It was a little while ago that I talked about my devotion for good TV shows. Since it was an award post Q&A, I only had to list my favorite ones. So, when Top Ten Tuesdays started, I was eager to share a list of TV shows that will surely be worth your while! All of these will entertain even the novice thriller viewers. I am passionate about the good material, be it television, Netflix or HBO. And, I would humbly call myself a connoisseur, after having sampled a wide range of shows that different networks have on offer. I have loved quite a few of them and today, I will be listing the Top Ten Suspense Shows perfect for any time watch.
It is not ideal to be known as the Idiot Box Expert, but TV has certainly grown and there is god quality content on offer today, almost for free. It is an art that a select few people possess and we are lucky to be living in the best generation of television content. I genuinely applaud this skill of making a story come true onscreen. Thriller shows are perfect for self-made detectives and suspense lovers alike. Without further ado, here is the list. Find your best pick for you and enjoy the ride.
Top Ten Thriller Shows
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Dexter
IMDB rating: 8.5/10
This is a crime mystery series which aired on Showtime from 2006-2013. The story is centered on Dexter Morgan, a forensic technician for Miami Metro Police Dept. Dexter lives a parallel life as a serial killer/vigilante, hunting the criminals who escaped from the justice. Dexter is presented as a homicidal, psychopathic young man who lusts for killing and interest in blood. His psychopathic tendencies are channelized in a positive way by his adoptive father Harry Morgan, by killing only heinous criminals.
Twists in the story plot make the audience of this show even more curious and excited. This is one of my personal favorite TV shows ever because it showcases complex personalities and morals. Psychopathic antagonist again makes the audience crazy for the character.
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Breaking Bad
IMDB rating: 9.5/10
The show was aired on AMC during 2008-2013 with its 5 seasons. The story starts with the introduction of struggling chemistry teacher, Walter White, who is diagnosed with an advanced lung cancer. With the help of his former student, Jesse Pinkman, Walter devises a plan to become a partner for manufacturing and selling of a drug named methamphetamine. Walter prepares the drug while Jesse uses her contacts with dealers to sell them. The series begins with Walter’s intention to make money to save his family’s future and to pay his medical expenses but as the time passes his family starts to get split because of his second life. While on the other hand he and his partner face several problems to sell the finest Meth they produced. Show highlights chemistry, gangsters, and drug dealing as the main content.
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Sherlock
IMDB rating: 9.3/10
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The English show airs on BBC and is set in present time. The show features a detective, Sherlock, consulting London Police to solve mysterious criminal cases with the help of his incredible thinking ability and mind control over his every thought and memory. He defines himself as a consulting detective, one of his kind and a highly functioning sociopath. The show takes a thrilling turn when it features Sherlock’s nemesis, a consulting criminal, Moriarty.
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Homeland
IMDB Rating: 8.4/10
Claire Danes plays a bipolar CIA operative who is convinced a prisoner of war has been turned by al-Qaeda and is planning to carry out a terrorist attack on American soil. Mandy Patinkin is perfect as her senior officer and the doubts play perfectly with their sharp minds and quick responses. How they discover the webs of conspiracy and how they tackle them form the backbone of the story. It is also humbling to see how each person is fighting his own battles even before venturing out to protect the most influential country in the world.
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Black Mirror
IMDB Rating : 8.9/10
A lot of people wouldn’t agree with my choice of putting Black Mirror in my Top ten list. But I would strongly suggest watching at least one of the episodes before turning it down. It is an anthology series that shows the dark side of technology and life. It makes you think. It is suspenseful because it jostles the brain, and pushes the boundaries of conventional television. It has been screening since 2011 but has only now gotten its due. Any episode of any series can be viewed because they are all individual complete episodes. It is better because there is no need of having watched the previous seasons if you sit down to watch the latest episode.
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The Walking Dead
IMDB rating: 8.5/10
How can a suspense thriller TV show list ever be complete without Walking Dead? The show features few people running from the zombies in an apocalyptic situation for their lives. The show turns out to be a great success because of zombie connection at TV level. Show’s lead, Sheriff Rick Grimes awakens from a long coma and confronts the zombie situation. He is reunited with his family and leads a group of people in the struggle of life.
This AMC series is highly popular because of its renewal of series each year. The survival against zombies is indeed a thrilling life. Each of us has at least once dreamt of getting through a zombie attack and this is what makes up for the popularity of this show.
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True Detective
IMDB Rating: 9.1/10
True Detective is also an anthology series in which police investigations unearth the professional and personal secrets of people both within and outside the law. With a lead cast consisting of Colin Farell, Rachel McAdams, it is a hard not to create an excellent TV show. If you’re more into action films, avoid this. But if you like amazing performances and dark, brooding cinema peppered with some black humor and a slight psychedelic touch, you’re going to love this. The atmosphere and the southern ambiance of this show are so rich and the cinematography is so beautiful, I can hardly think of anything in recent TV-history that compares to this. The slow, hypnotic pulse of this show draws you in and hooks you – and then it doesn’t let go.
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Stranger Things
IMDB Rating: 9.0/10
My personal favorite from this summer was Stranger Things. From the very first episode, it sets the pace of being curt and twisted. I could actually feel the pain, the fear and the restlessness of not knowing what and why something happened. When a young boy disappears, his mother, a police chief, and his friends must confront terrifying forces in order to get him back. Winona Ryder is so relatable as the mother whose child has gone missing. What is surprising is that it is not all sad. The children are at the center of this show which makes it so fascinatingly close to the heart. It was a surprise hit, even for me. Without revealing too much, I would recommend it because it is out of this world!
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Mr. Robot
IMDB Rating: 8.7/10
Fear causes a unique reaction in the human psyche. To sit in suspense of what will happen next tends to trigger one’s fears with things like “will they make it?” “is it really him?” and “who is hiding behind that door?” It’s a magical feeling, and that innate ability to fear for characters we see ourselves in, or even want to connect with, is part of what makes entertainment so special. Mr. Robot follows Elliot, a young programmer working as a cyber-security engineer by day, and a vigilante hacker by night. Rami Malek portrays award-winningly plays the protagonist.
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Criminal Minds
IMDB Rating: 8.2/10
The cases of the FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU), an elite group of profilers who analyze the nation’s most dangerous serial killers and individual heinous crimes in an effort to anticipate their next moves before they strike again. Criminal Minds is a psychological thriller that keeps your undivided attention.Criminal Minds lets you explore and judge for yourself. It doesn’t preach too much and the stories are engaging and suspenseful! Excellent writing and great performances from the stars. It may begin cliché, but if you stay long enough it is a rewarding and entertaining view. Just watch episode 7 ‘The Fox’. It shows the best writing and acting in the show so far, in my opinion. Delving into the minds of a criminally inclined person becomes a learning experience.
Honorary Mentions
- Castle (8.2/10)
- The Mentalist (8.1/10)
- The X-Files (8.7/10)
This was the ultimate guide to the best thriller shows on TV. And, now you’re set for a weekend of marathon episodes of the premier suspense shows on offer! There are many more shows that appeal to different people. Share your favorite ones so I can add to it to my watchlist! Next week, don’t forget to read my list of top ten Dramas on television. If you have any questions, doubts or additions to the list, I would love to hear them. I hope this list is helpful whenever you want to watch a good suspense show. Good day and happy binge-watching!
Love Stranger Things! True Detective was good too. Walking Dead seems like it is waning for me, the killing off major characters all the time is having a negative effect (plus the commercials are way too much now). Some episodes of Black Mirror was really interesting. Haven’t watched Homeland yet.
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That could be true in case of Walking Dead if you’re a seasoned viewer. I’m sure you will love Homeland too, because it plays on everyone’s sense of self preservation. Black Mirror, even for me, was a very different pick!
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My favorites would be Sherlock and Stranger Things! Haven’t seen many on the list other than those two, but they sound interesting. I was wondering if Person of Interest would show up though; to me, it’s a sci-fi crime thriller with no shortage of suspense.
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I was about to put Person of Interest because it is one of my most stable favourites! I love Reese, Root and the whole story line. But, these were the popular picks-that would appeal to a varied audience 🙂 I can’t believe most of the people love these shows just as much as I thought I did! I hope you find time to watch the other shows as well, especially Dexter because it IS science based.
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It does sound really interesting. Most of the shows here sound really interesting, to be honest. I may have only seen a few of them, but from those two choices (and including X Files in the honorable mentions, and for having Person of Interest as a favorite), I’d say you have good taste in TV shows! Also, have you seen Broadchurch? That’s another suspenseful show…well, it’s a mix of feels and suspense.
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Yay! Thank you. No, I haven’t seen Broadchurch. I will be sure to get it and have myself some couch time 😀 I am always looking for recommendations.
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And I’m always happy to give recommendations! Have fun! Or…as much fun as you can have watching Broadchurch (feels…so many feels)
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Haha. Ooh, setting up the stage. 🙂
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Yep, please let me know if you like it! 🙂
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Absolutely!
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Oh, I don’t mean to nag… Have you started Broadchurch yet? Just curious.
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Haha. It’s no problem. I have downloaded the first three episodes and I plan to start tonight. One, two or all of them!
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YAY! Lemme know how you like it! Please keep me updated! Thanks! Have fun!
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I will. Probably tomorrow itself!
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Cool! Thank you! Broadchurch needs more people watching it, haha. 🙂
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I know. I feel so dearly about a handful of shows because they are just SO perfect.
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Same…sigh. Why do I always like really underrated shows? Like, they may be somewhat popular on the Internet, but whenever I talk about them no one knows what I’m talking about…and yet they’re SO good!
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They are. I definitely agree! There are so many gems unknown to most of the people.
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