There’s nothing quite like the sensation of getting into a new television show and becoming completely engrossed in it, cancelling all other plans in order to watch as many episodes as you possibly can. Nothing compares to the agony of knowing you’ve committed to a show in this way and then realising after five episodes—or worse, seasons—that you have no idea what’s happening anymore. Additionally, it’s not always for lack of effort. Perhaps the conversation is too rapid and jargon-heavy, or the narratives become too convoluted or unbelievable. Or perhaps the purpose of the performance was never ever intended to be understood in the first place.
Of course, that need not be a bad thing. The next eight TV shows are all masterpieces in their own right, and may very well be the most perplexing of all time.
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You either have a remarkable knack for keeping track of multiple timelines, universes, and different versions of the same character—or you are familiar with the best Reddit threads, Wikis, and YouTube recaps deciphering the infamously complex series—if you can explain what happens throughout all three seasons of Netflix’s German science fiction thriller Dark without getting lost in the plot. A small-town search for a missing child quickly develops into a complex examination of the generational trauma of four nearby families, complete with reality-hopping and time-jumping. It would be a fool’s errand to even try to watch it without a handy family tree. Even the series finale, which closed up several plot lines, left additional unanswered issues that are most likely never going to be answered.
Fringe
Science fiction shows don’t have have to be difficult to understand, but historically speaking, that’s what you get when they were co-created by Lost co-creator J.J. Abrams. The 2008 television series Fringe centres on a team of federal investigators tasked with solving particularly bizarre or unusual incidents. The show grabs your interest right away, whether it’s because of the overly complicated plots or the fact that it uses technical terms as though the typical Fox primetime viewer has a degree in physics. And as the timelines shift and new characters from the future are introduced in Seasons 4 and 5, it only becomes apparent that you neglected to study for the test.
Lost
Back in 2004, the Lost pilot episode, which involved crashing a commercial plane on a purportedly isolated island full of mysteries, was compelling enough to draw viewers in. And throughout the course of the following six seasons, the ABC show’s mythology only becomes more convoluted and complex. Even now, there is debate over the much-anticipated series finale, with some calling it a letdown and others arguing that it was the only solution.
A smoke monster, a donkey wheel, a lived-in bunker, a string of numbers that keep appearing in different places—all of these seemingly unrelated things play a role in Lost and were the subject of endless fan speculation while the programme was airing. Executive producer Carlton Cuse responded to a question about whether every aspect in the programme had significance or offered a concrete clue to the enigma surrounding the island and Oceanic Flight 815 before the start of Season 3: “Almost everything has a purpose. There are certain things we just chuck in. There are some things we include that are somewhat self-referential. In the show, we’ll include elements that acknowledge viewers’ theories about it.”
In other words, Lost’s creators deliberately designed it difficult to understand. When you find yourself raising your fist at the discovery of yet another red herring, keep that in mind.
Lovecraft Country
HBO Max’s Lovecraft Country was only aired for a single season, but it was a whirling, expansive show with themes of racial history, the occult, and the paranormal at its centre. The show, which is based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft and is a continuation of Matt Ruff’s novel of the same name, is set in the 1950s and follows Atticus Black (Jonathan Majors), Letitia (Jurnee Smollett), and his uncle George (Courtney B. Vance) as they travel to the Jim Crow South in search of Atticus’ missing father. However, the horrors they come across along the way—from unmistakable and all-too-real prejudice to a plethora of ghosts, shape-shifters, and demons—all contribute to the plot’s richness and keep viewers on their toes. Even though it went off the rails, it’s terrible that Season 2 was never able to show us what might have happened.
Pretty Little Liars
If two people can keep a secret, then one of them ought to be able to explain Pretty Little Liars’ mind-blowing plot twists and frustrating flaws in logic. A group of girls are mocked and stalked by a mysterious persona dubbed A, who just so happens to share the initials with their missing friend, neighbourhood nasty girl Allison. This is how the series, which debuted in 2010, begins. The introduction of too many numerous stalkers, killers, and secret family members to realistically keep track of, however, causes the seven-season serial to finally jump the shark. The good news is that the show is only difficult to understand if you actually attempt to understand it; after Season 5, it seems as though it was probably created using a Mad Libs activity book.
The Blacklist
The Blacklist begins as a very comprehensible network drama, similar to Pretty Little Liars, about a criminal mastermind (James Spader) collaborating with a special FBI unit to find other most wanted criminals. It was essentially a procedural in the early seasons, as the crew worked on a fresh case each episode despite the implausibility of the premise. However, things start to go sideways in later seasons when Elizabeth’s (Megan Boone) marriage to Red (Spader) begins to take centre stage. Is the father of Red Liz? Roanoke: Who or what is it? The show becomes increasingly perplexing as it deviates from the primary, crime-fighting basis of Seasons 1 and 2, what with all the flashbacks to Soviet Russia and the interactions between Elizabeth, Red, and her (possibly?) deceased mother.
The Witcher
You might have anticipated that because The Witcher on Netflix is based on a book series by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, its fictitious country, the Continent, would have simpler politics and a simpler history. Unfortunately, you could feel lost if you’re entering the world of monster hunter Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill) for the first time. Focusing on Geralt’s exploits as well as those of the witch Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) and Princess Ciri (Freya Allan) helps, but you’ll need at least a primer and a map if you want to have any chance of understanding why one kingdom is at war with another at any given time. It’s not necessary for The Witcher to be realistic because it is a fantasy series, but could we just receive a little exposition now and then?
Twin Peaks
When Twin Peaks debuted on ABC in 1990, it quickly gained enormous popularity. Even though it was broadcast on network television, it wasn’t necessarily an easy watch. The series, which is a blend of a soap opera and a horror show, was co-created by Mark Frost (Hill Street Blues) and David Lynch (the director of such esoteric films as Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive). Is this camp? Is it satire? Or is everything supposed to be accepted at face value? It’s all of the above, according to fans of the original series, the film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, and the 2017 revival, Twin Peaks: The Return.
The programme is never simple to follow, particularly the second season, which gradually lost viewers as Twin Peaks revealed the solution to its main puzzle: Who killed Laura Palmer? The show, however, continued to surprise and irritate its viewers by being unexpected. As Vox pointed out in their overview of the first two seasons, “The people of Twin Peaks’ world are prone to speaking in choppy monosyllables, random non sequiturs, or tangents whose points are only occasionally, if ever, revealed in full. Fans refer to a woman as “Log Lady” because she wanders around town with a log seemingly for no reason. The dead come back to life in the infamous red room (OR DO THEY? ), there are hallucinations that may or may not be hallucinations, and eventually there are genuine demons.” All true!
