7 Greatest Thriller Shows With Fewer Than 40 Episodes
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Thrillers often rely on sustaining elements of suspense, mystery or intrigue, so it’s impressive when any television series is able to do so through multiple episodes. Some accomplish it through an anthology format, breaking each season into its own narrative, while others let their plots burn slowly over multiple seasons. Either way, thriller series often benefit from shorter runs. There have been all too many examples of shows that have come out strong with dynamic first seasons that have been unable to maintain that pace and quickly deflate.
That's why thrillers that limit themselves to less than 40 episodes are often so successful. Whether that limit was self-imposed or foisted upon them by cancellation is immaterial since the end result remains the same. There aren't a great many of these, given how series in the pre-streaming era would be produced until the last advertising dime dropped, and now with the shift away from traditional toward limited series as well. They may be few, but these thriller shows are the greatest with fewer than 40 episodes.
'Sherlock' (2010–2017)
It may be an easy cheat to include a series that was essentially a succession of television movies, but blame the Brits for their wonky formatting. Sherlock, created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, brought Arthur Conan Doyle's iconic detective into the 21st century, updating some of his most classic mysteries with new twists thanks to technology and references to contemporary events. What remains the same is the relationship between Holmes and Watson, played by Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, respectively. Their chemistry is the biggest driving force of the series, but the mysteries themselves remain just as enthralling as ever.
Across four seasons and thirteen episodes, the series loosely adapted some of Doyle's major mysteries, including The Hound of the Baskervilles and A Scandal in Belgravia, offering new interpretations of fan favorite characters like Irene Adler (Laura Pulver) and Mycroft Holmes (Gatiss). Most memorable though is the show's interpretation of Holmes' most notorious nemesis, Moriarty. As played by Andrew Scott, the character brought a chaotic energy that no other villain could match, and which was sorely missed in the later episodes. Those episodes featuring the character are the definite highlights of Sherlock, but the entire series is a great offering of modern mystery thrillers.
'Line of Duty' (2010–Present)
Technically speaking, the BBC police procedural thriller Line of Duty will have more than 40 episodes when its seventh season premieres sometime next year, but it remains to be seen how connected that belated season will feel. The current six seasons have a sense of completion to them after wrapping up the series' central mystery, albeit to what can charitably be called a mixed reception. Even so, the series, created by Jed Mercurio, maintained a remarkable level of consistency and suspense in its focus on the Anti-Corruption Unit 12.
The AC-12, billed as the police for the police, uncovers corruption within the Central Police, with guest stars appearing as individual officers under investigation in each season. The end of Season 3 would introduce what would become the defining mystery of the series, with the mysterious identity of the corrupt officer known as "H" driving the later seasons. While the ultimate resolution of this storyline would be somewhat of a letdown for fans and critics, Line of Duty is still a scintillating procedural thriller.
'Hannibal' (2013–2015)
Another thriller series based on an iconic character, Hannibal brought Thomas Harris' iconic cannibal and supporting characters to the small screen by injecting some fresh blood into the serial killer thriller formula. Loosely adapting and expanding on the Harris novels Red Dragon, Hannibal and Hannibal Rising, the series, created by Bryan Fuller, delved deep into the relationship between the titular character and obsessive FBI agent Will Graham. As played by Mads Mikkelsen and Hugh Dancy, the characters share a sexual tension, turning the entire series into a twisted kind of love story that helped set it apart from prior adaptations.
Mikkelsen and Dancy are key to the show's success, finding all new avenues for their characters previously unexplored in other portrayals. Mikkelsen, in particular, sets himself apart from Brian Cox and Anthony Hopkins by playing his character like Satan himself. The series also sets itself apart by turning many of the gruesome and macabre moments from the Harris books into bizarrely beautiful tableaus. Even Hannibal's cannibalism is made unsettlingly delectable in sequences that wouldn't feel out of place on the Food Network. Hannibal was canceled before it could be finished, ending its 39 episodes on an open note that feels strangely appropriate and perfect for the series and its central relationship.
'Broadchurch' (2013–2017)
A perfect police procedural, Broadchurch exceeds expectations by not only offering a thrilling mystery in each of its three seasons, but also in tracking the dramatic aftermath. David Tennant and Olivia Colman are compelling co-leads as the detectives in the series' titular coastal town, which is rocked by its murders. Expanding far beyond the investigation, the series also interrogates the corrosive effects murder and media attention can have on a community. Broadchurch is sharply written, perfectly acted, and an essential British thriller series.
The first season begins with the murder of an eleven-year-old boy, which brings in detectives Alec Hardy (Tennant) and Ellie Miller (Colman), who both bring their own baggage to the case. Solving the case is only the beginning as the effects of it on Broadchurch and its residents, as well as the detectives, continue through the next two seasons. Over 24 episodes, Broadchurch tells a thrilling tale of a tight-knit community torn apart by tragedy and trauma.
Collider Exclusive · Villain Personality Quiz Which Criminal Mastermind Would Be Your Nemesis? Lecter · Joker · Moriarty · Chigurh
Four of the finest criminal minds ever put on screen. One of them would look at you and see something worth their time. Eight questions decide which one comes for you, why they picked you, and what they would want when they arrived.
🍷Lecter
🃏Joker
♟️Moriarty
🪙Chigurh
01
What would a criminal mastermind notice about you first? Great villains choose their opponents carefully. Something about you got their attention.
02
How do they make first contact? The introduction tells you everything about what is coming next.
03
What do you actually believe about right and wrong? Every nemesis is really an argument about the thing you believe most.
04
What finally gets under your skin? Everybody has a pressure point. Finding yours is the whole plan.
05
They have made their move. How do you fight back? This is the part of the film where the audience finds out who you are.
06
What would they use against you? A good villain never brings a weapon you have not already handed them.
07
What do they actually want from you? The money is never the point. Something else always is.
08
How does it end between the two of you? Eight questions in, this is the one that decides who comes for you.
The Case File Is Complete Your Nemesis Is…
Four criminal masterminds. One of them was always going to be yours. Here is who comes for you, why they picked you out of everyone available, and what they want from the encounter.
Hannibal Lecter
Your nemesis does not want to beat you. He wants to know you completely, and he is patient enough to wait for it. The frightening part is how good the conversation is.
- Lecter is the most dangerous kind of opponent: the one who finds you interesting. He never raises his voice, because he has never needed to.
- You keep a great deal to yourself and you are careful about what you show. That reserve is exactly the door he would knock on.
- The films understood something other thrillers missed. The horror is not the violence. It is being perfectly understood by the wrong person.
- He would be unfailingly polite about all of it. That is the worst part.
The Joker
Your nemesis is not after money, territory or revenge. He is after a demonstration, and you are the person he has chosen to prove his point on.
- The Joker only picks opponents who believe in something. Your decency is not a defence against him. It is the entire reason he showed up.
- He has no plan you can predict and nothing you can take away, which removes every tool you would normally reach for.
- His whole argument is that you are one bad day away from being him, and you would spend the rest of your life proving him wrong.
- He would call it a magic trick. You would call it the worst night of your life.
Moriarty
Your nemesis respects you, which sounds flattering until you work out what it means. He chose you because nobody else was worth his time.
- Moriarty is the original criminal mastermind, the template every later one borrows from: a mind the equal of the hero's, pointed the wrong way.
- You enjoy being the cleverest person in the room. He is counting on exactly that, and he has already built the room.
- This is the rare nemesis who would be genuinely disappointed if you lost badly. He needs the game to be worth playing.
- It ends the way these things always end. Two people, one problem, and only one way down.
Anton Chigurh
Your nemesis has no personal interest in you whatsoever, and that is precisely what makes him unsurvivable. You are not a rival. You are a stop on the way.
- Chigurh does not negotiate, gloat or explain. He arrives, he asks one question, and the answer was decided long before you opened your mouth.
- You trust yourself to handle things. He is the one problem in the world that has no interest in how capable you are.
- No Country for Old Men rewrote the screen villain by removing the thing audiences quietly rely on: the sense that talking might work.
- Call it. He will wait.
'Mindhunter' (2017–2019)
Another stellar thriller series cut down in its prime, Mindhunter produced two perfect true crime seasons before being put on an indefinite hold, and with series producer David Fincher ending his overall deal with Netflix, it seems these crimes will remain unsolved. Based on the real-life Behavioral Science Unit of the FBI, the series depicted a fictionalized account of its founding and put an emphasis on criminal profilers and the psychological toll of their work. Similar to Fincher's film Zodiac, the series is a methodical thriller highlighted by the immaculate recreations of its era and the many serial killers it features.
The show revolves around FBI agents Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany) who work with psychologist Wendy Carr (Anna Trov) as they develop profiles on serial killers through methodical interviews, while also becoming involved in some real-life cases. The casting of the series is one of its greatest achievements, with actors, with the aid of incredible makeup, playing real-life killers like David Berkowitz and Charles Manson with frightening authenticity. Five seasons were reportedly planned, but fans will have to settle for two perfect seasons of Mindhunter.
'Dark' (2017–2020)
Dark, a German sci-fi thriller series, is densely layered and complex, with a plot that utilizes time travel and spans decades and parallel universes. It's drawn comparisons to Stranger Things and Twin Peaks but truly is its own dark beast. Across three seasons, it manages to weave multiple narratives that twist and intersect, with characters played by multiple actors at different ages. It requires a great deal of patience and a conspiracy board to track all of its plot threads, but it's also an incredibly rewarding thriller that tells a complete story in 26 episodes.
Beginning in the small German town of Winden, the plot is set in motion by the disappearance of a teen boy, which brings together four families and uncovers secrets buried deep within their shared history. From there, the plot only becomes more complex, introducing a bootstrap paradox that creates all kinds of questions of causality and fate. Dark is best experienced rather than explained, particularly for how effectively it tells such a complicated plot in a fraction of the number of episodes it takes many other series.
'The Sinner' (2017–2021)
One of the most criminally underrated thriller series, The Sinner is anchored by a committed lead performance by Bill Pullman, playing a haunted detective who takes on a different case in each season. Based on the novel of the same name by Petra Hammesfahr, the series was originally intended to be a miniseries, but its success led to three additional seasons. Less of a whodunit and more of a why-did-they-do-it, the series digs deep into the psyches of each season's killers, with Pullman's detective Harry Ambrose always getting more than he bargained for in the process. With actors like Jessica Biel, Carrie Coon, and Matt Bomer giving stellar performances in each season, The Sinner is filled with unexpected delights alongside its thrills.
With each new case he takes on, more and more is revealed over the course of the series about Ambrose and his traumatic past, which gives added layers of emotion to the procedural elements of the series. Series creator Derek Simonds and his writers revel in teasing out the mystery of each season. They all begin with a death, or murder, that seems straightforward, but which is slowly revealed to be far more complex over the course of eight episodes. The Sinner is a solid police thriller but an even better showcase for Pullman, who is never anything less than compelling to watch.
The Sinner
- Release Date
- 2017 - 2021-00-00
- Network
- USA Network
- Showrunner
- Derek Simonds
- Directors
- Brad Anderson, Antonio Campos, Cherien Dabis, Jody Lee Lipes, Tucker Gates, Andrew McCarthy, Batan Silva, Radium Cheung, Colin Bucksey, John David Coles, Haifaa al-Mansour, Monica Raymund
-
Harry Ambrose
-
Cora Tannetti
-
Dohn Norwood
Dan Leroy
-
Matt Bomer
Jamie Burns
- Writers
- Derek Simonds, Nina Braddock, Jesse McKeown, Liz W. Garcia, Piero S. Iberti, Bradford Winters, Hannah Shakespeare, Tom Pabst
- Main Genre
- Crime
- Seasons
- 4
- Producers
- Brad Carpenter, Meredith Mills-Cavalluzzo, Jonathan Caren, Ellen Marie Blum, Aaron Seliquini, Chris Arruda, Jenny Zhang
- Creator(s)
- Derek Simonds
- Streaming Service(s)
- Netflix
- Executive Producer(s)
- Adam Bernstein, Charlie Gogolak, Derek Simonds, Jessica Biel, Michelle Purple, Nina Braddock, Willie Reale, Gerald Cuesta, Hannah Shakespeare, Jesse McKeown, Julie Siege, Jonathan Caren
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