Every episode is a rollercoaster of emotions, and there's no getting off until the very end.
When you're in the mood for something serious and deep, there are drama TV shows out there that don't bother with jokes or light moments; these are the kinds of shows that stick with you, making you think and feel long after you've turned off the TV.
1. "The Americans" (2013) Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%
Elizabeth and Philip Jennings, two Soviet KGB officers posing as an American married couple in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., during the Cold War, struggle with their family's safety, their loyalty to their country, and the moral quandaries of their espionage activities as FBI agents close in.
2. "The Night Of" (2016) Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%
After a night of adventure with a mysterious woman in NYC, college student Nasir "Naz" Khan finds himself accused of her murder; his prison transformation and the courtroom battles reveal a system fraught with bias and corruption, as his lawyer fights for his innocence.
3. "Warrior" (2019) Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%
Set during the brutal Tong Wars of San Francisco's Chinatown in the late 1800s, Ah Sahm, a martial arts prodigy from China, arrives in search of his sister, only to become a hatchet man for one of Chinatown's most powerful Tongs, navigating through the violent racial tensions and organized crime of the era.
FBI investigator Will Graham, who can empathize with serial killers, teams up with Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a forensic psychiatrist who is secretly a cannibalistic serial killer, leading to a twisted relationship as they investigate other murders, unbeknownst to Graham's peril.
In a small British coastal town, Detectives Alec Hardy and Ellie Miller are tasked with solving the murder of an 11-year-old boy, which tears the community apart, unearths long-buried secrets, and calls into question the nature of justice and family loyalty.
Camille Preaker, a journalist with a troubled past, returns to her hometown to cover the murder of two young girls, uncovering dark family secrets and personal demons that intertwine with the town's mysteries, leading her to confront her own psychological scars.
In Victorian London, Vanessa Ives, Sir Malcolm Murray, Ethan Chandler, and Dr. Frankenstein unite to combat supernatural threats; their personal demons are as daunting as the literal ones they face, leading them through a dark underworld of ancient evils and personal tragedies.
8. "The Leftovers" (2014) Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
Following the sudden, unexplained disappearance of 2% of the world's population, the residents of Mapleton, New York, grapple with the consequences of the event, known as the "Sudden Departure," as they struggle with loss, belief, and the search for meaning in a changed world.
9. "Damages" (2007) Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
Fresh from law school, Ellen Parsons becomes the protégée of the brilliant and ruthless lawyer Patty Hewes, but as they work on high-stakes litigation against wealthy and corrupt corporations, Ellen learns the cost of success and the dark side of the legal system.
10. "The Sinner" (2017) Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%
Detective Harry Ambrose investigates complex and disturbing crimes, starting with a young mother, Cora Tannetti, who inexplicably stabs a stranger to death, leading him to uncover the hidden traumas and dark secrets lying beneath the surface of seemingly normal lives.
11. "Banshee" (2013) Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%
An ex-con, assuming the identity of the murdered sheriff Lucas Hood, arrives in Banshee, Pennsylvania, where he continues his criminal activities even as he imposes his own form of justice, entangling himself with local criminals, his past lover, and the Amish mafia while eluding the mobsters he betrayed years before.
After his mother's overdose, 17-year-old Joshua 'J' Cody moves in with his estranged relatives, the Codys, a criminal family clan governed by matriarch Smurf, and he gets drawn into their life of indulgence and lawlessness, navigating a path of morality and survival.
13. "Sons of Anarchy" (2008) Rotten Tomatoes score: 87%
Jax Teller, vice president of the outlaw motorcycle club Sons of Anarchy in Charming, California, begins to question the club's direction and his own legacy as he uncovers truths about his father's death and the club's criminal enterprises, leading to internal and external battles that threaten the brotherhood.
14. "24" (2001) Rotten Tomatoes score: 87%
Each season unfolds in real-time, following Jack Bauer, a Counter Terrorist Unit agent, as he thwarts national security threats, facing personal and professional challenges that intertwine with the day's events, often involving moral dilemmas and high-stakes decisions.
15. "Homeland" (2011) Rotten Tomatoes score: 85%
CIA officer Carrie Mathison becomes convinced that rescued American POW, Sergeant Nicholas Brody, has been turned by al-Qaeda and poses a terrorist threat to the United States, leading to a complex game of cat and mouse as she seeks to uncover the truth and protect her country.
16. "The Handmaid's Tale" (2017) Rotten Tomatoes score: 83%
In a dystopian future where a theocratic regime rules what was once the United States, fertile women, known as Handmaids, are forced into sexual servitude in a desperate attempt to repopulate the world, following Offred's journey as she navigates survival, resistance, and the hope of reuniting with her daughter.
17. "Ozark" (2017) Rotten Tomatoes score: 82%
Financial planner Marty Byrde suddenly relocates his family from Chicago to the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri after a money-laundering scheme for a Mexican drug cartel goes wrong, and he must set up a bigger laundering operation in the Ozarks to appease the cartel and keep his family safe.
18. "Power" (2014) Rotten Tomatoes score: 81%
James St. Patrick, known as "Ghost," is a wealthy New York nightclub owner who lives a double life as a major player in the city's drug trade, but dreams of going legitimate, even as his marriage, family, and business face threats from his criminal past and present.
19. "Alrawabi School for Girls" (2021) Rotten Tomatoes score: 76%
Targeted by bullying at her school, Mariam forms a plan for revenge against her tormentors, but the quest for justice within the school's walls becomes complicated, challenging the perceptions of victimhood and the cycle of aggression.
20. "Manifest" (2018) Rotten Tomatoes score: 72%
Passengers of Flight 828 arrive to find the world has aged five years during their few hours in the air, and they soon discover they've returned with mysterious abilities, as they unravel government conspiracies and personal dilemmas while seeking the truth behind the flight's disappearance and sudden return.
21. "Safe" (2018) Rotten Tomatoes score: 71%
Tom Delaney, a widowed surgeon living in a gated community, embarks on a frantic search to find his missing teenage daughter, uncovering a web of secrets among his seemingly tranquil suburb's residents and confronting his own undisclosed past in the process.
A death row inmate in the U.S. and a vicar in a quiet English town become linked by a peculiar and twisting mystery that involves murder, deceit, and moral ambiguity, challenging the boundaries between guilt and innocence.
23. "The Sister" (2020) Rotten Tomatoes score: 63%
Nathan's life is upended when an unwelcome face from the past, Bob, shows up with shocking news that threatens to tear his world apart, revolving around a terrible night years ago that saw the death of a young woman, leading to secrets that have dire consequences.
24. "Tyrant" (2014) Rotten Tomatoes score: 60%
Bassam "Barry" Al-Fayeed, the younger son of a war-torn country's dictator, returns to his homeland for a wedding after a self-imposed 20-year exile in America, only to be drawn into the political turmoil, eventually rising to power himself, amidst family conflict and national crisis.
25. "The Rain" (2018) Rotten Tomatoes score: 48%
After a virus carried by rainfall wipes out most of Scandinavia's population, siblings Simone and Rasmus emerge from their bunker six years later, joining a group of young survivors as they search for safety and answers, discovering Rasmus's unique immunity could be the key to a cure.
