Thrillers are such a great compromise genre, a good option to watch when one person doesn't want sappy and another doesn’t want horror. The genre sits right in the middle, usually with lots of action and intrigue, scary moments, and maybe even a bit of romance thrown in to lighten the mood. That's certainly the case with some of the best thriller shows introduced over the last decade-and-a-half.

The power of a great plot twist is undeniable. It can completely transform a show by forcing the audience to rethink everything they thought was true, whether that be a character’s motivations or the rules of the story’s world. Given that, it’s not surprising that thriller TV has practically become obsessed with twists over the years. Of course, some element of surprise is essential to the genre, but when shows start relying on shock value alone, that’s where things start to fall apart.

With a library full of acclaimed, high-quality content, Apple TV (formerly known as Apple TV+) has established itself as a major player in the world of streaming. The service has produced a steady stream of celebrated, award-winning shows and movies, including several that easily rank among the best of recent years. And some of the best, most exciting stuff you could watch on the service are its gripping thriller shows.

With the onset of streaming and the continuation of the medium’s golden age in the 21st century seeing both networks and streaming services grow increasingly daring with the kinds of stories they’re willing to tell, the past 10 years have been a goldmine of bold and impactful television. The thriller genre has been among the greatest beneficiaries of this, with small-screen suspense taking the form of everything from fast-paced politics to slow-burn murder mystery in the past decade.