Tearjerker TV Series

Engineered to make you cry, and it works.

Ranked by how defining this tag is for each show · 193 series

10/10 means the show is a defining example. Shows scoring below 7/10 don't make the list.

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Genres

Genres as assigned by IMDb. Selecting several means a show must match all of them.

Action 31 Adult 0 Adventure 28 Animation 42 Biography 11 Comedy 41 Crime 8 Documentary 3 Drama 168 Family 4 Fantasy 18 Game-Show 0 History 28 Horror 4 Music 3 Musical 1 Mystery 10 News 0 Reality-TV 2 Romance 61 Sci-Fi 4 Short 0 Sport 1 Talk-Show 0 Thriller 2 War 7 Western 2

Decades

By first-air year. Several selections widen the range; a specific year narrows within its decade.

2020s 75 2010s 72 2000s 31 1990s 9 1980s 3 1970s 3 1960s 0 1950s 0 1940s 0 1930s 0 1920s 0 1900s 0

Specific year

2026 2 2025 7 2024 10 2023 18 2022 12 2021 19 2020 7 2019 13 2018 16 2017 7 2016 8 2015 6 2014 6 2012 6 2011 5 2010 5 2009 4 2008 3 2007 4 2006 5 2005 3 2003 4 2002 2 2001 5 2000 1 1999 4 1998 1 1996 1 1994 3 1989 1 1986 1 1983 1 1978 1 1977 1 1974 1

Tags

Rating patterns, computed from IMDb episode-rating trajectories. Deliberately strict: only shows with an unmistakable pattern carry one, so expect small numbers.

Rating patterns

Fumbled the Finale 1 Stuck the Landing 6 Grew the Beard 1 Rock Solid 1 Past Its Prime 0 Roller Coaster 1

Taste tags, judged by our AI taste model. They cover the 5,000 most-rated shows.

Tone & mood

Bleak 26 Gritty 15 Dark tone 30 Feel-good 5 Cozy 0 Wholesome 9 Melancholic 84 Tense 14 Unsettling 6 Whimsical 4 Campy 1 Cynical 2 Hopeful 12 Sentimental 79 Nostalgic 11 Bittersweet 121 Chaotic energy 2 Deadpan cool 0

Pacing & structure

Slow burn 5 Fast-paced 2 Episodic 5 Serialized 43 Procedural 2 Mystery box 5 Anthology 1 Cliffhanger-driven 4 Sprawling saga 7 Tight limited run 52 Puzzle plot 2 Vignette style 0

Humor style

Dry humor 0 Absurdist 2 Satirical 0 Cringe comedy 0 Slapstick 2 Witty banter 3 Dark comedy 3 Warm humor 10 Raunchy 0 Parody 1 Ironic & meta 1

Themes & subject matter

Criminal underworld 2 Detective mystery 1 True crime 2 Heists & cons 0 Legal 3 Medical 9 Political intrigue 6 Espionage 1 War & military 10 Family saga 31 Coming of age 25 Workplace 5 School & campus 8 Love story 66 Friendship 19 Found family 22 Survival 11 Post-apocalyptic 2 Dystopia 1 Supernatural 11 Space & sci-fi 1 Near-future tech 1 Time travel 9 High fantasy 7 Urban fantasy 1 Monster horror 0 Psychological horror 3 Addiction & vice 0 Mental health 13 Faith & religion 6 Sports 2 Music scene 8 Food & cooking 0 Nature & science 1 Real history 31 Royalty & aristocracy 5 Small town 5 Big city life 1 Rural & frontier 4 Suburban underbelly 0 Class divide 14 Immigrant experience 2 Queer stories 14 Female perspective 26 Social commentary 15 Philosophical 6 Existential dread 10 Revenge 8 Redemption 9 Secrets & lies 21

Characters & perspective

Antihero lead 3 Morally gray 8 Villain's POV 0 Ensemble cast 35 Central duo 5 Strong female lead 28 Child's perspective 2 Outsider lead 6 Genius lead 5 Working class 6 Elites & privilege 3 Unreliable narrator 0 Character study 46 Banter chemistry 0

Emotional payoff

Tearjerker 193 Adrenaline 7 Intellectual challenge 2 Comfort rewatch 3 Romantic yearning 59 Cathartic 3 Wonder & awe 4 Mounting dread 1 Warm glow 6 Gut punch 73

Craft & style

Dialogue-driven 4 Visually striking 26 Stylized direction 8 Naturalistic 8 Big-budget spectacle 5 Lo-fi charm 0 Atmospheric 22 Distinctive score 11 Experimental 1 Deep worldbuilding 8 Tight writing 1

Format & audience

Sitcom 1 Adult animation 3 Anime 40 Kids & family 0 Young adult 5 Soap & telenovela 16 Event miniseries 36 Reality competition 0 Lifestyle reality 3 Docuseries 3 Sketch & variety 0 Game & quiz show 0 Talk & panel 0 Period piece 57 Contemporary life 2 Long-runner 7 Built to binge 0

Viewing-culture clusters