Watching a television show that is persistently bleak can be a significant commitment due to the demanding nature of binge-watching. While a film with serious subject matter requires viewers to engage with a single story that concludes, committing to a dark or disturbing series weekly, or consuming it all at once, necessitates that the content is exceptionally compelling to justify the emotional toll.
Television has evolved into a bolder medium in recent years, making it unsurprising that many of the most distressing dramas have emerged recently, as shows are now permitted to include more graphic content that would have been restricted in earlier eras. Here are the heaviest television dramas, ranked.
10
‘This Is Going to Hurt’ (2022)
This Is Going to Hurt is one of the best medical dramas of all time because it does away with all the clichés that have become common within hospital shows. Rather than painting the healthcare industry in a positive light and overlooking the issues that doctors face, This Is Going to Hurt explores the life of an overworked, brilliant OBGYN worker (played by Ben Whishaw) who faces emotional turmoil while trying to assist his patients.
This Is Going to Hurt isn’t just a compelling exploration of the failings of the contemporary healthcare industry, but a surprisingly moving study on how bigotry and homophobia were sadly an issue in contemporary Britain. Those who love The Pitt owe it to themselves to check out This Is Going to Hurt, even though it’s not an easy watch by any stretch of the imagination.
9
‘Andor’ (2022–2025)
Andor is by far the darkest Star Wars story ever told, and it’s hard to even believe that it takes place in the same connected universe as something more family-friendly like The Mandalorian. While anyone with a passing knowledge of the series knew that the show was going to end on a downbeat note because Cassian (Diego Luna) sacrifices himself at the end of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, it was surprising the degree to which Andor paralleled and predicted real political events.
Andor masterfully examined how a fascist, military government like the Galactic Empire could commit genocide and dissuade any resistance groups from taking action by pitting them against one another. Even if it leads to a happy conclusion in the original Star Wars trilogy, Andor brings to light the dark subtext of what George Lucas created.
8
‘Mr. Robot’ (2015–2019)
Mr. Robot may be a wildly entertaining series because of its frequent twists and turns, but the subject material is quite heavy. The character of Elliot Alderson (Rami Malek) is tormented by a traumatic past that includes abuse at the hands of his father (Christian Slater), and uses his pain to fuel a hacktivist society aimed at bringing powerful people to their knees.
<em>Mr. Robot </em>gets darker with each progressive season, as there are major characters that die, and other twists that may be shocking. The brilliance of what Sam Esmail achieved with the series was that he didn’t deny the corruption and unfairness of contemporary society, and explored (for better or worse) why people like Elliot were compelled to take a stand against the forces of capitalism and fascism that threatened to extinguish the rights of those who didn’t have any means to protect themselves.
7
‘The Knick’ (2014–2015)
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