TV shows have a wide variety of creative tools at their disposal, whether it be introducing new characters who set storylines on fire, unexpectedly killing characters off — and just as unexpectedly resurrecting them — or having people from the past return to shake everything up. These hit shows that we’re about to discuss featured some pretty shocking plot twists, all offered with style. And while some of them brought devastating changes to cast lineups or overall plots, they achieved what they were designed to do in terms of shocking audiences.
Beware of spoilers below!
1. The Good Place (2016 to 2020)
Given the life that she’s led — and it wasn’t a good one — Eleanor Shellstop (Kristen Bell), along with the rest of the audience, is surprised to learn that when she ends up in the afterlife, she made it to the Good Place. Assuming that there must have been some sort of cosmic-level mistake, she takes it upon herself to hide from the Good Place’s architect, Michael (Ted Danson).
But in one of TV’s biggest plot twists, it’s revealed in the season 1 finale that Eleanor and her neighbors are actually in the Bad Place. Jaws dropped and audiences were stunned at this revelation, making for one of the best plot twists ever.
Watch The Good Place on Netflix!
2. Lost (2004 to 2010)
Lost followed the survivors of Oceanic Airlines Flight 815 on an uninhabited island and consistently threw twists at the audience. But the biggest one of all was when fans realized in the season 3 finale that all of the preceding flashbacks were actually flashforwards, chronicling events in the lives of the characters following their return to civilization.
Watch Lost on Netflix!
3. Pretty Little Liars
With all the twists and turns that take place in Rosewood, Pennsylvania, it’s nearly impossible to choose which plot twist was the most unimaginable. But the one that takes the cake and completely upended events in the series is when it is revealed that Alison (Sasha Pieterse) — previously presumed dead — was actually alive. After four seasons of the liars trying to solve her supposed murder and uncover the true identity of the mysterious “A,” fans were let in on the fact that she was actually trying to stay safe by hiding from “A.”
As to the identity of that character, there were a number of choices offered, starting with Mona (Janel Parrish) in season 2 and again when we discovered it was CeCe Drake (Vanessa Ray), who went by “Big A,” in season 5. Then, at the very end of the series we, along with Spencer (Troian Bellisario), found out she had an evil twin who was referred to as “A.D.” (And yes, for the record, all of the “A’s” are connected, but you’ll need to follow along closely to see exactly how.
Watch Pretty Little Liars on Max!
4. The Good Wife
Will Gardner, who was portrayed by Josh Charles, was a main character in the legal drama The Good Wife from day one, and someone that the audience naturally assumed would be a part of the show through the end of its run. But when, in season 5, Will was shot and killed in the middle of the courtroom, audiences couldn’t believe their eyes. This shocking end for the character was certainly a major plot twist in The Good Wife and conveyed the sense that on this show, anything could happen.
Watch The Good Wife on Prime Video!
5. The Vampire Diaries
The Vampire Diaries introduced quite a few extravagant ideas throughout its run, but when audiences discovered that Elena’s (Nina Dobrev) doppelganger, Katherine, was back and posing as her, everyone was thrown off — especially since everyone thought she had died hundreds of years earlier. This spawned the entire doppelganger storyline which lasted throughout the show’s eight seasons.
Watch The Vampire Diaries on Max!
6. The O.C.
Nobody could have ever imagined The O.C. core four without one of their main members, but when Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton) was killed off at the end of season 3, fans were knocked sideways. Although Marissa had a rough few seasons prior, including a few near-death experiences, we never expected her to meet her end in a car accident caused by her crazy ex-boyfriend, Volchok (Cam Gigandet). The episode ended with Ryan (Ben McKenzie) carrying Marissa off in his arms while “Hallelujah” by Jeff Buckley plays in the background, making for quite a haunting moment.
Watch The O.C. on Max!
7. WandaVision
The limited series WandaVision focuses on the relationship between Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany), with Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) as a “wacky neighbor” in a neighborhood created whole-cloth by Wanda, born out of her grief over Vision’s death in the film Avengers: Endgame. But then it’s revealed in a major plot twist that it’s actually been Agatha pulling the strings, which has led to the current Disney+ series Agatha All Along. Remember: never trust the quiet sidekick — they always come back stronger.
Watch WandaVision on Disney+!
