Stories with twisty, turny plots have always had a huge appeal. With genre conventions making it easy to predict where much of what we see will go, it’s exciting when we’re taken on more of a wild ride. For this reason,stories with non-linear plots, shocking twists, and completely unique premises make for exciting and often popular TV shows. In comparison with movies, TV has hours and hours of extra time to develop its plot and characters, which allows the writers to craft more intricate narratives over the seasons. Although depending on just how long the story gets dragged out for, sometimes this can be for the worse.
When a series immediately sets off with a crazy premise and then has to live up to that standard for several seasons, it makes it difficult to maintain the same level of quality. It’s a common issue in this kind of series and can be seen in the disparity between the first and second seasons ofYellowjackets. Writing forForbesabout the show, Paul Tassi argues, “In season 2,Yellowjacketsseems to be missing something […] Call it LOST Syndrome.” to up the ante, things have to get more and more confusing, both in terms of plot and the way characters behave.
Whether they’re confusing in a great, mysterious way, or overly complex for the sake of it, these are 11 of the most confusing shows ever made.
11Twin Peaks (1990-1991)
David Lynch is a director who is famous for his unique and convoluted plots, andTwin Peaksis no exception to this reputation. The series follows Special Agent Dale Cooper who has been called to the strange town of Twin Peaks to investigate the murder of a teenage girl, Laura Palmer. Agent Cooper is played by Kyle MacLachlan who does an impeccable job with the offbeat tone of the show alongside Mädchen Amick, Sherilyn Fenn, and Dana Ashbrook.
As the series turns toward the supernatural, the already complex plot becomes even harder to follow. However, it’s not the kind of show that is complicated for the sake of it, it truly rewards those who pay close attention.
Related:Most Confusing Movies Ever Made
10Lost (2004-2011)
Created by J.J. Abrams,Lostis a show that set itself up with such a brilliant premise that it would always be difficult to move forward from such a high point. With six seasons, there was a lot of time to fill, and the end result was an increasingly complicated and confusing storyline.
The show begins with a plane crash and from there onward, we see the group of survivors attempt to make it off the deserted island they find themselves on. Some of the survivors include Jorge Garcia, Josh Holloway, and Evangeline Lilly. Although the series has become famous for an ending that disappointed fans, it’s still worth a watch for its positives.
9Dark (2017-2020)
Set in a small German town,Darkfollows the disappearance of two young children which brings family secrets to the surface. The relatively simple premise is complicated by a supernatural twist that connects the present day characters and events to the same town in 1986. To make matters worse, the same actors are used for both time periods, including Louis Hoffman, Karoline Eichorn, and Maja Schöne.
Similarly toTwin Peaks, this is very much a series in which your hard work spent on following the story pays off in spades. In a review forVox, Emily St. James sums the experience of watchingDarkwell by saying, “It’s beautiful, mysterious, and a little bit maddening.”
8Wayward Pines (2015-2016)
In keeping with confusing TV tradition,Wayward Pinesis set in a creepy little town. It finds a Secret Service agent going to the titular town in search of two other agents who have gone missing. With executive producer M. Night Shyamalan on board, it’s unsurprising that this has become one of the most confusing shows of all time.
There are some impressive names in the cast, including Toby Jones, Carla Gugino, and Melissa Leo. The complex plot can be relentless, teasing answers and immediately taking them away again, but it just leaves you wanting more. Unfortunately, the second season doesn’t manage to pull off the same eerie tension as the first, which was always going to be hard to beat.
7Westworld (2016-2022)
The sci-fi seriesWestworldwas inspired by the movie of the same name, both of which feature very realistic looking androids. This program is set in the future in which a wild west theme park has been constructed that features these androids where guests go to carry out whatever fantasies they desire. We follow Teddy, played by James Marsden, as he goes about a day at the park when he is interrupted by a mysterious man in black, Ed Harris.
Meanwhile, those running the park are alerted to unexpected behavior from the androids and must work to contain these issues. Things get complicated as the series progresses because the android beings are so humanoid that it is hard to keep track of who is what.
6Mr. Robot (2015-2019)
Mr. Robotstars Rami Malek as Elliot, a cyber-security engineer who also doubles as a vigilante hacker in his spare time. When he becomes embroiled in the takedown of a global finance giant, E-Corp, his already precarious mental state takes a turn for the worse. Malek is joined by others such as Christian Slater, Carly Chaikin, and Portia Doubleday.
The fact that Elliot suffers with something akin to schizophrenia means that the audience can never be certain that what they’re seeing is real, imagined, or somewhere in between. What’s rare about this show is that it maintains a similar level ofquality over four seasons, which can be difficult when dealing with plots so full of twists and turns.
5Fringe (2008-2013)
Yet another series with J.J. Abrams as a creator,Fringeis a science fiction show that involves time travel and parallel realities. Anna Torv stars as Olivia Dunham, an FBI agent part of the Fringe Division, which investigates cases that fall under fringe science. She works with a formerly institutionalized scientist, Walter Bishop, played by John Noble, along with Joshua Jackson, Jasika Nicole, and Lance Reddick.
With the subject matter the team investigates, it’s not hard to imagine how confusing the plot can get, but what’s great about the show is that it trusts the audience to go along with it. Rather than leaning too heavily on exposition, it’s just smartly written and all the more entertaining for it.
4The OA (2016-2019)
The OAcenters around a woman named Prairie Johnson, played by Brit Marling, who mysteriously shows up after going missing seven years ago. Despite being blind when she disappeared, she can now see, causing some to believe she is evidence of a miracle and others to be wary of potential danger from her.
There is a confidence toThe OAthat makes it easy to go along with despite the confusing and enigmatic plot that it presents us with. The tone is unique and moves at a leisurely pace, though not one that ever feels slow. In contrast with many of these shows, the second and final season of this one provides answers that are satisfying to most, and perhaps the fact that it wasn’t drawn out over so many years did the series a favor.
3Riverdale (2017-2023)
Taking very clear inspiration fromTwin Peaks,Riverdaleis as if it had been aimed at teens and had the camp levels dialed up to 100. Each season finds a group of high school friends in a strange and isolated town solving different mysteries that become increasingly bonkers as the show progresses. The first season simply involves the murder of one of their peers but later there are cults, a gargoyle king, and even fully-fledged superpowers.
The rate at whichRiverdalegoes from a seemingly regular teen series into a show with alternate universes and supernatural goings-on can make it confusing to some viewers, but to those who it works for, it really works.
Related:Riverdale: How the TV Series Has Changed Since Season One
2Counterpart (2017-2019)
Continuing the parallel universe theme,Counterpartfollows J.K. Simmons as Howard Silk, a UN employee who discovers agateway to a parallel dimensionat war with his own. Howard’s parallel counterpart is a top spy and soon, the war is heating up. Similarly toDark, having actors play two versions of a character can lead to obvious complications, but with Simmons and the rest of the cast being so brilliant, it isn’t too hard to follow.
Additionally, the fact that Howard comes face to face with himself plays into the age-old anxiety around doppelgängers that comes up in other sci-fi and horror movies such asThe DoubleorAnnihilation.
