Movies & TV

10 Most Unpredictable TV Shows Where You Can Never Guess What Happens Next

MelinaJanuary 19, 2025
2 14 minutes read

Many successful TV shows attract loyal fan bases who are excited to tune into something similar with each new episode, expecting a comforting cast of familiar characters, locations, and plot lines to appear on the screen. While this may work for some television programs, other notable shows draw in audiences due to their unpredictable nature and fast twists.

For viewers of these shows, investment stems from the compelling nature of their storylines, which can rarely be guessed ahead of time. As a result, fans journey alongside the characters in the show, blind to what will occur confusion, so that they can experience moments of highs and lows, and at times confusion, in real time. For example, shows like Donald Glover’s Atlanta seamlessly switch in genre and tone with each new episode, while series like David Lynch’s Twin Peaks aren’t afraid to devolve, boldly plunging the story line into chaos. In the end, mercurial programs like these can naturally become the most creative and unique in Hollywood.

10

Squid Game (2021-Present)

Created by Hwang Dong-Hyuk

Squid Game is one of the newest and most famous examples of an unpredictable plot line, and has just come out with its record-breaking second season. The Korean Netflix show follows a series of desperate individuals who gamble their lives by participating in a dangerous series of games in order to have their debts paid off. The structure of Squid Game makes it so that naturally that there will be a series of shocking twists and turns.

Episode Number

Game Type

Episode 1

The Recruiting Game

Episode 2

Red Light, Green Light

Episode 3

Sugar Honeycombs

Episode 4

Tug of War

Episode 5

Marbles

Episode 6

Hopscotch

Episode 7

Squid Game

Each episode focuses on a different game, ranging from death by a giant laser-shooting statue in the “Red Light, Green Light” game, to something as simple as failing to outline the shape of a sugar cookie, as is the case in the “Sugar Honeycomb” challenge. Not to mention, fans must wait with bated breath each episode to see if their favorite players will survive, as most fan-favorites are killed off by the finale. Watchers soon learn the tragedy that no one is safe in Squid Game with several major deaths in season 2.

9

Breaking Bad (2008-2013)

Created by Vince Gilligan

Few series have reached the popularity achieved by Breaking Bad, the FX series that stunned viewers with its brutality and honesty. The series tells the story of Walter White (Bryan Cranston), a chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with incurable cancer. In order to support his family, Walt begins creating meth, but becomes sucked into the world of his new profession and Walter becomes evil. By the final episode of the series, the show barely resembles what it did in the pilot.

Walter,-Gus-and-Gretchen-and-Elliott-from-Breaking-Bad

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Gone is the heartwarming dynamic between Walt and his family, because, much like the real world, things escalate quickly once Walter becomes involved with drugs in Breaking Bad. However, episodes throughout range greatly, focusing on mundane moments like Walt hilariously attempting to catch a fly in his laboratory, to action-packed, daring train heists. Like Squid Game, no characters are spared in Breaking Bad due to popularity with audiences or importance in the story. Many shocking deaths are sprinkled in its episodes, caught audiences by surprise.

8

Dexter (2006-2013)

Created by Jeff Lindsay

Showtime’s thriller series, Dexter is a wild ride from start to finish. This is natural, considering that Dexter spotlights the life of Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), a blood-spatter expert in the Miami Police Department, who is secretly a serial killer hunting those who he deems guilty of committing terrible acts.

Dexter’s episodes lean into the comedic nature of his absurd position, while also embracing the darker and serious implications of its subject matter. Dexter is hard for audiences to understand fully, as his unpredictable nature causes him to be a devoted family man in one episode, and a ruthless killer in the next. The show is also full of jaw-dropping twists, such as the reveal of Brian Moser (Christian Carmago) as both Dexter’s secret brother, and the ice truck killer. Similarly, the murder of Dexter’s wife, Rita (Julie Benz), is a heartbreaking moment that devastated fans.

7

You (2018-Present)

Created by Greg Berlanti

You Season 4 Poster


You is a drama-thriller series based on the novel by Caroline Kepnes that follows an obsessive and dangerous bookstore owner known as Joe Goldberg. The show sees Joe meeting women that he becomes transfixed with and goes to terrifying lengths to insert himself into their lives. To accomplish his goal, Joe will remove each obstacle – and person- in his way.

Cast

Elizabeth Lail
, Michaela McManus
, Ambyr Childers
, Victoria Pedretti
, Luca Padovan
, Scott Speedman
, Travis Van Winkle
, Penn Badgley
, Jenna Ortega
, Shay Mitchell

Release Date

September 9, 2018

Seasons

4

Writers

Greg Berlanti
, Sera Gamble
, Caroline Kepnes

Showrunner

Sera Gamble
, Greg Berlanti

Dexter is not the only serial killer story to keep fans on their toes, as Netflix’s hit program, You, debuted in 2018 with a similar premise. This story focuses on an obsessive sociopath, Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley), who resorts to the worst things to be with the women he becomes infatuated by, even murder. Throughout the series, Joe quickly changes identity and location with each new season.

As a result, most seasons involve a new cast, new city, and new victims for Joe to sink his teeth into. Due to the show’s nature, many leads and significant supporting characters, such as Love Quinn (Joe’s obsession in season 2 and later, wife), are killed off. Several twists keep you guessing as Joe attempts to run from his skeleton, including several characters who were presumed dead, making shock appearances, and others going missing or murdered with no apparent resolution. It is no wonder why the show continues to pull in viewers, anxious to see what Joe’s next move is.

6

American Horror Story (2011-Present)

Created by Ryan Murphy

Ryan Murphy’s anthology horror series was an instant hit when it first came out in 2011. The show follows a series of horror stories ranging from haunted houses to dramatic witch covens. Though each season brings a new cast of characters and locations who are connected in American Horror Story, each story itself is hard for audiences to anticipate what comes next. Overall, American Horror Story is full of unforeseen twists and turns, as the show isn’t afraid to venture into the grotesque and demented.

This includes the deaths of many key characters in each season, such as the mistreated character of Misty Day (Lily Rabe) in its third, “Coven,” season, and Adelaide Langdon, in the show’s first season, “Murder House.” One of the most infamous twists in the series comes when the lead is revealed to be dead in “Murder House.” Another tactic used by American Horror Story to maintain a sense of mystery, is its frequent shifts in character point of view, allowing audiences to discover something new by switching narrators.

5

Twin Peaks (1990-1991)

Created by Mark Frost & David Lynch

Few shows are as unpredictable and unstable as Mark Frost and David Lynch’s cult classic, Twin Peaks. The short-lived series tells the strange story of Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan), an eccentric FBI agent who is sent to a small town called “Twin Peaks” to investigate the murder of one of its beloved high school students, Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee), who is tragically killed. For fans of David Lynch, Twin Peaks’ unpredictable nature is a perfect example of his storytelling style, which was controversial at the time for its absurdist ending.

In 2017, David Lynch created the third and final installment of the series, Twin Peaks: The Return.

Almost everything in Twin Peaks is a mystery to viewers, who see the simple murder story turned into an exploration of the supernatural and conspiracy, ranging from ghost stories to mythical creatures. Many characters die suddenly or disappear altogether, such as Josie Packard (Joan Chen), one of the original leads who exits abruptly in season 2, and Annie Blackburn (Heather Graham), Dale’s love interest. Indeed, even the fate of the beloved lead, Dale, is left open by the shocking series finale.

4

Lost (2004-2010)

Created by Damon Lindelof

ABC’s hit show, Lost, is still heralded as one of the most unpredictable, long-running series in television history. The story follows a group of survivors who land on a deserted island after a plane crash. Over time, unexpected threats from the island cause them to question their reality and purposes for being on the island. Throughout the show’s six seasons, Lost manages to keep its castaway plot line fresh, through a series of reveals and twists.

One of these is its expanding mythology of the island itself, which becomes increasingly strange and otherworldly. For example, characters such as Locke (Jeremy Bentham), who regains use of his legs after landing on the island, are transformed. Lost also loves to play with timelines, with many alternate realities playing out simultaneously, and random time jumps that reveal what is to come or what has already occurred. By the series’ controversial finale, audiences must piece together plot lines to make sense of what happens to the characters’ fates.

3

Mr. Robot (2019-2011)

Created by Sam Esmail

Mr. Robot is a puzzle for viewers, and its clever plot is the kind to leave viewers thinking about it even after the series has ended. The USA show revolves around Elliot (Rami Malek), who excels in one of his best roles as a talented cyber-security hacker who suffers from dissociative personality disorder, who finds himself in a large-scale operation to take down his employer, E Corp.

Mr. Robot’s plot is confusing to start with, and it takes incredible focus from viewers to keep up with the show. Due to his disorder, Elliot is an unreliable narrator, inconsistent, and in a constant battle to understand his own reality. Because of this, viewers themselves have trouble anticipating the show’s next move. Apart from several shock deaths, such as one of the show’s leads, Angela (Portia Doubleday), being executed in season 4, Mr. Robot wraps up in an astounding twist: Eliot has been controlled by an alternate personality throughout the entire series, known as “The Mastermind.”

2

Russian Doll (2019-2022)

Created By Natasha Lyonne, Amy Poehler, & Leslye Headland

Russian Doll is a time-travel show that puts a zany spin on the drama. The program is about Nadia (Natasha Lyonne), a cynical New York woman who finds herself caught in a time loop after she is involved in an accident leaving her party. Throughout the series, Nadia tries to discover a way to return to her normal timeline. The comedy series is a chaotic investigation into both the supernatural elements at play and Nadia’s own life story, traumas, and secrets.

This includes delving into Nadia’s complicated relationship with her family and friendships. Though the show’s first season takes place in a time loop, Nadia and Alan (her fellow time traveler) uncover something shocking about their lives and deaths. Season 2 of Russian Doll complicates the plot line further, straying from the first season so that characters travel to embody their ancestors, something that is sure to leave audiences with questions after Season 2.

1

Atlanta (2016-2022)

Created by Donald Glover

Donald Glover’s critically-acclaimed FX series, Atlanta, is an outlandish slice-of-life that keeps audiences guessing in each episode. Atlanta is a snapshot of the lives of Earn (Donald Glover) and his cousin, Alfred (Brian Tyree Henry), who aspire to become rappers in Atlanta. Their adventures highlight class, race, and other societal issues. Glover’s show has a loose plot, moving with the unpredictable and zany lives of the leading characters.

Donald Glover and his brother Stephen Glover wrote all the songs sung by Paper Boi (Brian Tyree Henry) in Atlanta.

As a result, plot lines range greatly from season to season. Atlanta is a TV show that also isn’t afraid to switch around genre-wise, with some episodes leaning into comedy, others drama, and even moments of horror in its anthology episodes. For example, popular episodes include the leads visiting an exclusive club where they bump shoulders with NFL players, and another where Darius (LaKeith Stanfield) encounters a creepy man known as Teddy Perkins (Donald Glover) while trying to purchase a piano from him.


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MelinaJanuary 19, 2025
2 14 minutes read
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Melina

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