Warning: Major spoilers ahead. Proceed at your own risk.
Who doesn’t secretly enjoy a plot twist? Whether you truly love them, or simply love to hate them, there’s nothing quite like the stomach drop one feels when a major, unforeseen TV moment comes out of nowhere, potentially leaving you gasping for air or wallowing in tears.
And while certain shows earn their stripes through endless plot twists—here’s looking at you, Game Of Thrones—there are some shows whose twist endings you’re never prepared for.
Of course, a gripping and jaw-dropping twist ending isn’t only reserved for dramas or horror-centric series’, but can often be found amidst the most popular comedies and wholesome offerings that completely blindside fans of the show.
Looking to lament over the TV show twist you’re still thinking about? Below, we’ve rounded up the best, most jaw-dropping (and occasionally heartbreaking) TV show twist endings of all time.
Behind Her Eyes
Almost six months after it premiered on Netflix, the jaw-dropping (and rather confusing) twist at the end of Behind Her Eyes still has us scratching our heads. The show itself follows Louise, a single mother who starts an affair with her married boss, David. However, their immoral tryst is the least of viewers’ worries. From drug taking to suspicious fires and astral projection, Louise, David, his wife Adele and her friend-turned-enemy, Rob, take out the season in a jaw-dropping case of body-hopping, leaving the audience unsure as to who is who.
Check out Behind Her Eyes on Netflix here.
You
Luckily for us, the first two seasons of You each come with their own mind-boggling endings. The show itself follows Joe, a bookstore owner-turned-stalker, who becomes infatuated with a writer, named Beck. However, what happens to Beck at the end of the first season left us lost for words. And in the show’s second season, the same looked ready to happen for Joe’s latest target, a chef called Love. However, season two dropped jaws yet again, after a wild plot twist by Love shows the sweet cook in a completely different light.
Check out both seasons of You on Netflix here.
Maniac
A psychological dark comedy, Maniac sees Annie and Owen take part in a dangerous drug trial that attempts to replace therapy by taking psychoactive pills. Owen, who is diagnosed with schizophrenia, opts into the trial to earn some much-needed money, while Annie relies on the pills to numb her guilt over accidentally killing her sister in a car crash. The pair meet and grow close while navigating their way out of a series of drug-induced dreams. But in the show’s final moments, when they reunite for the first time in the real world, their perception of reality may not be what the viewer thinks. Trust us, it’s worth the watch.
Check out Maniac on Netflix here.
The Haunting Of Hill House
If, like this writer, you are petrified of anything remotely horror-related, The Haunting Of Hill House is well worth the scare. One of the most heartbreaking, incredible and shocking storylines on TV, this season of the anthology series saw a plot twist that still gives goosebumps to this day. The show follows the Crain family’s horrific experiences growing up in Hill House, and the personal (and literal) ghosts and ghouls that continue to traumatise them. But it’s the show’s most jaw-dropping twists that fans will remember the most: the Bent Neck Lady’s real identity, and of course, the meaning of the Red Room that they seemingly could never enter, when they’d unknowingly been in it all along.
Check out The Haunting Of Hill House here.
The Good Place
The Good Place follows Eleanor Shellstrop who enters ‘the Good Place’ upon her death, thanks to her righteous life on Earth. The destination is highly selective and similar to the concept of Heaven, run by afterlife ‘architect’ Michael. But Eleanor soon realises no one knows of her morally imperfect past. And while the audience, like Eleanor, are under the impression that she is getting away with her untruthful stint, it turns out, she wasn’t. And quite honestly, *that* revelation still sends shivers down our spines.
Check out The Good Place here.
Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life
Nine years after the original Gilmore Girls ended, Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life heads back to the whimsical Connecticut town to catch up on Lorelai’s relationship with Luke, which has unnervingly plateaued; Rory’s promising journalism career in New York going nowhere; and Emily’s search for meaning in life, following the sudden passing of her husband, Richard. However, it was Rory’s final line in the show that left fans on the edge of their seat and the storyline back where it started in 2000.
Check out Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life on Netflix here.
Dead To Me
Check out Dead To Me on Netflix here.
This Is Us
Check out This Is Us on 10 Play here.
American Horror Story: Murder House
An anthology series, American Horror Story‘s Hell House season had a plot twist so out of the blue, it is still just as shocking to watch as it was the first time. The series follows the Harmon family, Dr. Ben Harmon, Vivien and their daughter Violet, who move to Los Angeles after Vivien witnesses Ben having an affair with his student. Once in Los Angeles, they move into an old mansion, unaware that the ghosts of its former residents and their victims still haunt the house. But as for Violet, her fate has reached a somewhat unexpected conclusion, come episode 10.
Check out American Horror Story: Murder House on Binge here
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Jane The Virgin
Check out Jane The Virgin on Netflix here.
Lost
Check out Lost on Stan here.
Offspring
A quintessentially Australian series, Offspring follows Melbourne-based, obstetrician Nina Proudman, and her relatable family, as they navigate the chaos of life. And while Nina’s escapades—and dream sequences—may not seem all that realistic to the comings and goings of real life, there was one earth-shattering, completely unexpected moment that not only stopped the nation in its tracks but was a healthy dose of realism. And yes, it involved Patrick. Need we say more?
Check out Offspring on Netflix here.
How I Met Your Mother
While it came off as a light-hearted comedy, How I Met Your Mother follows the adventures of Ted Mosby and his love life as a single straight male. Narrated by his future self talking to his children about how, you guessed it, he met their mother, the series ends by showing us who the infamous “mother” was, and her rather shocking fate, that still has fans scratching their heads.
Check out How I Met Your Mother on Stan here.
The Bold Type
Check out The Bold Type on Stan here.
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