‘Yellowjackets,’ ‘Morning Show’ and more

A shocking TV moment can come from a jump scare, a sudden character death, or a salacious scene – anything that gets everyone buzzing. 

The scripted TV shows of 2023 went outside of the box for unusual surprises.

Although Ned Stark losing his head on “Game of Thrones” is one of the touchstones of legendary gasp-worthy TV moments (when it aired in 2011), this year’s moments were not trying to deliver more of the same from the past. The shocks weren’t only surprising character deaths.

From a drama taking a sudden jaunt to outer space to a cannibalism incident, to a reveal of a four-some couple, here are the wild 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 for shock value more than plot. The now-canceled HBO show was about troubled pop princess Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp) and her relationship with sleazy night club owner and cult leader Tedros (Abel Tesfaye). In the second episode, an explicit and raunchy scene features a deadpanned Tesfaye, 33, says that he wants to “f–kin stretch that tiny, little p—y” while 24-year-old Depp’s character pleasures herself, causing fans to decry the whole sequence as “nasty.” “He definitely gives me the ick after that episode,” one fan posted. “I’ll never be able to ever listen to any Weeknd song the same way again if I watch this show,” laughed another fan. 

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 with co-lead singers Billy Dunne (Sam Claflin) and Daisy Jones (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, Billy has a wife but has a vague and chaste emotional affair with Daisy. The show made their affair more explicit. “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 fan posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. 

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, the question of who would be in charge of the Waystar Royco, the family company, was hotly anticipated, as the show was in 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 about her friend Jackie (Ella Purnell) dying, rips off the corpse’s ear, pockets it, and later chomps on it. So, even though the show dropped hints that there would be cannibalism from the start, 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 randomly getting attacked by a bear. But, the show still managed to shock audiences in the series finale, when it 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 AppleTV+ is about the world of 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 such as Alex’s friend and co-worker, Mitch (Steve Carell) getting fired over a sexual misconduct scandal. The show is not about space and does not feature astronauts. Nobody tunes into a regular drama expecting to see a character go to space. But, that’s exactly what the opening of Season 3 did. Inexplicably, it sent Bradley to 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 the roles. It was completely unexpected – especially since, although Bill is also gay in the game, the story 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 in the time period leading up to Princess Diana’s (Elizabeth Debicki) tragic fatal car accident, and its aftermath. For some bizarre reason, the show had her appear as a ghost to have a conversation with Prince Charles (Dominic West) and Queen Elizabeth (Imelda Staunton). The “ghost” part of the show was a bonkers moment in a sedate drama that usually plays it safe. “The Crown” doesn’t feature sex scenes, and it pretends that Prince Andrew doesn’t exist. But, it decided to go off the rails and take a risk around the topic of Princess Diana’s death. Viewers slammed the scene, and one fan savagely wondered: “‘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?”