Entertainment
The 10 Heaviest TV Dramas, Ranked
It can be a significant commitment to watch a television show that is relentlessly bleak because of how demanding a binge experience may be. While watching a film about serious subject material can be draining, it only requires a viewer to commit to a single story that has a resolution. Committing to watching a dark or disturbing show every week, or consuming it all if it is released at once, means that the material has to be incredibly compelling to justify the emotional punishment.
Television has become a bolder medium within recent years, so it is not a surprise that some of the most distressing dramas were made more recently when shows were allowed to include more graphic content that wouldn’t have been allowed within a more restricted era. Here are the heaviest television dramas, ranked.
10
‘This Is Going to Hurt’ (2022)
This Is Going to Hurt is one of the best medical dramas of all time because it does away with all the clichés that have become common within hospital shows. Rather than painting the healthcare industry in a positive light and overlooking the issues that doctors face, This Is Going to Hurt explored the life of an overworked, brilliant OBGYN worker (played by Ben Whishaw) who faces emotional turmoil while trying to assist his patients.
This Is Going to Hurt isn’t just a compelling exploration of the failings of the contemporary healthcare industry, but a surprisingly moving study on how bigotry and homophobia were sadly an issue in contemporary Britain. Those who love The Pitt owe it to themselves to check out This Is Going to Hurt, even though it’s not an easy watch by any stretch of the imagination.
9
‘Andor’ (2022–2025)
Andor is by far the darkest Star Wars story ever told, and it’s hard to even believe that it takes place in the same connected universe as something more family-friendly like The Mandalorian. While anyone with a passing knowledge of the series knew that the show was going to end on a downbeat note because Cassian (Diego Luna) sacrifices himself at the end of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, it was surprising the degree to which Andor paralleled and predicted real political events.
Andor masterfully examined how a fascist, military government like the Galactic Empire could commit a genocide and dissuade any resistance groups from doing anything about it by pitting them against one another. Even if it leads to a happy conclusion in the original Star Wars trilogy, Andor puts the dark subtext of what George Lucas created into reality.
8
‘Mr. Robot’ (2015–2019)
Mr. Robot may be a wildly entertaining series because of its frequent twists and turns, but the subject material is quite heavy. The character of Elliot Alderson (Rami Malek) is tormented by a traumatic past that includes abuse at the hands of his father (Christian Slater), and uses his pain to fuel a hacktivist society aimed at bringing powerful people to their knees.
Mr. Robot gets darker with each progressive season, as there are major characters that die, and other twists that may be shocking. The brilliance of what Sam Esmail achieved with the series was that he didn’t deny the corruption and unfairness of contemporary society, and explored (for better or worse) why people like Elliot were compelled to take a stand against the forces of capitalism and fascism that threatened to extinguish the rights of those who didn’t have any means to protect themselves.
7
‘The Knick’ (2014–2015)
The Knick is a very realistic medical drama from Steven Soderbergh, a filmmaker who is no stranger to making dark films. The series explores the origins of contemporary medical science during the beginning of the 20th century, and shows how hospitals were completely ill-equipped to deal with the spread of infectious diseases.
The Knick was aware of the social and political issues that were dealt with in hospitals at the time, acknowledging how racism and classism made it hard for doctors to do their work. It’s also one of the most visceral examinations of addiction ever seen on television, as Clive Owen gave an awards-worthy performance as a brilliant physician who was unable to suppress his urges. As with many Soderbergh projects, the commitment to realism is what made The Knick truly unforgettable, especially when compared to other medical dramas.
6
‘Ozark’ (2017–2022)
Ozark is the rare drama show that has a very twisted sense of humor, yet still has dramatic twists that are quite serious. What’s most remarkable about the series is that it showed no concern about the character being likable; Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman) is a bad guy who is involved with even shadier members of the Mexican drug cartel, and his wife Wendy (Laura Linney) proves to be even more sinister when she becomes the “Lady Macbeth” of the series.
Ozark was frequently willing to get quite controversial by including graphic murder, torture, emotional abuse, and assault, as there seemed to be nothing off-limits. In fact, Ozark may have become so popular because it was willing to go to dark places that most dramas wouldn’t even think about going to, even during the boom of aspirational content within the streaming wars.
5
‘The Leftovers’ (2014–2017)
The Leftovers is about as upsetting as one might imagine based on its premise; the series explores the aftermath of an inexplicable global event in which a small fraction of the population disappeared without a trace. Although The Leftovers is a mystery that follows how the survivors attempt to seek answers when science and faith both come up short, it’s also a devastating portrayal of how hard it can be to piece back together a shattered life.
The Leftovers is immensely affecting because of how strong the performances are, as none of the science fiction components make the characters any less dramatically authentic. While some of the show’s fans interpreted its final episode, “The Book of Nora,” to be slightly optimistic, there are so many distressing and disturbing moments sprinkled throughout the entirety of The Leftovers that it is certainly not for the faint of heart.
4
‘Six Feet Under’ (2001–2005)
Six Feet Under set a precedent for HBO’s ability to tell compelling drama shows that weren’t tinged with a crime element. While it could have felt like a more traditional family melodrama, Six Feet Under presented a grim (albeit occasionally funny in a dark way) examination of the lives of a family that owns a funeral home.
There’s a major death in every episode of Six Feet Under, and the range of reactions that they inspire leads to some of the show’s most interesting insights about the facets of human nature. Nonetheless, even the most life-affirming moments in Six Feet Under wrestle with the inevitability of death, with the show’s finale “Everybody’s Waiting” being a standout because of a perfect montage that shows the fates of all of its characters in the weeks, months, years, and decades afterward.
3
‘The Wire’ (2002–2008)
The Wire has been praised by real journalists, politicians, and law enforcement officials because of how realistically it portrayed the realities of the drug trade. Creator David Simon was a former reporter for the crime beat in Baltimore for well over a decade, and used his experience to inspire a powerful, searing look at the ways in which drug-related crime impacted local communities, trade, politics, education, and reporting. The Wire was relevant when it first started airing, and it feels even more important today.
The Wire dealt with harrowing issues such as the neglect of children, drug addiction, violence against unhoused people, and abusive tactics utilized by cops. While viewing all five seasons in their entirety is a rewarding experience because of the many great characters, The Wire is nothing but an authentic depiction of the world as it is, and not what one may want it to be.
2
‘Top of the Lake’ (2013–2017)
Top of the Lake is an unusual drama series that had an unexpected continuation when creator Jane Campion decided to develop a second season many years after the first installment had been thought to be a miniseries. What was most surprising about the renewal of Top of the Lake was that it was hard to imagine how the series could be sustainable with such a dark premise; the series frankly deals with a murder investigation involving a young woman, and does not shy away from issues of sexism, abuse, and trauma.
Top of the Lake has a realistic approach to storytelling that may be familiar to those who have seen Jane Campion’s films. While the first season of the show at least has some catharsis in its ending, the second (which was subtitled Top of the Lake: China Girl) is almost unwatchably bleak.
1
‘The Shield’ (2002–2008)
The Shield was groundbreaking television because it served as an alternative to the ways that law enforcement had been depicted in the media up until that point in time. While cops had traditionally been presented as sympathetic and honorable, The Shield presented the ultimate anti-hero in Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis), a corrupt member of the Los Angeles Police Department who uses his position as the leader of Strike Force to wield dangerous authority without ever being subjected to serious repercussions by his superiors.
The Shield presented complex and thoughtful ethical debates because there were instances in which Mackey’s extreme tactics were necessary to take down even more loathsome villains. However, the arc of the show ultimately leaned in a tragic direction, resulting in one of the bleakest, most unsparing finales in television history, with the haunting finale episode “Family Meeting.”
The Shield
- Release Date
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2002 – 2008
- Directors
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Guy Ferland, Scott Brazil, Clark Johnson, Dean White, Stephen Kay, Gwyneth Horder-Payton, D. J. Caruso, Nick Gomez, Paris Barclay, Peter Horton, Félix Enríquez Alcalá, Philip G. Atwell, Terrence O’Hara, Billy Gierhart, Brad Anderson, Craig Brewer, David Mamet, Davis Guggenheim, Frank Darabont, Gary Fleder, John Badham, Leslie Libman, Michael Fields, Scott Winant
- Writers
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Shawn Ryan, Glen Mazzara, Charles H. Eglee, Kim Clements, Kevin Arkadie, Gary Lennon, John Hlavin, Lisa Randolph, Reed Steiner, Angela Russo-Otstot, Diego Gutierrez, Ted Griffin, Elizabeth Craft, Emily Lewis, Jameal Turner, Renee Palyo