6 Thriller Shows That Never Had a Weak Episode

It’s very challenging for great shows to never have any down points, as true perfection is quite rare. Even within shows that are generally consistent over the course of their seasons, there are often a few weaker moments that detract from the overall experience. Even a show like Breaking Bad had a few fumbles early on in its first season, in which the WGA strike put some parameters on what the conclusion would look like. Similarly, The Wire had a few episodes that strained credibility in Season 5, in which the serial killer storyline felt completely out-of-place within a series that had otherwise been entirely plausible up until that point in time.

Truly perfect shows that don’t have any missed moments occur when there is a concise idea that is retained throughout the entire run, and the keys to the narrative aren’t passed on between showrunners who have different ideas on what should happen next. There is a significant amount of imagination that is required to do so much planning in advance, but it has benefits when the show has a consistent identity throughout its entire run. These great thriller series prove that perfection is possible, with engaging storylines that stay riveting throughout the shows’ runs.

6

‘Mr. Robot’ (2015–2019)

Image via USA Network

Mr. Robot is a postmodern masterpiece that suggested that the “auteur theory” that is often applied to films can also be used to describe television when there is a creator who has complete and total creative control over how a series looks, feels, and expands. Sam Esmail is a filmmaker who took the ideas he had for a script, which itself was inspired by many ‘90s classics, and expanded it into a four-season epic that explored the dark heart of American society, tracking the way that the nation changed after it diverges from reality’s timeline beginning in 2015.

Esmail wrote every episode and directed all of the final three seasons, ensuring that Mr. Robot had a consistent style that did not fluctuate between episodes. While the feeling of one long story being serialized can sometimes be taxing if it feels like it is filling that is taking up too much time, Esmail was willing to take chances on form-breaking episodes that ensured that audiences were always on their toes.

5

‘Mindhunter’ (2017–2019)

Image via Netflix

Mindhunter was a short-lived masterpiece because David Fincher’s brilliant crime show was sadly canceled after only two seasons. Fincher was the perfect showrunner for this specific story because he helped to define what the modern serial killer genre looked like with his films Se7en, Zodiac, and the English-language remake of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, and used much of the same cinematic language in order to take a unique look at how the term was first coined.

Mindhunter is inspired by the autobiography of FBI agent John Douglas, who was the real-life inspired for the character Will Graham in Thomas Harris’ novels; Douglas was depicted in the show as the fictional character Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff), an obsessive former FBI field agent who decides to develop a critical study on criminal behavior in the aftermath of several shocking acts of violence that scandalized America in the 1970s. It’s a must-watch for those interested in this era, especially because of how Mindhunter examines infamous serial killers like Charles Manson and the Son of Sam.

4

‘Hannibal’ (2013–2015)

Image via NBC

Hannibal was an incredibly ambitious show for Bryan Fuller to make because there had already been several successful adaptations of the novel series. Michael Mann’s classic thriller Manhunter was a box office disappointment that became a cult hit, and The Silence of the Lambs became the first horror film to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards, and one of only three to take home the “Big Five” prizes; while 2001’s Hannibal and Red Dragon weren’t as critically beloved, they were nonetheless financial hits. Thankfully, Fuller took a creative new spin on the material that explored the partnership between Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) and Jack Crawford (Laurence Fishburne) when they worked with Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) to hunt down serial killers.

The foreshadowing of Lecter’s true nature is brilliantly laid out, resulting in a finale that ranks among the best of the 21st century. What’s most shocking about Hannibal is that it played out on a network like NBC, and was able to introduce transgressive, experimental filmmaking techniques to an audience that might not have sought them out otherwise.

3

‘Barry’ (2018–2023)

Image via HBO

Barry is a totally unique crime thriller because it defies all expectations of genre, which can be credited to the brilliance of Bill Hader, who starred in, created, wrote, and directed many episodes of the series. Barry begins as a fish-out-of-water dark comedy about a hitman who decides to become an actor in order to unlock his true self, but it becomes increasingly twisted and confusing as his two worlds combine. While there is humor throughout the entire show, as Hader does not forget his roots as a Saturday Night Live cast member, Barry finds an odd parallel between the narcissistic world of Hollywood and the dreary reality of a psychopathic hitman.

Barry is fascinating as an entry within the modern canon of anti-hero stories because it constantly provides sympathy for its titular character, whilst undercutting his redeeming features by showing what a demented and dangerous person he actually is. Hader has always had a knack for being likable and doing awkward humor, so it is impressive that he can transform into a frequently terrifying character who has more in common with Robert De Niro’s Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver than he does with any of the roles that he used to play on Saturday Night Live. Hader also helped to create opportunities for many of the beloved actors that he admired, with Henry Winkler getting the single best role of his career since his breakout in Happy Days.

2

‘Better Call Saul’ (2015–2022)

Better Call Saul is the single greatest spinoff in television history, and it is arguably even more consistent and well-written than Breaking Bad, which is a classic in its own right. Better Call Saul had the benefit of being made after Breaking Bad had already been concluded, which allowed it to serve as both a prequel and sequel. A majority of the series takes place before Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) becomes the slimy lawyer who aligns himself with Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), but it also contains flashes to the future that examine the events after Breaking Bad.

Better Call Saul was able to still create tension, despite the fact that the viewers know what happens to Jimmy and other characters like Mike (Jonathan Banks) and Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito), which is all due to the brilliance of Rhea Seehorn in the role of Kim Wexler. Kim is one of the best characters that Vince Gilligan has ever created, making it no surprise that he has continued his professional apprenticeship with Seehorn into other projects. The complex and destructive relationship between Jimmy and Kim is what fuels the tension within Better Call Saul, but the entire ensemble is filled with actors who deserve more credit. No one is more underrated than Patrick Fabian in the role of Howard Hamlin; although initially he is framed as being a pretentious bully who holds a grudge against Jimmy, it is slowly revealed that Howard was right all along.

1

‘Andor’ (2022-2025)

Image via Disney+

Andor is the greatest piece of storytelling within the Star Wars universe since the original trilogy, and it achieves this level of excellence because it rejects the fan service that Dave Filoni’s tenure at Lucasfilm had come to represent. Instead of telling yet another story about the Jedi Order, the Skywalker family, and the Force, Andor is a gritty origin tale that explores the formation of the Rebel Alliance as it grows to confront the Galactic Empire, which had used brutalized fascist policies to hold the universe with an iron fist. While Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) was introduced as a character in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Andor shows how he was radicalized into becoming a Rebel spy by the resistance leader Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgard), who helps him work secretly with other agents as he communicates with Senator Mon Mothma (Geniiveve O’Reilly).

The brilliance in Andor is a result of its structure, as the show consists of three-episode arcs that tell complete stories; each season contains four arcs, meaning that the entire 24-episode series essentially feels like eight additional Star Wars films. Unlike other Star Wars shows on Disney+, which were cluttered with terrible CGI deepfakes and an overuse of “The Volume” to create digital backgrounds, Andor used real sets, locations, massive groups of extras, and created moments of spectacle that rank among the greatest in the Star Wars universe. Andor offers the perfect bridge between the original and prequel trilogies that shows just how terrifying it was to live within the Imperial Age, but it is also a compelling, standalone spy thriller that is just as effective for someone who is not already entrenched in the Star Wars universe.

Advertisement

Andor

Advertisement

Release Date

2022 – 2025-00-00

Network

Advertisement

Disney+

Showrunner

Tony Gilroy

Advertisement

Directors

Susanna White

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement