Top 10 Plot Twists That Completely Changed the Show
#10: Nina Is the Mole
“24” (2001-10; 2014)
Few TV shows define the 2000s quite like “24.” With magnificent plotting and a unique structure, the show captured the imaginations of millions. The first season was a cultural phenomenon and saw Jack Bauer being blackmailed into assassinating Senator David Palmer. Efforts are made to prevent the assassination, but a mole inside the Counter Terrorist Unit makes it extremely difficult. At the end of the season, this is revealed to be Nina Myers, the second-in-command at the CTU. To make the twist even more shocking, she proceeds to kill Teri Bauer once her cover is blown. This twist not only shocked the nation, it radically altered the course of the show while sending Jack down a particularly dark path.
#9: The Bent-Neck Lady
“The Haunting of Hill House” (2018)
Top 10 Plot Twists That Changed the Entire Season of a Show
Despite being based on a novel that’s over half a century old, this show had a few surprises up its sleeve. The most famous, of course, is the reveal of the Bent Neck Lady. Young Nell is haunted by a creepy ghost with a broken neck, and after a brief respite, it re-appears in adulthood, causing Nell to lose her mind. She travels to Hill House and takes her own life with a noose. And in a startling but wonderfully-edited sequence, both we and Nell learn that she is the Bent Neck Lady - and that she was haunting herself all along. The twist was widely praised, both for being unexpected and emotional. It also completely changed the show by killing off Nell.
#8: The Man in Black Is William
“Westworld” (2016-22)
Top 10 Most Unexpected Plot Twists in TV Shows
HBO really had something with “Westworld,” and while the rest of the series was never able to recapture the magic of that first season, what wonderful magic it was. The show takes place in the near future, with guests visiting an Old West-style theme park populated by robots - some of which later become sentient. One of the guests is the mysterious Man in Black, a sadistic individual looking for a hidden level of the park. In a twist that many fans saw coming, The Man in Black is revealed to be an older version of William and that the events involving young William are actually taking place in the past. The twist was widely discussed on social media, and it sent both characters in wild new directions for season two.
#7: The Trinity Killer Offed Rita
“Dexter” (2006-13)
Top 10 TV Plot Twists That Ruined Everything
Many people agree that “Dexter” peaked with season four, in which the titular character does battle with The Trinity Killer, real name Arthur Mitchell. Dexter eventually catches and kills Arthur but returns home to face a devastating truth - Arthur had killed Dexter’s wife Rita before being caught, and her body is found by Dexter in a bathtub filled with blood. It’s one of the most iconic images in television history, signaling a massive sea change in the story (and, yes, the quality) of “Dexter.” Nothing was the same after this, and Rita’s death had a profound effect on Dexter’s character, impacting him emotionally, morally, and psychologically.
#6: Lalo Kills Howard
“Better Call Saul” (2015-22)
For the longest time, “Better Call Saul” played with two different storylines. There was the lawyer side with Jimmy and Kim and there was the more “Breaking Bad”-y cartel side with Mike and Gus. But the two horrifically intersected in season six, when Lalo killed managing law firm partner Howard in front of Kim and Jimmy. And, well, that was pretty much it for the once-loving couple. Kim blames them for causing Howard’s death and soon after leaves Jimmy out of grief and regret. This in turn causes Jimmy to fully embrace his Saul persona. Basically, Howard’s death marked the turning point we had all been waiting for - the end of “Better Call Saul” and the beginning of “Breaking Bad.”
#5: Annalise
“How to Get Away with Murder” (2014-20)
Besides being a vehicle for Viola Davis’s exceptional talent, “How to Get Away with Murder” is also really, really good at telling its story. Through the use of numerous conventions, including flashbacks, flashforwards, and present day in medias res, we unravel the mysterious death of Sam Keating, husband of Davis’s Annalise. The show’s ninth episode contains not one, but two excellent twists. First, we learn that it was Wes, one of Annalise’s interns, that killed Sam. Not only that, but Annalise knew about the murder and had been involved all along! These twists completely upended the show by finally revealing mysterious truths, implicating the Keating Five in Sam’s death, and most substantial of all, turning Annalise into a villain.
#4: The Bad Place
“The Good Place” (2016-20)
Top 20 TV Plot Twists of the Century (So Far)
The show is called “The Good Place,” but they find out that they’re actually in The Bad Place. We’d say that’s pretty darn show-changing! The Good Place is essentially presented as Heaven, a utopian afterlife to which Eleanor Shellstrop is sent. But some clues are sprinkled in that not everything is really how it seems - for example, Eleanor was sent to The Good Place accidentally, having not actually earned enough “points” in life to win a spot there. The truth is ultimately revealed in the first season finale: The Good Place is actually The Bad Place, and Michael is a demon testing them in a psychological experiment. The setting is changed, Michael is changed, heck, the very nature of the show is changed! Now that’s how you do a twist.
#3: The Red Wedding
“Game of Thrones” (2011-19)
Top 10 Friends Plot Twists You Didn't See Coming
Early “Game of Thrones” was widely recognized for its risk-taking, as it brazenly killed off major characters with surprising speed. This is best exemplified by the Red Wedding, a horrific event that saw the deaths of Robb, Talisa, Catelyn, and even Robb’s poor direwolf. This event changed everything - not just for “Game of Thrones,” but for television. Suddenly more shows were willing to take risks, inspired by the sheer confidence of pulling off the Red Wedding. The Starks were virtually eliminated, the Lannisters gained immense power through their alliance with the Freys, and two of the show’s most noble characters were killed off in brutal fashion. You couldn’t hop on social media without hearing about this astounding television event.
#2: It’s the Past!
“Battlestar Galactica” (2003-09)
Top 10 TV Shows Which Completely Changed Their Premise
Spaceships. Distant planets. Androids. “Battlestar Galactica” is the pinnacle of sci-fi on TV, and like virtually all science fiction, it takes place in a distant future. Right? Well, no, actually. The thing about this show is that it never explicitly tells you when it takes place. We just assume that it’s the future because that’s what we’ve been conditioned to believe. But in the series’ final surprise, we see the characters land on a prehistoric Earth, settle in ancient Africa, and assimilate with tribal humans. “Battlestar Galactica” was telling the story of our past, not our future, and offering an alternate origin story of our time on Earth. Science fiction indeed!
#1: It’s the Future!
“Lost” (2004-10)
Top 10 Cartoon TV Plot Twists You Didn’t See Coming
In 2007, “Lost” pulled the reverse of what “Battlestar Galactica” did, and it’s probably the coolest twist in the history of TV. During the previous seasons’ episodes, “Lost” alternated between the present island storyline and flashbacks of the various characters. The season three finale looked to continue that tradition, with a depressed Jack struggling with a recent death. And then Kate appears! What!? Did they know each other before crashing on the island!? Nope, this is actually the future, and both Jack and Kate had made it off the island! It wasn’t a flashback, but a flashforward, and it changed “Lost” forever. It introduced new storylines and a new central mystery - how did they get off the island!? Say it with him now - “we have to go back!”
What did you make of these plot twists? Let us know in the comments below!
