Copyright Screen Rant
Thriller TV shows can cross over with any genre, but a defining feature of a thriller is excitement and tension. Thriller TV shows with no bad episodes balance suspense with drama and excellent acting to create stories that remain interesting even years after any twists are well-known. Keeping a thriller series going can be a challenge, but many remain exciting even after multiple seasons. There are several ways to ensure a thriller series lives up to an excellent pilot episode, and one is to ensure the story is well-written and wraps up without leaving loose ends. Another is to keep the show fresh and interesting through changes like new cast members, twists, and location changes. The best long-running TV thrillers even hold up during a rewatch. Black Mirror Virtually every episode of Black Mirror is a standalone, which means that not every story will resonate with everyone. However, this is a major part of the appeal of Charlie Brooker's long-running dystopian sci-fi thriller series. While not all the individual episodes land, others, like "San Junipero," have been successes even with people unfamiliar with Black Mirror's usual tone. Black Mirror takes an existing piece of technology and pushes it toward a dark future, which has often been disturbingly prophetic. The episode "Be Right Back" is about a woman who recreates her dead partner using AI, with tragic results. As digital innovations are being made all the time, it is worth committing to Black Mirror to see what the writers make of them. Criminal Minds Criminal Minds has a fascinating premise, exploring the psychology behind criminal behavior. The disturbing subject matter makes it a perfect show for people who liked Mindhunter, while the chemistry between the main characters gives Criminal Minds a warmer tone. The friendship between technical analyst Penelope Garcia and agent Derek Morgan is one of the best parts of the show. While Criminal Minds has a police procedural format, its 15 seasons rarely feel stale, and some Criminal Minds episodes are considered masterpieces for the way they relate a smaller event to the lives of the main characters. The episodes "Mosley Lane" and "100" are standouts for their acting and the show's willingness to tackle subjects like child murder and revenge. Prison Break The first season of Prison Break was a groundbreaking masterpiece for its tightly-woven plot and unusual premise. Michael Scofield arrives in a prison he helped design, intending to break his brother out by following clues in a map he had tattooed on his body. The cast also includes Kim Coates and Peter Stormare, and while the show dipped in quality, it is still worth committing to. Prison Break had five seasons, a movie, and is about to have a reboot. The fourth season might have been criticized for losing the gritty tone of the earlier seasons, but Prison Break is still a fantastic thriller with very few dull moments and shocking twists throughout. The reboot is set to revive the show, so the earlier seasons are a must-watch. Lost Lost is a rare thriller masterpiece that people are still talking about today. Its layered plot appeared to set up a new mystery with every episode, making Lost a TV show that changed the way we watch TV. The makers encouraged fan theories in online forums before this was a common thing, and while there are still some unanswered questions, Lost nailed its ending. Throughout Lost's six seasons, the show presented several different interlinked mysteries, but one overarching question ruled over all of them. This concerned the nature of the island and what happened there. While even people who have not seen the show know of its complex plot, nothing compares to watching it and appreciating the acting and worldbuilding that went into the iconic thriller. The Wire The Wire has an impressive 96% positive audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and its unusual approach to the crime genre makes it one of the best TV shows of all time. Unlike most TV crime shows, The Wire does not just focus on a simple "good and bad" dynamic or get bogged down in technical procedure. Instead, it treats crime as systemic. The Wire has been treated like a great American novel for the 21st century, giving a much more expansive portrayal of crime in Baltimore. The show was not afraid to address the institutional problems leading to crime in America, and while it is a compelling show with perfectly written characters, it is The Wire's "bigger picture" focus that makes it a masterpiece worth committing to. You You is an addictive psychological thriller about a seemingly charming man, who is quickly revealed to be a terrifying stalker serial killer. Penn Badgley's performance is one of the decade's finest, as he plays Joe Goldberg as both a romantic hero and a monster. As You is told through Joe's eyes, we are forced into his mental space and must fight the urge to sympathize with him. While You is not the first thriller to empathize with its villain, the show is unlike most others as it tackles the concept of the "nice guy" persona, which is a nuanced issue that takes time to explore. This rarely addressed subject matter and Badgley's acting as Joe escalates are both reasons why You is a must-watch for any fan of dark thriller TV shows. House of Cards While the final season of House of Cards had to work around the absence of Kevin Spacey after abuse allegations came to light, Robin Wright carried the show, bringing a new perspective that viewers had been increasingly intrigued by. House of Cards hooked us from its first scene and turned what looked like a dry political drama into something terrifying. The show documents the journey of a corrupt political mastermind as he manipulates his way into the presidency, murdering people and blackmailing others along the way. It is extremely disturbing to see current events play out, but House of Cards is a must-watch for the fantastic acting and the show's willingness to represent versions of well-known political figures as they head towards their downfall. Peaky Blinders Peaky Blinders nailed the art of the cliffhanger finale without the tactic ever feeling like a gimmick. The show is based on the real-life exploits of a 1920s outlaw gang, and stars Cillian Murphy, Tom Hardy, and Sam Neill. While some reviewers felt it got off to a slow start, Peaky Blinders does not have a bad season, and it is worth the commitment. Peaky Blinders is a masterclass in building tension, with each season bringing new revelations. The best TV thrillers balance their shocks and suspense with character development, and Peaky Blinders not only perfected the balance but took a new approach to storytelling. The show has a cinematic style and largely modern soundtrack, setting it apart from other similar thrillers. The Sopranos The Sopranos' infamously polarizing ending has overshadowed the show in many ways, and this often feels unfair, as The Sopranos' legacy is much stronger than its ending. The crime thriller is a groundbreaking series that revolutionized the TV industry by centering on a morally repugnant character, and making the career of James Gandolfini, whose portrayal of Tony Soprano was spot-on. The show is arguably one of the best in the Golden Age of Television, and is often credited with paving the way for other TV dramas like Mad Men. While many people know how The Sopranos ends, this does not mean that the show's six seasons are not worth watching, as Tony and his family's journey is just as important as the series' finale. Breaking Bad Breaking Bad's viewers tend to fall into two camps. For some, the first episode of the TV show hooked viewers from start to finish, while others took longer to get invested in the show. That said, Breaking Bad became a cultural phenomenon during its five seasons, with chemistry at its center. This refers to both the far-fetched meth-making plot and the relationship between Walt and Jesse.
