Entertainment

7.1k voters

The Greatest Thriller Shows in TV History

Originally by Ranker TV

Updated May 20, 2021 18.5k votes 7.1k voters 318.1k views133 items

List RulesVote up the best thriller TV series - whether the thrills come from character drama, gripping action or nail-biting horror.

These are the best nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat thriller shows on television, ranked from best to worst. This list of the greatest thriller TV shows also includes information about the series stars. Popular thriller TV series have been a staple of television viewing for years, so there's often debate about what the most gripping and engaging thriller series of all time is. Don't let your favorite thriller television series sink to the bottom of the list - be sure to vote them up so they have the chance to reach the top spot.

This thrilling list is made up of both newer and older shows, like Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, and even Lost. These are all the top-rated thriller shows, thanks to votes, so if you're trying to remember some names of your favorite old thriller series this is a great place to start.

This list answers the questions, "What is the greatest thriller show of all time?" and "What are the best thriller shows?"

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1
Breaking Bad
Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul
1,514
666
Premiered: January 20, 2008
Network: AMC
The Best Breaking Bad Characters of All Time 16 'Breaking Bad' Deleted Scenes That We Just Found Out About #7 of 16 People Share The Shocking Plot Twists In Movies, TV & Books That Completely Blew Their Minds
2
Mindhunter
Jonathan Groff, Holt McCallany
322
83
Premiered: October 13, 2017
Network: Netflix
'Mindhunter' Doesn't Just Portray Real Serial Killers In The Show - The Agents Are Real, Too #4 of 19 The Best Current TV Shows You Can Still Catch Up On #1 of 25 Netflix Shows And Movies That Are Based On Real Crimes
3
Dexter
Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter
1,086
571
Premiered: October 1, 2006
Network: Showtime
The Best Seasons of 'Dexter'#37 of 102 The Best Serial Cop Dramas of All Time #1 of 60 The Best Showtime Shows of All Time, Ranked
4
Dark
Louis Hofmann, Oliver Masucci
246
95
Premiered: December 1, 2017
Network: NETFLIX
#6 of 57 The Best New Shows of the Last Few Years That You've Been Missing Out On #24 of 575 The Best New Netflix Originals of the Last Few Years #34 of 59 The Best Teen Sci-Fi And Fantasy TV Series
5
Hannibal
Hugh Dancy, Mads Mikkelsen
918
562
Premiered: April 4, 2013
Network: NBC
12 Reasons Why Mads Mikkelsen Is The Best Hannibal Lecter #138 of 145 The TV Shows Most Loved by Hipsters #10 of 66 The Creepiest Shows In TV History
6
Prison Break
Wentworth Miller, Dominic Purcell
1,040
558
Premiered: August 29, 2005
Network: FOX
The Best Seasons of Prison Break #298 of 508 The Best TV Theme Songs of All Time #161 of 263 The Best Cult TV Shows of All Time
7
24
Kiefer Sutherland, Mary Lynn Rajskub
634
415
Premiered: November 6, 2001
Network: Fox
The Cast Of '24': Where Are They Now?#58 of 256 The Best TV Shows Streaming On Hulu #139 of 393 TV Shows That Only Smart People Appreciate
8
MJCG added
Mr. Robot
Rami Malek, Carly Chaikin
141
43
Premiered: June 24, 2015
Network: USA Network
Mr. Robot Easter Eggs #12 of 36 Newer Shows with the Most Impressive Writing #7 of 47 Expand Your Mind With These Cerebral Dramas
9
MarioArley added
Homeland
Claire Danes, Mandy Patinkin
397
224
Premiered: October 2, 2011
Network: Showtime
The Best Characters On 'Homeland'#69 of 125 All The TV Shows That Ended in 2020, Ranked #2 of 90 The Best Showtime Original Shows
10
The X-Files
Gillian Anderson, David Duchovny
446
326
Premiered: September 10, 1993
Network: FOX
'The X-Files' Episodes That Made Us Say "Ewwww"#8 of 54 The Best TV Shows That Lasted 10+ Seasons #17 of 75 The Best Shows About Crime-Fighting Duos
11
MajaKadic added
The Blacklist
James Spader, Diego Klattenhoff
480
334
Premiered: September 23, 2013
Network: NBC
Ranking the Best Seasons of 'The Blacklist'#9 of 29 The Best Current TV Shows No One Is Watching #79 of 206 The TV Shows With The Best Writing
12
The Fall
Gillian Anderson, Jamie Dornan
108
42
Premiered: May 13, 2013
Network: BBC Two
#35 of 79 The Best British Detective Series, Ranked #8 of 55 The Very Best British Crime Dramas, Ranked #17 of 44 The Very Best British Procedurals, Ranked
13
Jack Ryan
John Krasinski, Abbie Cornish
96
29
Premiered: August 31, 2018
Network: Amazon
The Best Episodes of 'Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan'#26 of 191 The Best New Series That Have Premiered In The Last Few Years #4 of 228 The Best New Shows That Premiered in 2018
14
Criminal Minds
Joe Mantegna, Paget Brewster
384
254
Premiered: September 22, 2005
Network: CBS
The Best Seasons of 'Criminal Minds'#12 of 89 The Best CBS Shows of All Time #14 of 47 The Best CBS Dramas of All Time
15
OmerA.Hafeez added
House of Cards
Robin Wright, Michael Kelly
188
130
Premiered: February 1, 2013
Network: Netflix
House of Cards Plot Points That Happened IRL #119 of 149 The All-Time Greatest TV Pilots #13 of 13 TV Shows With Supporting Casts So Good, They Overshadow The Main Character
16
MajaKadic added
Orphan Black
Tatiana Maslany, Jordan Gavaris
236
191
Premiered: March 30, 2013
Network: BBC America
Ranking the Best Seasons of 'Orphan Black'#25 of 234 The Greatest TV Shows for Women #133 of 420 The Greatest TV Dramas of All Time
17
aria2000 added
American Horror Story
Dylan McDermott, Connie Britton
269
217
Premiered: October 5, 2011
Network: FX
The Story Of The Cape Cod Vampire May Have Inspired 'American Horror Story: Red Tide'All Of Evan Peters's Roles In 'American Horror Story,' Ranked By Fans #6 of 29 The Best Dramas on Cable Right Now
18
Revenge
Emily VanCamp, Madeleine Stowe
163
149
Premiered: September 21, 2011
Network: ABC
16 Underrated Revenge Movies Where The Hero Goes Scorched-Earth #173 of 632 The Best TV Shows To Binge Watch #240 of 321 The Best TV Shows Of The Past 20 Years
19
Alias
Jennifer Garner, Victor Garber
105
118
Premiered: September 30, 2001
Network: ABC
#227 of 401 The Best TV Shows to Rewatch #127 of 161 Shows With The Best Freakin' Series Finales Of All Time #57 of 129 Canceled Shows We'd Most Like to See as Movies
20
The Punisher
Jon Bernthal, Ben Barnes
57
29
Premiered: November 17, 2017
Network: Netflix
#15 of 1,002 The Best Original Streaming Shows Of The Last Few Years #14 of 124 The Best Comic Book & Superhero Shows of All Time #8 of 15 The Best New Conspiracy TV Shows of the Last Few Years
21
Nikita
Maggie Q, Shane West
24
17
Premiered: September 9, 2010
Network: CW
#15 of 325 The Best Female-Lead TV Shows #24 of 88 The Best TV Shows Based on Movies #11 of 124 TV Shows with the Hottest Casts
22
Ozark
Jason Bateman, Laura Linney
198
31
Premiered: July 21, 2017
Network: Netflix
The Best Characters on Ozark, Ranked #3 of 45 New TV Shows of the Last Few Years with the Best Overall Acting #7 of 179 The Best Shows Currently On The Air
23
MarianHornjak added
Blindspot
Sullivan Stapleton, Jaimie Alexander
32
35
Premiered: September 21, 2015
Network: NBC
The Best Episodes of 'Blindspot'#41 of 58 The Best NBC Dramas of All Time #5 of 45 The Greatest Shows About the FBI
24
pnd5 added
Stranger Things
Winona Ryder, David Harbour
321
112
Premiered: July 15, 2016
Network: Netflix
The Best Characters on 'Stranger Things,' Ranked Who Would Be In 'Stranger Things' If It Were Cast In The '80s?#1 of 41 Sci-Fi Shows You Should Be Watching Now
25
The Dead Zone
Anthony Michael Hall, Nicole de Boer
36
45
Premiered: 2002
Network: USA
#11 of 55 The Best USA Network Original Series #26 of 42 The Best TV Shows Starring SNL Alumni #84 of 119 The Best TV Shows That Never Got a Real Finale