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Spooks – I Spy Apocalypse (2003)

This installment starts with the intelligence unit restricted while undergoing a drill relating to a hypothetical terrorist attack, overseen by two Home Office officials. As things progress, it becomes clear a real incident has taken place and a chemical weapon has been unleashed. The tension ratchets up as incoming communications show a catastrophe taking place outside, and gets worse as the superior shows signs of exposure, and the two Home Office officials attempt to leave, forcing Matthew Macfadyen’s character to choose between firing at them or letting them go and risking contaminating the sealed MI5 offices. As this is Spooks, it is unsurprising which one he chooses.

Threads (1984)

The production was inexpensive yet among the scariest shows I have viewed owing to its grim authenticity and dismal official figures. Saw it not long ago after seeing the first airing; I used to visit the pub in Sheffield shown in the series which emphasised the reality and the casual, straightforward government details which was broadcast. Continuing to be utterly horrifying decades on.

Severance – The We We Are from 2022

The concluding episode of Severance’s debut season deserves a top spot as a tense chapter. I was throughout the episode actually sitting tensely, exerting with Dylan to maintain his grip on the controls that allowed the Innies to remain active, while shouting to the Innies to disclose their facts. The final climactic moment – “she’s alive!” – was like an eruption.

Industry – White Mischief from 2024

Installment five in Industry’s third series caused my heart to pound. I needed to stop and stand and depart the area multiple times because of the sheer scale of the wanton self-destruction I was witnessing. Rishi Ramdani faces serious trouble professionally and personally – up to his eyeballs in debt to illegal creditors owing to his uncontrollable gaming, engaging in dangerous ventures with a gamble on the pound 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 experiences wins and losses, gets beaten to a pulp. Every time you think the situation cannot deteriorate further, it does. There’s hope of redemption at the end of the episode but he squanders the opportunity, leading to terrible outcomes in the season finale. Definitely needed a lie-down after that!

Peep Show – Holiday (2007)

The series Peep Show isn’t typically anxiety-inducing. However, the Holiday episode includes such amounts of embarrassment that it’ll have you standing up for the full show, filled with nervousness. It all ramps up when Jeremy and Mark realize needing to deceive regarding the dog they unintentionally hit and following tries to eliminate it. You subsequently use the rest of the installment wondering if it might be more awful than cremation, 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 second season finale of The West Wing. The show opens with the fallout of the death (in a traffic accident) of the president’s private assistant and builds to a peak with a crisis in Haiti, and the repercussions of the secrecy regarding the president’s multiple sclerosis diagnosis, with confirmation of his intention to seek re-election. Excellent TV. Never bettered.

Bodyguard – episode one (2018)

The opening of the British series Bodyguard, with the hero aboard a train accompanied by his small son, ranks among the most gripping episodes I’ve seen. He spots a Muslim woman going into the loo and senses something is wrong. The bomb squad is alerted, get on the train, and try to persuade the woman to remove her explosive vest. Suspense rises to a practically unendurable point, until yes, the vest is diffused.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer – The Body (2001)

Buffy enters her house to discover her mother has died of natural causes, which is the most unusual type of death in this supernatural show. The show features no musical score, a sullen tone, and we view the installment through the lens of Buffy’s dismay upon uncovering her mother.

The 2007 The Sopranos finale Made in America

The ultimate sequence of the series finale of the series was extremely nerve-wracking. And if you viewed it when it first premiered, you – at first – weren’t sure why. Tony’s adversaries, actual and perceived, had all been defeated. This seems similar to the first season’s finale, right? “Think about the small elements.” But the mood is bizarrely ominous. Almost Twin Peaks levels of terror. The family gathers in a diner. Meadow parks. Tony sorrowfully notifies Carmela problems are brewing with yet another of his crew 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. The door chimes, a person comes in. It isn’t Meadow, she remains parking. Tony looks up. Keep going. It stops. My heart dropped from my mouth around 20 minutes subsequently.

The 2016 The Walking Dead episode The Last Day on Earth

I remained awake to view this installment at 2am. It was incredibly tense after the buildup of bad guy Negan finding the group, cruelly taunting his victims then not knowing who he killed (concluded with a suspenseful moment). The victim’s POV shot and the muffled sounds – oh no! {We then had to wait for season seven|We then needed to await season