Top 20 Best TV Plot Twists You Didn't See Coming

after all this time it's impressive when tv writers are still able to surprise us welcome to watch mojo and today we're counting down our picks for the top 20 best tv plot twists you didn't see coming for this list we're looking at the greatest plot twists in television history for the purposes of this list the twist must be shocking and unexpected even if it was cleverly telegraphed beforehand and beware major spoilers ahead number 20 the bent neck lady the haunting of hill house who knew a simple haunted house story would contain one of the greatest plot twists of the 2010s i usually start to panic and my breath gets fast and heavy my heart feels like it's pounding out of my chest this acclaimed netflix series had little to do with its source material so each story development was exciting and unpredictable including the bent neck lady young nell is tormented by a shadow ghost who appears to have suffered a broken neck hence its creepy name nelly in the present a mentally broken nell visits hill house and inadvertently hangs herself during an idyllic vision it's okay as she falls she travels through time and discovers the horrifying truth she is the bent neck lady and she's been tormenting herself for decades nell's subplot is easily the most depressing and horrifying of them all number 19. violet american horror story murder house several years before the haunting of hill house and the bet neck lady american horror story pulled a similar trick with its protagonist violet in the sixth episode titled piggy piggy violet attempts to commit suicide by swallowing a handful of sleeping pills [Music] however tate prevents her from dying by forcing her to throw up [Music] violet no four episodes later violet is prevented from leaving the house almost as if her spirit is trapped within it it's then that tate reveals the truth by showing violet her own rotting corpse i died when i turn all those pills i tried to save you i did turns out violet was successful in her prior suicide attempt and she's been a ghost the whole time number 18 time jump this is us so i'm gonna need everyone in this room to believe me when i say that only good things are gonna happen here today the pilot for this nbc drama concerns four people turning 36 years old there's jack husband to rebecca and expectant father of triplets kate who's attempting to shed some weight high-powered businessman randall who was left at a fire station as a baby and kevin the disillusioned star of a sitcom who decides to quit during a taping you know when i think it all went wrong for me it was 1986 second grade near the end of the episode all four disparate story lines are brought together via a clever time jump strangest damn thing someone left a newborn at my fire station i didn't know what to do so i brought him here we learned that jack's storyline actually takes place in 1980 that kate and kevin are jack and rebecca's adult children and that randall is their adopted son watching this we knew from the start that this is us would not be a traditional family drama number 17 the chicken mash in this show's stellar finale hawkeye is treated for a nervous breakdown he relays the story of being on a bus with a group of refugees and forcing a woman to keep her clucking chicken quiet as an enemy patrol was driving by however hawkeye painfully remembers that the chicken was actually an infant baby and the mother had smothered it to death on the orders of hawkeye resulting in his mental breakdown i i just wanted to be quiet mash was never afraid to go to some dark places and this twist proved to be the darkest of them all it's one of the most disturbing and emotional scenes in television history and it all came as a complete surprise number 16. the ice truck killer dexter dexter follows a serial killer who holds a day job as a blood spatter analyst for the miami police department she was shot at close range i wish i had more for you hmm me too maria the d.a needs the worksheet for the ice truck killer case in season one dexter hunts the ice truck killer a fellow serial killer who leaves various body parts at sites linked to dexter's past in the season one finale we learned that the ice truck killer is dexter's biological brother brian moser he always had trouble saying brian i have a brother a real brother they were separated after being found in a blood-filled shipping container the same event that permanently traumatized the brothers and sent them on their murderous paths that was the best wipeout you didn't even cry next time you draw my skateboard bend your knees unlike dexter brian didn't have a father figure to help control his urges it brings into question concepts of nature and nurture and proves that killing truly is in dexter's blood number 15 the truth about earth battle star galactica this twist is reminiscent of the famous statue of liberty reveal at the end of planet of the apes and it's almost as shocking the final cylons led me to it if it's earth they've given us the home of the 13th tribe throughout the preceding four seasons the galactica was searching for the fabled 13th colony also known as earth as the other 12 colonies were destroyed by the cylons the enigmatic 13th colony remained humanity's last hope for survival after searching for four seasons and over 60 episodes the fleet finally makes it to earth only to learn that it's a barren and radioactive wasteland it's a huge gut punch of a twist especially following the jubilance of the discovery of the planet and it's easily one of television's most unexpected and upsetting reveals number 14. sydney in hong kong alias in 2004 j.j abrams would change tv forever with the premiere of lost but three years earlier he created another twist-filled extravaganza known as alias i've shot you before i will do it again alias follows jennifer garner's sydney bristow a double agent working for the cia although the show is full of brilliant twists the best comes at the end of season two when sydney wakes up alone in hong kong this is officer two three zero zero eight four four calling for connection confirmation looking glass standby she has no memory of how she got there and when she meets the now married vaughn she learns she's been missing and presumed dead for two years i thought you were dead it's the kind of tantalizing cliffhanger abrams has become known for and it had millions of viewers chomping at the bit for season three i have been missing for almost two years number 13 who really shot mr burns the simpsons after all these years things are finally starting to go my way i feel like celebrating i oh it's you what are you so happy about matt groening's long-running cartoon isn't really known for its intriguing storylines but that all changed in the spring of 1995 when mr burns was shot by an unseen assailant [Music] while the episode was meant to parody the who shot jr concept of 1980 fans of the simpsons were genuinely invested in the mystery and it became just as much of a phenomenon as the jr sensation well i couldn't possibly solve this mystery can you blame was placed on both smithers and homer until burns reveals it was actually maggie who may or may not have intentionally shot him the one who shot me was maggie simpson the reveal put previous clues into clear focus and while episode writers bill oakley and josh weinstein were not confident in the reveal it's since become an iconic piece of tv history but the old axiom was misleading taking the candy proved exceedingly difficult they said drop it [Music] number 12 carl the walking dead the walking dead is well known for indiscriminately killing main characters and that continued well into its eighth season during the season's sixth episode the king the widow and rick karl and sadiq are set upon by a group of zombies while traipsing through the woods yeah they seemingly survive uninjured but carl appears stunned in the mid-season finale it's revealed that carl was bitten on the stomach during the struggle effectively sealing his fate it's not only shocking within the context of the series but it also deviated heavily from the source material in which carl is still alive [Music] the reveal caught viewers long time readers and even actor chandler riggs off guard number 11. ben scrubs the third season episode my screw-up is widely regarded as one of scrubs best and much of that acclaim stems from the ending now no how about now no look as a rule of thumb i don't attend parties where the guest of honor has no idea what's going on throughout the episode cox is hounded by his ex-brother-in-law ben who continuously neglects to follow up on his leukemia what happened when you fall and i'm sorry while cox is away from the hospital a patient dies from cardiac arrest and cox enters an obvious funk you don't have to get all dressed i am dressed up do you see any holes in these pants no at the end of the episode we learned that the patient was ben and that cox had simply been envisioning ben in his mind to cope with his unexpected death the whole routine where do you think we are the reveal itself with ben suddenly disappearing from view is both haunting and beautiful and seeing cox grudgingly process the truth is easily one of the show's most emotional moments number 10 tommy's imagination saint elsewhere one of the most famous or infamous series finales in television history belongs to saint elsewhere luther what do you got me spring fever you're patient what do you care you just finished your last er shift it's over you're through it saint allegiance forever yeah the end of the world as we know it and i feel fine saint elsewhere was a typical medical drama that aired on nbc throughout the 80s nothing about it was really out of the ordinary until the series finale he's been sitting there ever since you left this morning just like he does every day world of his own the final scene reveals that the events of saint elsewhere were imagined by an autistic child named tommy it comes out of absolutely nowhere and it tweaks the it was all a dream concept just enough to be original i don't understand this autism thing pop [Music] i guess my son i talk to him i don't even know if he can hear me cause he sits there all day long in his own world staring at that toy the quality of this twist will forever remain divisive some call it a unique subversion that was remarkable for its day while others call it cheap and nonsensical but one thing is guaranteed you certainly did not see it coming number nine the bad place the good place the good place is a great comedy concerning the lives of various deceased individuals who found themselves in a heaven-like utopia suitably titled the good place or have they in the season one finale eleanor comes to the startling realization that the good place is actually an experimental version of the bad place and that the characters were sent there to torture each other they're never gonna call a train to take us to the bad place they can't because we're already here like all great plot twists this reveal is not only surprising it also completely upends the entire show and makes you question everything that you've previously seen seemingly understood and analyzed and to think one of the greatest twists in modern television comes from a sitcom they know this is the bad place elena figured it out number eight true allegiance agents of shield throughout the first season we were led to believe that grant ward was a devoted member of shield however the truth is revealed in episode 17 turn turn turn i want to see him suffer don't mind the company and i can always use a man of your skills throughout the episode shield attempts to thwart an internal uprising of hydra sleeper agents everything seems to be headed towards a happy ending ward and sky finally kiss the hydra infiltrators are taken into custody and garrett is scheduled to be executed what do you think agent ward you shot the wrong clairvoyant before care to shoot the right one but when given the opportunity ward kills victoria hand in cold blood and frees garrett effectively revealing his true allegiance to hydra it's a fantastic twist that ended the already great episode on a high and made us eager to see what came next in ward's subterfuge number seven river's identity doctor who introduced back in the fourth series river song was a mysterious woman who could seemingly travel through time with the doctor then you may kiss the bride she became a companion of the doctor and eventually married the matt smith incarnation her true identity and backstory remained a mystery until series sixes a good man goes to war where it's revealed that she's the daughter of the doctor's companions amy and rory but that means i'm afraid it does oh but you and i we we were she was conceived in the tardis while it was in a time vortex she's been given time traveling capabilities it's me [Music] i'm melody [Music] i'm your daughter the twist was kept top secret even within the crew with only a select few including stephen moffat and actress alex kingston knowing the truth number 6. bernard westworld in many ways westworld is the lost of today balancing intriguing character drama with endless mysteries twists and turns the longer i work here the more i think i understand the hosts human beings who confuse some twists are a little too out there and confusing even for the most diehard westworld fans but some work brilliantly including the reveal that bernard is a host what's behind this door what door the truth is revealed in episode seven titled topless bernard can't see the door leading to the secret lab as he's been programmed to ignore it westworld pulled off a brilliant trick what is this place it's a remote diagnostic facility ford and his partner used them in the park was in beta i had no idea this one was here it served the audience a story and character-shattering plot twist not through actions but through visuals and important dialogue if you weren't really paying attention to what bernard was saying you would have completely missed westworld's biggest revelation it doesn't look like anything to me i cannot see the things that will hurt them i've spared them there at least at first number five elliot's location mr robot i will never leave you i will always be right here do you understand that season one ends with many shocking revelations concerning mr robot who are you talking to [Music] we learned that he's a figment of elliott's imagination and that mr robot was the name of his computer repair shop but we think the prison reveal in season two tops all that elliot you know you haven't been staying with your mother right i know after christa asks elliot about his location everything unravels and we discover that elliott has been in prison the entire season some viewers sussed out the gist of the twist beforehand believing that elliot was in a psychiatric hospital like all great twists this one answered questions while leaving the door open for more and what's even more unpredictable is the fact that this reveal came in episode 7 rather than the more traditional season finale number four walt and brock breaking bad season four of breaking bad ends on a relatively happy note gus is dead the lab is burned to the ground walt and jessie make up and the dangerously ill brock turns out okay i don't understand then what was it saying it was most likely a flower called lily of the valley we like walt are feeling pretty good that is until the camera slowly zooms in on the lily of the valley plant in walt's backyard proving that he poisoned brock jesse was right all along but walt had successfully manipulated him into working against gus it was an admittedly genius move by walt but it also proved to be his moral death even the most ardent of walt defenders can agree that deliberately poisoning a child crosses a line i won with this walt officially went from anti-hero to full-blown villain number three the red wedding game of thrones of course the red wedding didn't come as a surprise if you had read george rr martin's a storm of swords but for newcomers this was a plot twist for the ages the red wedding served as the horrific culmination of three seasons worth of story and it will be fondly remembered as one of the most startling scenes in television history at the twins walder frey gifts rob with bread and salt a symbol of trust and safety however the doors are bolted the reins of castamere starts playing and the starks are mercilessly slaughtered so much for trust and safety this twist is now legendary as are the famous reaction videos of viewers displaying absolute disbelief at the events on screen if there's one thing game of thrones will be remembered for it's the shock that was the red wedding now you know why your nerdy friends were really depressed 13 years ago number two the flash forwards lost lost is well known for its twists but none was as significant as the one that closed out season 3. throughout the episode we witness a bearded and depressed jack as he battles addiction and suicide while viewers believed that this was just another flashback it's actually revealed to be a flash forward showing that jack and kate had gotten off the island every little bump we hit were turbulence i mean i actually close my eyes and i pray that i can get back everyone talked about this twist and it completely rejuvenated interest in the show it's now regarded as perhaps the greatest twist in tv history and jack's line we have to go back has been ingrained in popular culture we have to go back kate [Music] before we unveil the best tv plot twist you didn't see coming here are some honorable mentions frank and lila how to get away with murder lila is strangled by frank on sam's orders is that what you think i am some freaking hitman mary's background sherlock mary was a trained assassin who worked for the cia before going rogue lady smallwood myself lorca star trek discovery lorca is actually a terran from the mirror universe different universe yet somehow the same people had a way to find each other before we continue be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos you have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them if you're on your phone make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications number 1. nina 24 24 was absolutely chock-full of twists and turns but perhaps none was as notable as this season one twist throughout the first season nina myers played the role of ctu official and ally of jack bauer when a mole is discovered within ctu jack immediately suspects nina but her name is soon cleared however we eventually learned that he was right all along in a twist that turned the entire character and show on their heads is a classic plot twist one where a previously upstanding and exceptional officer turns out to be a malicious psychopath nothing is the same once nina is exposed and this twist catapulted 24 from a great show to a fantastic one do you agree with our picks check out this other recent clip from watchmojo and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest [Music] videos [Music] you

Channel: WatchMojo.com

Views: 556,824

Rating: 4.8973379 out of 5

Keywords: best TV plot twists you didn't see coming, best TV plot twists, best plot twists, shocking TV plot twists, shocking plot twists, insane TV plot twist, craziest plot twists, unexpected TV twists, plot twists, TV plot twists, 24, lost, game of thrones, breaking bad, mr. robot, westworld, doctor who, agents of shield, the good place, st. elsewhere, scrubs, TV, drama, watchmojo, watch mojo, top 10, list, mojo, darkest tv plot twists, biggest plot twists, tv shows with good plot twists

Id: eYB4Z0T2xsE

Length: 22min 32sec (1352 seconds)

Published: Tue Aug 11 2020