The Greatest TV Plot Twists Of All Time
Plot twists are a common narrative device that have been used in storytelling for hundreds of years. With the emergence of television and cinema in the 20th century, shocking endings became even more common as directors and writers tried to keep viewers guessing what would happen next and surprise them with unexpected events. When done well, a good plot twist will be shocking in a way that no one can see coming, keeping the audience engaged and on their toes.
Like the best movie plot twists of all time, getting plot twists in TV shows right isn't an easy task. It's all too easy for a reveal to be telegraphed ahead of time or be too obvious to truly surprise viewers. Meanwhile, some plot twists might not make sense and stretch the credibility of the story to its limits. A good plot twist, though, will not only leave mouths agape but will also add a new perspective to the overall show, changing how fans interact with the series going forward.
Whether it's a favorite character who is suddenly unmasked as a villain or a shift in the timeline that sheds new light on events, these television plot twists captivated viewers and had everyone talking about them for years after they first aired.
Dexter
Whatever you thought of "Dexter" by the time the series ended in 2013, there's little denying that it was a brilliant crime drama in its early seasons. In fact, if you were to rank the "Dexter" seasons from best to worst, the first four would be right at the top. Charting the life of blood splatter analyst Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), who operates as a vigilante serial killer in his spare time, the show captivated viewers with season-long story arcs that gradually revealed more about this fascinating character. The culmination of that initial success came in Season 4, with the introduction of John Lithgow's villainous Arthur Mitchell.
The entire season follows Dexter and Mitchell, aka the Trinity Killer, as they uncover each other's identities. Hoping to learn from Arthur's ability to hide in plain sight and seemingly have a convincing family life, Dexter gets closer to his fellow serial killer. In the last episode of the fourth season, Dexter gets the better of Arthur and kills him. But the final scene found Dexter returning home to discover that the Trinity Killer has murdered his wife Rita Bennett (Julie Benz) before his own demise, leaving Dexter's son Harrison covered in blood. It was a truly terrifying and shocking moment that "Dexter" could never quite live up to again.
Lost
"Lost" was always a series that was unafraid of trying new things and taking the story in different directions. Over the course of its six seasons, the show made audiences gasp in shock, while also breaking their hearts, as it followed the lives of the large ensemble cast of characters who found themselves trapped on a mysterious island after a devastating plane crash. Created by Jeffrey Lieber, J. J. Abrams, and Damon Lindelof, "Lost" was one of the big television hits of the early 21st century and developed a strong following on ABC.
Although much of the action in each episode focused on the survivors and their attempts to escape the island and deal with the Others, these scenes were intercut with what appeared to be flashbacks that often provided some extra details about the characters. The final episode of Season 3 shook things up completely, though, with the revelation that the flashbacks are actually flashforwards that show events happening in the future.
In particular, a conversation between Jack (Matthew Fox) and Kate (Evangeline Lilly) at an airport indicates that the pair are no longer on the island and have tried to move on with their lives like the other survivors who somehow escaped, albeit with varying degrees of success. The idea that some of the characters have returned to their former lives adds even more mystery and intrigue about exactly how that happened, as well as who got away.
The Simpsons
Since arriving on television screens in 1989, "The Simpsons" has become a pop culture phenomenon. With more than 750 episodes to date, the show has explored all kinds of themes, narrative devices, and plot twists. In fact, "The Simpsons" has even freakishly predicted the future on a few occasions. When it comes to plot twists, however, none beat the two-part episode "Who Shot Mr. Burns?" Set during the final episode of the 6th season and the 7th season premiere, viewers had to wait almost four months to get the answer of who had tried to kill the wealthy villain.
The first episode revolves around Mr. Burns' various dastardly actions, which turn the people of Springfield against him. Even his sycophantic assistant Smithers eventually rallies in opposition against him. As the first half of the two-parter comes to a close, Mr. Burns can be seen fighting with someone out of view until a shot rings out and he stumbles through the street before collapsing. With so many potential suspects, viewers were sent into a frenzy trying to work out who had pulled the trigger. When it is eventually revealed that toddler Maggie Simpson had accidentally shot him with his own gun (or was it an accident?), it was a twist that hardly anyone could have predicted.
WandaVision
Making its debut on Disney+ in 2021, "WandaVision" was the first Marvel television series that integrated directly with the films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Starring Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany, it takes place shortly after the events of "Avengers: Endgame." The show deals with an imaginary life that Wanda creates for herself, Vision and their children in the strange town of Westview. Throughout the season, it becomes clear that everything is not what it seems and that there is some dark power manipulating events and keeping Wanda trapped in Westview.
Episode 7, "Breaking the Fourth Wall," turns "WandaVision" on its head. Through the help of a catchy musical number, nosy neighbor Agnes (Kathryn Hahn) explains that she is actually a powerful witch known as Agatha Harkness. She has been using her own abilities to learn more about Wanda so she can absorb her supernatural powers. All of a sudden, the show switches from a quirky sitcom-like experience to a battle between two almost omnipotent figures, all while many previous events suddenly start to make a lot more sense. Fans had been speculating for weeks about what was really going on in "WandaVision," with many suspecting that Agnes was really Agatha, a well-known villain from the comics.
Mr. Robot
From the very beginning, "Mr. Robot" was a series jam-packed with twists and turns. Arriving on the USA Network back in 2015, the show followed Elliot Alderson (Rami Malek), who joins the hacking group fsociety under the leadership of the enigmatic Mr. Robot (Christian Slater) to battle against the excesses of capitalism. By the end of the first season, it becomes clear that Mr. Robot is just one of several personalities Elliot has as a result of his dissociative identity disorder, and that Darlene Alderson (Carly Chaikin) is his forgotten sister.
When it came to the fourth and final season, it made sense that there were more plot twists to bamboozle fans. The biggest of all came in the finale, when Elliot's entire personality came into question and viewers learned that he was just another fragmented part of his mind known as the Mastermind. The audience had never actually seen the real Elliot in the show's entire run. What's impressive about this revelation is that it still shocked everyone watching, despite the fact that many were expecting a twist of some kind to happen.
The Good Place
Fantasy-comedy series "The Good Place" won plenty of praise during its four-season run on NBC. Created by Michael Schur and starring Kristen Bell as Eleanor Shellstrop, the show revolves around several recently deceased characters who seemingly find themselves incorrectly assigned to the Good Place. Under the guidance of Michael (Ted Danson), the group works to improve their morality and become better people in an attempt to prove that they belong in the nice version of the afterlife rather than the Bad Place.
In the finale of Season 1, during the episode "Michael's Gambit," Eleanor and her competitors notice unusual things about the Good Place and eventually uncover that it is actually the Bad Place in disguise. The group has been in hell the whole time as part of an experiment where they eternally torture each other. It's a twist that thrust the entire series into a new light. This also allowed "The Good Place" to try fresh things and shift up the narrative format in interesting ways.
Scrubs
The NBC medical comedy "Scrubs" was the kind of show that could make you laugh out loud one moment and then be in floods of tears in the very next scene. Nowhere was that more clear than with the story of Ben Sullivan (Brendan Fraser), just one of many great guest stars who appeared in "Scrubs." The brother-in-law and best friend of Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley), Ben is diagnosed with leukemia by J.D. (Zach Braff) after a visit to the hospital in Season 1. After successful treatment in the subsequent episode, Ben disappears and doesn't return until Season 3 in the episode "My Screw Up."
Ben has been on a trip around the world to celebrate beating the disease, although Cox berates him for not having the necessary check-ups during his two-year absence. The senior doctor is also angered after J.D. loses a patient and takes on all of his cases, putting off attending an event that he suggests is his son's 2nd birthday. However, by the end of the story, it suddenly becomes clear that the event is a funeral and the patient who has died is Ben, who Cox has been hallucinating about for the second half of the episode. The twist was devastating but written and performed brilliantly, earning the show an Emmy nomination.
Squid Game
Despite having little build-up, "Squid Game" became one of Netflix's biggest hits ever when it arrived in 2021. Set in South Korea, the show is based around a battle royale-style game where contestants compete to make it to the next round but face deadly consequences for being eliminated. Created by Hwang Dong-hyuk, the show concentrated on a few characters, such as protagonist Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) and the elderly Oh Il-nam (O Yeong-su), who occasionally acts as a mentor to Gi-hun. A runaway success, "Squid Game" inspired a dark real-life game show and has been renewed for a second season.
The twist in "Squid Game" comes right at the end of the show. Having survived the contest, Gi-hun receives a mysterious card a year later and follows the instructions to a lavish building. Inside, he finds Il-nam, who he had seemingly sent to his death during the competition. The elderly man explains, in a cruel twist, that he is the mastermind behind the Squid Game and took part only as a last-minute attempt to feel something — to have some fun — before dying from a brain tumor. Considering how harmless and friendly Il-nam appears throughout the season, this revelation feels like a genuine betrayal to audiences.
Twin Peaks
Ever since "Twin Peaks" first aired on television, it has been hailed as one of the greatest shows ever made. Masterminded by David Lynch and Mark Frost, the series follows an investigation into the murder of the local homecoming queen, Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee), in the titular town. FBI agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) and Police Sheriff Harry S. Truman (Michael Ontkean) lead the efforts to track down the killer, although things are never plain and simple in this fictional world that blends traditional crime drama with surrealism and supernatural elements.
Explaining the entire timeline of "Twin Peaks" is no easy task and by the time of the second season, there have already been some shocking disclosures about the town and its inhabitants. The biggest of all, though, came in "Episode 16," which sees Cooper and Truman finally determine that Laura's father — Leland Palmer (Ray Wise) — is responsible for her death, under the influence of an interdimensional being known only as BOB. Few people figured that Leland had a hand in the murder of Laura, and the possession element made the twist even more surprising.
Westworld
Loosely based on a 1973 film of the same name written and directed by "Jurassic Park" author Michael Crichton, "Westworld" is a sci-fi series set in the near future. Created by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, the show's plot centers around a Wild West amusement park that is filled with android characters known as hosts. They act and look just like humans but cannot cause harm and are designed to fulfill the wishes of guests who pay to experience the unique amusement park. Like all good science fiction, "Westworld" hides some truths from the audience to keep the tension high.
Problems soon arise in the first season as some hosts start to gain sentience and begin to remember all the events that they have experienced. One of the principal characters of the show is Bernard Lowe (Jeffrey Wright), a programmer who works at Westworld and is a close friend of park director Dr. Robert Ford (Anthony Hopkins). In Season 1, Episode 7, "Trompe L'Oeil," Bernard leads Theresa Cullen (Sidse Babett Knudsen) to a secret underground lab. While there, Dr. Ford emerges and reveals that Bernard is a host himself, based on Dr. Ford's former partner. Dr. Ford then orders Bernard to kill Theresa, shockingly marking the first time that a host kills a human.
The Haunting of Hill House
Mike Flanagan's supernatural horror series "The Haunting of Hill House" arrived on Netflix in 2018 to widespread acclaim. The story, based indirectly on Shirley Jackson's classic novel, largely concentrates on the exploits of the Crain family across two different timelines. The first showcases the family's paranormal experiences in Hill House after moving into the building, while the second deals with the trauma and lasting effects decades later after they fled the home.
Throughout her time in Hill House, Nell (Victoria Pedretti and Violet McGraw) is haunted by a spectre referred to as the Bent-Neck Lady. This ghostly figure appears several times to her as a child and adult. Halfway through the first season, Nell goes back to Hill House to try and confront her past, in a last effort to rid herself of the Bent-Neck Lady. While there, she experiences a vision of her family and dead mother, before accepting a necklace that is later revealed to be a noose.
As she falls to her death, Nell experiences every previous time that she saw the Bent-Neck Lady, only this time from the perspective of the spectre — realizing at the same time as the viewer that she has been haunting herself the whole time as a warning of her ultimate fate.
Better Call Saul
A prequel to a huge hit like "Breaking Bad" was always going to have a hard time establishing itself and standing on its own feet. Yet "Better Call Saul" managed to do just that and, at least in some people's opinions, even managed to surpass its predecessor. Set several years before Walter White (Bryan Cranston) develops cancer and turns into a drug lord, this series puts the emphasis on Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) and showcases his transformation into criminal lawyer Saul Goodman.
While small details on "Better Call Saul" allowed fans to figure out some of what was to come, there weren't many clues pointing to the fate of Howard Hamlin (Patrick Fabian). Having pieced together a successful plot by Jimmy and Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn) to ruin his reputation during the sixth and final season, he goes to their apartment to confront them. Unfortunately, Lalo Salamanca (Tony Dalton) is also present and mercilessly kills Howard with a single bullet to his head.
A lot of characters in "Better Call Saul" are entirely missing from '"Breaking Bad," so viewers obviously had an inkling that certain figures wouldn't make it past the series finale. However, that doesn't necessarily mean they had to die. Howard's death coming suddenly out of nowhere only added to the surprise factor often missing in prequels.
Game of Thrones
"Game of Thrones" had a lot of moments that stunned viewers over the course of its run. After all, the fantasy drama was based on George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire," a series of books that never shied away from killing important characters or going in dramatic new directions. For those who had read these original stories, many of the twists and turns that were to come in the show throughout the early seasons were nothing out of the ordinary. However, many in the audience who hadn't read the books probably weren't prepared for what was to come.
Much of the first season of "Game of Thrones" deals with Ned Stark (Sean Bean) and his departure from Winterfell to King's Landing to become the Hand of King Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy). After the death of the King, Ned refuses to recognize Joffrey (Jack Gleeson) as the rightful heir, a decision that leads to Ned's arrest and trial. While most stories would have us believe that the hero will always be saved, "Game of Thrones" does away with such tropes: Ned is promptly beheaded in the ninth episode, "Baelor," in a moment that many viewers simply couldn't believe.