7 Most Addictive Thriller Shows of the 21st Century, Ranked

Great thriller shows will have viewers constantly on the edge of their seats, with frequent twists and turns, and cliffhanger endings to every single episode. Thriller shows make an excellent watch for those looking to be entertained, or who are interested in a binge-watch that will have them running to the next episode after each one ends. These shows are impossible to predict because they are always throwing viewers for a loop.

There are many iconic thriller series, and the 21st century has had some amazing additions to this genre. These series have seen the introduction of complex and messy characters, compelling and toxic dynamics, and clever and shocking plot twists. From murder mysteries to twisty mind-bending series to messy antihero tales, these are the seven most addictive thriller TV shows of the 21st century.

7

‘You’ (2018–2025)

Image via Netflix

Based on the series of novels by Caroline Kepnes, You follows a seemingly nice and ordinary guy named Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley), who works in a bookstore. Joe soon becomes infatuated with Guinevere Beck (Elizabeth Lail), a grad student and aspiring writer whom he meets one day at work. The twist is that, when Joe falls for someone, there’s nothing he won’t do for “love,” including stalking and killing.

Each season of You sees Joe becoming enamored with a different target and doing everything he can to get close to the person. This includes hiding his past, learning everything that there is to know about his new love, and getting rid of anyone who can be an obstacle to their potential relationship. You is a suspenseful and wildly entertaining series that brings viewers into Joe’s mind, giving them a close look at his obsession and infatuation.

6

‘Bad Sisters’ (2022–2024)

Image via Apple TV+

Based on the Belgian series Clan, Bad Sisters is a dark comedy thriller about the five Garvey sisters: Eva (Sharon Horgan), Grace (Anne-Marie Duff), Ursula (Eva Birthistle), Bibi (Sarah Greene), and Becka (Eva Hewson). The first season takes place over two timelines. In the past, Grace was married to a horrible, abusive man named Jean Paul (Claes Bang). In the present, Jean Paul has just mysteriously died, and Grace’s sisters are desperate to cover up their role in his death.

Over the course of the past timeline, Jean Paul pushes the sisters to their limits, until they have no choice but to start planning his murder. They have no experience, though, so the whole process is more trial and error. Bad Sisters has a dark and sharply funny sense of humor, but it is also a deeply compelling and intense thriller series. In the past timeline, the sisters have to deal with Jean Paul’s worsening threats against them while trying to figure out a way to make it stop. In the present, they have to try to hide their possible involvement from the insurance agents looking into Jean Paul’s death.

5

‘Barry’ (2018–2023)

Image Via HBO

Barry is another phenomenal dark comedy thriller series. It follows Barry Berkman (Bill Hader), a former Marine who’s been lost and directionless since returning home. He works as a hitman for his handler and family friend, Monroe Fuches (Stephen Root), but he feels unfulfilled in this lifestyle. After following a target to an LA acting class, Barry suddenly falls in love with acting, and he becomes determined to find a way to balance these two very different lives.

Each season of Barry is an intense and carefully crafted installment that takes the series in an even darker direction. While the series is very funny, it is also very suspenseful, as outside threats in Barry’s world as a hitman pose a danger to the new life that he’s found. With each episode, Barry gets more entangled in both his life as a hitman and in the many lies that he has constructed in order to try to keep it a secret.

4

‘Yellowjackets’ (2021–Present)

Image via Showtime

Yellowjackets is one of the most addictive thriller series, both of the 21st century and of all time. The series follows the Yellowjackets, a girls’ high school soccer team whose plane crashed on the way to Nationals, leaving them stranded in the wilderness for a year and a half. The show takes place over two timelines: the past, when the Yellowjackets are stranded, and the present, where the survivors have all tried to move on in the 25 years that have since passed.

Both of the Yellowjackets‘ timelines are incredibly intense and impossible to look away from. At the center of the show is the question of how far their time in the wilderness pushed the Yellowjackets, not just to survive, but to gain power and a connection to the wilderness. In the present, everything that they’ve tried to bury from that time in their lives starts to resurface, and they have to figure out how to keep it all hidden.

3

‘Severance’ (2022–Present)

Image via Apple TV+

Severance takes place in a dystopian future where nearly everything is controlled by a powerful and corrupt company called Lumon Industries. Mark Scout (Adam Scott) is a grieving widower who chose to become one of Lumon’s severed employees, getting a procedure that separated his work self from his outside self. Now, Mark’s “innie” is confined to a life only at work, while his “outie” has no idea what he really does.

There is no 21st-century thriller series with better plot twists than Severance. The series starts off with multiple main storylines that hint at something larger without revealing much to the viewer. It soon starts to unravel these storylines, giving a deeper look into just what Lumon is doing, both on the severed floor and outside of it. Severance is an intense and mind-bending thriller series that is perfect for binge-watching and will leave viewers on the edge of their seats.

2

‘Revenge’ (2011–2015)

Image via ABC

Inspired by Alexandre Dumas‘ The Count of Monte Cristo, Revenge tells the story of a woman named Amanda Clarke (Emily VanCamp), who has gone undercover using the name Emily Thorne. When she was a child, Amanda had to watch her father, David (James Tupper), be framed and arrested for a crime that he didn’t commit. He was later killed in prison, and now, she is back in the Hamptons to get revenge on the people responsible for what happened to him.

Over the course of Revenge‘s four seasons, Emily carefully and deliberately pulls off complex and well-thought-out revenge plans on each of the many people who contributed to framing David and getting him arrested. At the center of it all is the powerful Grayson family, the main culprit in David’s framing, but they are also the most difficult people to take down. Revenge is an intense and exciting thriller that sees Emily willing to cross nearly every line to get revenge, as she fights to keep the people around her from figuring out what she is really up to.

1

‘How to Get Away With Murder’ (2014–2020)

How to Get Away With Murder is one of the most addictive thriller series ever. Each season starts with a flash-forward to a murder that the main characters played some role in covering up. The series then goes back in time to the events leading up to that murder. In the first season, successful lawyer and law school professor Annalise Keating (Viola Davis) chooses five of her students to intern at her law firm. In the flash-forward, Annalise’s students cover up the murder of her husband, Sam (Tom Verica).

Each season of How to Get Away With Murder is an intense and suspenseful installment that sees Annalise and the “Keating Five” working on cases and investigating an overarching murder. All the while, they wind up getting entangled in impossible situations that eventually lead to them having to cover up another murder, which they may or may not have taken part in committing. The series is a truly addictive and entertaining watch, and it always keeps viewers guessing.