25 TV Shows That Are So Heartbreaking, Depressing, And Just Plain Sad, It's Hard To Watch Them Again
A little while ago, we asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us which TV shows are brilliant, but they are so emotionally draining it makes them hard to rewatch. Here are some of the best responses:
There are some MASSIVE spoilers ahead. Also, #14 mentions sexual assault and #19 mentions suicide.
1.First, Parenthood
"It was such a heartwarming show, full of strong and meaningful family connections, but there were so many heartbreaking moments that I don’t think I’ll revisit it again."
2.Maid
"I loved Maid so much, I literally couldn't stop watching and binged the episodes in a couple of days. But once I finished, I realized I couldn't put myself through all that pain and heartache again."
3.When They See Us
"An exceptional TV show and beautifully made, but it emotionally drained me."
4.BoJack Horseman
"Some episodes like 'Free Churro' are rewatchable sure, but there are so many points in the show where it feels like you're being punched in the stomach, that I don't think I could ever watch it again."
5.This Is Us
"This show is emotionally draining, I don't think I'd be able to rewatch it all."
6.Six Feet Under
"Six Feet Under hands down. It had the best ending to any show I've ever seen and I've never cried so much. The entire series was a journey you can only take once."
7.Grey's Anatomy
"I used to rewatch Grey's about once a year. I tried not too long ago, made it to about Season 7, and just couldn’t go on knowing there is nothing except pain with little payoff coming."
8.The Handmaid's Tale
"Every season after Season 1 has been so bleak and draining that I can only watch one episode at a time with at least a week in-between. I can't imagine binge watching it."
9.Breaking Bad
"This show was incredibly well done, and I was totally hooked from the moment I watched the first episode. However, every single thing that happened was utterly depressing, and I just don't want to put myself through that again."
10.Money Heist / La Casa de Papel
"I can’t watch La Casa de Papel (Money Heist) knowing Nairobi died in Part 4. She made the show as good as it was and killing her broke me too much."
11.Merlin
"I feel like a lot of people, including me, thought that Merlin was going to change the prophecy about Arthur dying as they did with other prophecies in the past seasons. But it came true and I guess that’s why it’s so sad, because nobody expected the good guys to lose. It's hard to rewatch because of the sad ending."
12.Squid Game
"I know this is a show where you'll catch more details/Easter eggs if you rewatch, but I don't think I can put myself through this show again. I'm still emotionally exhausted after watching the outcome of the marble game."
13.Chernobyl
"The show was amazing, but it's too depressing to rewatch."
14.Outlander
"Outlander, simply because I had a hard time making it past the end of Season 1. It's so good, but it's so hard to watch more than once."
15.The Wire
"The Wire is still considered a phenomenal TV series, but man, it's so heartbreaking and sad. I think it's the perfect example of a show everyone should watch at least once, but a rewatch is hard to do."
16.The Walking Dead
"Never has a show been more bleak, depressing, and torturous to their characters. There are literally NO HAPPY endings in sight for anyone. It's torture porn. It feels as though the reality is that everyone is actually dead already and we're watching them exist in hell/purgatory."
17.Pose
"Every single episode is pure perfection, however every single episode also makes me sob. I don’t know when I’ll be emotionally stable enough to watch it again."
18.Dopesick
"This series just came out, but oh my god, I can't stop thinking about it. Kaitlyn Dever gives such a heartwrenching performance, and I don't think I'll be able to rewatch the series because it's so sad. Period."
19.13 Reasons Why
"I only watched the first season and it was so well done, but incredibly depressing. So although it was an important story, I won’t watch it again and won’t watch the other seasons either."
20.Sons of Anarchy
"Even just thinking about rewatching it gives me anxiety and makes me want to cry over certain characters' deaths. I loved this show, but I'm still not mentally or emotionally ready to go through it again."
21.Broadchurch
"The show had superb acting, but the story was so intense I sometimes had to go a few weeks between episodes and I could never rewatch it. Olivia Colman and David Tennant are fantastic together and it was one of the most beautifully devastating television shows I’ve ever seen."
22.Orange Is the New Black
"This series was phenomenal, but every season was so heartbreaking, sad, and just wild. I don't know if I could do a full series rewatch because of it."
23.Sharp Objects
"An amazing series that should have won more awards. I don't love watching children in peril though and the season was so depressing. I don't think I can revisit it."
24.Lost
"It was so different from everything else on TV, but it was also way too emotionally draining. I can't rewatch this show again. 'Not Penny's boat' will haunt me forever."
25.And finally, Ozark
"For similar reasons to Breaking Bad, Ozark just keeps getting more and more stressful and emotionally exhausting. It's an amazing show, but I don't think I could go back to the beginning and watch it again, especially knowing how certain storylines turn out."
We can't fit every show in one post, so what other great shows are so heartbreaking, but you just can't bring yourself to rewatch them? Tell us in the comments below!
Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
