The 10 Best Thriller TV Shows Where Nobody Can Be Trusted

Image via FX Published Aug 8, 2026, 6:02 AM 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 The best shows are the ones that are unpredictable, as nothing beats the experience of getting a shocking reveal. Television is a medium that requires consistent engagement, and most great shows have to change up their premise in order to keep feeling fresh; what prestige genre fare from derivative procedures is that they are willing to challenge, subvert, and ignore audience expectations in order to tell a story that has lasting power. There are only so many ways that the stakes can be raised without authenticity being compromised, and having a cast of morally ambiguous characters is the best way to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. The best part of watching these thriller shows as they air is being engaged within a culture that witnesses each twist and turn while it happens; experiencing these collective moments of shock is exactly what “prestige television” is all about. Fans learn not to fully trust anyone in these twisty thriller series. 10 'Succession' (2018–2023) Image via HBO Succession is one of the greatest dramas in HBO history because it explored the modern media ecosystem, alluding to the familial conflict of the Sacklers and the Murdochs, by interweaving it within a tragic epic story reminiscent of William Shakespeare and King Lear. The power plays in Succession are precisely what keep the show driving towards its riveting conclusion; although Logan Roy (Brian Cox) seems to be considering passing along his empire to one of his children, Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Roman (Kieran Culkin), Shiv (Sarah Snook), and Connor (Alan Ruck) continuously prove that they aren’t up for the task. The revelation of Logan’s true heir is what makes Season 4 of Succession one of the most powerful stretches of drama television ever, as the series was somehow able to evoke sympathy for characters who were completely unlikeable and grossly wealthy. With every alliance built on self-interest and every promise vulnerable to betrayal, Succession makes it impossible to trust anyone for long. 9 'Breaking Bad' (2008–2013) Image via AMC Breaking Bad pulled off one of the most impressive tasks of any crime thriller because it pulled a complete reversal in how to view the protagonist. The five seasons of Breaking Bad correspond to the five acts of a Shakespeare play, as they steadily tell the story of how the mild-mannered high school chemistry teacher Walter White (Bryan Cranston) becomes the drug kingpin “Heisenberg.” Recognizing that Walter is the villain of Breaking Bad makes all of the other characters’ activities up for debate, given that Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) suffers a tremendous amount for trusting his former teacher, and Skyler (Anna Gunn) eventually becomes complicit in her husband’s crimes. As Walter's lies multiply, even his closest relationships become unstable, leaving every character unsure of when loyalty will give way to betrayal. There were so many great characters in Breaking Bad that Vince Gilligan was able to expand the universe with the prequel series Better Call Saul, one of the rare television spinoffs that was just as good as the original. 8 'The Shield' (2002–2008) Image via FX The Shield was a crime show ahead of its time because it presented a grounded, unsanitized look at law enforcement that didn’t lionize the efforts of cops in the same way that most network procedurals had at the time. The Shield focused on the Los Angeles Police Department detective Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis), a corrupt but effective tool of justice who is wielded to take down the city’s criminals. The Shield worked brilliantly to create an atmosphere of hostility and insecurity because Vic was faced with issues on many fronts; he was trying to protect his family, show loyalty to his fellow cops, keep himself protected from any internal affairs investigations, and genuinely strike against the criminals of Los Angeles that threaten civilian life. Because Vic constantly balances competing loyalties while concealing his own crimes, every alliance in The Shield feels temporary, and every act of trust carries the risk of betrayal. The show was unpredictable until its very ending, with “Family Meeting” being an all-time great series finale. 7 'Mr. Robot' (2015–2019) Image via USA Network Mr. Robot is an inventive and highly twisty thrill ride because creator Sam Esmail was influenced by many cinematic classics, including Fight Club, The Matrix, and Taxi Driver. No one can be trusted in Mr. Robot because reality is always in question; the protagonist, Elliot Alderson (Rami Malek), suffers from severe mental health issues involving paranoia and anxiety, and has such a genius-level mind that he sees things that aren’t there. Mr. Robot paints a dark portrayal of the underground world of cyberhacking, which involves world governments, anti-authoritarian groups, terrorist sects, and independent, “Robin Hood”-esque figures like Elliot who aim to expose the corruption in power. It’s a show that is best watched in its entirety without knowing much of anything beforehand, as every single season of Mr. Robot includes a few shocking misdirections that completely invert what the story is actually about. 6 'Fargo' (2014–2024) Image via FX Fargo is among the most inventive and surprisingly great television thrillers of recent years because it surpassed every expectation that it was presented with. While rebooting a film as beloved as the original 1996 Fargo, which is among the most acclaimed of all of the Coen brothers’ work, seemed like it would only end in disappointment, creator Noah Hawley created original stories for each season that alluded to the themes of the classic masterpiece without ever directly adapting them. Fargo is unpredictable because each season has its own independent story, meaning that there is no guarantee that anyone is returning or that they are who they claim to be. That uncertainty extends to its characters, whose hidden motives and carefully constructed identities make trust a dangerous gamble in every season. Although there are a few surprising moments when continuity between the seasons is confirmed (including a particularly emotional connection between the first two), it’s also possible to watch any season of Fargo and treat it as a miniseries. Collider Exclusive · TV Medicine Quiz Which Fictional Hospital Would You Work Best In? The Pitt · ER · Grey's Anatomy · House · Scrubs Five hospitals. Five completely different ways medicine goes sideways on television — brutal, chaotic, romantic, brilliant, and ridiculous. Only one of them is the ward your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out exactly where you belong. 🚨The Pitt 🏥ER 💉Grey's 🔬House 🩺Scrubs FIND YOUR HOSPITAL → 01 A critical patient comes through the door. What's your first instinct? Medicine under pressure reveals who you actually are. AStay completely present — block everything else out and work through it step by step, right now. BTriage fast and delegate — get the right people on the right problems immediately. CTrust my gut and move — I work best when I stop overthinking and just act. DAsk the question everyone else is ignoring — what's the thing that doesn't fit? ETake a breath, make a joke to cut the tension, and then get to work — panic helps no one. NEXT QUESTION → 02 Why did you go into medicine in the first place? The honest answer says more about you than the one you'd give in an interview. ABecause I wanted to be where it matters most — right at the edge, when someone's life is actually on the line. BBecause I wanted to help people — genuinely, one patient at a time, in a system that makes it hard. CBecause I was drawn to the intensity of it — the stakes, the drama, the feeling of being fully alive. DBecause medicine is the most interesting puzzle there is — and I needed a problem worth solving. EBecause I wanted to make a difference — and also, honestly, I didn't know what else to do with my life. NEXT QUESTION → 03 What do you actually want from the people you work with? Who you want beside you under pressure is who you are. ACompetence and calm — I need people who don't fall apart when things get bad. BTrust and reliability — I want to know that when I pass something off, it's handled. CConnection — I want colleagues who become family, even if that gets complicated. DIntelligence and the willingness to be challenged — I have no interest in people who just agree with me. EFriendship — people I actually like spending twelve hours a day with, because those hours are going to happen either way. NEXT QUESTION → 04 You lose a patient you fought hard to save. How do you carry it? Every doctor who's worked a long shift has had to answer this question. AI carry it. All of it. I don't look for ways to put it down — that weight is part of doing this work honestly. BI process it and move — you have to, or the next patient suffers for the one you just lost. CI feel it deeply and lean on the people around me — I don't think you're supposed to handle that alone. DI go back over every decision — not to punish myself, but because I need to understand what I missed. EI grieve it genuinely, find some way to laugh about something unrelated, and try to be kind to myself — imperfectly. NEXT QUESTION → 05 How would your colleagues describe the way you work? Your reputation on the floor is usually more accurate than your self-image. AIntense and completely present — no small talk during a shift, but exactly who you want there. BSteady and dependable — not the flashiest in the room but never the one who drops something. CPassionate and occasionally chaotic — brilliant on the hard cases, prone to drama everywhere else. DBrilliant and difficult — right more often than anyone else, and everyone knows it, including me. EWarm and self-deprecating — not the most intimidating presence, but genuinely good at this and easy to like. NEXT QUESTION → 06 How do you feel about hospital protocol and procedure? Every institution has rules. What you do with them is a choice. AProtocol is the floor, not the ceiling — I follow it until the patient needs something it can't provide. BI respect it — the system is broken in places, but the structure is there for a reason and I work within it. CI follow it until my instincts tell me not to — and my instincts are usually right, even when they cause problems. DRules are for people who haven't thought hard enough about when to break them. EI try to follow it and mostly do — with a few memorable exceptions that still come up in meetings. NEXT QUESTION → 07 What does this job cost you personally? Nobody works in medicine without paying a price. What's yours? AEverything outside these walls — I've given this job my full attention and the rest of my life has gone around it. BMy idealism, mostly — I came in believing the system could be fixed and I've made a complicated peace with that. CStability — my personal life has been as chaotic as the OR, and that's not entirely a coincidence. DMy relationships — I am not easy to know, and the people who've tried to would probably agree. EMy sense of gravity — I use humour as a coping mechanism, which not everyone appreciates in a hospital. NEXT QUESTION → 08 At the end of a long shift, what keeps you coming back? The answer to this question is the most honest thing about you. AThe fact that it's real — that nothing else I could be doing would matter this much, right now, today. BThe patients — individual human beings who needed something and got it because I was there. CThe people I work with — I have walked through impossible things with these people and I'd do it again. DThe next unsolved case — there's always another puzzle, and I'm not done yet. EBecause despite everything — the exhaustion, the loss, the absurdity — I actually love this job. REVEAL MY HOSPITAL → Your Assignment Has Been Made You Belong In…Your answers have pointed to one fictional hospital above all others. This is the ward your instincts, your temperament, and your particular brand of dysfunction were built for. The PittYou are built for the most unsparing version of emergency medicine television has ever shown — one that puts you inside a single fifteen-hour shift and doesn't let you look away. You need your work to be real, not romanticised — meaning over drama, honesty over aesthetics. You find purpose inside the work itself, not in the chaos surrounding it. You've made peace with the fact that this job takes from you constantly, and gives back in ways that are harder to name. Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center demands exactly that kind of person — and you would not want to be anywhere else. ERYou are the person who keeps the whole floor running — not the most brilliant in the room, but possibly the most essential. You show up, do the work, absorb the losses, and come back the next day without needing the job to be anything other than what it is. You care about patients as individual human beings, not as cases to solve or dramas to live through. You believe in the system even when it fails you — and you understand that emergency medicine is about holding the line just long enough. ER is television about endurance. You have it. Grey's AnatomyYou came to medicine with your whole self — your ambition, your emotions, your relationships, your history — and you have never quite managed to leave any of it at the door. You feel things fully and form deep attachments to the people you work with. Your personal and professional lives are permanently, chaotically entangled — and that entanglement drives both your greatest disasters and your most remarkable saves. You understand that extraordinary medicine often happens at the intersection of clinical skill and profound human connection. It's messy at Grey Sloan. You would not have it any other way. HouseYou are drawn to the problem above everything else — the symptom that doesn't fit, the diagnosis hiding underneath the obvious one. You're not primarily motivated by the patient as a person — though you are capable of caring, even if you'd deny it. You work best when the stakes are highest and the standard answer is wrong. Princeton-Plainsboro exists to house one extraordinary, impossible mind — and everyone around that mind is there because they're smart enough to keep up. The only way forward here is to think harder than everyone else in the room. That is exactly what you do. ScrubsYou understand that medicine is tragic and absurd in almost equal measure — and that the only sane response is to hold both of those things at the same time. You are warm, self-aware, and funnier than most people in your field. You use humour to get through terrible moments — and at Sacred Heart, that's not a flaw, it's a survival strategy. You lean on the people around you and let them lean back. The laughter and the grief are genuinely inseparable here. Scrubs is a show about learning to become someone worthy of the job. You are still very much in the middle of that process — which is exactly right. ↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ 5 'Twin Peaks' (1990–2017) Image via showtime Twin Peaks is the gold standard against which all “prestige television” is built, and it's been an influence on nearly every contemporary showrunner who recognized the brilliance of David Lynch. The show challenged the format of procedurals by exploring one defining mystery over the course of the entire series and using it as a MacGuffin to examine the secrets poured out by a small, seemingly idealistic town as they express their grief. The death of Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee) is a riveting event that leads to some of the most powerful and unpredictable reveals in all of television. Twin Peaks has many untrustworthy characters because it tapped into the surrealist psychodrama of Lynch, and used Laura’s death as a cornerstone within an ancient battle between good and evil that had been waged ever since the dropping of the atomic bomb at the end of World War II. 4 'House of Cards' (2013–2018) Image via Netflix House of Cards was the first major breakthrough for Netflix as a streaming service and single-handedly proved the merit of binge-watching because of its serialized approach. Based on both a novel and a British miniseries that had come before, House of Cards delved into the unpleasant, seedy world of American federal politics by showing how the Presidency is fought over ruthlessly using tools of political manipulation and legitimate conspiratorial forces. In a world where every relationship is transactional and every ally can become a rival, House of Cards treats trust as a weakness that ambitious politicians exploit without hesitation. House of Cards was unique among political thriller shows because it did not present the rosy, optimistic perspective of a show like The West Wing, and successfully reflected the distrust of Washington, D.C. that was brewing at the time that it was on the air. Perhaps the most shocking aspect of House of Cards is that real life found a way of being more unbelievable than anything that the show’s writers could have come up with. 3 'The Americans' (2013–2018) Image via FX The Americans is one of television’s all-time great thrillers because it took a grounded and emotional look at the double-crossing and betrayals involved in spycraft, and grounded them within an era that offered the genre’s greatest influences. The Americans is set in the middle of the Cold War in the 1980s, and follows the Soviet Union spies Philip (Matthew Rhys) and Elizabeth Jennings (Keri Russell) as they go undercover to pretend to be an American couple. The motivations of the characters are constantly in question, as Philip and Elizabeth begin to develop an actual romance that goes beyond the guises that they created; at the same time, they have left both their children and their newfound friends in America in the dark about what their actual motivations are. The point at which they both must choose their loyalties is when The Americans kicks into another gear. 2 'Andor' (2022–2025) Image via Disney+ Andor is the best Star Wars television show of all time because it wasn’t interested in the Skywalkers, the Force, the Jedi, or anything else relating to fan service, and instead told a gritty story about the origin of the Rebel Alliance during the early days of the Galactic Civil War where the Empire ruled the galaxy with an iron fist. Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) is established as an independent spy who is radicalized by the Rebel agent Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård), who secretly works with Senator Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) to provide funds to the freedom fighters who can expose Imperial plans. Andor reveals that the Rebel Alliance came together in a much darker and more complex way than what the original Star Wars trilogy may have led some to believe, but that it was completely necessary in order to expose the genocidal Imperial regime. Because the rebellion depends on spies and compartmentalized cells, even those fighting for the same cause can rarely afford to trust one another completely. 1 'Hannibal' (2013–2015) Image via NBC Hannibal was hardly the first adaptation of Thomas Harris’ famous series of serial killer novels, but it perfectly realized the characters in a new medium and brought them together for one of the most satisfying finales in the history of television. Unlike Manhunter and The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal takes place when Dr. Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) has not yet been exposed as a serial killer, and he is an ally to the FBI Agents Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) and Jack Crawford (Laurence Fishburne) as they track down other dangerous psychopaths. Hannibal constantly questions the sanity and morality of its characters as they are each faced with ethical choices, and the relationship between Will and Hannibal grows even more complex as the series continues. Because Hannibal manipulates everyone around him while concealing his true nature, every act of trust becomes another opportunity for control. It is one of the most stylized, unique, and experimental shows to ever air on network television.