The 25 most shocking TV moments of 2023

2023 was full of surprises. Whether we're talking about scripted twists — character deaths, time jumps, cannibalism — or unscripted madness — we're looking at you, Vanderpump Rules! — or even something that happened off-screen entirely — hi, strikes! — this year kept television fans on their toes.

Remember when Scott Pilgrim Takes Off decided to make a major change to its story? Or when Gerry didn't choose Faith on The Golden Bachelor? What about that time Riverdale was, well, Riverdale? Below, we've rounded up the 25 television moments from 2023 that we'll probably still be thinking about come next year.

Logan dies, 'Succession'

Given the nature, and indeed the title, of Succession, the death of media tycoon Logan Roy (Brian Cox) should not have come as a surprise. Yet, thanks to Brian Cox’s titanic portrayal of the character, Logan’s largely off-screen collapse and demise on the Waystar Royco jet was as shocking to viewers as it was to his children, with Jeremy Strong’s Kendall, Kieran Culkin’s Roman, and Sarah Snook’s Shiv taking turns attempting to communicate via phone to a father who was almost certainly past hearing their words. Alan Ruck’s Connor, the perennial bridesmaid in situations like this, never even got the chance to try and say his goodbyes, though he did end the episode by getting married to Justine Lupe’s Willa, itself something of a surprise given the latter’s obvious doubt about the matter. Uh, Mazel Tov? —Clark Collis

EZ Reyes asks Angel to kill him, 'Mayans M.C.'

When Mayans M.C. presidente EZ Reyes (JD Pardo) led his club into war against the Sons this season, he knew it was going to be bloody. Still, nobody could have expected that the battle would end with EZ urging his big brother Angel (Clayton Cardenas) to slam a knife into his stomach. But when Bishop (Michael Irby) and the rest of the Mayans discovered that EZ had spent the last five years as an FBI informant, they weren’t about to let Angel fly away unscathed. Thrusting a knife into his hands, Bishop gave Angel an unbearable choice: Die with his informant brother or kill EZ to prove his loyalty to the Mayans. Knowing it was impossible for them both to walk out of the clubhouse alive, EZ urged his sobbing brother to save himself. “I’m gonna miss ya," he whispered through his own tears, before giving Angel the go-ahead: “Okay. I’m ready.” The elder Reyes brother let out a primal scream of pain as he did the terrible deed — and then we all watched in horror as every last Mayan followed suit. — Kristen Baldwin

Shauna takes a bite out of Jackie's ear, 'Yellowjackets'

Cannibalism was to Yellowjackets fans what winter was to Games of Thrones fans: We knew it was coming. And yet, when the season 2 premiere picked up in the aftermath of Jackie's (Ella Purnell) accidental death — her stubbornness led to her sleeping outside and therefore freezing overnight — much of the episode focused on Shauna's (Sophie Nélissa) struggle to cope with losing her friend. Fans watched as Shauna put makeup on Jackie's corpse and talked to her like nothing was wrong. And when Jackie's ear accidentally fell off and Shauna pocketed it, you thought it was for sentimental reasons. She clearly wasn't ready to let go of her friend. Cut to the final seconds of the premiere, and Shauna takes a bite out of that ear. With that bite (and the haunting crunch that accompanies it), sentimentality is gone and survival is all that matters. —Samantha Highfill

Scandoval, 'Vanderpump Rules'

Going into season 10 of Vanderpump Rules, we weren’t expecting much. It honestly kind of felt like the Bravo reality series was on its last legs. Then #Scandoval happened. When news broke (off camera) that Tom Sandoval had cheated on Ariana Madix — his girlfriend of nine years — with one of Ariana’s best friends and fellow cast member, Raquel Leviss, it literally rocked the nation. That revelation continued to send shock waves through the Pump Rules fandom, as from that moment on, viewers got to watch the lead-up to the longtime couple's split, as well as the fallout since the cameras picked right back up after the breakup was announced to continue filming. There are truly too many Scandoval bombshells to list here, but one particularly shocking — and heinous — moment came during part three of the reunion when Raquel finally deviated from Sandoval’s fake timeline about their affair and admitted that she and Tom had indeed slept together in the house he shared with Ariana while Ariana was… at her grandmother's funeral in Florida! Leaning into his villain status, Sandoval may have topped that when he took a dig at Ariana and their sex life by sarcastically remarking: “She kept her T-shirt on, it was really hot.” But what else would you expect from a worm with a mustache? —Rebecca Detken

Paul Rudd lives only to die ... again, 'Only Murders in the Building'

Going into season 3 of Only Murders in the Building, we already knew it was going to focus on the murder of Ben Glenroy (Paul Rudd). Or so the cliffhanger at the end of season 2 led us to believe. Color us flabbergasted when Ben — miraculously saved from death by poisoning at the ER — returned, alive and well, to the cast party turned wake. Moments later, Ben died (again) falling down the elevator shaft of the Arconia (restoring the titular integrity of the Only Murders podcast). It’s the most shocking thing Rudd has done since refusing to age. —Maureen Lee Lenker

Billy Baker dies, 'All American'

Billy Baker's (Taye Diggs) unexpected death shook the All American fandom. In an effort to save a student, the football coach goes into a bus that's hanging off the side of a cliff and dies in the process. Not only was Diggs an original star, but he was also a character who had close bonds with all the others on the show. Watching his daughter Olivia Baker (Samantha Logan) break down after hearing the news is an image that viewers won't soon forget. And the loss coming at the end of an arc where Billy decided to pass on his dream of coaching a D1 team to continue serving his South Crenshaw High football team made the emotional loss even more heartbreaking. —Alamin Yohannes

Joel goes to jail, 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel'

The marriage of Joel (Michael Zegen) and Midge (Rachel Brosnahan) bombed harder than some of her early standup sets. But the give and take between the two across five seasons made it clear that they still held love in their hearts for each other. Still, we never expected Joel to become the fall guy for Midge. Yet, that’s just what he does when he realizes that Susie (Alex Borstein) has sold Midge out to the mob. Determined to make up for cheating on her and blowing up their lives, Joel takes over Midge’s debts. Years later, he’s arrested at the synagogue and goes to jail for racketeering, wire fraud, and money laundering. But hey, at least Midge still brings him brisket in the clink. Whether he does it out of guilt or love, we can’t think of a more touching (or surprising) way for Joel to have told Midge, and audiences, thank you and good night. —M.L.L.

Billy finds Daisy in the shower, 'Daisy Jones & the Six'

Daisy Jones & the Six shocked fans more than once during its first season, but the moment that stands out among the rest is when Billy Dunne (Sam Claflin) discovers Daisy Jones (Riley Keough) passed out in her hotel shower following a drug overdose. Had Billy not discovered Daisy when he did, she could have very well died and changed the course of the story. Even fans who had previously read the book were left speechless by this jaw-dropping moment because it was changed for the TV show. Star Sam Claflin added to the shock factor by telling EW that the scene "wasn't really scripted." Everything said by Billy in that moment was Claflin digging into the emotion of the scene and seeing what came through.  —Jessica Leon

The marbles reveal, 'Squid Game: The Challenge'

Nothing good ever happens when you're playing the savage Squid Game, and yet Squid Game: The Challenge competitors — and viewers — forgot that crucial fact when guards delivered a picnic meal to the dorm as a treat. Players were told to pair up with whoever they wanted as they were given a blanket and basket full of delicious food, leading friends, allies, and even family members to choose each other for the picnic. But the moment of peace instantly shattered when players discovered bags of marbles in the bottom of their baskets, realizing they were about to be forced to eliminate each other in the infamous Marbles challenge. What came next was the most emotional and intense game of the entire season. And while we should have known this was coming, the way in which producers lulled us into a false sense of security made the reveal all the more jarring — in the best way for us, but the worst way for the players. —Sydney Bucksbaum

Charmaine finally gives birth, 'Virgin River'

Let’s be honest — we were starting to think Charmaine (Lauren Hammersley) might just be pregnant forever. Considering that Jack’s (Martin Henderson) ex first announced her pregnancy in the finale of season 1, it’s wild that it took until the finale of season 5 for her to actually give birth. But because it’s been so long (shout out to Hammersley for wearing a fake pregnancy bump for more than half her time on the show), we were shocked to see her due date finally arrive, complete with a labor and delivery scene. Honestly, at this point, you could have told us that the town of Virgin River was stuck in a vortex where women are pregnant until they die (or the show ends). But thankfully, Charmaine, at last, has two newborns and she can finally trade swollen ankles for sleepless nights. —M.L.L.

'Barry' jumps ahead 8 years

Bill Hader filled the final season of his hitman dramedy with more than a few surprises — including a shocking death for his title character and fun cameos by Guillermo del Toro and Fred Armisen. But the biggest surprise came in the fourth episode, “it takes a psycho,” where the show jumped forward eight years in time. After fleeing Los Angeles, Barry (Hader) and Sally (Sarah Goldberg) have adopted fake names and are raising their young son off the grid. It’s a wild and unexpected narrative move, even for a show that’s never been afraid to flip the script. —Devan Coggan

Matthew Patel kills Scott Pilgrim, 'Scott Pilgrim Takes Off'

In both Bryan Lee O’Malley’s graphic novel series Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life and Edgar Wright’s 2010 film adaptation Scott Pilgrim vs. the World the titular indie-rock bassist fights and defeats the “Evil Exes” of his new girlfriend Ramona Flowers, beginning with her first boyfriend Matthew Patel. With the pilot of animated show Scott Pilgrim Takes Off mostly tracking the events of the saga’s two previous iterations, viewers could reasonably assume that Matthew was once again about to be bested by Scott. But then? In a deliciously evil twist, showrunners O’Malley and BenDavid Grabinski had the Satya Bhabha-voiced Patel kill Michael Cera’s Pilgrim, a turn of events so shocking even the onscreen graphics confusedly asked, "KO???” —C.C.

Peter dies, 'The Great'

Huzzah no more: It's always shocking when a show kills off a lead, but Nicholas Hoult's Peter dying suddenly, mid-season, in the most mundane way possible was certainly not on our 2023 TV bingo card. Sure, his death was always an inevitability on the show given Peter the Great's fate IRL, but the historical dramedy happily prided itself on being "an occasionally true story." So to see this deliciously awful character fall through the ice to his frozen grave when and how we did — especially given the truly insane rumors surrounding the real Peter's death — was not just shocking, but truly tragic. —Lauren Huff

The soaking scene, 'Jury Duty'

The fact that Amazon Freevee's Emmy-nominated surprise hit comedy Jury Duty worked at all is shocking enough, as the entire TV show hinged on the fact that the "hero" Ronald Gladden, a solar panel contractor from San Diego, had no idea this was not, in fact, an official jury duty summons, and that the documentary crew filming everything was actually just there to capture his organic reactions to the increasingly wacky situations. But the funniest moment of the whole season shouldn't even exist, because it happens when Gladden isn't even there — and everyone involved in the scene is in on the joke. James Marsden, playing a fictionalized version of himself, simulated a "soaking" sex scene (IYKYK) between fellow jurors Jeannie (Edy Modica) and Noah (Mekki Leeper), by jumping on the bed while they faked "consummating" their relationship, and a handheld camera captured it all. Marsden, Modica, and Leeper took the bit further than they ever needed to just in case Gladden happened to walk by the room and overheard the noises. Talk about commitment! If only the cameras were able to capture Gladden's reaction to that jaw-dropping moment ... or maybe it's good he didn't know it happened, because that might have ruined the whole scheme. —S.B.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce crash the season premiere, 'Saturday Night Live'

Saturday Night Live loves a celebrity cameo, but the show landed two particularly starry names for its season 49 premiere, hosted by Pete Davidson. Minutes before the episode was set to air, former SNL hosts (and current lovebirds) Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce showed up at Studio 8H, and the SNL team quickly slotted them for a few cameos. Swift popped up to introduce friend and musical guest Ice Spice, but Kelce made a meta appearance in a sketch parodying the NFL’s obsession with — what else? — his and Swift’s romance. —D.C.

Ron Perlman is shot, 'Poker Face'

All season long, Ron Perlman loomed over Poker Face as the show’s big bad, a hulking casino owner named Sterling Frost Sr. Natasha Lyonne’s fast-talking heroine Charlie Cale spent episode after episode running from him, assuming that he wanted revenge for her involvement in his son’s death, but when he finally catches up with her in the season finale, he doesn’t exact vengeance. Instead, he offers her a job, willing to gift her $500,000 and a clean slate. But just as she accepts the deal, the casino lights go out. When they flicker back on, Sterling is dead, and a shocked Charlie is left holding a revolver. It’s a surprising one-two punch: Not only is her supposed nemesis a decent guy, but she’s now being framed for yet another murder. —D.C.

Police respond to report of toddler with a gun, 'On Patrol: Live'

Fans of this police docuseries are used to tense moments, but nothing could prepare viewers for what officers in Beech Grove, Ind. encountered on January 14. When Sergeant Zach Horgan arrived at a local apartment complex, shaken neighbors reported that they had seen a diaper-wearing toddler playing with a firearm in the stairwell. While the child’s father initially denied he had a gun in the home, another neighbor had captured video of the incident on their doorbell camera — and the footage was absolutely chilling. Hosts Dan Abrams, Sean Larkin, and Curtis Wilson were nearly stunned into silence as they watched grainy images of the baby point the gun — which we later learned was loaded — while holding his finger on the trigger and babbling happily to himself. Miraculously, nobody was hurt — but we still haven’t recovered. (The boy’s father was arrested and charged with dangerous control of a firearm as well as two counts of neglect. He is due to stand trial later this month.) —K.B.

The quad reveal, 'Riverdale'

By the time Riverdale's final season rolled around, it was pretty tough to surprise fans. After all, Archie (KJ Apa) had already fought a bear, all the women had become witches, and then there was the time everyone got superpowers and then all channeled those superpowers into Cheryl (Madelaine Petsch) so she could destroy a comet, an action that threw them all back in time into the 1950s. You get the point. But in its series finale, instead of delivering on any of the "endgames" surrounding the core four, the show chose not to have Archie, Betty (Lili Reinhart), Veronica (Camila Mendes), or Jughead (Cole Sprouse) end up together. Instead, it had them all decide to be in a quad during their senior year. Because why choose a ship if you can have them all! —S.H.

Gerry sends Faith home, 'The Golden Bachelor'

From the moment Faith locked eyes with Gerry on night one at the Golden Bachelor mansion, fans were rooting for the couple. (The way she looked at him!) And over the course of the season, their love only seemed to grow, culminating in one of the sweetest moments in Bachelor history when Gerry and Faith simply couldn't resist telling each other that they loved each other, despite being in front of Faith's entire family. So imagine viewers' surprise when, minutes later in that same hometown episode, Gerry sent Faith home! Talk about devastation. —S.H.

Egwene gets brainwashed, 'The Wheel of Time'

Of all the villagers who departed their home of Two Rivers alongside the mystic Moiraine Damodred (Rosamund Pike) at the beginning of The Wheel of Time, few were as impressive as Egwene al’Vere (Madeleine Madden). Although she is not the prophesied savior known as the Dragon Reborn, her command of the One Power is still impressive enough that she brought a fallen friend back from death in the season 1 finale. That’s what made it so heartbreaking this season when Egwene was captured by the Seanchan, who like to turn users of the One Power into collared slaves. If anyone could be expected to resist such harsh treatment, it’s Egwene — and yet even she was forced to bow down to her tormentors’ cruel brainwashing methods. Seeing Egwene of all people trained as a slave truly made the Seanchan seem like an insurmountable enemy. —Christian Holub

Sunny Hostin and Alyssa Farah Griffin’s vicious fight, 'The View'

Is Meghan McCain in the room with us now? Long gone are the days when each political discussion on The View ended with the Princess of Arizona balking at her colleagues, but an early-summer matchup between longtime legal expert Sunny Hostin and former Donald Trump White House associate Alyssa Farah Griffin conjured the show’s bygone McCain Era in spectacular fashion. Hostin ignited the spat during a Hot Topics debate about Trump’s various indictments, implying that Griffin wasn’t able to defend a man she once worked for. A visibly flustered Griffin attempted to respond, though her cohosts kept digging. “This is Barbara Walters’ legacy, let a woman speak!" Griffin said, before Whoopi Goldberg sensed growing tension and threw the show to break. Griffin kissed the show off to its commercial sponsors with a definitive end to the argument: “What a disgrace!” Not for those of us watching, at least! —Joey Nolfi

Hollywood goes on strike

Perhaps one of the more shocking things to happen in television this year had nothing to do with a screen as both the WGA and SAG went on strike. As writers and actors spent their days picketing — and SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher delivered more than one riveting speech — Hollywood hit pause. Not only that, but both strikes ended up lasting for more than 100 days, resulting in potentially the biggest television twist of the year. —S.H.

Heidi N Closet quits, 'RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 8'

Regardless of where you stood on the polarizing All Stars 8, all fans of Drag Race were as united in their shock over season 12 icon Heidi N Closet’s decision to quit as a room filled with All Stars 1 queens going up against Mimi Imfurst. In short, there were many, many twists and turns leading to Heidi’s decision, including what she alleged was a Kandy Muse-fronted plot to oust eventual winner Jimbo from the competition, but Heidi told EW in a subsequent interview that she had “no regrets” about the situation, and that lingering grief from the death of her grandmother also impacted her mental health as she weighed the pressures of being in such a cutthroat competition. Either way, Heidi left a gap in the Drag Race family larger than the iconic space between her legendary teeth — and we can’t wait until she’s back on TV to fill the void. —Joey Nolfi

Boyd's return, 'Justified: City Primeval'

Who would Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) be without his No. 1 nemesis Boyd Crowder (Walton Goggins)? While it's hard to imagine Justified without that iconic rivalry, FX's revival City Primeval actually told a successful and gripping Raylan story that had nothing to do with his former enemy. That's why the finale's ending packed such a gut punch, as Boyd shockingly returned in the perfect way — faking a religious redemption and an illness, plus seducing a guard to aid in his prison break. Now Boyd's back out in the world, primed to wreak havoc once more ... just as Raylan decided to retire from the U.S. Marshall service. Boyd's escape means Raylan can't hang up his hat just yet, right? And their Justified saga can't just end there either, right? Right?! —S.B.

The A.I. was originally designed for Buffalo Wild Wings, 'Mrs. Davis'

With eerie prescience, Mrs. Davis’ colorful confrontation with artificial intelligence premiered on Peacock at the exact cultural moment that A.I. began to dominate every conversation and helped to inspire this year’s Hollywood labor strikes. Since protagonist Simone (Betty Gilpin) is a nun, Mrs. Davis often positioned its titular A.I. as a rival to God himself. But in the series finale, Simone tracked down the A.I.’s creator (Ashley Romans) and learned…that this world-controlling consciousness was originally created as a Buffalo Wild Wings app. Big things have small beginnings, sure — but it’s also an important reminder that anything made by humans can also be unmade. —C.H.

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