Top 15 Most Violent TV Shows of All Time

#15: “The Walking Dead” (2010-22)

“Gore in a zombie show?! Oh my stars!” The survivors of a zombie/walker apocalypse naturally fight their way through hordes of the undead in this series. But the undead aren’t the only ones getting deader by the minute in this harrowing show. Human-on-human violence is persistent as well. People are killed over resources, for revenge, or just out of good old-fashioned cruelty. Not even the children are spared. Life or death decisions are just a fact of life in “The Walking Dead.” It never gets easier to stomach watching your favorite character get murdered or torn apart though.

#14: “Deadwood” (2004-06)

If the frontier had been peaceful, they’d have called it the “mild west.” Set in the burgeoning Dakota Territory town of the same name, “Deadwood” follows the various local lawmen, outlaws, scheming businessmen, and ordinary townsfolk just trying to get by stuck in the middle. With the law being more of a suggestion than hard fact, deaths are almost as common in the series as profanity. And some of them can get positively brutal! There’s a certain street fight where “something something, a guy’s eye” that we don’t recommend watching while you’re eating.

#13: “The Punisher” (2017-19)

Marvel isn’t all capes, suits, and saving the day. Frank Castle, the eponymous Punisher, is a haunted war veteran who handles his trauma in a less than healthy way - killing his way through criminals and the conspirators behind the deaths of his family. And while Frank knows his guns, he isn’t afraid to get up close and personal with his bloody crusade. Whether he’s using glass, hammers, weights, or his bare hands, Frank always goes for broke in his fights, and they frequently get grisly. Despite how gruesome Frank’s actions are, his opponents go plenty low too. All that violence adds up to a series that’s more blood-soaked than Frank’s signature skull logo usually is.

#12: “Squid Game” (2021-25)

In case you haven’t been paying attention lately, this international Netflix sensation is chock full of violence. The series follows a group of people in crippling debt coerced into competing in a series of deadly games for the amusement of the rich. “Squid Game” sees its characters tackle each challenge in a variety of ways, from working together to betraying one another to get ahead. And the violence isn’t limited to the games either, as shady dealings happen behind the scenes and some players take it upon themselves to weed out their competition outside the games. Capitalism can be cutthroat, but “Squid Game” takes it to a literal extreme.

#11: “The Boys” (2019-)

Darker takes on superheroes are everywhere these days, but “The Boys” is perhaps the poster child for the phenomenon. With great power comes almost no responsibility, as Supes get away with murder and worse on a day-to-day basis. However, the titular group’s often haphazard efforts to put a stop to rampaging super “heroes” are not always easy and rarely without bloodshed. And some of the deaths in “The Boys” are not only gory, they’re also deeply, deeply weird. And we don’t just mean the ones connected with the Deep, either. Exploding heads, death by laser eye, and what happened to that poor dolphin are just the tip of the iceberg.

#10: “Gangs of London” (2020-)

This gritty crime drama begins with the murder of the head of London’s most powerful crime family, and it only gets more violent from there! As each of London’s gangs strive for supremacy in the power vacuum, there are plenty of deaths, shootouts, and fight scenes - when all the criminals aren’t scheming for power or betraying each other, that is. “Gangs of London” is filled to the brim with some of the most visceral, bloody, and well-filmed action on TV. Of course, that’s to be expected when it was co-created by Gareth Evans, the director behind the celebrated “The Raid” martial arts movies.

#9: “Oz” (1997-2003)

Prison isn’t generally known as a place of peace and kindness. Set primarily in the experimental wing of the Oswald State Correctional Facility, “Oz” details the lives of the staff and inmates therein. Despite attempts at balance between them, the various factions among the inmates are always at each other’s throats. Murder, sexual violence, and bodily injury are the order of the day, as are vendettas and shifting alliances. As HBO’s first original series, “Oz” solidified the network’s reputation for dark, graphic series that push the boundaries of what you can show on TV.

#8: “Preacher” (2016-19)

Given that the comic it’s based on shares the same creator as “The Boys,” it should come as no surprise that “Preacher” is a wild, violent ride! Jesse Custer is the preacher in the title, and while he may be a man of the cloth, he’s not exactly a law abiding citizen. His encounters with the forces of heaven and hell, not to mention supernatural monsters and ordinary criminals, frequently result in some of the most off-the-wall, bloody action out there. We can preach about “Preacher”’s violent delights all day. But devotees of TV brutality will just have to see it for themselves.

#7: “Ash vs Evil Dead” (2015-18)

If you know anything about the horror comedy films on which this series is based, you know that “Ash vs Evil Dead” is one rip roaring, groovy, bloody good time! Ash has battled the Evil Dead many times, and with some new friends, he takes up the call once again. Embracing its low budget horror movie roots, “Ash vs Evil Dead” has some cartoonishly gory fight scenes. As hilarious as it is bloody, the series may not stand supreme in our books, but we still have to “hail to the king, baby!”

#6: “Game of Thrones” (2011-19)

Yeah, it was only a matter of time. “Game of Thrones” has become a byword for violent TV shows, this epic fantasy drama holds very little back when it comes to depicting the cruelties of Westeros. In the struggles for power over the Iron Throne, there are the expected massive battles and dragons burning people alive. But there’s also plenty of executions, torture, murder, and all manner of depravity too. The sheer body count is impressive as well, with one Washington Post study putting it at 94 deaths per episode across the whole show! “All men must die” indeed.

#5: “Banshee” (2013-16)

It’s just a show about a small Pennsylvania town - how much violence can there be? A lot, it turns out. Sheriff Lucas Hood comes to Banshee to clean up the streets…and is immediately killed. An unnamed criminal new in town takes up Hood’s name and position and starts wielding his badge, and fists, against the gangs of Banshee while pursuing goals of his own. There are shootouts galore between the various gangs of Banshee, but also some of the most brutal and downright vicious fistfights ever put on television. Nola[a] and Burton’s duel alone is a savage, expertly choreographed masterpiece!

#4: “Spartacus” (2010-13)

One part “Gladiator” and another part “300,” “Spartacus” is every bit as bloody as those films. The story, based on historical events, follows Spartacus as he rises through the ranks of a gladiator house, before going on to lead a rebellion of slaves against the Roman Republic. Given that it initially focuses on a literal bloodsport, the violence throughout should come as no surprise. The frequent use of slow-motion in the fight sequences lets all the gory details get plenty of focus. From the gladiator matches to the battles that follow Spartacus and company’s rebellion, the brutal action illustrates that the fight for freedom often has a steep price - usually paid in blood.

#3: “Dexter” (2006-13)

Crime dramas tend to have a lot of violence, but “Dexter” is about a serial killer who hunts other killers, which takes it to another level entirely. Dexter Morgan’s obsession with blood drives him to kill admittedly terrible people in some often creative, though usually ritualized ways. Even leaving Dexter aside, his favored victims have quite a high body count themselves. Plus, Dex’s colleagues in Miami Metro Homicide get into their share of scrapes and gun battles in the course of their jobs. Dexter’s killing craving proves toxic to everyone around him, though it makes for a show many have obsessed over.

#2: “Vikings” (2013-20)

With a title that calls to mind some of history’s most notorious pillagers, violence should be expected in this show. And yet, the saga of Ragnar Lothbrok[b], as well as his family and the foes he makes on his journeys, is absolutely rife with death and destruction. There are enormous battles, naturally. But given how alliances even among blood relations can shift frequently, betrayal and murder are omnipresent as well. The action is brutal, and some of the deaths are some of the most barbaric you’ll ever see! Two words - “blood eagle.”

#1: “Hannibal” (2013-15)

Like…it’s a show about a cannibal serial killer. Are you surprised? While perhaps not as consistently violent as some shows, “Hannibal” more than makes up for that lack by including some of the most viscerally disturbing things imaginable. Between Hannibal’s specific diet and the actions of the other serial killers he and the FBI agents he works alongside pursue, the show delves into some truly dark and depraved violence. The fact that it’s beautifully shot, and the actors are all spectacular certainly doesn’t hurt. We still can’t believe this aired on network TV!


Is there a brutal TV series whose absence from our list you feel like a wound? Don’t leave us “on the hook,” tell us your favorites in the comments! Just try to keep things peaceful.

[a]https://youtu.be/PnhppiksN4c?si=lboM1m-BltQOxqDj&t=9

[b]https://www.yarn.co/yarn-clip/c9fbffbc-6d0e-4eed-8215-eeaf5eb9cc3d