Best Shocking Pilots and Finale
by Birter | created - 28 Jun 2016 | updated - 01 Feb 2019 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1.
Fargo (2014–2024)
Episode:
The Crocodile's Dilemma
(2014)
TV-MA | 69 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A ruthless, manipulative man meets a small-town insurance salesman and sets him on a path of destruction.
Director: Adam Bernstein | Stars: Billy Bob Thornton, Allison Tolman, Colin Hanks, Martin Freeman
Votes: 16,585
Pilot
2.
Twin Peaks (1990–1991)
Episode:
Northwest Passage
(1989)
Unrated | 94 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The small northwest town of Twin Peaks, Washington is shaken up when the body of the Homecoming Queen, Laura Palmer, is discovered washed up on a riverbank, wrapped in plastic.
Director: David Lynch | Stars: Kyle MacLachlan, Michael Ontkean, Mädchen Amick, Dana Ashbrook
Votes: 16,833
Pilot
3.
American Horror Story (2011– )
Episode:
Pilot
(2011)
TV-MA | 51 min | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
Therapist Ben Harmon, his wife, Vivien, and their daughter, Violet, move across the country to Los Angeles to escape their troubled past.
Director: Ryan Murphy | Stars: Connie Britton, Dylan McDermott, Evan Peters, Taissa Farmiga
Votes: 8,802
Pilot
4.
The Returned (2012–2015)
Episode:
Camille
(2012)
TV-MA | 56 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Camille, a teenager who was killed in a bus crash, returns home 4 years later.
Director: Fabrice Gobert | Stars: Anne Consigny, Frédéric Pierrot, Clotilde Hesme, Céline Sallette
Votes: 809
Pilot
5.
Gotham (2014–2019)
Episode:
Pilot
(2014)
TV-14 | 50 min | Action, Crime, Drama
James Gordon and Harvey Bullock are assigned to track down the killer of Thomas and Martha Wayne.
Director: Danny Cannon | Stars: Ben McKenzie, Donal Logue, David Mazouz, Zabryna Guevara
Votes: 10,344
Pilot
6.
Bates Motel (2013–2017)
Episode:
First You Dream, Then You Die
(2013)
TV-14 | 48 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
Six months after the death of her husband, Norma Bates and her youngest son Norman relocate to White Pine Bay, Oregon where she has bought a small motel in a foreclosure sale. The place is ... See full summary »
Director: Tucker Gates | Stars: Vera Farmiga, Freddie Highmore, Max Thieriot, Olivia Cooke
Votes: 3,567
Pilot
7.
Arrow (2012–2020)
Episode:
Pilot
(2012)
TV-PG | 45 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
Billionaire playboy, Oliver Queen, has been considered dead for five years. Now, he has returned. But something, during those five years, has changed him into a mysterious green hooded archer.
Director: David Nutter | Stars: Stephen Amell, Katie Cassidy, Colin Donnell, David Ramsey
Votes: 8,548
Pilot
8.
Hannibal (2013–2015)
Episode:
Apéritif
(2013)
TV-14 | 42 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
The head of the FBI Behavioral Science unit, Jack Crawford, calls on profiler Will Graham to assist them catch a serial killer. The killer has now kidnapped eight women, all similar in ... See full summary »
Director: David Slade | Stars: Hugh Dancy, Mads Mikkelsen, Caroline Dhavernas, Hettienne Park
Votes: 8,787
Pilot
9.
Patrick Melrose (2018)
Episode:
Bad News
(2018)
TV-MA | 63 min | Drama
Patrick learns of his father's passing and must travel to New York to collect his remains, whilst struggling with drug withdrawals.
Director: Edward Berger | Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Hugo Weaving, Gary Beadle
Votes: 2,242
Pilot
10.
American Gods (2017–2021)
Episode:
The Bone Orchard
(2017)
TV-MA | 65 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
A man, broken and alone, wishes only to survive his time in prison long enough to see his wife again. Although unexpected news releases him from prison early, it is hardly the news he ... See full summary »
Director: David Slade | Stars: Ricky Whittle, Emily Browning, Crispin Glover, Bruce Langley
Votes: 5,128
Pilot
11.
Falling Water (2016–2018)
Episode:
Don't Tell Bill
(2016)
TV-14 | 56 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
The premiere of mind-bending drama about three disparate people who discover that they share a subconscious link via a dream.
Director: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo | Stars: David Ajala, Lizzie Brocheré, Will Yun Lee, Kai Lennox
Votes: 309
Pilot
12.
Stranger Things (2016–2025)
Episode:
Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers
(2016)
TV-14 | 47 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
American scientists, working without oversight in an obscure laboratory in a backwater town, have managed to bring about the total destruction of mankind.
Directors: Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer | Stars: Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown
Votes: 27,168
13.
Hannibal (2013–2015)
Episode:
Mizumono
(2014)
TV-14 | 44 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
Jack devises a plan to apprehend Hannibal, while Hannibal prepares for his departure. Will makes his decision, and it results in devastating consequences.
Director: David Slade | Stars: Hugh Dancy, Mads Mikkelsen, Caroline Dhavernas, Laurence Fishburne
Votes: 21,482
Finale
14.
The Americans (2013–2018)
Episode:
START
(2018)
TV-MA | 69 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The Jennings family face a choice that will change their lives forever.
Director: Chris Long | Stars: Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys, Brandon J. Dirden, Costa Ronin
Votes: 4,740
Finale
15.
Gotham (2014–2019)
Episode:
Heroes Rise: Heavydirtysoul
(2017)
TV-14 | 42 min | Action, Crime, Drama
With the deadly virus spreading throughout the city, the search for the antidote continues, as Fish Mooney, The Riddler and Penguin reveal plans of their own. Bruce meets Ra's Al Ghul and ... See full summary »
Director: Rob Bailey | Stars: Ben McKenzie, Donal Logue, David Mazouz, Morena Baccarin
Votes: 2,931
Finale
16.
The Returned (2012–2015)
Episode:
Les Revenants
(2015)
TV-14 | 65 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
After the shooting the Seguret family try to leave town, but Camille cannot stay with her family and must join The Returned. Alcide takes Simon and Adele's baby to Lucy, but it is too late The Horde has dispersed.
Directors: Fabrice Gobert, Frédéric Goupil | Stars: Anne Consigny, Clotilde Hesme, Céline Sallette, Frédéric Pierrot
Votes: 335
Finale
17.
The X-Files (1993–2018)
Episode:
Anasazi
(1995)
TV-14 | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Mulder receives an encrypted computer tape containing the defense department's top secret files on extraterrestrial life and becomes a target. Scully takes him to a Navajo family that unearthed a buried secret to decipher the files.
Director: R.W. Goodwin | Stars: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Peter Donat, Floyd 'Red Crow' Westerman
Votes: 5,501
Finale
18.
True Detective (2014– )
Episode:
Omega Station
(2015)
TV-MA | 86 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Ray and Ani attempt to escape their desperate situation while Frank ties up some loose ends.
Director: John Crowley | Stars: Colin Farrell, Rachel McAdams, Taylor Kitsch, Kelly Reilly
Votes: 13,032
Finale
19.
The X-Files (1993–2018)
Episode:
My Struggle IV
(2018)
TV-14 | 43 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Mulder and Scully rush to find an on-the-run William while the Cigarette Smoking Man pushes forward with his ultimate plan.
Director: Chris Carter | Stars: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Mitch Pileggi, Barbara Hershey
Votes: 2,674
Finale
20.
Grimm (2011–2017)
Episode:
Beginning of the End: Part 2
(2016)
TV-14 | 42 min | Crime, Drama, Fantasy
The war with Black Claw escalates as Nick and his friends are targeted for elimination.
Director: Norberto Barba | Stars: David Giuntoli, Russell Hornsby, Elizabeth Tulloch, Silas Weir Mitchell
Votes: 1,487
Finale
21.
Stranger Things (2016–2025)
Episode:
Chapter Nine: The Gate
(2017)
TV-14 | 62 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Eleven makes plans to finish what she started while the survivors turn up the heat on the monstrous force that's holding Will hostage.
Directors: Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer | Stars: Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown
Votes: 25,685
Finale
22.
Arrow (2012–2020)
Episode:
Unthinkable
(2014)
TV-14 | 45 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
As Oliver's face off with Slade escalates, his resolve to the no-kill rule is tested. Especially as Slade targets the woman Oliver loves.
Director: John Behring | Stars: Stephen Amell, Katie Cassidy, David Ramsey, Willa Holland
Votes: 7,853
Finale
23.
The Americans (2013–2018)
Episode:
Echo
(2014)
TV-MA | 48 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Nina finds that her future is in Stan's hands. Meanwhile, Paige and Henry are moved to safety as their parents attempt to complete their assignment.
Director: Daniel Sackheim | Stars: Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys, Annet Mahendru, Susan Misner
Votes: 1,916
Finale
24.
DC's Legends of Tomorrow (2016–2022)
Episode:
Legendary
(2016)
TV-14 | 43 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
After the numerous sacrifices the team has made since the beginning of this ride, Rip decides that it's time they each decide their own destiny and returns them to Central City a few months... See full summary »
Director: Dermott Downs | Stars: Victor Garber, Brandon Routh, Arthur Darvill, Caity Lotz
Votes: 2,682
Finale
25.
The Returned (2012–2015)
Episode:
La horde
(2012)
TV-MA | 53 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Tensions are high between the living and the dead, as a newer, creepier wave of the returned descends upon them. With the townspeople in fear and the stakes higher than ever, everyone will have to choose sides.
Directors: Fabrice Gobert, Frédéric Mermoud | Stars: Anne Consigny, Frédéric Pierrot, Clotilde Hesme, Céline Sallette
Votes: 532
Finale
26.
The X-Files (1993–2018)
Episode:
The Erlenmeyer Flask
(1994)
TV-14 | 46 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Deep Throat tips Mulder to a critically important case involving a missing fugitive and the cloning of extraterrestrial viruses.
Director: R.W. Goodwin | Stars: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Lindsey Ginter, Anne DeSalvo
Votes: 6,080
Finale
27.
Feud (2017–2024)
Episode:
You Mean All This Time We Could Have Been Friends?
(2017)
TV-MA | 61 min | Biography, Drama
Joan accepts a leading role on a new film, despite her deteriorating health; Faced with a new rival, Bette reflects on her misplaced feud with Joan.
Director: Gwyneth Horder-Payton | Stars: Susan Sarandon, Jessica Lange, Judy Davis, Jackie Hoffman
Votes: 1,398
Finale
28.
Falling Water (2016–2018)
Episode:
Circular Time
(2016)
TV-14 | 45 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Surrounded by enemies on all sides, Tess struggles to protect the Boy, while Taka tries to appease the Green, and Burton attempts to heal the Woman in Red.
Director: Blake Masters | Stars: David Ajala, Lizzie Brocheré, Will Yun Lee, Kai Lennox
Votes: 144
Finale
29.
American Horror Story (2011– )
Episode:
Madness Ends
(2013)
TV-MA | 46 min | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
Johnny sets out to complete his father's work. Lana leads the charge to finally shut down Briarcliff.
Director: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon | Stars: Zachary Quinto, Joseph Fiennes, Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters
Votes: 6,090
Finale
30.
Stranger Things (2016–2025)
Episode:
Chapter Eight: The Upside Down
(2016)
TV-14 | 54 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Joyce and Hopper are taken in for questioning. Nancy and Jonathan prepare to fight the monster and save Will.
Directors: Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer | Stars: Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown
Votes: 27,181
Finale
31.
Twin Peaks (2017)
Episode:
Part 18
(2017)
TV-MA | 57 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
What is your name?
Director: David Lynch | Stars: Kyle MacLachlan, Matt Battaglia, Laura Dern, Francesca Eastwood
Votes: 4,781
Finale
32.
American Horror Story (2011– )
Episode:
Curtain Call
(2015)
TV-MA | 53 min | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
Dandy prepares for his debut performance. The Tattlers contemplate marriage, while in Hollywood, Elsa discovers she's further from love than ever before.
Director: Bradley Buecker | Stars: Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Michael Chiklis, Frances Conroy
Votes: 4,175
Finale
33.
Grimm (2011–2017)
Episode:
The End
(2017)
TV-14 | 42 min | Crime, Drama, Fantasy
Nick faces off against his greatest foe, yet as it seems no weapon can defeat him. Monroe, Rosalee and Eve search for answers that may help them in the fight. Renard and Adalind try to keep Diana and Kelly safe
Director: David Greenwalt | Stars: David Giuntoli, Russell Hornsby, Elizabeth Tulloch, Silas Weir Mitchell
Votes: 1,840
Finale
34.
American Horror Story (2011– )
Episode:
Afterbirth
(2011)
TV-MA | 52 min | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
The aftermath of Vivien's difficult labor is revealed and Ben makes plans to get out of the house. Some of the spirits have other plans and the family has to pull together to make it through these very tough changes.
Director: Bradley Buecker | Stars: Dylan McDermott, Connie Britton, Evan Peters, Taissa Farmiga
Votes: 5,847
Finale
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