Look back at the best time loop movies and TV shows

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For Bill Murray's famously obnoxious TV weatherman Phil Connors in the comedy classic "Groundhog Day," Feb. 2 was less about "a large squirrel predicting the weather" and more about re-living the same day over and over in an endless loop. While poor Phil's time loop situation came courtesy of an angry ex's curse, the time loop is a time-honored story element that's popped up in a slew of great Hollywood productions through the years.

So join Wonderwall.com as we take a look back at the best movies and shows to watch — or re-watch — on Groundhog Day, starting with this…

The most famous (and arguably, the most fun) time loop-themed movie in recent history has to be 1993's "Groundhog Day." Starring Bill Murray as a cranky, self-centered TV weatherman in Gobbler's Knob and Andie MacDowell as his increasingly fed-up producer, Rita, the movie follows Phil Connors' hilarious recurring day of foibles caused by, well, misery he's clearly brought on himself.

Now a cult classic that's spawned memes galore and spent nearly two decades in the United States National Film Registry, "Groundhog Day" is widely considered to be one of the best comedic films of all time.

Keep reading for more of the best time loop movies and shows …

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2014's "Edge of Tomorrow" is a thrilling sci-fi film with a time-loop theme. Tom Cruise stars as Major William "Bill" Cage, a public relations officer with no combat experience who is forced by his superiors to join a military operation against aliens. He's killed in combat but finds himself in a time loop that sends him back to the day before the battle every time he dies. He then teams up with Special Forces soldier Rita Vrataski, played by Emily Blunt, to unravel the mystery.

"Edge of Tomorrow" was a huge box office success, grossing more than $370 million worldwide and receiving positive reviews from critics.

MORE: All the ways Tom Cruise is nothing like the rest of us

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Netflix's Emmy-nominated comedy-drama "Russian Doll" centers around one fateful night in New York City and the time loop Nadia (Natasha Lyonne) finds herself stuck in while attending her own 36th birthday party. Instead of glamming it up and throwing down with her pals, though, Nadia keeps dying — over and over and over again. As she continues to re-live the night over the course of two seasons, Nadia launches an all-out investigation into how she ended up in the loop and why. The show's two seasons, which also starred Amy Poehler, Leslye Headland and Charlie Barnett, premiered in 2019 and 2022. In addition to its four Emmy nods, the acclaimed series earned a rare 97% fresh rating from Rotten Tomatoes' critics, where it was hailed as "hilarious," "inventive" and "the best show" of the year.

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"Doctor Strange" has it all: magic, combat, mystery and — you guessed it — time loops. The 2016 Marvel film is about Stephen Strange, an arrogant but superbly talented doctor who loses his ability to perform surgery due to a car accident. Strange is eventually trained in sorcery and captures himself in a time loop to prevent Dormammu — the evil villain — from turning Earth into a dark dimension. "Doctor Strange" was another huge success for Marvel: The movie grossed more than $677 million worldwide, was met with positive reviews from critics and received an Academy Award nomination for best visual effects!

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At first thought, "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" doesn't seem like a time-loop movie, but one of the film's most important scenes involves just that. After Harry's godfather, Sirius Black (played by Gary Oldman), is captured by Dementors, Harry (played by Daniel Radcliffe) and Hermione Granger (played by Emma Watson) use a Time Turner device to relive the day and rescue Sirius. "Prisoner of Azkaban" is the third film in the "Harry Potter" film series and is considered by many critics and fans to be the best of the bunch. It grossed a total of $796 million worldwide, making it the second highest grossing film of 2004, and received praise for its direction, the lead actors' performances and a notable change in the film series' tone.

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"Looper" manages to involve assassins, crime, morality and time loops. The 2012 film centers around a criminal organization that sends marks back in time to be eliminated by assassins called "loopers." Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Joe, a looper who learns that his next target will be a future version of himself. The movie received critical acclaim upon its release with many praising its acting, originality and thrilling pace. The movie was also a big box office success, grossing $176 million on a $30 million budget.

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Part sci-fi flick, part rom-com, Hulu's "Palm Springs" follows wedding guest Nyles (Andy Samberg) and maid of honor Sarah (Cristin Milioti) as a one-off wedding hookup leaves the pair trapped together at Sarah's sister's wedding in Palm Springs, California. They soon realize they're stuck in a time loop, along with all the social complications they were trying to dodge when they hooked up. The clever, funny and ultimately sweet film earned a Critics Choice Award for best comedy and an Independent Spirit Award for best first screenplay (Andy Siara) while Variety praised its "irreverent take" on the time loop theme.

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Can you imagine reliving your murder over and over again? That's what college student Theresa "Tree" Gelbman, played by Jessica Rothe, goes through in "Happy Death Day." After multiple attempts at avoiding her death, Tree realizes she must confront her killer to stop the loop and save her life. The 2017 movie — which critics have described as "Groundhog Day" meets "Scream" — was met with positive reviews and grossed more than $115 million worldwide on a $4.8 million budget! (A 2019 sequel, "Happy Death Day 2U," also performed decently with critics and at the box office.)

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The Netflix movie "Naked" tells the story of Rob Anderson (played by Marlon Wayans), a substitute teacher who's planning to marry the love of his life, Megan Swope (played by Regina Hall). Rob is caught in a time loop as he keeps waking up naked in a hotel elevator on the day of his wedding. He must figure out how to grow up and commit to stop the cycle. While the Netflix original movie, which was released in 2017, was not well-received by critics, audiences loved it.

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Who doesn't love a time-looping, heart-wrenching teen drama? Halston Sage, Zoey Deutch, Cynthy Wu and Medalion Rahimi star in "Before I Fall," which centers around about a popular high school senior who finds herself reliving the same day over and over until she makes the ultimate sacrifice to stop the loop. The movie was released in 2017 to positive reviews from critics and audiences alike. "Before I Fall" grossed $16 million worldwide against a $5 million budget and was one of the highest grossing independent films of 2017.

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"12 Dates of Christmas" may be a Christmas movie, but that doesn't mean it wasn't influenced by "Groundhog Day." The ABC Family TV movie tells the story of Kate (played by Amy Smart), who relives Christmas Eve — including a blind date with a man named Miles (played by Mark-Paul Gosselaar) — over and over again. She must discover how to break the cycle and choose which romantic path to take. The cute romantic comedy received rave reviews from critics: "This holiday romance steals a page from 'Groundhog Day' and runs with it… It's a sweet, wacky… and nicely woven journey, with the endearing Smart adding an extra twinkle," an Us Weekly critic wrote.

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One of the first-ever time loop movies is "Turn Back the Clock," which tells the story of Joe Gimlet, a tobacconist who married for love as a young man. After being hit by a car, Joe wakes up 20 years in the past and decides to relive his life and marry a wealthy woman instead of his true love. Lee Tracy and Mae Clarke star in this 1933 film that also featured an uncredited appearance from the Three Stooges. Talk about a throwback!

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"Retroactive" features Jim Belushi and Kylie Travis in a time-loop murder mystery. The 1997 film is centered on a psychiatrist (played by Kylie) who makes multiple trips through time to save a woman who was murdered by her husband (played by Jim). The black comedy has been praised for its explosive action scenes and sci-fi elements. Nothing better than a little time hopping, right?