🔗 Share this article

Spooks – I Spy Apocalypse (2003)

The show kicks off with the Spooks team confined as part of a simulation about a potential terror incident, monitored by two government representatives. As the situation develops, it appears that there really has been an attack and a chemical agent deployed. The suspense builds as incoming communications show a crisis unfolding beyond their walls, and gets worse when the leader seems contaminated, and the two Home Office officials attempt to leave, compelling the character played by Matthew Macfadyen to decide between shooting them or permitting their exit and potentially infecting the secure MI5 headquarters. As this is Spooks, it is unsurprising which one he chooses.

Threads (1984)

The production was inexpensive but arguably the most terrifying series I have ever watched owing to its grim authenticity and grim official statistics. Saw it not long ago having watched the original; I used to visit the pub in Sheffield from the programme which emphasised the reality and the offhand factual official statements that aired. Remaining completely frightening decades on.

The 2022 Severance episode The We We Are

The concluding episode of Severance’s debut season has to be right up there in terms of gripping installments. I remained for the whole show literally perched nervously, exerting with Dylan to maintain his grip on the controls that kept the Innies on overtime, while screaming at the Innies to disclose their facts. The final climactic moment – “she survives!” – resembled a outburst.

Industry – White Mischief (2024)

The fifth episode of Industry’s third season caused my heart to pound. I needed to stop and stand and leave the room several times owing to the vast degree of the wanton self-destruction I observed. Rishi Ramdani is in deep shit in his job and domestic life – up to his eyeballs in debt from unscrupulous lenders owing to his uncontrollable gaming, assuming hazardous chances with a gamble on the pound which could lose his company millions. Naturally, he embarks on a betting frenzy, consumes excessive substances and alcohol and experiences wins and losses, is brutally attacked. Whenever you assume things cannot decline more, it does. Redemption seems possible at the end of the episode but he misses the opening, with horrifying consequences during the season’s final episode. Absolutely had to relax following that!

Peep Show – Holiday from 2007

Peep Show itself isn’t necessarily a stressful show. However, the Holiday episode features such degrees of awkwardness that it’ll have you standing up the whole episode, permeated with worry. The tension escalates when Jeremy and Mark realize having to lie about the dog they accidentally run over and later efforts to get rid of it. You subsequently use the rest of the installment questioning whether it truly can be worse than incineration, and it turns out to be!

The West Wing – The Two Cathedrals from 2001

No other viewing has been as gripping than the first time I watched the second season finale of The West Wing. The episode starts with the aftermath of the demise (in a car crash) of the president’s personal secretary and reaches a crescendo with a situation in Haiti, and the effects of the withheld information regarding the president’s multiple sclerosis diagnosis, with confirmation of his intention to pursue re-election. Excellent TV. Unsurpassed.

The 2018 Bodyguard premiere episode

The start of the British program Bodyguard, with the protagonist on a train with his young son, ranks among the most gripping episodes I’ve seen. He spots a Muslim woman entering the restroom and realizes something is amiss. The explosive disposal specialists are summoned, board the train, and attempt to convince the woman to take off her suicide vest. Suspense rises to a practically unendurable point, 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 of natural causes, which is the rarest form of demise in this paranormal series. The show features no musical score, a somber mood, and we view the installment through the lens of Buffy’s shock of discovering her mother.

The 2007 The Sopranos finale Made in America

The final scene of the final episode of the program was incredibly anxious. And for those who saw it during its initial broadcast, you – at the start – didn’t understand the cause. Tony’s adversaries, actual and perceived, were all overcome. This seems similar to the first season’s finale, right? “Recall the minor details.” However, the vibe is oddly threatening. Almost Twin Peaks levels of terror. The family gathers in a diner. Meadow finds a parking spot. Tony gloomily informs Carmela problems are brewing with another member of his team working with the government. Meadow parks. Odd persons arrive at the eatery. Look at Tony(?) Meadow is parking. Tony plays a track on the music machine. Meadow parks. The door chimes, a person comes in. It isn’t Meadow, she remains parking. Tony looks up. Keep going. It ceases. My heart dropped from my mouth around 20 minutes subsequently.

The 2016 The Walking Dead episode The Last Day on Earth

I stayed up to watch this episode in the early morning. It was incredibly tense after the establishment of antagonist Negan finding the group, mercilessly mocking his targets and then keeping the death a mystery (finished with an unresolved situation). The victim’s POV shot and the muted audio – ugh! {We then had to wait for season seven|We then needed to await season