‘I absolutely had to rest after that!’ Your most nerve-wracking television episodes of all time
Spooks – I Spy Apocalypse from 2003
The show kicks off with the MI5 agents confined during a training exercise about a potential terror incident, supervised by two Home Office agents. As things progress, it appears that there really has been an attack with a chemical weapon released. The suspense builds as messages indicate a disaster happening externally, and gets worse as the boss appears to be infected, and the government agents endeavor to depart, forcing Matthew Macfadyen’s character to opt for either shooting them or letting them go and potentially infecting the secure MI5 headquarters. As this is Spooks, his decision is predictable.
The 1984 production Threads
Threads was low budget yet among the scariest shows I have viewed owing to its grim authenticity and bleak government data. Viewed it recently after seeing the first airing; I often attended the bar in Sheffield featured in the show which underscored the actuality and the offhand factual official statements which was broadcast. Still absolutely terrifying after three and a half decades.
The 2022 Severance episode The We We Are
The concluding episode of Severance’s debut season ranks highly in terms of gripping installments. I was throughout the episode literally perched nervously, pushing alongside Dylan to hold the switches that sustained the Innies’ extended time, while screaming at the Innies to get their truths out there. The concluding高潮 – “she’s alive!” – was like an eruption.
Industry – White Mischief from 2024
Installment five in Industry’s third series caused my heart to pound. I needed to stop and stand and exit the space repeatedly because of the sheer scale of the reckless self-harm I was witnessing. Rishi Ramdani is in major difficulty in his job and domestic life – buried in financial obligations from unscrupulous lenders due to his addictive betting, engaging in dangerous ventures on a wager involving sterling which may result in huge losses for his employer. Inevitably, he starts a gaming binge, consumes excessive substances and alcohol and alternates between success and failure, gets beaten to a pulp. Each instance you believe the situation cannot deteriorate further, it deteriorates. There is a chance for salvation as the installment closes but he squanders the opportunity, leading to terrible outcomes during the season’s final episode. Absolutely had to relax following that!
The 2007 Peep Show episode Holiday
Peep Show is not inherently a tense series. Yet the installment Holiday includes such amounts of embarrassment that it can cause you to stand throughout the entire episode, filled with nervousness. The tension escalates as Jeremy and Mark discover needing to deceive regarding the dog they accidentally run over and following tries to eliminate it. You then occupy the remainder of the episode wondering if it might be more awful than cremation, and it is possible!
The 2001 The West Wing episode The Two Cathedrals
Nothing I have seen has been as tense as when I first saw the season two finale to The West Wing. The show opens with the fallout of the death (in a traffic accident) of the president’s private assistant and reaches a crescendo with a situation in Haiti, and the repercussions of the secrecy regarding the president’s multiple sclerosis diagnosis, along with affirmation of his plan to pursue re-election. Wonderful television. Unsurpassed.
Bodyguard – episode one from 2018
The beginning of the UK show Bodyguard, featuring the main character on a train alongside his juvenile boy, ranks among the most gripping episodes I’ve seen. He notices a Muslim female going into the loo and realizes something is amiss. The bomb squad is alerted, get on the train, and endeavor to coax the woman to discard her bomb jacket. Tension escalates to an almost unbearable degree, until, indeed, the vest is disarmed.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer – The Body from 2001
Buffy comes into her home to discover her mother has died due to natural factors, which is the most unusual type of death in this supernatural show. The show features no musical score, a sullen tone, and we see the episode through the experience of Buffy’s dismay upon uncovering her mother.
The Sopranos – Made in America (2007)
The concluding moment of the last installment of the series was extremely nerve-wracking. And if you viewed it when it first premiered, you – initially – were uncertain of the reason. Tony’s foes, genuine and fictional, had all been defeated. Surely this has the feel of the season one ending? “Recall the minor details.” Yet the atmosphere is strangely foreboding. Almost Twin Peaks levels of terror. The clan sits in an eatery. Meadow stops the car. Tony sorrowfully notifies Carmela problems are brewing with an additional associate cooperating with the officials. Meadow parks the vehicle. Unfamiliar individuals come into the diner. Look at Tony(?) Meadow continues to park. Tony selects a song on the jukebox. Meadow finds a spot. The bell rings, someone enters the restaurant. It cannot be Meadow, she is still parking. Tony glances upward. Keep going. It ceases. My heart sank around 20 minutes subsequently.
The Walking Dead – The Last Day on Earth (2016)
I stayed up to watch this episode at 2am. It was extremely gripping after the establishment of antagonist Negan discovering the characters, cruelly taunting his victims then not knowing who he killed (finished with an unresolved situation). The point-of-view shot from the victim and the muffled sounds – argh! {We then had to wait for season seven|We then needed to await season
