Top 10 TV Show Reveals Of The Last Decade: The Good, The Bad, & The Disappointing

Warning: spoilers for various TV shows.

TV shows often use mysteries and surprising reveals to keep viewers engaged, and while some recent reveals have been fantastic, others haven’t quite hit the mark. Throughout TV history, memorable reveals – both good and bad – have often played a crucial role in shaping a show’s lasting impact.

The past ten years have given us a lot of fantastic TV shows, and with those shows came some major plot twists. While many of these reveals were eagerly awaited, not all of them lived up to expectations. Some were simply disappointing or didn’t make sense, and a few were so poorly executed that they negatively impacted the whole season.

The Identity Of The White Flame

The Witcher

Those who’ve read the Witcher books likely already knew this, but it was a surprise for viewers new to the story. Throughout Netflix’s The Witcher, Geralt (played by Henry Cavill and Liam Hemsworth), Yennefer (Anya Chalotra), and Ciri (Freya Allan) encounter many dangers, and one looming threat, the White Flame – the Emperor of Nilfgaard – has been hinted at since the first season.

I was absolutely shocked when they revealed the White Flame at the end of season 2 of The Witcher – it turned out to be Ciri’s father, Emhyr var Emreis, who everyone thought was gone! And things got even more disturbing in season 4. Just like in the books, it’s now clear that Emhyr wants to capture Ciri for a truly awful reason: to have a child with her and fulfill some twisted prophecy. It’s a really unsettling development, and I’m worried about what this means for Ciri.

Grunkle Stan’s Identity

Gravity Falls

Gravity Falls is a funny and mysterious animated TV show created by Alex Hirsch. It centers around twins, Dipper and Mabel, who spend their summer vacation with their great-uncle, Stan, in the town of Gravity Falls. But this seemingly normal town is full of strange events, supernatural creatures, and hidden secrets.

Mabel and Dipper were shocked to discover that their Grunkle Stan had been hiding a big secret: he wasn’t who they thought he was. He had actually taken the place of his twin brother, Stanford, after accidentally sending him through a portal. Stan then lived as Stanford, all while secretly working to bring his brother back. This surprising revelation adds a whole new layer of mystery to Gravity Falls.

Tom’s Betrayal

Succession

The HBO series Succession centers on the Roy family, who run Waystar RoyCo, a massive media company. As the family’s aging father, Logan (played by Brian Cox), faces health issues, his children start battling each other for control of the company. Given the high stakes and their intense ambition, the show is full of surprising and shocking betrayals.

The most shocking betrayal came from Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen), who was married to Logan Roy’s daughter. Tom undermined Logan’s children – even his own wife – to improve his own position within the company, ultimately putting himself in a position of power over her.

Why Alex Karev Left

Grey’s Anatomy

Grey’s Anatomy is a highly-rated medical drama, but it’s gained a reputation for poorly handling when main actors leave the show. While the series is known for killing off popular characters, the way it wrote off Alex Karev after Justin Chambers’ departure was particularly criticized.

In a surprising and divisive storyline, Grey’s Anatomy had the character Alex Karev abruptly leave his wife and job to reunite with Izzie after discovering she’d used their frozen embryos. Many viewers felt this was a disservice to both the audience and Karev’s character arc, and it remains one of the show’s most debated plot twists.

Eleanor Is In The Bad Place

The Good Place

Okay, seriously, The Good Place is one of those rare shows where I genuinely loved every episode. And the first season? Mind-blowing! It starts with Eleanor Shellstrop, played by Kristen Bell, suddenly finding herself in ‘The Good Place’ after she dies. The catch? She knows she’s not supposed to be there – she definitely wasn’t a good person when she was alive!

Eleanor decides to prove she deserves a place in the afterlife, and gets help from her soulmate, Chidi. But she soon discovers that she, along with Chidi, Jason, and Tahani, have actually been in the Bad Place all along. This surprising revelation completely changes the direction of the show and makes it just as enjoyable to watch again.

The Third Holmes Sibling

Sherlock

The TV series Sherlock was at its best during its second season, but quality declined sharply in seasons three and four, culminating in a particularly unsatisfying reveal. The finale introduced a major plot point – the existence of Sherlock Holmes’s sister – that wasn’t found in the original stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and hadn’t been foreshadowed until just before the reveal.

Eurus Holmes was revealed to be a brilliant criminal, and was held in a maximum-security prison – despite secretly being in charge of everything. She concocted a complicated and illogical scheme to torment her brothers and Watson, ultimately contributing to the frustrating and convoluted nature of season four.

Rory’s Pregnancy

Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life

Over seven seasons, fans watched Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Rory (Alexis Bledel) navigate life’s challenges as a family and individuals. But nothing could have predicted the shocking twist at the end of the revival series, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.

The limited series takes Rory on adventures to Stars Hollow and London, where she reconnects with familiar faces like Logan (Matt Czuchry), Jess (Milo Ventimiglia), and Paris (Liza Weil). The revival culminates in Luke and Lorelai finally getting married, but ends with a surprising revelation: Rory is expecting a baby.

It’s unclear who Rory’s baby’s father is or what her next steps will be. While she’s older than Lorelai was when she became a mother, the news still came as a surprise. Many viewers felt this storyline didn’t fit Rory’s character, and it sparked a lot of debate among fans.

Who Takes The Iron Throne

Game of Thrones

Throughout its seasons, Game of Thrones focused on the central question of who would ultimately rule Westeros and sit on the Iron Throne. While the show hinted at several potential rulers, the actual outcome proved highly unpopular and contributed to the criticism of its final season.

Bran Stark ultimately won the Iron Throne, a choice that many Game of Thrones fans found frustrating, unearned, and baffling. The series finale, which had been highly anticipated for years, was widely considered to be undermined by this outcome.

Everyone Is Connected

Dark

Netflix’s Dark is widely considered its best science fiction series, and it’s also one of the most intelligent and captivating sci-fi shows of recent years. The show revolves around time travel and features numerous surprising twists, but the initial reveal in the first season is the most impactful and sets everything in motion.

The characters in Dark are all linked, and this is achieved through the show’s intricate time travel mechanics. While Dark can be complex and challenging to follow, figuring out how everything connects is a key reason why it’s considered one of the greatest science fiction series ever made.

2025-12-27 19:41