That ‘Yellowjackets’ ear — and more of the craziest scripted TV moments of 2023
A shocking TV moment can come in the form of a jump scare, a character’s unexpected death or a steamy encounter — anything that gets everyone buzzing.
The scripted TV shows of 2023 went outside the box to serve up some big surprises.
Although Ned Stark losing his head on “Game of Thrones” is one of the legendary gasp-worthy TV moments (when it aired in 2011), this year’s most dramatic twists went in a different direction. The shocks didn’t just come from surprising character deaths.
From a drama taking a sudden jaunt into outer space to a cannibalism incident, to a reveal of a foursome couple, here are the wildest scripted TV moments of the year.
The “nasty” sex scene on “The Idol”
“The Idol” was a short-lived and bizarre show that seemed designed more to shock than to tell a story. The now-canceled HBO series was about troubled pop princess Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp) and her relationship with sleazy nightclub owner and cult leader Tedros (Abel Tesfaye). In the second episode, an explicit and raunchy scene features a deadpan Tesfaye, 33, saying that he wants to “f – – kin stretch that tiny little p – – y” while 24-year-old Depp’s character pleasures herself, causing viewers to decry the whole sequence as “nasty.” “He definitely gives me the ick after that episode,” one posted. “I’ll never be able to ever listen to any Weeknd song the same way again if I watch this show,” laughed another.
Billy and Daisy kiss, “Daisy Jones & The Six”
On the surface, the leads of a show sharing a smooch isn’t noteworthy. However, Prime Video’s miniseries “Daisy Jones & The Six,” which follows the rise of a fictional ‘70s band led by singers Billy Dunne) and Daisy Jones, played respectively by Sam Claflin and Riley Keough — who both got Golden Globe nominations for the roles — was based on Taylor Jenkins Reid’s bestselling book, where this event didn’t happen. In the novel, married Billy has a highly emotional but chaste affair with Daisy. The show made their affair more physical. “Actually shot in the air and punched my friend when that Billy and Daisy kiss happened. I’ve never expected to actually see something less in my life,” one shocked viewer posted on X.
Tom wins “Succession”
Technically, this isn’t a show where anyone really “won.” This HBO series about media mogul Logan Roy (Brian Cox) and his destructive adult children — Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Shiv (Sarah Snook), Roman (Kieran Culkin) and Connor (Alan Ruck) — was more of an “everyone loses, everyone is messy and unhappy” affair. Nevertheless, an answer to the question of who would wind up in charge of Waystar Royco, the family company, was hotly anticipated as the show entered its final stretch. And the reveal didn’t disappoint: the goofy Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen), Shiv’s hapless husband, ends up being the CEO. Prior to the episode airing, one fan posted on social media, “if Tom wins succession … I will probably walk into traffic.”
Shauna eats her dead friend’s ear, “Yellowjackets”
This Showtimes series about a girl’s soccer team stranded in the wilderness — and their lives years later as adults with secrets — teased cannibalism from the beginning of Season 1. Even so, it took the story a while to circle back to it, and it still made for a shock when it finally happened. In the Season 2 premiere, Shauna (Sophie Nélisse), who was mentally spiraling over her friend Jackie (Ella Purnell) dying, rips off the corpse’s ear, pockets it and later chomps on it. Even though the show dropped hints from the start that there would be cannibalism, it’s impossible to mentally prepare for a moment like that.
“Riverdale” does a foursome reveal
“Riverdale” on the CW was full of wild moments throughout its run. As it followed teenagers Archie (KJ Apa), Betty (Lili Reinhart), Jughead (Cole Sprouse) and Veronica (Camila Mendes) through various shenanigans, it threw in everything but the kitchen sink. A serial killer, suburban gangs, a cult leader trying to harvest organs and escape on a rocket, underground fight clubs, time travel, Archie getting attacked by a bear — everything seemed to happen in this show. But, the show still managed to shock audiences in the series finale, when it was revealed that Archie, Betty, Veronica and Jughead were in a polyamorous “quad” foursome relationship. “Anyone walks up to me today and I’m just going to blurt out ‘the main 4 in Riverdale are in a quad’ because WHAT,” an astonished viewer posted on social media.
Reese Witherspoon randomly goes to space, “The Morning Show”
“The Morning Show” on Apple TV+ is about a fictional broadcast morning news program, featuring anchors Alex Levy (Jennifer Aniston) and Bradley Jackson (Reese Witherspoon). Season 1 dealt with timely real-world issues, as when Alex’s friend and co-worker Mitch (Steve Carell) is fired over sexual misconduct. The show is not about space and does not feature astronauts. Nobody tunes into an earthbound drama expecting to see a character go to space. But, that’s exactly what happened in the opening of Season 3, which sent Bradley into space. “On the rubric I judge TV shows on (Did it send Reese Witherspoon to space?) The Morning Show is the best show of the year,” one fan joked.
The tender gay love story in a brutal zombie show, “The Last of Us”
“The Last of Us” on HBO, starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, is based on a popular video game. It’s a bleak story about survivors navigating a post-apocalyptic world, after a pandemic turns people into zombie-like creatures. It’s brutal and gritty, but the third episode takes a detour into a tender gay love story between Frank (Murray Bartlett) and paranoid survivalist Bill (Nick Offerman) — who both got Emmy nominations for their performances. It was completely unexpected — especially since, although Bill is also gay in the game, the story there is more harsh and cynical. The show changed it into a shockingly sweet (albeit bittersweet) love story that nobody expected.
Princess Diana’s ghost visits “The Crown”
“The Crown” Season 5 on Netflix covered the royal family during the period leading up to Princess Diana’s (Elizabeth Debicki) fatal car accident and then during the tragedy’s aftermath. Bizarrely, the show had her reappear as a ghost to have a conversation with Prince Charles (Dominic West) and Queen Elizabeth (Imelda Staunton). The paranormal cameo was a bonkers moment in a drama that usually plays it safe and sedate. But the writers decided to jump the shark here and take a risk with a particularly sensitive topic. Viewers slammed the scene, with one writing on X: “‘The Crown’s writing fell off so hard in S6 that I kid you not, after Diana dies, Diana’s ghost appears out of nowhere and tells Elizabeth that ‘you taught us how to be British, now it’s your time to learn too.’ Why did I ever like this show?”
