Spoiler Alert: This list contains spoilers for multiple TV shows.Any episode of television can be placed into a weight class: featherweight, middle weight, heavyweight, etc. Every now and then, an episode comes along that’s so dark, so emotionally devastating, and so hard to shake off that it seems to belong in the super-heavyweight division. This isn’t necessarily a part of the story in which someone dies, though offering a hard look at our mortality is pretty common. It also seems that shows have been trending more towards this level of intensity in general, as even comedies tend to offer more emotional realism than ever before. One only needs to look at the past five years of television (streaming included) to find a bounty of stories that will cut right to your core.
There is a difference between comparing two such episodes in terms of how good they are versus how heavy they are. Craft obviously comes into play here, since an episode that has a heavy premise, shoots for this tone, and fails to execute it wouldn’t qualify here. Then there are episodes that do achieve that execution but also have thriller elements or a sense of humor that lightens things up a bit. So the rankings here are largely based on a combination of how dark these episodes get, how consistently they sustain that atmosphere, and how emotionally powerful they are. Also, to ensure a fairly balanced variety of programs, no series (including miniseries) can have more than two entries here.
9
“9:00 P.M.”
‘The Pitt’ Season 2, Episode 15
The PItt finished its second season a few months ago, and it did so in a way that really packed a punch. Dr. Robby (Noah Wyle) has been talking about his sabbatical as if he might not come back, and he has a few scenes throughout this episode that emphasize just how much he needs a change. Everyone else’s concern culminates in a talk between him and Dr. Abbot (Shawn Hatosy), a discussion about Robby’s mental health that would make any episode much darker than usual.
But there’s also another plot thread running throughout the episode: Robby’s replacement may not be fit to step in, after all. Dr. Al-Hashimi (Sepideh Moafi) has a condition in which she can have brief seizures, and she just told him she had two today. This shocking twist is good for neither of their emotional states, as Robby’s opposition to Al-Hashimi taking over such a fast-paced and high-risk environment messes with both of their heads. This is especially devastating to Al-Hashimi, whose composure throughout the season has been visibly shaken over the course of this 15-hour shift.
8
“Church and State”
‘Succession’ Season 4, Episode 9
Succession was perfectly written from beginning to end, “Church and State” being among the most emotional episodes. Logan (Brian Cox) may be dead, but the other characters aren’t done mourning him. Kendall (Jeremy Strong) aggressively tries but pitifully fails to get his ex and children to go to the funeral, and his assistant tells him she’s quitting. Shiv (Sarah Snook) tells her brothers about her pregnancy, which (given her unhappy marriage and father’s death) can only be received with so much enthusiasm. And this is all happening in the wake of an extremely controversial presidential election.
When the funeral arrives, we get a series of eulogies that help us better understand the endless complexity of these remarkable characters. Logan’s brother Ewan (James Cromwell) both condemns his brother and yet discloses things about his childhood that offer some sympathy, Roman (Kieran Culkin) cannot even complete his speech, and Shiv’s speech about her father’s relationship with women is fascinating. Along with Kendall’s impromptu eulogy, the heft of these monologues hangs over the rest of the episode. Before the suspense-driven finale, this meditative penultimate entry almost feels like a self-contained film in itself.
7
“Connor’s Wedding”
‘Succession’ Season 4, Episode 3
Even darker is “Connor’s Wedding,” which shocked us with Logan’s death. Ironic how a character who largely functions as comic relief gets the most somber wedding in the series. Things seem normal for a little while, and Connor (Alan Ruck) does make us laugh in the beginning. But then a phone call changes everything, from the tone to the overall trajectory of the show.
It would be one thing if he were already dead, but the writers draw out this process by making certain things unclear. Is Logan dead? Can he hear his kids when they try to give him their final words? The fact that Shiv, Kendall, and Roman have no control over this also helps. They’re used to telling others what to do, but their orders accomplish nothing here. Their confusion, desperation for info, literal distance from their father, and inability to fully process what’s happening are all communicated so well that the episode really captures the messiness of what can happen in real life.
6
“Cent’Anni”
‘The Penguin’ Episode 4
The Penguin was one of the best shows of the last five years, and “Cent’Anni” might just be its crown jewel. Jewel may be the wrong comparison, though, as this depiction of Sofia (Cristin Milioti) losing her mind in Arkham Asylum ain’t pretty. Quite the opposite, in fact, committing to gritty realism to the point where you don’t have any sense of detachment that you might get from watching a cartoon. As is often the case in The Penguin, we forget this is taking place in a superhero universe.
Of course, it’s one thing to watch any random person lose their sanity. This, however, depicts Sofia getting framed for murders that her father committed (including that of her mother), getting framed by him, and almost everyone else in her family just going along with it. The immense shock of this betrayal underscores the horrors that go on inside this “hospital,” as does Cristin Milioti’s incredible performance.
5
“Episode 4”
‘Adolescence’ Episode 4
Adolescence is so bleak that all four of its meticulously crafted episodes could be on this list, quite frankly. But we’re only choosing two of them, and it does seem that its final episode belongs here. It is essentially the fallout of a crime that’s already been solved: the family of a murderer simply tries and fails to not be miserable. Jamie (Owen Cooper, who is so good in this that his voice alone speaks volumes about his character) may have only killed one person literally, but we’ve seen throughout the miniseries how his actions have devastated many other people’s lives.
It’s his father’s birthday, but how to celebrate with those kids vandalizing his truck for what can only be one reason? Jaime’s family can’t shake off the consequences of the boy’s actions, no matter where they go. Along with the parents having to grapple with just how responsible they are for their son’s actions, this episode’s only bright spot is in that anecdote about a dance from long ago; and even then, we cannot help but compare how people responded to embarrassment in the old days versus how they do so now. Basically, the audience watches helpfulness and hopefulness hang by a thread for an hour.
4
“Chikhai Bardo”
‘Severance’ Season 2, Episode 7
Severance has asserted itself as one of the most original thrillers in a while, and “Chikhai Bardo” is perhaps its most unusual episode yet. It’s all told from the perspective of a character who has felt mysterious and elusive for a while: Gemma (Dichen Lachman). She was supposed to be dead; then it was revealed that she’s not. Learning what’s happened to her, though, it seems neither of those designations are quite right. Gemma has been living on the Lumon testing floor, and has been severed so many times that it’s hard for us to keep track of all her personalities.
This is extremely sad, extremely tragic, and underscored by those flashbacks about Gemma’s marriage to Mark (Adam Scott). More than anything else, though, this episode is disturbing. It depicts a form of slavery that fans haven’t seen before, which makes it all the more unnerving and hard to watch. However, we still gather that the season as a whole is building up to Mark’s reunion with Gemma. Though we intuit that Gemma’s escape attempt here won’t work, a potential future happy ending is telegraphed a bit—which definitely helps us power through this harrowing story.
3
“Look for the Light”
‘The Last of Us’ Season 1, Episode 9
The Last of Us is clearly one of the greatest apocalyptic TV shows ever made, and it’s just as clearly one of the most depressing. The Season 1 finale exemplifies that, as the bulk of “Look for the Light” is notably lacking in big action scenes or extended combat. The only zombie appears in the introductory flashback, and Joel (Pedro Pascal) taking out the Fireflies is presented as a montage.
The backstory of how Marlene (Merle Dandridge) connects to Ellie (Bella Ramsey) is heartbreakingly rendered, offering essential context that makes the present action’s conflict even more tragic. It’s telling how Joel is the one trying to cheer up Ellie this time, and we’re given enough time to sit in the aftermath of what Joel eventually does to absorb just how messed up it is. Save for the giraffe, this episode is so morbid that it leaves us feeling almost as hollowed out as the protagonists.
2
“The Price”
‘The Last of Us’ Season 2, Episode 6
Season 2’s “The Price” might just be heavier than the season one finale. First of all, that opening flashback movingly shows where Joel’s protective nature came from. The rest of the episode jumps from one of Ellie’s birthdays to the next, and the first few are pretty joyful. But there is a pall of gloom over even these sections, given how they take place after Season 1’s dark finale and before Joel’s inevitable death.
As Ellie gets older, she questions Joel’s story about what happened with the Fireflies more and more. Before she can even confront Joel about that, we get to the predicament with Eugene (Joe Pantoliano)—which is so profoundly sad that it could have been the climax of almost any other episode. It’s pretty difficult to find a conversation more intense than Ellie and Joel’s candid talk about the Fireflies, reminding viewers during an inconsistent season why The Last of Us is one of HBO’s more recent standouts.
1
“Episode 1”
‘Adolescence’ Episode 1
Adolescence is one of the heaviest series of any length ever made, and that first episode sets that tone impeccably. There is no respite from the gravity of this situation: the cops break down a door, arrest a 13-year-old boy, and go from processing him to interrogating him over the course of an hour. Watching this happen in real time immerses us in this extremely serious narrative, which forces first-time viewers to wonder whether Jaime is guilty throughout most of the episode.
During moments when viewers think he might be guilty, they see what it’s like to see your life crumbling before your eyes. During moments when viewers think he’s not, they see what it’s like to live a very real nightmare that you apparently don’t deserve and that may never end (which many people have indeed endured). This is the beginning of a psychological study that takes its subject as seriously as possible, and the recent prevalence of UK stabbings (and U.S. gun violence, for that matter) adds even more heft to Adolescence‘s tone.
Adolescence
- Release Date
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March 13, 2025
- Network
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Netflix
- Directors
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Philip Barantini
