Some of the most effective and engaging TV shows in recent years were also so gore-filled that audiences often had to look away in pure terror and disgust. From thrilling sci-fi dystopias to intense psychological horrors, just because a series was packed with gore, murder, and violence did not stop it from being truly great. In many cases, the excessively gruesome nature of these shows added to their appeal as they pushed the limits of what could be depicted and accepted in mainstream television.

Plenty of the most gruesomely violent TV shows were filled with gory sequences and sinister characters who committed heinous acts. From intense games that saw characters' lives on the line to sinister antiheroes who killed for the sheer thrill of it, in recent years, television has caught up with horror movies to make series that were equal to or even exceeded the most gore-filled cinematic spectacles. While gory TV shows will make plenty of viewers want to look away, there’s also a large audience out there who can’t get enough of this type of shocking television.

10 Alice In Borderland (2020 - Present)

2 seasons

The Japanese sci-fi thriller Alice in Borderland presents a dystopian world where the residents of mysteriously abandoned Tokyo must compete in deathly games to ensure their survival. Based on the manga series by Haro Aso, this Netflix thriller saw its characters trying to win games to extend their visas or face being obliterated and killed by laser beams shot from the sky. With a consistent death count, the world of Alice in Borderland was a gory nightmare that will have viewers frequently covering their eyes due to the sheer intensity of what’s being depicted on screen.

From bloody fist fights to gruesome injuries, Alice in Borderland is unafraid to graphically depict its character’s demise, as it does not hold back in showcasing the dog-eat-dog nature of its world. From characters’ suicides to heads exploding, many of the kill scenes in Alice in Borderland utilized impressively realistic special effects. While it’s certainly not a series for the faint of heart, the incredible world-building and consistent twists and turns made this one of the best sci-fi entries on Netflix.

9 Hannibal (2013 - 2015)

3 seasons

This NBC psychological horror series was based on the character of Dr. Hannibal Lecter from the novels of Thomas Harris, which should provide some insight into the gory nature of Hannibal. Starring Mads Mikkelsen as the titular serial killer most readily associated with Anthony Hopkins’ Oscar-winning performance in The Silence of the Lambs, Lecter was a forensic scientist, secret killer, and cannibal, working to manipulate the FBI from the inside. While Hannibal was known for its beautiful aesthetics and incredibly rich cinematography, viewers should also prepare for some intense gore.

From Dr. Lecter slitting the throats of his victims to literally eating their organs and body parts, Hannibal featured plenty of moments that will turn viewers off their dinner. As a truly brilliant and sophisticated character, part of the appeal of Hannibal was the way the show juxtaposed his shocking inhumanity with a worldly sense of decorum. The dichotomy of how the world perceives Dr. Lecter versus the actual man makes Hannibal a psychologically rich series that was sadly canceled far too soon after just three delicious seasons.

8 Squid Game (2021 - Present)

1 season

The South Korean dystopian sci-fi series Squid Game was a cultural phenomenon when it first premiered on Netflix in 2021. With a richly imagined world that saw hundreds of contestants partake in a secret competition for the chance to win a ₩45.6 billion prize, although Squid Game used light-hearted children’s games as its inspiration, the actual results were quite gory. As contestants were brutally killed off one by one, Squid Game became far less about winning the prize and more about just making it out alive.

Each episode of Squid Game was filled with intensely gory scenes as, right from the beginning, contestants were brutally killed in the ruthless game of Red Light, Green Light. This only got more intense as the series progressed as the body count grew larger and the characters turned on each other with moments of sinister double-crossing, ruthless attacks, and even cold-blooded murder. It seems the gore didn’t turn off viewers as Squid Game Season 1 became one of the most-watched shows on Netflix worldwide.

7 Dexter (2006 - 2013)

8 seasons

As a crime drama starring a blood spatter analysis for the fictional Miami Metro Police Department, it makes sense that Showtime’s Dexter would feature its fair share of bloody gore. However, this becomes far more a certainty with the realization that Dexter Morgan was also a serial killer with a code, killing those he deemed worthy to die. Dexter’s double life meant that no matter what aspect of his fractured existence the series was focusing on, the only certainty was blood, death, and murder.

From the shocking kill patterns of Dexter’s adversaries, such as The Ice Truck Killer or The Trinity Killer, Dexter was a consistently gory show that saw its title character embrace the sinister impulses of his ‘Dark enger.’ With Dexter even breaking the Code of Harry several times, this series did not let up for one minute when it came to blood, gore, and violence. Running for eight seasons in its original TV show, Dexter has become a successful franchise with the original book series, spin-off sequel TV show, and prequel series called Dexter: Original Sin.

6 Ash Vs Evil Dead (2015 - 2018)

3 seasons

Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead film series was one of the goriest horror comedy franchises ever made due to the wild eccentricity and horrific antics of its lead star, Bruce Campbell, playing Ash Williams. With the movies already known for pushing viewers out of their comfort zone with intense depictions of gore, this tradition was continued into the sequel TV series Ash vs Evil Dead. Set 30 years from the original Evil Dead movie, Ash vs Evil Dead saw Ash once again face off against Deadites unleashed from the Necronomicon.

Much like the original trilogy of Evil Dead movies, Ash vs Evil Dead seamlessly blended horror and comedy that managed to remain simultaneously gory and hilarious. As a highly skilled physical comedian, seeing Campbell face off against all sorts of evil undead creatures was a true delight, and the series perfectly recaptured the spirit of the original films. Packed with splatter-filled set pieces and impressive special effects, it was a real shame that Starz canceled Ash vs Evil Dead after just three seasons.

5 The Walking Dead (2010 - 2022)

11 seasons

The Walking Dead quickly became one of the most popular TV shows of the 2010s as it showcased the viability of the zombie genre on the small screen. With a cast of richly developed characters attempting to survive in a dystopian world, The Walking Dead mixed effective storytelling with heart-racing gore as, at a moment's notice, a zombie attack could cause characters to be ruthlessly killed off. From the gruesome visuals of the zombies themselves to the vicious practices of the antagonistic human survivors, The Walking Dead was an emotional rollercoaster throughout its 11-season run.

From the bat-swinging intensity of the villainous Negan to the harrowing brain-eating ruthelessness of the undead, The Walking Dead never shied away from gruesome depictions of characters’ demise. As a truly draining depiction of how life would be in an apocalyptic landscape, often the most brutal contributors were not the zombies but the humans fending for survival at any cost. The Walking Dead was filled with shocking deaths, many of which were so gory it was tough to stomach.

4 Game Of Thrones (2011 - 2019)

8 seasons

The HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones was one of the defining series of the 2010s, as its exploration of the political circumstances of the Seven Kingdoms, incredible ensemble cast, and impressive worldbuilding made it a worthy adaptation of George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire book series. With an epic narrative and countless vastly complex overlapping stories, it was no surprise that Game of Thrones was a hit with critics and viewers alike. However, one aspect viewers would need to prepare themselves for was a serious amount of gore and violence.

With a medieval-like setting, the fantasy world of Game of Thrones was incredibly ruthless, as beloved characters often received gruesome deaths, and it was not unusual to witness throats being slit. From the blood-soaked horror of the Red Wedding massacre to Ramsay Snow’s horrific torturing of Theon Greyjoy, Game of Thrones had plenty of moments that would make viewers want to cover their eyes. With Westeros as truly a brutal and violent place, Game of Thrones was gory from start to finish.

3 Dead Set (2008)

1 season

Before gaining worldwide notoriety as the creator of Black Mirror, the British comedian Charlie Brooker embraced gore in his satirical zombie series Dead Set. This five-episode miniseries was set during a fictional series of the reality show Big Brother and showcased the consequences of a zombie apocalypse that the contestants originally thought was part of the show. This clever and unique premise offered Brooker the opportunity to comment on the vapid ridiculousness of celebrity culture while also paying homage to classic zombie series like George A. Romero’s Living Dead.

While Dead Set was filled with Brooker’s unique brand of tongue-in-cheek satirical humor, it also boasted its fair share of gore. From depicting the real-life Big Brother presenter Davina McCall as a bloodthirsty zombie to showcasing the barren wasteland of a dystopian society, Dead Set was as bleak and richly imagined as the best zombie-based shows. A truly accomplished debut for Brooker in the world of narrative television, it’s no surprise he had such huge success years later with the similarly bleak Black Mirror.

2 Preacher (2016 - 2019)

4 seasons

The supernatural series Preacher was based on an ultraviolet comic book series by Garth Ennis, so it should come as no surprise that the show was also particularly gory. Telling the story of a hard-drinking, chain-smoking preacher named Jesse Custer on a mission to confront God, Preacher was a series populated with eccentric characters, such as Jesse’s trigger-happy girlfriend Tulip, or the profane Irish vampire Cassidy. Packed with gore and bloodshed, Preacher was not for the faint of heart, as its extreme violence often pushed viewers out of their comfort zone.

1. Preacher was filled with over-the-top vulgarity and obscenity from start to finish, depicting unbelievably profane instances from Ennis’s original comic. With a supernatural premise that allowed for increasingly extreme violent encounters, the bizarre world of this TV series was filled with moments that would make viewers turn away in horror. Preacher kept the tension high throughout its four seasons and never lost its original gory charm.

1 The Boys (2019 - Present)

4 seasons

The Boys is a satirical look at the superhero genre that sharply targets contemporary politics and society. In a world populated by superpowered heroes called Supes, The Boys ensured viewers were prepared for gore from its opening scene, which began with Hughie Campbell's (Jack Quaid) girlfriend accidentally torn apart by the superspeed of A-Train (Jessie T. Usher). Gory and violent from the very start, The Boys never let up its extreme use of violence and has remained one of the most divisive television series since the very beginning.

From the murderous, genocidal tendencies of Homelander (Antony Starr) to the no-nonsense practices of Billy Butcher (Karl Urban), the only thing viewers can count on from one episode of The Boys to the next is excessive violence and gore. While the more profane aspects of The Boys may turn some viewers off, the clever writing and satirical bite of the series ensure it never feels entirely mindless. The Boys knows how to use gore to add to its storytelling effectively, and for this reason, it has become a beloved favorite among viewers.