What qualifies something as intense? Is it your heart beating out of your chest? Is it that you are glued to the seat? Is it that you’re sitting at the edge of that seat andeverything is completely unpredictable? Intensity feels different for everyone, but one thing that is common for us all is that feeling of tension.It’s a rubber band that is getting pulled farther and farther, and we just wait for it to… snap!
FromBreaking BadtoGame of Thrones,the greatestseriesof all time are the most intense ones. They provide us with that adrenaline feeling all from the comforts of our own homes. It’s hard to describe that feeling, but it’s one many of us crave when looking for our latest binge-watch.
10’Arcane' (2021–2024)
Rotten Tomatoes: 100% | IMDb: 9.0/10
Who would think that a series based on a mega-popular video game franchise,League of Legends,would spawn a critic-darling animated series likeArcane? The Netflix animated series follows Violet / “Vi” (Hailee Steinfeld) and Powder / Jinx (Ella Purnell) at the center of the story. While the series has its moments of levity, the bleak world presented to viewers rarely leaves their minds.
The fractured and complicated relationship between Vi and Jinx only makes things more tense. To top it all off,Arcanemakes a strong opening statement –no one is safe in this series. At any moment, it feels like themain characters could be killed off, and it creates tension throughout the two-season series. Whether it was political and “diplomatic” discussions or flat-out war, you couldn’t help but hold your breath. These sisters’ story is an intense, but well-worth watching.
9’Homeland' (2011–2020)
Rotten Tomatoes: 85% | IMDb: 8.3/10
It’s not too surprising that a political thriller covering topics like terrorism, prisoners of war, and espionage is not a comfort watch by any means. TheHomelandcreators perfectly crafted a show that made you constantly doubt what you were watching and who to believe. With great performances byClaire DanesandDamian Lewis, the eight-season series covers a host of topics and keeps you on your toes throughout.
The first season was mentioned on multiple “best shows of the year” lists, andHomelandis still widely praised for its nuanced portrayal of characters.The series earned 40Emmynominations and won eight.Homelandwas controversial and received criticism for itsportrayal of American militarismand America’s “enemies.” However, other critics praised the series for expanding the narrative beyond the simplistic view of good guys versus bad guys.
8’Euphoria' (2019–Present)
Rotten Tomatoes: 87% | IMDb: 8.3/10
A teenage series is intense? How is that even possible?Euphoriamanages to emulate that feeling that so many teenagers talk about. Frequently, teenagers feel like their world is ending, andEuphoriaexpertly captures the modern world for them. Inspired byiconic series like the UK’sSkins, this Israeli adaptation brutally depicts drugs, substance abuse, sexual abuse, and all the other various issues teens can face in their daily lives at school.
Euphoriadepicts a life that is the opposite of rose-colored.It’s rough, harsh, and cruel.The kids always seem to get the short end of the stick, and the adults often make things worse. But it also shows how much most people don’t see. How much ateenager can be struggling, but their parents can be utterly oblivious to their child’s internal turmoil. This high-stakes and dark series keeps the tension high throughout the series (so far).
7’The Pitt' (2025–Present)
Rotten Tomatoes: 95% | IMDb: 8.9/10
WhileThe Pittis anew addition to the television world, it has already established itself as a Goliath of intense television. Following a 12-hour shift, hour by hour sounds like a challenge to keep interesting, but the constant new emergencies that arise (which makes sense, given that it’s an emergency room) keep the doctors and nurses always on their feet and the viewers on the edge of their seats.
It all comes to a climax in the last quarter of the season, which only further horrifies audiences and makes us wonder how doctors and nurses survive dealing with this kind of chaos and trauma.The series is one of the most intense because it’s so realistic. The creators ofThe Pittwanted to ensure that they created an accurate depiction of an emergency room, and this accuracy is clearly feltthroughout the medical drama. The realities of their careers and daily dealings weigh on you with an uninterrupted sensation of intensity.
Rotten Tomatoes: 79% | IMDb: 8.1/10
The Walking Deadwas initially based on a comic book series but has sincelaunched six spinoff seriesand a collection of video games. The series has generated millions, if not billions, of dollars for the franchise, all starting with the pilot episode in 2010.Viewers would fall in love with the characters but be horrified to know that at any moment, these favorites could be consumed by a horde of zombies.And to their dismay, many of their favorites did die, but with the help of new challenges and characters,Walking Deadfans are hooked.
The world-building matches the high stakes of their daily lives, creating tension from the first moments of the series. It’s so hard to grasp how to live in such a complicated world, and it’s precisely why it keeps us glued to our seats. We can’t help but take our eyes off the horror we’re watching. It is what led to future zombie hits likeThe Last of Us. Over eleven seasons, the original series received 16 Emmy nominations and won two. With more series in development, who knows how many more years we will be able to watch the intense world ofTheWalking Deadfranchise?
The Walking Dead
5’Dexter' (2006–2013)
Rotten Tomatoes: 71% | IMDb: 8.6/10
Dexterfollows Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), a blood spatter analysis specialist who works for the Miami PD. He has a tiny little secret – he’s a serial killer who murders killers who weren’t properly punished for their crimes by the justice system.Yes – it’s as gory and as wild as it sounds.The series is a very dark comedy, but it has plenty of intense moments. With a great first four seasons, the show didn’t live up to the hype in its following four seasons.
Dexter,like manyshows, probably went on longer than needed, but it doesn’t take away from their impressive first few seasons. After its conclusion in 2013, the series has spawned several spinoffs. The sequel miniseriesDexter: New Blood, theprequel seriesDexter: Original Sin, and other spinoff series are in the works, including anothersequel series calledDexter: Resurrection.
4’The Boys' (2019–Present)
Rotten Tomatoes: 93% | IMDb: 8.6/10
Superheroes are powerful and can do the most incredible things. However, most of the superhero media sugarcoat the actual ramifications of such power in humans.The Boysdoesn’t. The series is as gruesome and intense as you can imagine. It showcases that “superheroes” are very super but not heroes. They are the villains of the series.The Boysfeatures some of the mostevil and diabolical villainson television.
The show follows a group of vigilantes (the so-calledBoys), who attempt to take down the celebrity superheroes who abuse the power their fame has given them. Moreover, the supes all work for a massive media conglomerate. With the working-class vigilante fighting back against the super-rich celebrities, the metaphor inThe Boysis more relevant than ever.
3’Squid Game' (2021–Present)
Rotten Tomatoes: 89% | IMDb: 8.0/10
Surprise… a series abouta brutal battle royaleis not a light-hearted and fun watch. No, it’s gruesome, intense, and even horrifying at times. The Netflix Korean smash,Squid Game,was created, written, anddirected by Hwang Dong-hyuk. The first season is Netflix’s most-watched series of all time, and the show won two Emmys forlead actor Lee Jung-jae.Squid Gamefollows 456 financially desperate players who partake in a series of potentially fatal children’s games for a grand prize of almost $40 million.
Thedystopian show is a not-so-subtle commentaryon the extremes to which people resort in a country dealing with huge class disparities.While originally created as a limited series, the massive success led to the development of two new seasons. The second and third seasons were filmed back-to-back, with the second season premiering in December 2024.
Squid Game
Rotten Tomatoes: 96% | IMDb: 9.5/10
Breaking Badis widely considered one of thebest series of all time. The now iconic television series was praised for everything, including its writing, acting, directing, and overall story arc. Withan emotional series finale,Breaking Badcontinued to improve with every season, making us more and more invested in Walter White’s (Bryan Cranston) story.
After trendsetters likeThe Sopranos,Vince Gilliganwas able to create acomplex antihero like Walter White. Starting as a chemistry teacher who is given a deadly diagnosis, he turns to making and selling methamphetamine to make money for his family after his death.Where the story starts could not be any more different from where it ends.Breaking Badfeatures some of the most intense moments on television that people are still talking about. The show went on to receive 30 Emmy nominations and win 12 of them.
Breaking Bad
1’Game of Thrones' (2011–2019)
Rotten Tomatoes: 89% | IMDb: 9.2/10
While shows likeBreaking BadandSquid Gameare iconic for their moments, no other series has achieved the intensity thatGame of Throneshas.Over eight (mostly) incredible seasons,Game of Throneshas had multiple moments that will go down in history as some of themost shocking and intense episodesever.From the shocking first-season execution to the infamous Red Wedding, these episodes have left a permanent mark on viewers' minds. Not only were they shocking, but the creators made it clear from the beginning ofGame of Thrones— no one is safe.
Second only toSaturday Night Live,Game of Throneshas 159 Emmy nominations and has won 59. Thefantasy show’s final seasonbroke the record for most nominations in a single year with 32.It has also spawned the massively popular prequel seriesHouse of the Dragon, and more spinoffs are in the works.
Game Of Thrones
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