10 Exciting Thriller Shows That Don't Slow Down for a Single Episode

Image via FX Published Sep 4, 2026, 6:44 PM EDT Liam Gaughan is a film and TV writer at Collider. He has been writing film reviews and news coverage for ten years. Between relentlessly adding new titles to his watchlist and attending as many screenings as he can, Liam is always watching new movies and television shows. In addition to reviewing, writing, and commentating on both new and old releases, Liam has interviewed talent such as Mark Wahlberg, Jesse Plemons, Sam Mendes, Billy Eichner, Dylan O'Brien, Luke Wilson, and B.J. Novak. Liam aims to get his spec scripts produced and currently writes short films and stage plays. He lives in Allentown, PA. Sign in to your Collider account Consistency is hard to find within dramatic television, especially within shows that last for several seasons. While nailing every episode of a miniseries is slightly easier, given that there is a complete understanding of where the story will go from the inception of the production, developing the storyline for multiple seasons at a time is not as easy of a task. There are many shows that change significantly throughout the scope of their production, and they don’t always have an ending planned out from the moment that the first season began shooting. It is still possible to have a great show that has some dull patches, as the entirety outweighs any of the minor flaws, but to keep a narrative completely propulsive from the beginning to the end is a rare achievement that has only been pulled off by a select few classics within the thriller genre. 10 'Mr. Robot' (2015–2019) Image via USA Network Mr. Robot is one of the greatest examples of “auteur television” because the entire series was conceived of by showrunner Sam Esmail, who wrote every episode and directed all of the last three seasons. Esmail had originally developed the idea for Mr. Robot as a feature film, but saw the possibility of expanding it into a serialized story because of the richness of the text; however, having the framework of a film script allowed Esmail to keep Mr. Robot focused on the essentials of the plot, ensuring that there was no filler of awkward transitional or expositional moments. Mr. Robot benefits from having a consistency of style throughout, and a clear direction to the story, but Esmail's familiarity with the material also allowed him to deliver several experimental episodes that were unlike anything that had been seen on television before. 9 'Mindhunter' (2017–2019) Image via Netflix Mindhunter is two seasons of absolute brilliance that redefines and recontextualizes everything that has been assumed about serial killer thrillers, which makes sense because the show was developed by David Fincher. Fincher is responsible for making some of the greatest serial killer films ever made, and Mindhunter was an expansion that looked at the history of the FBI’s psychoanalysis program as applied to famous cases in the '70s. Mindhunter is structured brilliantly because it switches between procedural cases and the ongoing storyline of FBI Agent Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff), a genius who becomes so renowned at examining the minds of deranged killers that he has begun to unknowingly sympathize with them. Although Mindhunter was sadly cancelled before it got the chance to do a third season, every single episode that exists was finely tuned by one of Fincher’s trusted colleagues. 8 'Hannibal' (2013–2015) Image via NBC Hannibal was an ambitious show because it was not the first adaptation of Thomas Harris’ novels, which had already been used to inspire several great films. Although revisiting the same material could have felt derivative, Bryan Fuller worked out a unique new angle on the story that had FBI Agents Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) and Jack Crawford (Laurence Fishburne) seeking the advice of the brilliant Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen), despite not knowing that he is actually the most ruthless serial killer of them all. Hannibal thoroughly understood the richness of its characters and got into surprisingly disturbing and experimental territory, despite the fact that it aired on a network like NBC that was not previously known for hosting anything that would have been considered to be avant-garde. It’s among the greatest serial killer shows that have ever been made. 7 'The Shield' (2002–2008) Image via FX The Shield was a groundbreaking crime show that was ahead of its time, as it proved that FX was a network capable of putting out high-quality prestige content with a notably gritty edge. Although procedural crime television has often been culpable of lionizing the efforts of law enforcement in a manner comparable to propaganda, The Shield created one of television’s greatest anti-heroes in Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis), a corrupt member of the LAPD strike force who tries to cover up his actions while protecting his family from discovering all of his faults. The Shield offered the most expansive and in-depth look at crime in Los Angeles that had ever been seen on television up until that point in time, and was able to balance out Chiklis’ terrific character work with appearances by notable guest stars, including Forest Whitaker and Glenn Close. 6 'Breaking Bad' (2008–2013) Image via Ursula Coyote / © AMC / Courtesy Everett Collection Breaking Bad is often named as the most significant or popular show of the 21st century, and for good reason. Vince Gilligan created a modern epic worthy of William Shakespeare that followed the structure of a classic tragedy. In the same way that one of Shakespeare’s epics followed five acts, Breaking Bad consisted of five seasons that showed how the mild-mannered high school chemistry teacher Walter White (Bryan Cranston) becomes the ruthless drug kingpin and criminal known as “Heisenberg.” Gilligan gave Cranston room to play a truly sympathetic character who becomes burdened by all of his horrible choices, as his transition into selfish narcissism makes for exhilarating storytelling. Although Cranston’s performance is among the greatest in television history, Breaking Bad benefited from an unforgettable rogue’s gallery of complex villains, with Giancarlo Esposito as Gus Fring being among the most terrifying. Collider Exclusive · Action Hero Quiz Which Action Hero Would BeYour Perfect Partner? Rambo · James Bond · Indiana Jones · John McClane · Ethan Hunt Five legends. Five completely different ways of getting out alive — with style, with muscle, with charm, with luck, or with a plan so intricate it probably shouldn't work. Ten questions will reveal which action hero was built to have your back. 🎖️Rambo 🍸James Bond 🏺Indiana Jones 🔧John McClane 🎭Ethan Hunt FIND YOUR PARTNER → 01 You're dropped into a dangerous situation with no warning. What do you need most from a partner? The first few seconds tell you everything about who belongs beside you. ASomeone who already has three contingency plans running and is calmly working through all of them. BSomeone who reads the terrain instinctively and knows exactly how to use it against the enemy. CSomeone who keeps their nerve and their sense of humour when everything is falling apart. DSomeone who knows the history of wherever we are and what we're walking into. ESomeone with the right contact, the right cover identity, and the right exit already arranged. NEXT QUESTION → 02 You have to get somewhere dangerous, fast. How do you travel? How you get there is half the mission. AOn foot through terrain no one else would attempt — I move where vehicles can't follow. BOn a motorcycle, a cargo plane, or anything else that gets me there before I think too hard about it. CIn something that belongs to someone else — borrowed, stolen, or improvised under fire. DFirst class, with a cover identity and a gadget that does something I won't explain until it's needed. EBy whatever means are available — I've driven, flown, and once arrived by camel. The destination matters, not the method. NEXT QUESTION → 03 You're pinned down and outnumbered. What does your ideal partner do? This is when you find out what someone is really made of. ADisappears into the environment, flanks them silently, and ends it before I've reloaded. BCracks a one-liner, grabs a fire extinguisher or a chair, and improvises something that somehow works. CProduces a gadget specifically designed for this exact scenario and uses it with infuriating precision. DPulls out a whip, a pistol, and an archaeological insight that somehow gets us out alive. ENeutralises the threat with maximum efficiency and minimum words — they were already three moves ahead. NEXT QUESTION → 04 The mission is paused. You have one evening to decompress. What does your partner suggest? Who someone is when the pressure drops is who they actually are. AA bar with terrible lighting, cold beer, and absolutely no questions about feelings. BThe finest restaurant in the city, a bottle of something expensive, and a conversation that is equal parts brilliant and exhausting. CA local dig site, a museum after hours, or a long story about why that particular artefact matters to human civilisation. DPizza. Bad TV. Falling asleep halfway through a movie neither of you were watching anyway. EA debrief that turns into three hours of contingency planning that somehow becomes the most fun you've had all week. NEXT QUESTION → 05 How do you prefer your partner to communicate mid-mission? Good communication is the difference between partners and a liability. APrecise and minimal — tell me what I need to know and nothing else. Every word has a cost. BDeadpan and dry — keeping it light keeps me sharp, even when everything is on fire. CEnthusiastic and slightly chaotic — but always with useful information buried somewhere in the noise. DCalm and controlled through an earpiece, with a plan that covers every variable I haven't thought of yet. EBarely at all — silence is a language and they speak it fluently. NEXT QUESTION → 06 Your enemy is powerful, well-resourced, and has the upper hand. How should your partner approach them? The approach to the enemy defines the partnership. AInfiltrate their inner circle, learn everything, and dismantle them from inside out before they know we're there. BStudy the historical pattern — every villain of this type has a weakness written somewhere in the past. CGet them talking. The more they monologue, the more time I have to figure out how to beat them. DGo through them. Directly. With as much force as the terrain allows. EFind the one thing they haven't accounted for — there's always one thing — and make sure we're holding it. NEXT QUESTION → 07 Things go badly wrong and you're captured. What do you trust your partner to do? Who someone is when you need them most is the only thing that matters. ACome in alone, quietly, and get me out before anyone knows they were there. BHave already been working on the extraction since the moment I disappeared — the plan is already running. CCome in loud, come in fast, and worry about the collateral damage later — I'd do the same for them. DUse every resource, every contact, and bend every rule until I'm out — they don't leave people behind. ECharm their way in somehow, bluff through the hard part, and still manage to look good doing it. NEXT QUESTION → 08 What does your ideal partner bring to the table that you couldn't replace? A great partner fills the gap you didn't know you had. ATechnology that shouldn't exist yet and the training to use it under any conditions. BSurvival instinct so refined it borders on supernatural — and the scars to prove it's been tested. CKnowledge of history, language, and culture that makes them invaluable in places where force is useless. DThe ability to walk into any room in the world and immediately become the most trusted person in it. EStubbornness that refuses to accept a situation is hopeless — and the improvisational skill to back it up. NEXT QUESTION → 09 Every partnership has a cost. Which of these can you live with? No one comes without baggage. The question is whether you can carry it together. AA partner who never fully switches off — always watching exits, always calculating threats, even at dinner. BA partner who gets the job done brilliantly but has the emotional availability of a locked filing cabinet. CA partner who makes everything ten times more complicated than it needs to be — but who always comes through. DA partner who gets personally attached to every relic, ruin, and artefact we encounter, which slows everything down. EA partner who was not built for this and knows it — but shows up anyway, every time, without being asked. NEXT QUESTION → 10 It's the final moment. Everything is on the line. What do you need from your partner right now? The last question is the most honest one. AOne line. Absolutely dry. Delivered like the world isn't ending. Then we move. BNothing said at all — just a look that means we both already know what has to happen. CA plan I don't fully understand that somehow accounts for everything, delivered in thirty seconds flat. DA piece of historical context that reframes the entire situation and tells us exactly what to do next. ESomeone who steps forward instead of back — because that's who they've always been. REVEAL MY PARTNER → Your Partner Has Been Assigned Your Perfect Partner Is…Your answers have pointed to one action hero above all others. This is the person built to have your back — for better or considerably, spectacularly worse. RamboYour partner doesn't talk much, doesn't need to, and will have assessed every threat in your immediate environment before you've finished your first sentence. John Rambo is not a man of plans or politics — he is a force of nature shaped by survival, loyalty, and a capacity for endurance that goes beyond anything training can produce. He will not leave you behind. He has never left anyone behind who deserved to come home. What you get with Rambo is the most capable, most quietly ferocious partner imaginable — one who has been through things that would have broken anyone else, and who chose to keep going anyway. You'll never need to ask if he has your back. You'll just know. James BondYour partner will arrive perfectly dressed, perfectly briefed, and with a cover story so convincing it'll take you a moment to remember what's actually true. James Bond is the most professionally dangerous person in any room he enters — and the most disarmingly charming, which is the point. He operates in a world of layers, where nothing is what it appears and every advantage is used without apology. You'll never be bored. You'll occasionally be furious. But when it matters — when the mission is genuinely on the line and the margin for error has collapsed to nothing — Bond is exactly the partner you want. He has survived things that have no business being survivable. He does it with style. That is not nothing. Indiana JonesYour partner will know the history, the language, the cultural context, and exactly why the thing everyone else is ignoring is actually the most important thing in the room. Indiana Jones is brilliant, reckless, and occasionally impossible — but he is also one of the most resourceful, most genuinely knowledgeable partners you could find yourself beside. He approaches every situation with a scholar's eye and a brawler's instinct, which is an unusual combination and a remarkably effective one. He hates snakes and gets personally attached to objects of historical significance, both of which will slow you down at least once. It doesn't matter. What Indy brings is irreplaceable — and the adventures you'll have together will be the kind people write books about. Assuming you survive them. John McClaneYour partner was not supposed to be here. He does not have the right equipment, the right information, or anything approaching the right odds. He has a sarcastic remark and an absolute refusal to accept that the situation is as bad as it looks. John McClane is the greatest accidental hero in the history of action cinema — a man whose superpower is stubbornness, whose contingency plan is improvisation, and whose capacity to absorb punishment and keep moving would be alarming if it weren't so useful. He will complain the entire time. He will make it significantly more chaotic than it needed to be. And he will absolutely, unconditionally, without question come through when it counts. Yippee-ki-yay. Ethan HuntYour partner has already run seventeen scenarios by the time you've finished reading the briefing, and the plan he's settled on involves at least two things that should be physically impossible. Ethan Hunt operates at the absolute edge of human capability — technically, physically, and intellectually — and he brings the same relentless precision to protecting his partners that he brings to dismantling organisations that shouldn't exist. He is not easy to know and he will never fully tell you everything. But he will carry the weight of the mission so completely, so absolutely, that your job is simply to trust him — and the remarkable thing is that trusting him always turns out to be the right call. The mission will be impossible. He will complete it anyway. ↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ 5 'Better Call Saul' (2015–2022) Image via AMC Better Call Saul is the rare spinoff show that is just as good as the original because it turned Bob Odenkirk’s Saul Goodman and turned him into a tragic anti-hero worthy of what Cranston did in Breaking Bad. It is often that prequels struggle because the audience already knows what the fate of the characters will be before the story begins, but Better Call Saul was able to get around that problem with Saul because it created a new protagonist in Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn), one of Gilligan’s greatest creations. Better Call Saul is also an unusual prequel because it explores the events in Saul’s life when he was still known as “Jimmy McGill,” but also goes into the future to see what happened to him after the Breaking Bad series finale “Felina,” where he tried to allude justice once more. 4 'The Sopranos' (1999–2007) Image via Anthony Neste; HBO, Everett Collection The Sopranos is perhaps the most influential television show ever made, and it's earned that reputation. David Chase saw the way that mafia-related stories were being made, and decided to tell a more complex family saga about a psychopathic character in Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) who was nonetheless a family man who dealt with mental health issues and struggled with his traumatic past. The Sopranos is brilliant because it presents the lives of its characters in a compelling way that would nearly suggest that they are sympathetic, yet quickly offers reminders of the violence that is inherent to their line of work. The Sopranos is able to capture the passing of time through the growth and evolution of Tony’s family, and it ends in spectacular fashion because the second half of Season 6 is among the most riveting arcs in the history of the medium. 3 'The Wire' (2002–2008) Image via HBO The Wire was a groundbreaking experiment within narrative storytelling that attempted to express and explain the fundamental issues within America’s institutions, which were informed by creator David Simon’s experience as a journalist working on the crime beat in Baltimore for over a decade. Each season of The Wire is focused on a different level of infrastructure, and it comes together to paint an incisive portrayal of how greed and corruption have spread like wildfire. The Wire was a great series that was not acknowledged during its time, as it was frequently snubbed at the Primetime Emmy Awards and never got the popularity in ratings that it deserved. It has subsequently been remembered as not being one of the most ambitious shows ever, but something educational that has been praised by cops, politicians, reporters, teachers, and historical experts for what it says about America. 2 'The Americans' (2013–2018) Image via FX The Americans is the greatest spy drama of all time because it unpacks what it's like to live the life of a double agent, beyond one heist or mission. Set during the height of the Cold War in the 1980s, The Americans follows the undercover KGB agent Philip (Matthew Rhys) and Elizabeth Jennings (Keri Russell) as they maintain their identities as a married American couple while secretly channeling information back to the KGB. The Americans offers a fascinating exploration of the transformation of American society throughout the ‘80s through the perspective of characters that have had to adjust to living in the country, but it’s also a fascinating exploration of marriage, as at some point Philip and Elizabeth’s relationship becomes more than just a cover. The series didn’t miss a beat throughout, and the series finale “START” is as perfect a conclusion as viewers could have asked for. 1 'Andor' (2022–2024) Image via Disney+ Andor was the breath of adrenaline that the Star Wars franchise needed because it avoided discussion of the force, the Skywalker saga, or anything related to the Dave Filoni era by exploring the pivotal period in-between trilogies in which the Rebel Alliance evolved out of warring resistance groups to become a fighting force capable of facing of with the Galactic Empire as it began construction on the ultimate superweapon that could destroy entire planets. Andor offered a more complex view of the flawed people that made up the Rebellion, and provided a nuanced exploration of how fascism is maintained by showing the competing ambitions of the various operatives within the Empire. In addition to adding some of the best new characters in the galaxy far, far away, Andor had a timely approach to examining living under a dictatorship that felt especially relevant. Andor Release Date 2022 - 2025-00-00 Network Disney+