10 Amazing TV Shows That Are Really Hard To Rewatch
There are some TV shows that are truly amazing but are really hard to rewatch due to various reasons. This article explores 10 such TV shows that deliver incredible experiences when first viewed but may be too emotionally intense, reveal their central mystery, or have a disappointing ending.
The Emotional Intensity
Certain TV shows are overwhelmingly grueling in their emotional intensity and can leave such an impact on viewers that they may never decide to rewatch them ever again. Television series such as The Handmaid’s Tale bring up relevant messages around important themes, like the subjugation of women, that can be difficult for audiences to re-experience.
Offred leading handmaids in The Handmaid's Tale
The Handmaid’s Tale was based on a novel by feminist writer Margaret Atwood and explores the dystopian society of Gilead, where women are stripped of their agency and forced into servitude. The Handmaid’s Tale television series has something vital and important to say about the treatment of women and brings up incredibly insightful themes around gender roles, power and control, and fundamentalist thinking models. While The Handmaid’s Tale is a masterclass in allegorical storytelling that shines a light on contemporary society, the brutality with which the characters are treated and the torment that is showcased on screen makes this a difficult series to rewatch.
Elizabeth Moss as June in The Handmaid's Tale
The crime miniseries When They See Us was based on the true story of the Central Park jogger case when five teenagers were wrongly convicted on charges relating to the assault and rape of a young woman named Trisha Melli. When They See Us was a powerful portrayal of injustice and the failures of the legal system that cuts right to the heart of how people are exploited, scapegoated, and misjudged within American society. When They See Us brought up important themes of justice, race, and trauma, that stands as a difficult to rewatch due to the sheer intensity and realism with which this story was portrayed.
Korey Wise Mugshot in When They See Us
Revealed Mysteries and Disappointing Endings
There are other series, like Gossip Girl, where there is a central mystery that is explored through multiple seasons, and once it has been revealed, it makes it difficult to come back and watch the show again. For whatever reason, there are many amazing shows that are really hard to rewatch.
Blair sitting with Chuck in Gossip Girl
The teen drama Gossip Girl revolved around a mysterious, unknown blogger voiced by Kirsten Bell. Throughout Gossip Girl much of the suspense was based around not knowing who this blogger was and how they could expose all the various secrets and scandals involving the rest of the cast. Gossip Girl revealed the identity of this blogger by the end of the show’s run, and the hard reality of rewatching Gossip Girl, unfortunately, results in a series that lacks mystery, with plot twists that lose their impact, and some of the storylines no longer make any sense.
Game of Thrones was the biggest series on television when it was on the air as audiences flocked to see the interwoven storylines of the inhabitants of Westeros and Essos. With incredibly engaging conflicts between noble families, insightful characters, and a building narrative that felt like it was heading toward an epic conclusion, part of the joy of watching Game of Thrones was not knowing what would happen next and how everything would pan out in the end. Unfortunately, Game of Thrones’ final season did not deliver on viewers’ lofty expectations, and rewatching the series feels less exciting with the knowledge that the finale will be a disappointing letdown.
Kit Harrington as Jon Snow covered in snow in Game of Thrones
Bleak Examinations and Compelling Dramas
The dark anthology series Black Mirror reflects the sinister consequences of today’s technology-obsessed society. With episodes that delve into the darkest realms of human nature, Black Mirror can often be difficult to endure due to its relentless bleakness. Despite some moments of heartfelt positivity, such as the episode “San Junipero”, Black Mirror is a daunting series to rewatch as audiences will be once again subjected to a politician blackmailed into having sex with a pig in “The National Anthem”, a woman tormented daily for a crime she does not remember in “White Bear”, or an astronaut damned to a life of loneliness in “Beyond the Sea.”
Featured Image Black Mirror Hated In The Nation
Rectify was a seriously underrated drama series following the life of Daniel Holden, a man released from death row after 20 years due to new evidence in his murder case. Daniel was convicted of killing his girlfriend when he was just 16 and Rectify explored the consequences of his release on himself and those around him. Rectify was a slow-burn series focusing on the emotional complexity of its main character and a detailed, heartfelt, character study about adjustment, loss, and what it means to be alive. Watching Rectify for the first time was an emotionally draining but rewarding experience that would be difficult to go through a second time.
Rectify Daniel Holden looking serious
The investigative crime series Broadchurch, starring David Tennent and Olivia Coleman, explored the death of an 11-year-old boy that brought up lies, deceit, and foul play in a small seaside town during its first season. As a slowly unfolding procedural with excellent performances, Broadchurch had viewers on the edge of their seats waiting to discover the resolution of its interwoven and intricate mystery. These qualities that make the show so exciting on first viewing, unfortunately, mean the series does not have as much rewatch value, as audiences are no longer guessing the outcome and know exactly how the sinister murder at the heart of its story took place.
David Tennant and Olivia Colman looking off into the ocean in Broadchurch
