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Spooks – I Spy Apocalypse (2003)

This installment starts with the intelligence unit locked down while undergoing a drill concerning a fictional terrorist event, monitored by two government representatives. As the situation develops, it becomes clear a real incident has taken place and a chemical agent deployed. The anxiety increases as incoming communications show a disaster happening externally, and escalates as the superior shows signs of exposure, and the two Home Office officials attempt to leave, forcing Matthew Macfadyen’s character to decide between shooting them or letting them go and potentially infecting the secure MI5 headquarters. As this is Spooks, his decision is predictable.

Threads (1984)

Threads had minimal funding but arguably the most terrifying series I have ever watched because of the stark reality and bleak government data. Watched it about a month ago after seeing the first airing; I frequently went to the Sheffield pub from the programme which emphasised the reality and the casual, straightforward government details which was broadcast. Still absolutely terrifying decades on.

Severance – The We We Are from 2022

The season one finale of Severance deserves a top spot in terms of gripping installments. I remained for the whole show literally perched nervously, exerting with Dylan to hold the switches that kept the Innies on overtime, while yelling at the Innies to reveal their realities. The concluding高潮 – “she survives!” – was like an eruption.

Industry – White Mischief (2024)

Installment five in Industry’s third series caused my heart to pound. I was compelled to halt and rise and exit the space repeatedly due to the immense extent of the deliberate ruin I was witnessing. Rishi Ramdani is in major difficulty at work and home – up to his eyeballs in debt from unscrupulous lenders due to his addictive betting, engaging in dangerous ventures on a wager involving sterling that might cost his firm millions. Inevitably, he starts a gaming binge, uses copious drugs and alcohol and alternates between success and failure, gets beaten to a pulp. Each instance you believe it can’t get any worse, it deteriorates. There’s hope of redemption by the episode’s conclusion yet he wastes the chance, leading to terrible outcomes in the season finale. Certainly required a rest afterward!

The 2007 Peep Show episode Holiday

Peep Show is not inherently a tense series. However, the Holiday episode contains such levels of cringe that it will make you rise the whole episode, filled with nervousness. The situation intensifies once Jeremy and Mark find themselves being compelled to falsify about the canine they accidentally run over and later efforts to get rid of it. You then occupy the remainder of the episode doubting if it can actually be more terrible than burning, and it is possible!

The West Wing – The Two Cathedrals (2001)

No other viewing has been as gripping as when I first saw the season two finale to The West Wing. The installment begins with the consequences of the death (in a traffic accident) of the president’s personal secretary and builds to a peak involving a Haitian emergency, and the fallout from the non-disclosure regarding the president’s multiple sclerosis diagnosis, along with affirmation of his plan to seek re-election. Wonderful television. Unsurpassed.

The 2018 Bodyguard premiere episode

The opening of the British series Bodyguard, with the hero aboard a train alongside his juvenile boy, ranks among the most gripping episodes I’ve seen. He notices a Muslim female heading to the toilet and knows something is off. The explosive disposal specialists are summoned, enter the train, and attempt to convince the woman to discard her bomb jacket. Suspense rises to a nearly intolerable level, until, finally, the vest is neutralized.

The 2001 Buffy episode The Body

Buffy comes into her home to discover her mother has died from natural reasons, which is the rarest form of demise in this paranormal series. The installment lacks any soundtrack, a somber mood, and we see the episode through the experience of Buffy’s dismay upon uncovering her mother.

The Sopranos – Made in America from 2007

The final scene of the final episode of the series was extremely nerve-wracking. And for those who saw it during its initial broadcast, you – at first – weren’t sure why. Tony’s enemies, real and imagined, were all vanquished. Doesn’t this resemble the season one conclusion? “Remember the little things.” Yet the atmosphere is strangely foreboding. Almost Twin Peaks levels of terror. The family gathers in a diner. Meadow finds a parking spot. Tony gloomily informs Carmela there’s trouble afoot with yet another of his crew collaborating with the authorities. Meadow secures a parking space. Unfamiliar individuals come into the diner. Look at Tony(?) Meadow is parking. Tony selects a song on the jukebox. Meadow finds a spot. The bell sounds, an individual enters. It cannot be Meadow, she is still parking. Tony glances upward. Don’t stop. It halts. My heart sank about 20 minutes later.

The 2016 The Walking Dead episode The Last Day on Earth

I stayed up to watch this episode during the night. It was so intense following the introduction of villain Negan discovering the characters, mercilessly mocking his targets and then leaving the victim unknown (ended on a cliffhanger). The first-person perspective of the victim and the muffled sounds – ugh! {We then had to wait for season seven|We then needed to await season