAS ' oversight , according to the Washington Post , was " another example of the lack of industry respect afforded one of television 's most consistently clever shows " . Ogle in The Miami Herald vigorously protests this omission , writing , " [ T ] he most astonishing , entertaining hour ( hour plus , actually ) of TV in the past year slips by virtually unnoticed . Nothing here is real ; nothing here is right . Buffy the Vampire Slayer 's musical episode , ' Once More , with Feeling ' , registers a paltry outstanding music direction nomination . Nice for the musical directors . A stake through the aspirations of writer / director Joss Whedon , the beating creative heart of Buffy , the only TV writer brave and clever enough to use horror as one great big wonderful metaphor for growing up [ ... ] ' Once More , with Feeling ' is TV of a different sort , something that comes along once in a lifetime and should not be buried but celebrated and rewarded . " The episode was also nominated for a Best Dramatic Presentation Hugo Award and a Best Script Nebula Award , both given for excellence in science fiction and fantasy writing . In 2009 TV Guide ranked the episode # 14 on its list of " TV 's Top 100 Episodes of All Time " . 
