‘I absolutely had to rest after that!’ The most gripping TV episodes of all time

Spooks – I Spy Apocalypse from 2003

The episode begins with the Spooks team restricted while undergoing a drill concerning a fictional terrorist event, supervised by two Home Office agents. As things progress, it appears that there really has been an attack and a chemical weapon has been unleashed. The anxiety increases as reports reveal a catastrophe taking place outside, and escalates as the boss appears to be infected, and the two Home Office officials attempt to leave, forcing Matthew Macfadyen’s character to decide between shooting them or allowing them to leave and potentially infecting the secure MI5 headquarters. This being Spooks, the outcome is expected.

Threads from 1984

The production was inexpensive yet among the scariest shows I have ever watched because of the stark reality and dismal official figures. Saw it not long ago having watched the original; I often attended the bar in Sheffield featured in the show that highlighted the truth and the glib matter-of-fact official information that aired. Continuing to be utterly horrifying decades on.

Severance – The We We Are from 2022

The first season finale of Severance has to be right up there as a tense chapter. I spent the entire episode actually sitting tensely, straining every sinew with Dylan to maintain his grip on the controls that allowed the Innies to remain active, while screaming at the Innies to reveal their realities. The final climactic moment – “she is living!” – was like an eruption.

Industry – White Mischief (2024)

Installment five in Industry’s third series made my pulse quicken. I was compelled to halt and rise and depart the area multiple times because of the sheer scale of the deliberate ruin I was witnessing. Rishi Ramdani is in deep shit professionally and personally – up to his eyeballs in debt to illegal creditors due to his addictive betting, taking such risks with a gamble on the pound which may result in huge losses for his employer. Inevitably, he starts a gaming binge, uses copious drugs and alcohol and experiences wins and losses, gets beaten to a pulp. Whenever you assume things cannot decline more, it does. There is a chance for salvation as the installment closes yet he wastes the chance, with horrifying consequences in the concluding part of the season. Absolutely had to relax following that!

Peep Show – Holiday from 2007

Peep Show is not inherently a tense series. But the episode Holiday includes such amounts of embarrassment that it will make you rise for the full show, riddled with anxiety. It all ramps up as Jeremy and Mark discover needing to deceive regarding the dog they by chance collide with and following tries to eliminate it. You subsequently use the rest of the installment questioning whether it truly can be worse than incineration, and it can be!

The 2001 The West Wing episode The Two Cathedrals

No other viewing has been as gripping than the first time I watched the concluding episode of The West Wing’s second season. The episode starts with the aftermath of the passing (in a road incident) of the president’s private assistant and builds to a peak with a situation in Haiti, and the repercussions of the secrecy of the president’s MS diagnosis, coupled with verification of his aim to seek re-election. Excellent TV. Unequaled.

The 2018 Bodyguard premiere episode

The beginning of the UK show Bodyguard, featuring the main character on a train accompanied by his small son, is personally a top tense installment. He spots a Muslim woman heading to the toilet and senses something is wrong. The bomb diffuser experts are called, enter the train, and endeavor to coax the woman to take off her suicide vest. Tension escalates to a practically unendurable point, until, indeed, the vest is disarmed.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer – The Body from 2001

Buffy arrives at her residence to realize her mom has deceased due to natural factors, which is the most unusual type of death in this supernatural show. The installment lacks any soundtrack, a gloomy atmosphere, and we view the installment through the lens 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 watched it when it originally aired, you – at first – weren’t sure why. Tony’s adversaries, actual and perceived, were all overcome. This seems similar to the first season’s finale, right? “Think about the small elements.” Yet the atmosphere is strangely foreboding. Nearly Twin Peaks-like fear. The family gathers in a diner. Meadow finds a parking spot. Tony sorrowfully notifies Carmela problems are brewing with another member of his team collaborating with the authorities. Meadow parks. Strange people enter the restaurant. Gaze at Tony(?) Meadow is parking. Tony plays a track on the music machine. Meadow parks her car. The door chimes, a person comes in. It cannot be Meadow, she is still parking. Tony looks up. Don’t stop. It stops. My spirit fell about 20 minutes later.

The Walking Dead – The Last Day on Earth from 2016

I kept late hours to see this show in the early morning. It was extremely gripping after the buildup of bad guy Negan finding the group, mercilessly mocking his targets then not knowing who he killed (ended on a cliffhanger). The point-of-view shot from the victim and the muted audio – ugh! {We then had to wait for season seven|We then needed to await season