Midway through the first season of The Good Place, audiences learned that Eleanor, Chidi, and the rest weren’t actually in The Good Place. They were in The Bad Place. It was a riveting plot twist that was so good even the cast didn’t know about it until they filmed the episode.
2 of 20
'Lost'
ABC
Lost was full of plot twists, but when fans learned that the season three finale was actually a flash forward, they were truly taken aback. Some fans haven’t watched TV the same since.
3 of 20
'Mad Men'
Weiner Bros. Productions
Peggy’s pregnancy was a huge twist and incredibly emotional for viewers. It began with the all too familiar reality of a woman being made to feel uncomfortable, only to learn she’s pregnant, and it ended with the gut-wrenching scene of her giving up her child.
4 of 20
'House of Cards'
Netflix
When House of Cards was on, it was one of the hottest shows on TV. The plot came with lots of unexpected turns, but perhaps the most surprising was Frank ending Zoe’s life at the beginning of the second season. His dastardliness only continued.
5 of 20
'This Is Us'
NBC
This Is Us started with an epic plot twist. In the pilot episode, viewers pieced together who the characters were, and they were shocked to learn that they’re all part of the same family. It doesn’t seem like a huge twist in retrospect, but upon first watch, it was quite the reveal.
6 of 20
'Scrubs'
Doozer Productions
Part of what makes the Scrubs plot twist so memorable is that comedies don’t typically surprise fans so intensely. But in one episode of the series, audiences learn that a patient that J.D. lost was actually a friend of Dr. Cox.
7 of 20
'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'
ABC Studios
Some characters you just hate to see go bad. In the fourth season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., audiences found out that Agent Fitz was actually evil. He had turned on all the other agents, and it was impossibly sad.
8 of 20
'Breaking Bad'
AMC
Basically, all of Breaking Bad was shocking, but some moments were more shocking than others. One such moment was discovering that Walt had poisoned Brock. Anyone rooting for Walt had a hard time continuing after that reveal.
9 of 20
'Better Call Saul'
High Bridge Productions
If Breaking Bad had some good plot twists, of course, Better Call Saul did, too. The prequel series had audiences reeling in the sixth season when Lalo shot Howard. It was a moment that rocked the fandom.
10 of 20
'Game of Thrones'
HBO Entertainment
The Red Wedding on Game of Thrones served many purposes in the show, and it’s remained one of the most iconic, albeit violent and graphic, scenes in the series’ history. It was also a major plot twist because of the deaths of Robb, Talisa, Catelyn, and more.
11 of 20
'The Good Wife'
CBS
TV deaths are always sad and often unexpected, but few were as sad and unexpected as Will’s in The Good Wife. While his death was a huge blow for fans, it was a good move on the part of the writing staff, as literally no one saw it coming.
12 of 20
'Mr. Robot'
Anonymous Content
Much of the story of Elliot Alderson, the main character in Mr. Robot played by Oscar winner Rami Malek, revolved around his mental health. Audiences knew from the beginning of the series that he struggled with anxiety and potentially other illnesses, but viewers were shocked to learn in the series finale that Elliot had dissociative identity disorder, formerly known as multiple personality disorder.
13 of 20
'The Vampire Diaries'
Outerbanks Entertainment
Teen dramas always have truly insane plot twists. It’s part of their charm. And The Vampire Diaries had one for the ages. At the end of the first season, fans were ultra surprised when Katherine, Elena’s vampire doppelgänger, appeared for the first time.
14 of 20
'American Horror Story'
FX
Some fans of American Horror Story have enough trouble keeping up with the series because of its horror, but others find the most compelling aspect to be its plot twists. Like, for example, when everyone learned that Violet indeed did take her own life and that she was actually a ghost.
15 of 20
'Jane the Virgin'
The CW
There was a lot to keep up with on Jane the Virgin, but after the first season, it was hard to be truly surprised by anything because of how wild every plot point was. However, fans were surprised to learn that Mateo was actually the narrator all along.
16 of 20
'Dexter'
Showtime
Fans of Dexter were hardcore fans, and it’s because of insane plot twists like the one that came in the season four finale. Dexter tried to get his wife, Rita, away from serial killer Arthur, but ultimately, he was unsuccessful. Arthur killed Rita in a shocking and sad plot twist.
17 of 20
'Alias'
ABC
Some of Jennifer Garner’s best work was in Alias, thanks to storylines that kept viewers hooked. One such storyline was when Sydney went unconscious and woke up in Hong Kong. Come to find out, Sydney had actually jumped through time while unconscious, and she was then existing two years into the future.
18 of 20
'WandaVision'
Marvel Studios
Throughout the entire miniseries of WandaVision, fans were focused on Wanda and Vision, as the title would suggest. However, they learned at the end of the series that the real villain was Agatha, making for a very shocking reveal.
19 of 20
'Westworld'
HBO Entertainment
If you don’t pay attention to Westworld, you’ll miss major parts of the plot. For example, one of the craziest twists of the series came in a single sentence when Bernard revealed that he wasn’t human.
20 of 20
'MASH'
20th Century-Fox Television
MASH was another rare instance of a comedy having a surprising plot twist. In one episode, Radar devastatingly shared that Henry Blake’s plane had been shot down and that no one on board had survived.
Acacia Deadrick is a South Dakota-based writer who has written for sites such as Nicki Swift, The List, and Glam. She loves music and all things pop culture, and she can be found watching TV, completing a crossword puzzle, or reading in her spare time.