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Spooks – I Spy Apocalypse from 2003

The show kicks off with the Spooks team locked down as part of a simulation concerning a fictional terrorist event, monitored by two government representatives. As things progress, it becomes clear a real incident has taken place and a chemical weapon has been unleashed. The tension ratchets up as messages indicate a catastrophe taking place outside, and intensifies as the superior shows signs of exposure, with the two officials trying to exit, forcing Matthew Macfadyen’s character to decide between shooting them or letting them go and potentially infecting the secure MI5 headquarters. As this is Spooks, it is unsurprising which one he chooses.

Threads (1984)

The production was inexpensive but one of the most frightening programmes I have viewed owing to its grim authenticity and bleak government data. Saw it not long ago having watched the original; I often attended the bar in Sheffield featured in the show which emphasised the reality and the glib matter-of-fact official information that were transmitted. Still absolutely terrifying 35 years later.

Severance – The We We Are from 2022

The first season finale of Severance deserves a top spot as a tense chapter. I spent the entire episode actually sitting tensely, straining every sinew with Dylan to keep his hands on the levers that allowed the Innies to remain active, while shouting to the Innies to reveal their realities. The final climactic moment – “she survives!” – felt like an explosion.

The 2024 Industry episode White Mischief

The fifth episode of Industry’s third season caused my heart to pound. I needed to stop and stand and exit the space repeatedly because of the sheer scale of the reckless self-harm I saw. Rishi Ramdani is in deep shit at work and home – overwhelmed by debt to loan sharks because of his compulsive gambling, engaging in dangerous ventures with a bet on sterling that might cost his firm millions. So of course, he goes on a gambling spree, does tons of drugs and drink and experiences wins and losses, is severely assaulted. Each instance you believe it can’t get any worse, it worsens. There’s hope of redemption as the installment closes but he squanders the opportunity, resulting in dreadful effects in the concluding part of the season. Certainly required a rest afterward!

Peep Show – Holiday from 2007

Peep Show itself isn’t necessarily a stressful show. However, the Holiday episode includes such amounts of embarrassment that it’ll have you standing up throughout the entire episode, filled with nervousness. It all ramps up as Jeremy and Mark discover being compelled to falsify about the canine they unintentionally hit and following tries to eliminate it. You then spend the rest of the episode doubting if it can actually be more terrible than burning, and it turns out to be!

The West Wing – The Two Cathedrals (2001)

No other viewing has been as gripping compared to my initial viewing the season two finale to The West Wing. The installment begins with the consequences of the passing (in a road incident) of the president’s private assistant and builds to a peak involving a Haitian emergency, and the effects of the withheld information of the president’s MS diagnosis, with confirmation of his intention to run for another term. Wonderful television. Never bettered.

The 2018 Bodyguard premiere episode

The opening of the British series Bodyguard, featuring the main character on a train alongside his juvenile boy, is personally a top tense installment. He observes a woman in Islamic attire entering the restroom and senses something is wrong. The bomb squad is alerted, get on the train, and endeavor to coax the woman to take off her suicide vest. Tension escalates to a nearly intolerable level, until yes, the vest is diffused.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer – The Body (2001)

Buffy comes into her home to discover her mother has died of natural causes, which is the most unusual type of death in this supernatural show. The installment lacks any soundtrack, a gloomy atmosphere, and we view the installment through the lens of Buffy’s astonishment upon finding her mother.

The Sopranos – Made in America from 2007

The concluding moment of the last installment of the series was extremely nerve-wracking. And if you viewed it when it first premiered, you – initially – were uncertain of the reason. Tony’s enemies, real and imagined, were all vanquished. This seems similar to the first season’s finale, right? “Think about the small elements.” However, the vibe is oddly threatening. Almost Twin Peaks levels of terror. The family gathers in a diner. Meadow finds a parking spot. Tony sorrowfully notifies Carmela there’s trouble afoot with an additional associate working with the government. Meadow parks the vehicle. Unfamiliar individuals come into the diner. Stare at Tony(?) Meadow is parking. Tony selects a song on the jukebox. Meadow parks her car. The door chimes, a person comes in. It cannot be Meadow, she is still parking. Tony looks up. Continue. It stops. My spirit fell roughly 20 minutes after.

The Walking Dead – The Last Day on Earth (2016)

I kept late hours to see this show at 2am. It was extremely gripping after the establishment of antagonist Negan locating the survivors, cruelly taunting his victims and then leaving the victim unknown (concluded with a suspenseful moment). The first-person perspective of the victim and the muffled sounds – argh! {We then had to wait for season seven|We then needed to await season