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Spooks – I Spy Apocalypse from 2003

The show kicks off with the intelligence unit restricted as part of a simulation about a potential terror incident, supervised by two Home Office agents. As things progress, it becomes clear a real incident has taken place and a chemical agent deployed. The suspense builds as reports reveal a catastrophe taking place outside, and gets worse as the superior shows signs of exposure, and the two Home Office officials attempt to leave, pushing the protagonist portrayed by Matthew Macfadyen to decide between shooting them or permitting their exit and potentially infecting the secure MI5 headquarters. Given it’s Spooks, his decision is predictable.

Threads from 1984

Threads had minimal funding but arguably the most terrifying series I have ever watched because of the stark reality and bleak government data. Saw it not long ago following the initial broadcast; I often attended the bar in Sheffield from the programme which emphasised the reality and the casual, straightforward government details that were transmitted. Still absolutely terrifying 35 years later.

Severance – The We We Are from 2022

The concluding episode of Severance’s debut season has to be right up there among intense episodes. I was throughout the episode quite literally on the edge of my seat, pushing alongside Dylan to keep his hands on the levers that kept the Innies on overtime, while screaming at the Innies to disclose their facts. The final climactic moment – “she’s alive!” – resembled a outburst.

Industry – White Mischief (2024)

The fifth episode of Industry’s third season caused my heart to pound. I had to pause and get up and depart the area multiple times owing to the vast degree of the wanton self-destruction I observed. Rishi Ramdani is in deep shit at work and home – buried in financial obligations to loan sharks due to his addictive betting, engaging in dangerous ventures with a bet on sterling which may result in huge losses for his employer. So of course, he goes on a gambling spree, does tons of drugs and drink and alternates between success and failure, is severely assaulted. Every time you think it can’t get any worse, it worsens. There is a chance for salvation by the episode’s conclusion but he misses the opening, with horrifying consequences during the season’s final episode. Certainly required a rest afterward!

The 2007 Peep Show episode Holiday

Peep Show is not inherently a tense series. However, the Holiday episode contains such levels of cringe that it will make you rise for the full show, riddled with anxiety. It all ramps up as Jeremy and Mark discover needing to deceive regarding the dog they by chance collide with and later efforts to get rid of it. You then spend the rest of the episode questioning whether it truly can be worse than incineration, and it turns out to be!

The West Wing – The Two Cathedrals (2001)

No other viewing has been as gripping as when I first saw the second season finale of The West Wing. The installment begins with the consequences of the passing (in a road incident) of the president’s personal secretary and builds to a peak involving a Haitian emergency, and the effects of the withheld information about the president’s MS condition, with confirmation of his intention to seek re-election. Wonderful television. Unequaled.

The 2018 Bodyguard premiere episode

The beginning of the UK show Bodyguard, with the hero aboard a train with his young son, is for me one of the most intense episodes ever. He observes a woman in Islamic attire going into the loo and senses something is wrong. The bomb squad is alerted, get on the train, and endeavor to coax the woman to discard her bomb jacket. Suspense rises to a nearly intolerable level, until, indeed, the vest is disarmed.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer – The Body from 2001

Buffy arrives at her residence to find her mum has passed away from natural reasons, which is the least common kind of passing in this supernatural show. The episode has no background music, a sullen tone, and we see the episode through the experience of Buffy’s shock of discovering her mother.

The Sopranos – Made in America (2007)

The ultimate sequence of the series finale of the show was pants-wettingly tense. And if you watched it when it originally aired, you – at the start – didn’t understand the cause. Tony’s enemies, real and imagined, were all overcome. This seems similar to the first season’s finale, right? “Think about the small elements.” However, the vibe is oddly threatening. Nearly Twin Peaks-like fear. The family sit in a restaurant. Meadow stops the car. Tony sorrowfully notifies Carmela problems are brewing with another member of his team collaborating with the authorities. Meadow parks. Strange people enter the restaurant. Gaze at Tony(?) Meadow continues to park. Tony puts a record on the jukebox. Meadow finds a spot. The bell sounds, an individual enters. It cannot be Meadow, she is still parking. Tony looks up. Don’t stop. It stops. My heart sank about 20 minutes later.

The 2016 The Walking Dead episode The Last Day on Earth

I remained awake to view this installment at 2am. It was so intense after the buildup of bad guy Negan locating the survivors, savagely teasing his prey and then keeping the death a mystery (concluded with a suspenseful moment). The point-of-view shot from the victim and the muffled sounds – ugh! {We then had to wait for season seven|We then needed to await season