From ‘The Last of Us’ to ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty,’ here are the moments we’re still talking about.

The 23 most shocking TV moments of 2025

From 'The Last of Us' to 'The Summer I Turned Pretty,' here are the moments we're still talking about.

December 5, 2025 12:00 p.m. ET

Pedro Pascal on 'The Last of Us'; Christopher Briney and Lola Tung on 'The Summer I Turned Pretty'; Patrick Schwarzenegger and Sam Nivola on 'The White Lotus'; Ncuti Gatwa on 'Doctor Who'. Credit:

HBO; Amazon Prime; BBC - Design: Alex Sandoval

If television isn't making you feel something, what's the point? And this year, there were a handful of shows that delivered on one particular feeling: Shock.

From the classic twist — a character's death — to unexpected reveals and even a bit of incest, here are the moments that surprised us so much we're still talking about them. (Spoilers, obviously!)

Dana gets punched, The Pitt

Katherine LaNasa as Dana Evans on 'The Pitt'.

Everyone's new favorite medical drama, *The Pitt* ensnared a devoted fanbase with its explosively tense premiere. But the inventive procedural from *ER* vets John Wells and Noah Wyle would reach its peak with episode 9, "3:00 P.M." The 15-episode season is structured to chronicle a single 15-hour shift in a fictional Pittsburgh trauma center, and by afternoon, all hell has broken loose. The previous episode's gruesome case casts a pall over the entire hospital, but Katherine LaNasa's snarky and ebullient charge nurse Dana Evans alone manages to break like a sun ray through the fearsome clouds — which makes the episode's violent end all the more shocking. Out on break, puffing on a cigarette, Dana is sucker-punched by a patient disgruntled over his wait time. "3:00 P.M." showed that no one at Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center was safe, not even off the clock. —*Ryan Coleman*

All of the 1923 finale

Alex, Spencer, and their baby in '1923'.

After Alex (Julia Schlaepfer) spent an entire season fighting to get back to her husband, Spencer (Brandon Sklenar), Taylor Sheridan wrapped the second and final season of *1923* by finally allowing the couple to reunite… only to kill her off in the very same episode! To make matters even worse, she voluntarily chose to turn down potentially life-saving medical treatment for her hypothermia shortly after giving birth to their premature son, John. And yet, somehow, that was only one of the many truly unbelievable moments in the outrageous finale — there was also a shootout at the ranch, Whitfield (Timothy Dalton) was killed, and Spencer and Alex were eventually reunited in 1920s heaven. There’s a reason why all of us, Schlaepfer and Sklenar included, were “still processing” the finale long after it ended. —*Emlyn Travis*

Doctor Who’s surprise regeneration

Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor on 'Doctor Who'.

Ncuti Gatwa's ebullient presence on *Doctor Who* breathed new life into a show that premiered more than six decades ago, which made his sudden departure from playing the titular Time Lord all the more surprising. His exit from the series was not officially announced prior to his final episode, marking a stark contrast from most other contemporary recastings of the character, and his relatively brief tenure — two 8-episode seasons and a pair of specials — ultimately makes him the shortest-serving Doctor in 20 years. More surprising still: In the final moment of the season finale, Gatwa regenerated into Billie Piper, who previously starred on the series as Rose Tyler, thus marking the first time that an actor has pivoted from playing a companion to (seemingly) playing the lead role of the series. —*Wesley Stenzel*

They’re all dead, We Were Liars

Emily Alyn Lind as Cadence Sinclair on 'We Were Liars'.

Okay yes, let's start by acknowledging that this was a book before it was a show, so fans of E. Lockhart's 2014 novel knew what was coming. But for the rest of the viewers, the ending was anything but predictable. After spending an entire season trying to figure out what happened to cause Cadence's (Emily Alyn Lynd) brain injury, fans never guessed that the answer was: Jonny (Joseph Zada), Mirren (Esther McGregor), and Gat (Shubham Maheshwari) all died while burning down the Sinclair mansion — mostly because they forgot a gas line was a thing. And we thought it was bad enough when it was the dogs! —*Samantha Highfill*

Ted’s brother is a ghost, Suits LA

Stephen Amell and Carson A. Egan on 'Suits LA'.

In the long lead-up to the debut of *Suits *spinoff *Suits LA*, no one ever mentioned that Stephen Amell’s main character Ted Black had a brother. So you can imagine how confusing it was to meet Eddie Black (Carson A. Egan) onscreen in the series premiere, Ted’s bright, charming brother who had Down syndrome. Eddie brought out a softer, loving side from Ted’s otherwise sharp, cold exterior, but why had no one talked about the character? It all became clear in the final moments of the premiere with the twist that Eddie died long before the series began, and that Ted was actually talking to a hallucination. Yeah, you read that right. This shocking “reveal” was so baffling and inappropriate for a show that was supposed to be a grounded legal drama set in the same world as *Suits*. Who actually thought this was a good idea? To that person, all we have to say is: Objection! —*Sydney Bucksbaum*

Joel dies, The Last of Us

Kaitlyn Dever and Pedro Pascal on 'The Last of Us'.

Liane Hentscher/HBO

It was like reading about the Red Wedding in George R. R. Martin’s books years before it would be adapted on TV’s *Game of Thrones*. Gamers were all waiting to see the reaction of a general mainstream audience to *The Last of Us* killing off Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal). We just didn’t know how it would happen. Say what you want about the rest of season 2 (clearly, nothing’s stopping anyone in that regard), but the team behind the repeat Emmy nom magnet reshaped the primary story events to bring fresher surprises for even the most jaded of video-game enthusiasts. What cut the deepest? Watching the internet’s chosen zaddy become the face to meet the end of Kaitlyn Dever’s golf club swing. —*Nick Romano*

Mark chooses Helly, Severance

Britt Lower and Adam Scott on 'Severance'.

In *Severance*’s season 2 finale, Outie Mark (Adam Scott) and Outie Gemma (Dichen Lachman) finally reunite on Lumon’s Testing Floor. You can see the relief on both of their faces as they recognize each other after a couple of painstaking years of searching, and, for Gemma, torture. Their kiss is one of the most satisfying on-screen reunion kisses in recent memory… and the happy moment lasts for all of about 10 seconds. The pair must rely on their innies to get them safely out of the building, and after pushing Gemma out of the door, Mark S. pauses before looking back at Helly R. (Britt Lower). And he does it. He chooses Helly instead of his outie’s wife. Sirens are going off, his shirt is soaked with blood, and he doesn’t care. He chooses the unknown, a world where he and the love of his life are still alive. —*Tiffany Kelly*

Theo abdicates, The Buccaneers

Guy Remmers on 'The Buccaneers'.

We know they’re professional actors, but it’s still crazy that Kristine Froseth (Nan) and Guy Remmers (Theo) are dating in real life because their characters on *The Buccaneers* were never gonna make it, not when Nan seems forever heartsick with thoughts of Guy (Matthew Broome). Still, given Nan’s determination to protect her family and Guy’s kind heart, a marriage of convenience seemed more likely on the table than Theo completely abdicating his dukedom to pursue Lizzy (Aubri Ibrag), leaving Nan pregnant and alone. He just had to pick this time to take everyone’s advice and put his own needs first. Gawd! —*N.R.*

John Mulaney fights teens, Everybody’s Live With John Mulaney

John Mulaney wrestles teens on 'Everybody's Live'.

He actually did it. John Mulaney actually made good on his promise to fight three 14-year old boys on live TV and the result was… honestly pretty humiliating for him. And isn't that what entertainment is all about? From the very beginning, Mulaney and co made it pretty damn clear that *Everybody's Live* would not be your average late-night show. And then came the penultimate episode, where Mulaney issued an insane challenge to the teen boys of America. Forget about 100 men vs one gorilla — what about three teenage boys vs one middle-aged comedian? The whole saga was ridiculous, from Mulaney asking teens to write in and submit themselves for the fight to the actual event, which saw Adam Sandler cheering from the sidelines as two teenagers held Mulaney down and a third knocked him off his feet. In the end, Mulaney spent days training for the fight, teasing it, and even researching the legality of Californian child-fighting laws — only for the epic showdown to find him haggard, out of breath, and desperately tapping out within 47 seconds. —*Shania Russell*

That steamy stairwell scene, The Summer I Turned Pretty

Christopher Briney and Lola Tung on 'The Summer I Turned Pretty'.

Being on Team Conrad was not for the faint of heart. But *The Summer I Turned Pretty *finally rewarded its most stalwart portion of its fandom in the series finale when Belly (Lola Tung) reunited with Conrad (Christopher Briney) after years of miscommunication, yearning, and, you know, her pesky engagement to his younger brother, Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno). It may have taken the entire series for the two star-crossed loves to get to this point, but it was definitely worth the wait — because Belly and Conrad literally couldn’t wait until they were in her Parisian apartment to get their freak on. Their intense hookup started in the taxi and continued in the stairwell, and the normally reserved Conrad shocked Belly — and viewers — by getting handsy with her right on the railing. Even Team Jeremiah fans can’t deny that this was the best sex scene of the entire series. Patience definitely paid off for Team Conrad. —*S.B.*

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Nathan Fielder flies a 737, The Rehearsal

Nathan Fielder flies a plan on 'The Rehearsal'.

On a Nathan Fielder show, it’s sometimes hard to tell what’s real and what’s a stunt. But in the season 2 finale of the comedian’s HBO series *The Rehearsal*, Fielder really flew a Boeing 737 with nearly 150 actors on board over the Mojave Desert. (A miracle over the Mojave, if you will.) Before the momentous flight, Fielder sat down with each actor and asked them if they were comfortable being a passenger in the name of making great TV. “This seems fine,” one actor told him casually. Luckily, it was fine! He landed the plane and received a round of applause from his passengers. Whatever Fielder’s next project is about, it’ll be hard to top this moment. —*T.K.*

Foggy dies, Daredevil: Born Again

Elden Henson as Foggy on 'Daredevil: Born Again'.

Another major television death we’re still not over almost a full calendar year later: Elden Henson’s Foggy Nelsen. It took a lot for Disney to bring back the original stars of Netflix’s *Daredevil* era for successor drama *Daredevil: Born Again*, which meant sticking it out through a massive creative overhaul that occurred after the start of filming. After all that, we couldn’t even enjoy seeing the original legal trio back together again on screen before one-third of them was killed off. Some fans understood the move; others did not. At least Henson’s Foggy will return in some capacity in season 2. (Force ghost?) —*N.R.*

Late-night cancellations (and suspensions)

Jimmy Kimmel; Stephen Colbert.

Randy Holmes/Disney via Getty; Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty

For the first time in at least a decade, late-night talk shows found themselves at the forefront of the national conversation — twice over! In July, CBS announced that *The Late Show with Stephen Colbert* would conclude in May 2026. The network insisted that the cancellation was "purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night," but those skeptical of the move noted its proximity to Stephen Colbert's criticism of CBS' parent company Paramount settling a lawsuit with President Trump, as well as the studio's then-pending merger with Skydance that was quickly approved by the government after Colbert got the ax. Then, in September, ABC abruptly suspended *Jimmy Kimmel Live* after FCC Chair Brendan Carr pressured affiliate groups to preempt the show over Jimmy Kimmel's comments about Republicans' response to Charlie Kirk's assassination. After massive outcry (and widespread cancellations of Disney+ and Hulu), Kimmel returned to the air six days later with a tearful monologue advocating for free speech. —*W.S.*

A crappy conclusion, And Just Like That

Cynthia Nixon as Miranda on 'And Just Like That'.

Poop-gate. The toilet flush heard 'round the world. The finale floaters. The grand conclusion of *Sex and the City*'s wonderful, befuddling, utterly idiosyncratic spinoff series *And Just Like That* bowed... just like that. With a clogged toilet belching up a bunch of poop all over Miranda's apartment. A fitting end for one of the most WTF small screen IP ploys in years, or an ignoble one for what could have been a touching coda to one of the most beloved shows of all time? *AJLT* writer Elisa Zuritsky defended the excretal ending to EW "a thing that happens in most people's lives at some point," but as a thing that happens on TV? Utterly, unpredictably shocking. —*R.C.*

Hal is vice president, The Diplomat

Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell on 'The Diplomat'.

From its very first episode, *The Diplomat *has been about Ambassador Wyler — Kate (Keri Russell), that is — being groomed to take over the role of vice president. And just moments after she finally came around to accepting that fate — mostly because former VP Grace Penn (Allison Janney) is now president — everything changed. In the aftermath of President Rayburn's (Michael McKean) shocking death, Grace decides to name her new vice president, and it is in fact Ambassador Wyler ... but it's not Kate. Rather, it's the man who caused the president's heart attack in the first place, none other than Kate's husband, Hal (Rufus Sewell). His face says it all. —*S.H.*

Bobby dies, 9-1-1

Peter Krause as Bobby on '9-1-1'.

After years of narrowly surviving exploding cruise ships, rebar to the head, sniper fire, a lightning strike, and a literal beenado, *9-1-1* shocked everyone — including its own cast — in its eighth season by killing off the 118’s beloved captain, Bobby Nash (Peter Krause). And the first responder drama did so, naturally, in the most heartbreaking way possible: by having Bobby quietly contract a mutated version of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever and, without telling anyone, give the only antidote to Chimney (Kenneth Choi). His teary-eyed final moments with wife Athena (Angela Bassett) and metaphorical son Buck (Oliver Stark) were nothing short of devastating, and his sacrifice continues to impact his loved ones well into season 9. Simply put: We'll never be able to listen to Hozier's "Work Song" the same way ever again. —*E.T.***

David Genat wins $5.8 million, Deal or No Deal Island

David Genat on 'Deal or No Deal Island'.

Monty Brinton/NBC

It’s not just the amount of money won during *DONDI*’s season 2 finale that was so shocking, it’s what former *Australian Survivor* champ David Genat risked along the way to win that $5.8 million. Using the ultimate go-for-broke strategy, David turned down seven different offers of guaranteed money (including ones for $1,520,000, $1,980,000, $2,900,000, and $3,870,018), even though it meant there was a very strong chance he could leave with a mere $75 instead. The result was one of the most pulse-pounding finales in reality TV history. As Genat told EW after winning, "I was going to ride that thing as far as I could with the amount of risk I was taking. And, man, to come out and actually win on the other side, it's pretty good.” Pretty good? That was the only understated thing this certified maniac said or did all night long. —*Dalton Ross***

Brotherly love, The White Lotus

Patrick Schwarzenegger and Sam Nivola on 'The White Lotus'.

Move over, *Game of Thrones* — there’s a different HBO drama giving new meaning to the term “brotherly love.” After *The White Lotus* flirted with the idea of incest in season 2, the Thailand-set season 3 leaned all the way in to that shocking plot twist when Lochlan Ratliff (Sam Nivola) set his sights on his older brother Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger). What began as lingering looks in their shared suite soon evolved into a debaucherous threesome with the brothers and Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon), who didn’t let Saxon deny the truth in the harsh, sober light of the next day. Lochlan tried to blame the encounter on his people-pleasing tendencies (emphasis on pleasing), but it clearly changed both of them — and their relationship as brothers — forever. After this, what will creator Mike White do next?! —*S.B.*

Claire’s parents are also time travelers, Outlander: Blood of My Blood

Jeremy Irvine and Hermione Corfield on 'Outlander: Blood of My Blood'.

We knew the *Outlander* prequel would tell the story of both Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and Jamie’s (Sam Heughan) parents, but in no way could we have imagined that Claire’s parents would not only end up in the same timeline as Jamie’s, but that the two couples would know each other. And well. In *Outlander, *we learned that Claire’s parents died in a car crash when she was very young, but it’s actually that car crash that led Henry (Jeremy Irvine) and Julia Beauchamp (Hermione Corfield) through the stones and into 18th century Scotland. The pair get separated, of course, with Julia ending up a serving maid in the house of Jamie’s dad, Brian Fraser (Jamie Roy). Meanwhile, Henry ends up in the service of the Grants, who are at odds with the MacKenzies, in part thanks to Ellen MacKenzie (Harriet Slater), Jamie’s mother. Are you following? It’s all very juicy, made all the better by that shocking time-travel surprise. —*Ashley Boucher***

Premiere bloodbath, It: Welcome to Derry

Clara Stack on 'It: Welcome to Derry'.

Any Stephen King aficionado might’ve expected some fatalities on the prequel series to the most recent *It* movies, but not necessarily the first episode — and definitely not most of the new Loser’s Club. Technically, we can’t even refer to them as the main cast because, although the creators behind the HBO ratings driver set up little Phil (Jack Molloy Legault), Teddy (Mikkal Karim-Fidler)(Matilda Legault), and Susie to be principals alongside Lilly (Clara Stack) and Ronnie (Amanda Christine), all three were promptly killed off (via flying demon baby) before the credits rolled. By the time the real main cast arrived in episode 2, the rules had very clearly been set: No one, not even the leads, are safe. —*N.R.*

Syril dies, Andor

Syril Karn (Kyle Soller) in 'Andor' season 2.

Obviously, dying under any circumstances is sad. But what made the death of Syril Karn (Kyle Soller) so utterly devastating was the way his entire world came crashing down before he was then struck down by blaster shot from a Ghorman resistance leader. First, the sad-sack Imperial Bureau of Standards agent was completely betrayed by the love of his life in Dedra Meero (Denise Gough), who had openly lied to him about the Empire’s real interest in the planet. And then, when he finally found the man he had been obsessed with capturing in Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor, the titular character had no idea who he even was. Perhaps Soller said it best when he talked to EW about his character’s final disappointment and tragic end. “It’s just brutal. For the years that Syril has obsessed and obsessed and poured his ambition and aggression into this kind of totem of Cassian‚ for him to be met with that brutality at the end was like… I fell for the guy, man.” —*D.R.***

Scientists simply … walk up, Yellowjackets

Courtney Eaton as Teen Lottie, Nelson Franklin as Edwin, Ashley Sutton as Hanna and Joel McHale as Kodiak on 'Yellowjackets'.

Kailey Schwerman/Paramount+ with SHOWTIME

There are so many shocking moments on *Yellowjackets*. We're talking death, cannibalism, betrayal, etc. And yet, the most shocking came in just how simple one season 3 moment played out. After seasons of wondering how the teens are found (and therefore saved) in the woods, a couple of scientists — and their guide — just ... stumble upon their camp one day? After two seasons of absolute chaos in the wilderness, we were convinced they were so far from civilization that their only hope was a plane of some sort. But no, they just needed to find the right people (who were looking for a very specific kind of frog). —*S.H.*

Godolkin is Cipher, Gen V

Ethan Slater as Thomas Godolkin on 'Gen V'.

Jasper Savage/Prime

What's great about the Godolkin twist is that we knew something big was coming. I mean, *Gen V* handed us a mystery on a silver platter: a menacing new antagonist, the mysterious burn victim he keeps (and tortures) in his home, and plenty of questions about what he's even after. It wasn't too difficult to start connecting the dots — of course Thomas Godolkin (Ethan Slater) didn't really die in that lab. But who could've guessed what a mistake it would be to try and rescue him? What's meant to be a victory for our God U friend group is actually a horrifying revelation. Turns out Cipher doesn't have the power to control others and it was just good 'ol Thomas Godolkin operating in the shadows all along! And the smug, menacing man that Hamish Linklater was portraying? Just some poor meat puppet named Doug, with no powers at all. This is where the season really kicks into high gear, putting our heroes up against someone whose power turns all of their strengths into weaknesses. And did I mention that we get to spend time with Doug? —*S.R.*

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW TV”