Euphoria creator Sam Levinson revealed how he was inspired to write the death scene for the most recent episode of the drama series.

Spoilers below for Euphoria season 3 episode 7.

In the Sunday, May 24, penultimate episode, Euphoria fans watched Jacob Elordi’s character, Nate Jacobs, suffer a horrific death. During the episode, Nate’s debt came back to bite him — literally — as he was locked underground in a coffin for 72 hours.

His wife, Cassie (Sydney Sweeney), was forced to pay the loan sharks in an attempt to save Nate. Cassie and Maddy (Alexa Demie) were able to dig up Nate, only to see he was killed by several rattlesnake bites.

Related: What Happened Between Euphoria’s Maddy and Alamo? Confusion Explained

Euphoria has caused a lot of confusion for viewers throughout the seasons — and now they are asking what exactly took place between Maddy and Alamo. Ahead of the season 3 finale, Maddy (Alexa Demie) had to ask Alamo (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) for money after Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) found out that Nate (Jacob Elordi) only had […]

Levinson, 41, shared that the idea to bury Nate alive was an homage to one of his favorite films.

“I always loved the movie The Candy Snatchers where the girl gets buried alive with a pipe as an air hole. So I had imagined that Nate would get buried alive,” the creator said in an interview with Esquire published on Monday, May 25.

Not only was Nate buried alive, but there were snakes involved and that idea came to Levinson while enjoying a sunny day in Los Angeles.

“It was one of those gorgeous L.A. days where it was perfect weather. We’re listening to Otis Redding. The windows are down and we’re driving to Warner Brothers and I’m looking out the window,” he reflected. “I just had this image of a rattlesnake coming towards this pipe. He’s banging and the snake can sense the movement in the ground. And I thought, ‘What if the snake goes into the pipe and then he’s stuck inside the coffin with this rattlesnake?’”

Levinson also revealed that they used “all real rattlesnakes” while filming and they got a serious warning from the animal wranglers before filming.

“When we were shooting with the rattlesnakes out in Lancaster, [California], they said, ‘If you get bitten by a rattlesnake, you have about an hour before you die. And unfortunately, the nearest hospital’s an hour and a half away. ‘So … don’t get bitten by our rattlesnake,’” Levison recalled.

While writing the scene, Levinson knew fans wanted to see Nate get his “comeuppance” in the final season — and he was happy to oblige.

“There’s this kind of funny thing where I know what the audience wants in terms of justice or karma,” he reflected. “And with that in mind, I always think, ‘Well, how can I give it to them?’ How can I give them what they want, but make it so horrific and anxiety-inducing that by the time it happens, the audience isn’t so sure they wanted it?”

Related: ‘Euphoria’ Season 3’s Wildest Moments: OnlyFans, Shocking Deaths and More

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After a nearly four-year wait, Euphoria finally returned to HBO in April 2026 — and creator Sam Levinson is making sure no one forgets what is likely to be the final season. Season 3 delivered some of the most jaw-dropping, controversial and downright chaotic moments in the hit show’s history, from a stomach-churning premiere to […]

Levinson added that by making Nate’s death so horrific, he hoped that viewers would question if the character truly deserved the outcome.

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“That feeling of complicity with the audience is always an interesting note to play inside of this sort of larger structure,” he explained. “You end up going, ‘Oh God, I don’t know. Should he have had it better? Did he deserve it?’ Those kinds of questions are always exciting to pose to the audience.”

Elordi, for his part, agreed with fans that his character got what he deserved.

“That was a cool way to go. Nate was someone who has made so many mistakes and made so many dark choices,” the actor said in a segment that aired after the episode. “It’s cool to see it all come to what it’s come to.”

By Jonathan Klotz
| Published 7 seconds ago

One good thing about the rise of streaming is that studios have given up on backdoor pilots. Low-episode-count streaming shows don’t leave a lot of room for a random episode about two college radio DJs, a New York hair salon, the family farm, or a time-traveler, all of which were among the many, many attempts by producers and studios to keep a franchise running. Back in the day, an episode that barely featured the main characters and followed a side character, or even entirely new characters, meant that someone was testing the waters to see how the new series would work with existing fans. Sometimes it failed; The Nanny’s hair salon is an infamous example, and sometimes it worked, such as a little show called NCIS coming out of JAG. 

Backdoor Pilots In Space

One of the most notable early examples of a backdoor pilot comes from Star Trek: The Original Series and the time-traveling alien, Gary Seven. Played by Robert Lansing, the time-traveling Gary Seven went back to 1968 in order to prevent World War III, but he runs into the crew of the Enterprise, who happened to go back in time to conduct research. It was a repurposed pilot, intended to become a series if Star Trek: The Original Series was canceled after its second season, which explains why Kirk and Spock play second fiddle to Gary Seven and Roberta (Terri Garr’s first major TV role). 

Star Trek: The Original Series isn’t the only show with a backdoor pilot that was intended to take the place of a fan favorite show. Highlander’s final season is filled with female Immortals being tested to see which one the audience would gravitate towards, eventually ending in the short-lived Highlander: Raven, featuring the character Amanda. Supernatural introduced the Wayward Sisters in Season 13, an obvious attempt to recreate the magic of Sam and Dean with sisters this time, and in retrospect, a huge missed opportunity. Imagine if the Duffer brothers decided to spin off Stranger Things following the Season 2 introduction of Kali? That’s the closest kids today will get to experiencing what executives used to do to highly successful genre shows all the time. 

Audiences Hate Backdoor Pilots

It was always jarring as a viewer when all of a sudden, a brand new location and a brand new cast turned out to be the focus of an episode. That was the case when Married with Children aired “Radio Free Trumaine” as part of Season 9. There’s no Al, no Peg, and the entire episode focuses on a pair of college radio DJs, Mark (Andrew Kavovolt) and Oliver (Eric Dane), who go up against the college’s new Dean of Students, the Bundy’s neighbor Steve Rhoades (David Garrison). Bud gets involved when his attempt to win over April (Keri Russell) gets recorded and played on air, but that’s it for the regular cast. It’s one of the most blatant backdoor pilots in history, and as with so many of them, it led nowhere. 

Looking back, a college sitcom starring Eric Dane and Keri Russell should have been a hit. Fan reaction to the episode was immediate and visceral. In 1995, fans on the internet raging against a show was brand new. Once America Online lit up, producers pulled the plug on plans for a spin-off. “Radio Free Trumaine” is still one of the most blatant backdoor pilots in history. Over a decade later, another sitcom tried the same thing, and the reception may have been better, but the result was the same. 

Keeping A Show Going Past The Expiration Date

Rainn Wilson’s Dwight Schrute was one of the breakout characters from The Office. Everyone’s worked with a Dwight. The Assistant to the Regional Manager could have been an annoying foil, the show’s version of Gary Cole’s middle manager from Office Space, except he became beloved and the natural choice for a spin-off. Airing in 2013, the Season 9 episode “The Farm” introduced viewers to Dwight’s crazy family. They inherited his great-aunt’s farm, under the condition that they all work together to run it. It’s a premise that might as well have on-screen text in neon saying “This is a backdoor pilot.” 

The Farm never happened, though NBC hemmed and hawed for so long that fans were convinced it was coming following the end of The Office. Instead, it’s one of the most recent failed backdoor pilots. Not all of them fail, and sometimes, you can argue the spin-off is better than the original. 

Backdoor Pilots Didn’t Make It To Streaming

That was the case when JAG introduced Mark Harmon as Leeroy Jethro Gibbs and the team at NCIS, and again when The Vampire Diaries gave way to The Originals. The latter is an interesting case, as the family of vampire progenitors was the antagonists of Season 2, but everyone loved them, especially Joseph Morgan’s portrayal of Klaus, turning The Originals into a five-season hit on its own. It was so successful that it spun off Legacies, which also ran for four seasons. Not bad for a vampire teen drama. 

Prior generations were used to the backdoor pilot. By the time a show started to approach Season 7, it was expected that there was going to be an attempt at a spin-off. Today, most shows don’t go past five seasons, and even then, they’re lucky to get that far. The Rookie, FBI, Fire Country, all of those are the last ones holding out on the concept of backdoor pilots, but let’s be honest, the generation watching those is the same that had to live through “Radio Free Trumaine.” 

Samantha Busch opened up about potentially having her husband, late NASCAR driver Kyle Busch’s, baby in the event of his death in a resurfaced clip.

Samantha, 39, explained to guest Ashley George during a November 2025 episode of her “Certified Oversharer” podcast that if her husband were to die, she would want to have another child and name him after Kyle.

Kyle died on Thursday, May 21, after a bout of severe pneumonia resulted in sepsis. He had been preparing to race in the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, May 24, in Charlotte, North Carolina.

“Here’s something I’ve never told anybody,” Samantha told George last year. “I’m a certified over-sharer. So a lot of people ask me what we have done with our embryos because we still have some.”

Related: NASCAR Legend Kyle Busch’s Family Guide: Meet His Wife, Their 2 Kids

NASCAR legend Kyle Busch leaves behind his wife, Samantha Busch, their two children and his brother Kurt Busch following his shocking death at age 41. “We are saddened and heartbroken to share the news of the passing of Kyle Busch, a two-time Cup champion and one of our sport’s greatest and fiercest drivers,” NASCAR announced […]

She continued, “I can’t part with them. We are paying to freeze them until… they’re going to have to come with me. I don’t know what else to do at this point because I love them so much and can’t make a decision.”

After welcoming son Brexton through IVF in 2015 and inspired by their continued fertility journey as they struggled to have another baby, Kyle and Samantha began their Bundle of Joy Fund, helping families welcome more than 100 babies via IVF through more than $2 million in grants. They eventually welcomed daughter Lennix in 2022.

“Kyle was like, ‘We’re done having kids,’ and I said, ‘But what if?’” Samantha added. “I told him the most morbid story the other day. I was like, ‘What if you passed? I would have to have another kid to be connected to you and name that child after you.’”

Kyle, however, wasn’t having it.

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Related: Who Is Kyle Busch’s Wife? Meet Samantha Busch After NASCAR Star’s Death

The late Kyle Busch was married to wife Samantha Busch (née Sarcinella) for more than a decade prior to his shocking death. Samantha has yet to speak out following her husband’s death on Thursday, May 21, at age 41. However, the Busch family, Richard Childress Racing and NASCAR released a joint statement remembering the racing […]

“He was like, ‘What is wrong with you?’ and I was like, ‘These are the things I think about Kyle. I love being a mom and I have never told anybody that until I told you.”

Samantha, Brexton and Lennix were all at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday for what was supposed to be Kyle’s next race. NASCAR honored the legendary driver beforehand with a moment of silence and a kind message from the speedway’s PA announcer.

“Samantha, I want you to know that this sport stands with you, and that you and your children are NASCAR family forever,” the announcer said during the ceremony.

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Related: Kyle Busch Looked Happy on Last Red Carpet With Wife Before His Death

NASCAR legend Kyle Busch appeared to be in good spirits at his last red carpet event with his wife, Samantha Busch. Kyle attended the NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Charlotte, North Carolina, alongside Samantha, 39, in January — four months before his death was announced on Thursday, May 21. The couple attended the […]

He continued, “Brexton and Lennix, your dad loves you with all his heart. Everyone gathered here, everyone behind you, everybody watching on TV, and all those people up in that grandstand are your family, and we’ve got you.”

Daniel Suárez went on to win the Coca-Cola 600, dedicating it to Kyle after the race.

“This weekend, it just means more than just the race. With everything that has been happening with Kyle,” Suárez, 34, said in an interview with Sports on Prime. “This one really means a lot.”

Celebrities stepped onto the 2026 American Music Awards red carpet in show-stopping looks for one of the hottest events of the year.

A-listers dazzled as they gave Us some serious fashion inspo under the bright Las Vegas lights on Monday, May 25, in honor of the star-studded ceremony held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Nevada.

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Sparkle, shimmer and suave style took over Sin City as stars hit the AMAs red carpet in full glam. Aside from the sartorial statements, fans are in for a treat as the show will be hosted by none other than Queen Latifah.

Plus, there will be some tough competition at the event, as frontrunner Taylor Swift leads with an impressive eight nods, while Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Dean, sombr and Morgan Wallen trail right behind her with seven nods. Alex Warren and Lady Gaga may also win big, as they both earned six nominations each.

Keep scrolling to see the AMA 2026 red carpet looks:

Fans are debating a viral courtside moment involving Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce after the NFL star was seen chugging a beer during a recent NBA game.

The clip sparked mixed reactions online, from criticism of Kelce’s behavior to fans defending the couple’s dynamic and the singer’s reactions.

As speculation about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s relationship intensifies, ongoing rumors of a possible July wedding have also fueled concerns about guests and security.

Fans are raising eyebrows over Taylor Swift’s reaction to Travis Kelce after the NFL star’s courtside beer-chugging moment went viral online.

On Saturday, May 23, the couple attended Game 3 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, where the Cleveland Cavaliers took on the New York Knicks.

During a timeout, Kelce jumped to his feet and quickly chugged a beer while cameras captured the moment, and the crowd cheered loudly around him.

After finishing the drink, the Chiefs star threw his arms in the air and soaked in the reaction from fans. But online attention quickly shifted to Swift, who appeared to bury her face in her hands while laughing from her seat beside him.

Moments later, she looked back up, smiling and clapping along with the arena crowd.

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The clip sparked a flood of reactions across social media, with some viewers criticizing Kelce’s behavior and speculating about the couple’s future.

“Red flag right here. It’s not too late to run, Tay Tay!” one user wrote, per Parade, while another joked that Swift “is marrying a 36-year-old frat boy.”

Others went even further, suggesting that “Taylor won’t be clapping when Kelce’s alcohol abuse becomes a bigger problem.”

Fans Defend Viral Travis Kelce Beer-Chug Moment

Still, many fans defended the interaction, arguing that Kelce was simply enjoying himself and that Swift clearly found the moment funny rather than embarrassing.

“A woman that lets her man do him!! They’ll be together for a while,” one supporter commented.

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Another person said, “He’s just like any other guy! Let them be and have their fun as [a] couple out on the town, out at a basketball game! lol”

Kelce, who grew up in nearby Cleveland Heights, appeared especially excited throughout the game and spent much of the night energizing Cavaliers fans alongside Swift.

Despite the celebrity-filled atmosphere and support, the Cavaliers ultimately fell to the Knicks 121-108.

Taylor Swift And Travis Kelce’s Upcoming Wedding Sparks Heavy Speculation

Meanwhile, rumors surrounding the couple’s relationship continue to swirl. Earlier reports claimed their wedding had been set for July 3 in New York City, though neither Swift nor Kelce has publicly confirmed the speculation.

Adding to the ongoing chatter, fresh reports suggest some guests have raised concerns about the arrangements.

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According to the Daily Mail, one unnamed guest reportedly complained about not being allowed to bring a plus-one, saying it would be awkward to attend alone and noting they didn’t know many other attendees.

“My invite did not let me bring a plus-one,” the unnamed guest reportedly shared. “I mean, what am I supposed to do? Go alone? That is so awkward.”

They continued, “I don’t think I am going to attend because I don’t want to go by myself, and I am not sure I will know too many people there. I mean, sorry, I am not friends with Gigi and Bella Hadid!”

Guest Complaints And Venue Secrecy Add To Buzz Around Swift-Kelce Wedding Rumors

The alleged guest also suggested some attendees were being treated differently, pointing to reports that Selena Gomez would allegedly attend with fiancé Benny Blanco, while single guests were not given the same option.

“I get it, the venue can probably allow for only so many people, but it’s not the best feeling,” the source reportedly said, “It’s the wedding of the year, but I may sit this one out because I am shy.”

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The same report claimed the wedding venue will remain undisclosed until the morning of the ceremony due to security concerns, fueling speculation over where the event might be held. One rumored location mentioned was the Waldorf Astoria New York, known for its privacy and high-level security.

As speculation surrounding the rumored July 3 wedding between Swift and Kelce continues to grow, the alleged event has reportedly even become a topic of discussion among New York lawmakers.

NY Budget Debate Fuels Speculation About Taylor Swift And Travis Kelce’s Wedding

According to reports, Assembly Democrats recently debated including a $250,000 allocation in the state’s delayed budget to help cover security costs tied to the celebrity wedding.

The proposal would reportedly have involved the use of state troopers to assist with protection during the event in New York City.

However, insiders told the New York Post the idea was quickly removed from discussions after concerns were raised over the political backlash such funding could create, especially given the couple’s immense wealth and ability to privately fund their own security.

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Martha Stewart is and always will be that girl. Anyone who has followed her career, even without doing a full deep dive (although the Martha documentary can and will change your life), knows that this businesswoman and homemaker is one of the best dressed women around. So when the 84-year-old stepped out at the world premiere of Dutton Ranch earlier this month, we once again found ourselves ‘oohing’ and ‘ahhing’ over her outfit, zoning in on her espadrille platform shoe style and wondering where we could get them.

Unsurprisingly, the woman who owns a 153-acre estate scored her stylish shoes from Hermès. Although we’d love to add Stewart’s denim Elda espadrille to our carts, the $1,150 price is giving Us some pause. Instead, we’ll take a rain check and opt for a $30 option on Amazon, which has a similar vibe without putting our bank account in the red.

Get the Bctex Coll Espadrille Wedge Sandals for $30 at Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate as of the publishing date but are subject to change.

Espadrille sandals are one of those trends that never truly die, but for summer 2026, the shoe style seems to be even more popular, with so many iterations popping up at every major retailer. This $30 pick is a twist on the classic wedge, featuring a chunky yet supportive block heel and a rubber sole for added stability. Like Stewart’s pricey version, the design is sleek and simple, and an ankle strap ensures they stay put, saving you from having a Cinderella moment as you commute to work or head out to dinner.

Related: Martha Stewart Wore This Gold Sandals Style at Least 2 Times in a Week

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Sandals season is in full swing, and if you’re anywhere near New York City, you’ll see gold everywhere. Rich moms wear gold sandals nonstop, and Martha Stewart is part of the fandom. The A-lister probably has endless shoe options, and yet she reaches for the same sandals nonstop. We’re following suit, especially since Stewart’s classy […]

Of course, the espadrille’s woven rope design steals the spotlight, but one detail you can’t see with the Bctex Coll pick is the memory foam cushioning, which will keep your feet from throbbing at the end of the night.

“These were the first pair of shoes that I wore to a wedding that I never once took off, even to dance!” said one Amazon reviewer, while another shopper called them “very comfortable and stylish.”

“Wore this during my vacation to PR, did a lot of walking and my feet felt fine,” they added, noting that this pair can be dressed “up or down.”

Many who have purchased the Amazon sandals also said they’d like to buy other colors, and in that case, they’re in luck. If Stewart’s darker shoes aren’t quite your style, the same alternative pair comes in nude (beige) and brown, both of which are extremely versatile.

Stewart gave Us plenty of fashion inspiration with her easy yet elevated look, pairing her sandals with an asymmetrical blazer and slim-fit jeans, letting them serve as a statement piece. However, the best thing about this timeless footwear choice is that it works with just about any summer outfit, complementing sundresses, shorts, linen pants and even a swimsuit at the beach (which is where you’ll be extra grateful you bought the lookalike instead of the splurge).

We may never have Stewart’s green thumb, hosting skills or a taxidermy rabbit to display at Easter, but her chic sense of style is something we strive toward every day. With these espadrille sandals, we’ll be one step closer!

Get the Bctex Coll Espadrille Wedge Sandals for $30 at Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate as of the publishing date but are subject to change.

Looking for something else? Explore more espadrilles here and don’t forget to check out all of Amazon’s Daily Deals for more great finds!

Related: Martha Stewart’s Surprisingly Cute Crocs Sandals Belong in Everyone’s Closet

As spring calendars fill with garden parties, travel plans and long afternoons spent outdoors, finding sandals that actually balance comfort and style can feel surprisingly difficult. Too often, warm-weather shoes look chic but leave your feet begging for relief by lunchtime. Martha Stewart’s latest outfit, however, proved that comfy spring sandals really can deliver both. […]

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By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 16 seconds ago

Right now, the James Bond franchise has been put on temporary hold while Amazon tries to find the perfect new actor to cast as 007. Most fans have been waiting for this announcement with bated breath, eager to learn who will headline the next decade or more of killer spy movies. Instead of looking forward, though, I find myself increasingly looking to the past. Not just at old Bond movies (though From Russia With Love is the gold standard of the franchise, and I’ll die on this hill), but at the game that made me into a super-fan of the franchise: GoldenEye 007 on the Nintendo 64.

I was an ‘80s kid who hadn’t really gotten into James Bond in my early childhood, beyond seeing occasional glimpses of the character on cable TV. But as a teenager, I was the perfect age to enjoy GoldenEye, the 1995 movie that was basically a soft reboot of the franchise. As a gamer, I couldn’t get enough of the GoldenEye game on N64. The campaign was absolutely perfect, and the four-player splitscreen multiplayer was to die for. To this day, many players fondly remember this title for being the pinnacle of ‘90s console gaming, but most don’t realize how far this game’s influence extended. Simply put, we wouldn’t have the Halo or Call of Duty franchises without GoldenEye 007!

Bond. Games Bond

How did GoldenEye influence Halo, exactly? As you may or may not know, Halo wasn’t originally designed as a first-person shooter. Bungie, the studio behind the Halo franchise, considered many different iterations of the game, including a vehicular combat game and, later, a real-time strategy game. It was later imagined as a third-person shooter and finally became an FPS when the title was chosen as a launch game for the Xbox. Bungie struggled to make the multiplayer work, and they even ended up recoding the whole thing from scratch only four months before the game came out. The new design was great, and the game’s popular multiplayer turned Halo: Combat Evolved into one of the most popular games ever made.

Why was console multiplayer so important, though? While Bungie has never officially confirmed the earlier game’s influence, it seems obvious they wanted to try to one-up GoldenEye. As Stacey Henley wrote for The Gamer, the N64 Bond title “introduced the idea of single and multiplayer modes existing in the same game, on a home console, in a title that people actually enjoyed playing.” She noted how “multiplayer deathmatch” (a staple of Halo) “exists because of GoldenEye,” a game which also normalized things like headshots and scoped sniper rifles. Fortunately, Bungie’s effort paid off, and gaming magazines like Edge declared that Halo had dethroned GoldenEye as “the standard for multiplayer console combat.”

Bond Finishes The Fight

Halo: Combat Evolved felt like the inheritor of many GoldenEye staples, including free-roaming, 3D environments, cinematic cutscenes, story-driven set pieces, and so on. In turn, Halo ended up influencing another major FPS franchise: Call of Duty. The COD games followed the same dual-stick controller layout made popular by Halo, effectively normalizing this for all console FPS games. COD also borrowed Halo’s popular two-weapon limit, forcing players to be strategic about what they carried into battle. Most Call of Duty games also feature regenerating health, a major Halo staple. Later, Infinity Ward art director Joel Emslie even admitted that Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was designed as a sci-fi flavored “Halo Killer.”

Without the success of GoldenEye 007 on the Nintendo 64, Halo would not have become the new gold standard of competitive console multiplayer. Without Halo’s influence, Call of Duty wouldn’t have become arguably the most popular FPS franchise in the entire world. Both of these newer franchises are great in their own way (I’m more of a Halo guy, myself), but they owe their very existence to a humble 1997 Nintendo game that left the entire world both shaken and stirred.

By Jonathan Klotz and Joshua Tyler | Updated 13 seconds ago

There was a time when watching sci-fi on television meant keeping things PG-13, and only in movies could you see content that went to the edge. That began to change with the introduction of pay cable, and that line was obliterated in the early 2000s by peak TV.  Now, some of the most graphic, most extreme, crazy, gory, and messed-up things ever displayed on a screen can be found in science fiction television.

If you’re looking for TV shows that go hard, we’ve got you covered. These are the most graphic sci-fi TV shows of all time, ranked in order by which show is the MOST extreme.

18. Fringe 

I can see the comments now: Fringe? That aired on Fox? How is that graphic? 

Did you watch Fringe? The show pushed the boundaries of how dark a show can get on Fox. One episode has a man turning solid while halfway through a bank vault. Another has a man cut into little pieces to achieve the critical mass needed to travel to another dimension. The first two seasons of Fringe are all a prologue, filled with monster-of-the-week episodes that are worth watching today, to the real plot of the series: a battle for survival between two warring dimensions. 

There’s body horror, there’s cold-blooded murder, there are noble sacrifices. Fringe even kills off its main cast multiple times. It’s an absolutely wild series, and did I mention the body horror? Walter Bishop, the role John Noble was born to play, is a mad scientist working for the good guys, but he’s still a mad scientist, and it’s amazing how many problems can be solved by injecting the right chemicals into the human brain. 

17. Black Mirror 

Often described as a modern-day version of The Twilight Zone, Black Mirror doesn’t have volumes of blood and gore, but when it gets violent, it’s gut-wrenching and leaves you an emotional wreck. 

Season 7’s “Common People” is a standout, showing how technology can save lives, but there’s always a price, a literal one in this case. It’s also the same hook from Marvel’s Infamous Iron Man, but with the rise of subscription services in the last few years, the 2025 episode’s dystopian future is disturbingly close to reality. 

The hardest episode to watch remains the series debut, “National Anthem,” the infamous episode about the British Prime Minister having sex with a pig. It’s enough to make you wish for more episodes like “Men Against Fire,” where a military tool tricks soldiers with augmented reality to commit heinous crimes against humanity, or Arkangel’s swarm of killer bee drones.

There’s something to be said for Black Mirror’s habit of building all episodes to one, singular outburst of violent emotion. It stands out among the other shows on this list for its restraint and its ability to emotionally manipulate the audience into a near-nervous breakdown. Black Mirror’s greatest act of violence isn’t on screen; it’s the scream you let out at the end of “Beyond the Sea.” 

16. Raised By Wolves

Raised by Wolves was a 2020 HBO sci-fi series set on a hostile alien world where two androids, Mother and Father, are tasked with rebuilding humanity by raising human children after Earth is destroyed by a war between atheists and religious zealots. 

The premise sounds controlled, but the execution isn’t. The show leans hard into body horror, religious extremism, and sudden, brutal violence. 

Mother isn’t just a caretaker; she’s a weapon capable of tearing people apart in seconds, often on screen. The series repeatedly escalates into imagery most sci-fi avoids: mutilation, forced births, psychological breakdowns, and violence involving children. It doesn’t cut away, and it doesn’t soften the impact. 

The result is a show that uses its sci-fi setting to push into territory that feels closer to horror, making it one of the most graphic and extreme entries in modern television.

15. Kingdom

Netflix’s other hit South Korean series, Kingdom brings zombies to 17th-century Korea. Zombies make everything better, including historical costume dramas. It’s also filled with decapitations, burning flesh, and gruesome zombie transformations.

Crown Prince Ju Jio-hoon is torn between investigating the origins of the zombie outbreak and uncovering a political conspiracy that threatens to destroy his family. Old allies turn into enemies long before their flesh is diseased. And if only it were the dead eating human flesh, life in the Kingdom would be much easier. 

Dealing with zombies without the benefit of modern technology presents an interesting problem, but then again, there are castles. Like zombies, castles are awesome. So are swords. By the time you finish both seasons of Kingdom on Netflix, you’ll wonder why more studios don’t try a historical zombie apocalypse.

Imagine the Roman Legion marching against the undead, or a Renaissance invasion where Leonardo Da Vinci’s inventions turn the tide. For now, we have Kingdom, a wild ride if you can handle the whole flesh-eating thing.

14. Alien: Earth

The Alien movies featured prominently on our list of the most graphic sci-fi movies, so it makes sense that the franchise’s TV show version would end up here. Alien: Earth doesn’t go as hard as the movies, but where there’s a Xenomorph, there’s bound to be plenty of horrific, blood-soaked deaths. 

It begins with an alien ship carrying a Xenomorph crash-landing on Earth. That kicks off a plot involving the technology and corporations of the Alien universe alongside an exploration of human consciousness.

13. Fallout 

Like the game series, Fallout isn’t violent or graphic. Most of the time. Then the Deathclaws arrive, and that changes real fast. Season 2 introduced the dangerous Wasteland mutants, and all of a sudden, Fallout became a horror series for a moment. Then again, depending on how you feel about the heavily mutated ghouls, every episode is pure horror. 

Walton Goggins Ghoul is an incredible character. Mutated by radiation exposure into his current, melted form, he left behind his past to become a bounty hunter. The Ghoul is a legend in the Wasteland, though he does have a taste for ass jerky. It’s not cannibalism if you have to survive. 

Fallout is so good; it’s changed what a video game series can be. It’s partly because of the great writing, the fantastic performances, and the way it doesn’t shy away from depicting violence. Cannibalism, large claws ripping humans limb from limb, and every other way they can arterial spray to hit Lucy, Fallout expertly times moments of graphic violence for a 100% hit rate. 

12. Alice in Borderland 

Alice in Borderland is a Japanese take on the classic death game concept. Based on the best-selling manga, Alice in Borderland has quietly been one of Netflix’s best shows for years. Combining the puzzle box of Lost with Squid Game, it’s a one-of-a-kind experience. 

With no explanation, a group of Japanese teens finds themselves in a desolate version of Tokyo, where they have to play games to survive, or they will be killed by giant lasers from space. 

This isn’t Squid Game. The games here start as tag, the most tragic version of hide-and-seek ever, and then they progress to a Witch Hunt, Kick the Can with exploding cans, climbing Tokyo Tower, and Runaway Train, in which they run through an abandoned train filled with nerve gas. 

Over the course of three seasons, the total death count sits at 493. Not every death comes from the strange death games, though; the competition to earn cards and, hopefully, escape leads to a bloody back-alley fight against one of the Kings. It’s brutal, and it’s one of the show’s best moments.

Alice in Borderland walks a fine line between gruesome character deaths and its high-brow sci-fi backstory. Best of all, the three seasons on Netflix tell a complete story, which, unlike Lost, includes an ending. 

11. Westworld 

The 1973 movie Westworld, directed by author Michael Crichton, is violent for its time thanks to Yul Brenner’s performance as the killer Gunslinger robot and the whole robot uprising thing. HBO’s 2016 Westworld series starts off with the same basic premise: the robotic attractions at an amusement park turn against their human creators. Human visitors could engage in every violent and sexual impulse they had, and every night, the robotic Hosts would forget what happened. Until they started remembering. 

Every Delos corporate board member is murdered, park guests are brutally killed, and humanity comes face to face with extinction. The Season 1 finale is an incredible payoff to one of the finest sci-fi seasons of all time, but the show kept airing. It’s hard to reach that type of height again, and Westworld wisely pivots to a more surreal, slow-burn storyline involving the dangers of AI and corporate control. 

Honestly, the story wouldn’t have worked nearly as well if it weren’t for the violent outbursts. Westworld is a perfect example of violence used to further the story, and not simply violence for violence’s sake. Fans of the original novel and movie even get to enjoy a modern update on the Gunslinger’s murder spree as a reward for Anthony Hopkins‘ philosophical musings on the nature of consciousness. 

10. The Last of Us 

The Last of Us is another zombie apocalypse, except this time the zombies are the result of a deadly fungal infection that makes them fast-moving, aggressive, rage-filled. Since it’s adapting the best-selling video games, you might think you know what’s going to happen in The Last of Us, but you’re wrong. 

Except for THAT moment. It was the Red Wedding all over again; fans fell in love with Pedro Pascal as Joel, blissfully unaware of what was going to happen. Joel’s murder is dragged out, brutal, and emotionally devastating. Unless you played the 2020 game and saw how brutal it was on the PlayStation 4. The show held back. 

That’s the ongoing issue with HBO’s The Last of Us: It holds back constantly. This is a brutal, post-apocalyptic world on the brink of being overrun by fungal zombies any day; humans are slaughtering each other over scarce resources, and it never feels like the blood and guts go far enough. It’s there, and the series constantly teases violence, but even when the story calls for it, it goes halfway and then stops. The series is good, not great, and a pale shadow of what it could have been. 

9. Helix 

After Battlestar Galactica, creator Ronald Moore turned his attention to a high-tech Arctic research station after a mysterious viral outbreak. Helix is the type of slow-burn high-concept sci-fi we rarely get to see on television. That and it’s filled with bleeding eyeballs, bleeding ears, government conspiracies, cults, and more genetic technobabble than any other sci-fi show, ever. 

There are also familiar faces in the cast: Star Trek Voyager’s Seven of Nine, Jeri Ryan, is a high-powered corporate CEO, while the star of the show is Billy Campbell. Don’t recognize his name? How about The Rocketeer? 

Airing for two seasons, Helix decides to go batshit crazy in its second season. It’s as if the writers knew SyFy would eventually remember the show existed and swiftly cancel it. Which is exactly what happened, as the show started hemorrhaging viewers, with fewer than half a million tuned in for the Season 2 finale. Obviously, they needed most of the best part of Season 1: people slowly going insane while their flesh melts off in quarantine. 

8. Swamp Thing 

Airing on the DC Universe app, Swamp Thing quickly became a fan-favorite series from the very first episode. Dark, moody, disturbing body horror, interesting characters, this was everything fans of Alan Moore’s incredible 80s run had ever wanted. Filmed on location in an actual swamp, practical effects all over the place, and it embraced the horror side of the DC Universe? We were robbed with only one season. 

The plant effects, the multiple characters drowning in dark swamp water, Swamp Thing isn’t afraid to get down and dirty. Unlike other superheroes, Swamp Thing has no code against killing. Wander into his swamp with evil intentions, and you’re a dead man walking. 

Swamp Thing looks incredible, the story is pure comic pulp, and it doesn’t insult your intelligence. It only failed because Warner Bros. didn’t get the filming tax credit they expected, putting the series budget at over a million per episode, well out of reach for the DC Universe app. 

7. Love, Death, & Robots 

David Fincher wanted to make a new Heavy Metal. The director of Fight Club, Aliens 3, Panic Room, and Se7en, wanted to update the legendary 80s adult animated masterpiece. Working with Tim Miller, the director of Deadpool, the result is Netflix’s Love, Death, & Robots. The anthology series is filled with striking animation and original sci-fi stories that will remind you why you fell in love with the genre. 

A few are fun short films, including the early episode, “Witness,” which is one long chase sequence, but others, such as Season 2’s “Bad Traveling,” use a violent alien to make philosophical points about humanity. What do you do when a killer alien has set up in the hold of your ship and demands to be let off on a populated planet? After you tricked the crewmember you hate into being eaten, of course. 

There are even bits of traditional horror, including a subterranean adventure gone wrong when an ancient evil is unleashed, and a later episode, In “Vaulted Halls Untombed,” that’s one of the best modern cosmic horror stories, and as is the case with most of those stories, it ends on a horrifying final shot that will linger long after the credits end. 

No episode of Love, Death, & Robots overstays its welcome, some are as short as six minutes, some seventeen minutes, and one, that’s entirely a Red Hot Chili Peppers video, might as well have a runtime of zero minutes. Why would I watch that when I can watch rats in a death match with an advanced cybernetic killing machine? 

6. From 

Take Under the Dome. Make it good. That’s From, a horror sci-fi series airing on MGM+, about a small town that acts like a roach motel: people can enter, but they can’t leave. It’s another sci-fi mystery box series, but this time, there are strange, nightmarish monsters, a society that’s rapidly unraveling, and Lost’s Harold Perrineau gets to do more as Boyd in two episodes than he did in two seasons as Michael. 

As the sheriff and mayor of the town, Boyd tries to keep everyone together and working to uncover the mystery, even as each discovery raises more questions. A hidden mineshaft? That’s weird. A man chained inside the mineshaft? Even stranger. A music box that plays itself? A series of numbers with no discernible pattern? The mystery goes deep in From. 

The problem for the town’s residents is that on top of the mystery is the pressure that all of them are doomed to die there with no hope of getting out. How would you react? Would be a Boyd, and attempt to hold onto your sanity? Or would it become The Purge? From has a few inventive murders alongside the intriguing mystery, and it’s the best dark sci-fi series of the last decade. 

5. Blade: The Series 

Long before the Marvel Cinematic Universe existed, Wesley Snipes’ Blade showed the world Marvel superheroes could be cool. Two years before Iron Man, rapper Sticky Fingaz brought Blade to the small screen. Airing on Spike, Blade: The Series was ahead of its time. Violent and bloody, the series was able to get away with swearing and nudity on Spike, and against the odds, it was successful. 

It was also expensive, which is what led to the cancellation, despite name-dropping other Marvel superheroes, including Moon Knight and Doctor Strange, setting up the larger Marvel universe for future seasons. Blade: The Series had begun to focus less on Blade and more on Krista Starr, a former soldier-turned-vampire out for revenge. Sticky Fingaz had the look, but he was no Wesley Snipes. 

Blade: The Series pushed the boundaries of what was allowed on television at the time; Spike TV was a cable channel, but not premium cable. There was more sex and violence than any other show at 10 PM. Except for the local news out of Peoria. 

4. Aeon Flux

Before MTV became the Ridiculousness channel, it pioneered adult animation through Liquid Television, a groundbreaking block of shows that included the debut of Beavis and Butt-Head, but also the silent shorts of Aeon Flux. The first run of the series features animation that’s mind-blowing today, never mind in 1991, but also in every single episode, Aeon dies. 

Her neck is snapped, she’s shot, eaten by an alien, trapped in paralyzing fluid and set adrift at sea. Her end is frequently brutal, swift, and decisive. Then in the next episode, she’s back, working against the Breen and sabotaging her arch-enemy, also her lover, Trevor. For a series of experimental, silent shorts and than a more traditional half-hour show, Aeon Flux is surprisingly complicated. 

To say the series became a hit is an understatement. Over 30 years later, Aeon Flux is still creative, subversive, and very, very violent. 

3. The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead is one of the most graphic shows in history. You can debate a lot about it, from whether it was ever actually any good to whether the show aired for far too long, and whether it was worth A&E building an entire network around one show. What you can’t debate is that the series brought a level of violence never before seen on cable television. 

One moment in particular stands out as so graphic, so violent, that it caused half the audience to go away and never come back again. The debut of Negan and his bat, Lucille. Glenn’s head splattering across the ground with each swing of the bat was the height of the show’s popularity and its apex of violence. Afterward, it dialed back, but by then, the audience had left, unable to recover from what they saw. 

Not every death on The Walking Dead was a brutal display of violence, but every season had at least one or two standout moments. You also have to credit the series for not holding back and showing children turned into Walkers, bloody car seats, and the pharmacy sink, just to name a few of the dozens of examples. 

It’s a shame that The Walking Dead turned into a slog by the end, as the detail in the worldbuilding and the willingness to show a zombie apocalypse where no one is safe were a breath of fresh, undead air. 

2. Rick and Morty

If Rick and Morty weren’t animated, it would be number one on this list. Rick Sanchez and his grandson Morty leave a trail of broken bodies, ruined civilizations, and bodily fluids as they journey through all the universes. From the Cronenberg dimension to Rick’s ship keeping Summer safe, the Purge planet, Dimensional TV, and, well, any one of Rick’s various guns, even the tamest Rick and Morty episode is going to include some guts. 

Trying to pick out the bloodiest, most graphic moment is impossible: Is it Birdman’s brutal murder at his wedding? Is it the Vindicators falling for his elaborate death trap? The destruction of the Citadel by Evil Morty? Alright, that one resulted in the deaths of thousands of Mortys, and as we’ve learned, those don’t count. 

Though it’s fallen from the heights of previous seasons, Rick and Morty set a new standard in adult animation through the sheer density of its gags, absurd nihilistic humor, and willingness to show the most vile, disgusting things that haunt the dreams of caffeine-powered animators. 

1. Blood Drive 

After he was Chad, before he was Reacher, Alan Ritchson starred in Syfy’s forgotten series, Blood Drive, as Arthur Bailey, a cop forced to participate in a brutal death race across America using cars powered by blood. Blood Drive is complete trash. I say that with love, because this bizarre combination of 70s grindhouse western, horror, sci-fi, and a little bit of Lovecraft is unlike anything else. 

Cars eat people, people stab and shoot each other, they beat each other to death; the writers made it their mission to come up with the strangest, most original death in each episode. It’s secretly an anthology series, with Arthur and his homicidal partner Grace coming across a different small town, truck stop, or other haven for weirdos and freaks, resolving whatever issue the area has (usually through murder), and then they keep driving. 

Now that Twisted Metal is a hit, it’s easy to dismiss Blood Drive as an early attempt to copy the video game series, but give the show 5 minutes. You’ll see why it’s different, why it’s awesome, and why it might be the bloodiest show to ever air on Syfy.