15 TV Shows That Will Have You Crying Every Time
- TV shows like This Is Us, One Tree Hill, and Ted Lasso have a knack for making viewers cry with their emotional storytelling.
Crying doesn't always have a negative connotation, especially when it comes to TV.
To sob over a character's sudden death or a character finally achieving what they have always dreamed of means that a show was good enough to pull on the audience's heartstrings. Plus, who doesn't love a good cry every now and then?
The list below features a series that proves that tears are a testament to powerful and emotional storytelling.
This Is Us (2016-2022)
Image Credit: Ron Batzdorf/ Rhode Island Ave. Productions.
If one TV show could take the trophy for making people cry every episode, it has to be This Is Us .
As viewers witness the Pearson family be their most vulnerable, dealing with anything from grief to anxiety to struggles with body image, it is hard not to feel sympathy for them.
One Tree Hill (2003-2012)
Image Credit: Warner Bros. Television.
The O.C. might've featured one of the most devastating goodbyes to one of its leads, but One Tree Hill made viewers sob for characters who had little to no screen time.
From a young teen dying in a school shooting episode to a promising basketball player whose life was sadly cut short, One Tree Hill was marked by heartbreaking losses.
Ted Lasso (2020-2023)
Image Credit: Apple TV+.
For a comedy about a coach leading a soccer team in the United Kingdom without even being that knowledgeable about the sport, Ted Lasso made viewers laugh and cry in equal measure.
Underneath the goofy sense of humor, Ted has a lot going on when he is not on the field. From panic attacks to struggling to move on after a divorce, it is hard not to get emotional when he is having a hard time.
Dead to Me (2019-2022)
Image Credit: CBS Studios.
This Netflix original starts as a comedy about two women who've experienced tragedy and bond after meeting at a support group. Toward the end, the leading duo has such a powerful friendship that everyone cries when it is time to let them go.
Fans of the show were inconsolable throughout Season 3 after witnessing both Jen and Judy receiving life-changing news right after their car crash incident.
The Leftovers (2014-2017)
Image Credit: HBO Entertainment.
The Leftovers ' premise alone already offers enough of a motive to shed tears, given that it follows a global event that leads to 140 million people disappearing overnight without any explanation.
When family members and close friends begin to mourn the people who left without a last goodbye, it is disheartening to see these characters endure so much pain.
Grey's Anatomy (2013-Present)
Image Credit: Shondaland, Lionsgate Television, and ABC Signature.
It seems like a given that hospitals are filled with patients whose lives are at risk, but when a long-term medical drama like Grey's Anatomy puts its leading doctors on stretchers and wheels them into surgery, viewers can't help but fear for their fate.
The series has featured several catastrophic incidents with fatal aftermaths, so it is impossible to tell nowadays who will make it out alive.
Parenthood (2010-2015)
Image Credit: True Jack Productions, Imagine Television, and Universal Television.
As the four Braverman siblings navigate the trials and tribulations of marriage and raising their children, audiences can't help but feel like they are part of the family. This means that they rejoice when the characters receive good news and sob uncontrollably when they are experiencing hardships.
From one family member dying to another receiving a cancer diagnosis, everything becomes too real for those watching the show at home.
Jane the Virgin (2014-2019)
Image Credit: Warner Bros. Television.
For a series about a virgin who accidentally gets pregnant in a supposed quick checkup at the gynecologist, Jane the Virgin features a lot of telenovela humor and grand-scale tragedy.
Despite the love triangle between Jane, Rafael, and Michael being the focus of the show, its most charming trio is the Villanueva women. As these three characters from different generations deal with anything from immigration to depression, it is impossible not to shed a few tears alongside them.
When They See Us (2019)
Image Credit: Netflix.
This Netflix miniseries is based on a true story about five teenagers from Harlem who are accused of a crime they did not commit. As these boys face police brutality and get misjudged based on their race, viewers get enraged at the system that does not treat them fairly.
Although it takes a while for the truth to come out, seeing these characters finally get exonerated from their sentences is deeply moving.
Maid (2021)
Image Credit: Warner Bros. Television.
In this miniseries about a single mother trying her best to support her child, it becomes clear how hard it can be to find housing or make enough money to support two people.
Despite the obstacles that Alex faces to prevent her daughter from growing up in an abusive household, her journey navigating motherhood and poverty is heart-wrenching to watch.
Glee (2009-2015)
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox Television.
Ryan Murphy's comedy-musical made audiences sing along, but it also brought them to tears on several occasions.
Yet, the episode that single-handedly made everyone on and off screen sob was the tribute to Finn Hudson in "The Quarterback." The actor who played Finn, Corey Monteith, had died before the cast started shooting Season 5 and consequently, his character also passed in the show.
Outlander (2014-Present)
Image Credit: Sony Pictures Television.
The steamy romance between Claire and Jamie in Outlander wasn't always marked with happy moments. The time traveler and the Scot warrior endured several traumatic experiences, especially at the hands of Black Jack Randall.
When the evil leader of the British army captures Jamie, viewers can't help but cry at the suffering he endures and his harrowing road to recovery.
Six Feet Under (2001-2005)
Image Credit: HBO Entertainment.
Going to the funeral home is far from pleasant, but imagine what it must be like to operate a place where people go to mourn the loss of a loved one.
Six Feet Under follows the Fisher family as they navigate death daily, and despite them being used to the job, they never truly become immune to grief.
Dopesick (2021)
Image Credit: Danny Strong Productions.
Dopesick centers on an opioid epidemic, mostly caused by a medication fabricated by Purdue Pharma. When several people become addicted to Oxycontin, their lives are radically impacted by the drug.
As viewers see characters from various backgrounds become adept at a medication that they thought would help them recover from pain, it frightens and upsets audiences to see them unable to get clean.
The Good Place (2016-2020)
Image Credit: Fremulon.
Eleanor might've been an awful person throughout her life, but when she surprisingly goes to a heaven-like place in the afterlife, she comes to terms with all her wrongdoings and takes accountability for her actions.
Those who've seen The Good Place from start to finish can't help but get emotional when reminiscing on the finale and its depressing turn for a character that meant so much to the protagonist.
