These shows are guaranteed to get the man tears flowing. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at TV shows that most effectively, and most regularly, brought a core audience of adult males to tears.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking
00:10at TV shows that most effectively, and most regularly, brought a core audience of adult
00:16males to tears.
00:18As this means getting viewers invested in long-form storytelling, there will be major
00:24plot spoilers.
00:2720.
00:29Doctor Who That strange, wild man who roamed the fields
00:40of Provence was not only the world's greatest artist, but also one of the greatest men who
00:48ever lived.
00:49It hasn't just been the cast that's drastically changed across 60-plus years of Doctor Who.
00:55The 2005 revival has notably adopted a more dramatic tone to the pulp sci-fi of a shape-shifting
01:02alien exploring space and time.
01:05The Doctor and their companions encounter many deep aspects of the human or humanoid-alien
01:11condition.
01:12The inevitable ends to their partnerships alone are consistently touching.
01:17Some companions, and the Doctor themselves, have even died.
01:21The drama in a time-travel show may be fast and loose, but these adventures regularly
01:26get at the heart of connection, loss, and other meaningful themes.
01:31Doctor Who is a bigger deal in guy-geek culture than ever for its emotional nuance as much
01:37as its vast mythology.
01:4119.
01:43For All Mankind The perils of space travel are raised in For
01:57All Mankind's alternate history.
02:00Decades of intense science and politics following the Soviet's landing on the moon have led
02:05to much tragedy.
02:06Still, you can never predict major characters' fates or the impact that will have as far
02:12as the whole world.
02:14Some of our heroes get the uplifting resolutions they deserve.
02:17Many, sadly, are killed off in sacrifice, political upheaval, or just bad luck.
02:24For All Mankind is one of the few contemporary shows still willing to make you love its
02:29characters, then take them away.
02:32It's the kind of mature drama whose versatile intelligence extends all the way to the emotional.
02:4218.
02:46ER The uniquely female-driven Grey's Anatomy
02:58may have broken the record for the longest-running medical drama on American primetime, but ER
03:04set a grittier tone for portraying the difficult professional and personal lives of healthcare
03:09workers.
03:10The emergency room at Cook County General Hospital placed viewers on the front line
03:14of shocking medical crises week after week.
03:18As early as season one's Love's Labor Lost, in which a woman dies in childbirth, many
03:24one-off characters made bold impressions.
03:27Of course, a show that ran 15 years was bound to kill off main characters.
03:32In particular, Lucy Knight's was considered one of TV's most heartbreaking deaths at
03:38the time.
03:39ER truly revealed that modern audiences, however painfully, can handle TV doctors not always
03:45saving the day.
03:5017.
03:54Lost Lost started out on high emotion as an island
04:08survival drama.
04:09Even as it expanded into supernatural sci-fi to draw a cult following, the characters remained
04:15at the forefront of storytelling.
04:17Their backstories are moving enough, especially with regard to family hardship.
04:22Paternal conflict is a particularly touchy recurring theme to resonate with male viewers.
04:27But between shocking deaths and uplifting reunions, the show was never lost for emotional
04:33impact.
04:34Even the controversial afterlife twist in the end offered profound closure for the relationships
04:40built across six seasons.
04:42Lost continues to captivate pop culture for its cerebral twists and deep thrills.
04:48The human touch, of course, is what keeps fans coming back for more mind-bending and
04:54heart-breaking.
04:5516.
04:56Mr. Robot The
05:11linchpin of Mr. Robot's political, crime, and cyber thrills is the tragic psychodrama
05:17of Elliot Alderson.
05:19His development was a ground-breakingly esoteric portrayal of crippling anxiety, mental illness,
05:26and underlying childhood trauma.
05:28Elliot takes viewers on an emotional rollercoaster rarely dramatized in a dangerous social revolution.
05:35And the hallucinated interactions with his late father get more heartbreaking as the
05:39series progresses.
05:41From the early twist that Mr. Robot is really an alter-ego, to the climactic revelation
05:46of Elliot's repressed sexual abuse, the father-son dynamic is consistently devastating.
05:52At the heart of Mr. Robot's unique mix of tension and humanity is the beautiful agony
05:57of one of TV's most underrated anti-hero arcs.
06:0415.
06:09When They See Us The true story of The Central Park Five is
06:17heartbreaking just to hear.
06:19When audiences saw it dramatized in the miniseries When They See Us, it was a visceral experience.
06:25Ava DuVernay thoughtfully follows the aftermath of a violent crime and the young men who wrongly
06:32spent over a decade in prison for it.
06:35The soul-crushing drama, intense tone, and brilliant acting rarely let up on viewers,
06:41and the final bittersweet triumph of justice is no less moving.
06:46The complicated themes of masculine strength further resonate, especially for the young
06:51black men who are most vulnerable to this sort of tragedy.
06:55When They See Us is not an easy test of will, but it is an important one.
07:0914.
07:11The Leftovers From Damon Lindelof, the tearjerker behind
07:24Lost, comes a drama all about loss.
07:28The Leftovers depicts humanity's individual and collective reaction to the disappearance
07:33of 2% of the world's population.
07:36It's a mind-bendingly twisty epic, but the most important part of the story is how every
07:41character deals with confusion and grief.
07:45With that comes the loaded allegories on the natures of trauma, faith, and connection.
07:50These universal themes are beautifully written and acted to awaken audiences' deepest anxieties
07:57about people around them vanishing.
07:59It's not likely they'll do so in a seemingly supernatural way.
08:03Still, The Leftovers rivals its intrigue with a gripping look at the pain of loss and the
08:08salvation in those who remain.
08:1613.
08:22After Life Ricky Gervais is always good for an uncomfortable
08:31laugh and gets plenty as the maker and star of After Life.
08:35Still, he never treats Tony Johnson's grief over his late wife as a laughing matter.
08:41This is a thoughtful study in how a man grapples with catastrophic loss of a loved one and
08:46purpose in life.
08:48Taking care of his dog, Brandy, seems to be the only thing keeping Tony alive.
08:53However, as he gradually opens up, especially to other bereaved people, he finally finds
08:59peace.
09:00After Life is an uncompromising comedy about a universally relatable drama.
09:06Gervais' quirkier observations of the human condition may keep you going, but the heavier
09:11material's impact and tranquility really hit home.
09:2312.
09:26The Walking Dead The definite zombie apocalypse saga may be
09:35more depressing than tear-jerking.
09:37For loyal viewers, though, The Walking Dead's methodical pacing and bold drama really flesh
09:43the characters out.
09:44Flesh-eaters end up being the least of their woes.
09:47Fatigue, betrayal, and loss overwhelm the heroes' journey to survive without compromising
09:53their moral compass.
09:55Even those who have are given tragic backstories to earn viewers' sympathies.
10:00Certainly, they should be consistently struck by major character deaths, whether shocking
10:05or slow, gruesome or graceful.
10:08That makes the rare moment of joy in the wasteland all the more poignant.
10:12While this dramatic formula persists across its many spin-offs, the human depth of the
10:17original, The Walking Dead, really sinks its teeth in.
10:2111.
10:22Six Feet Under The Fisher family business is a matter of
10:40life and death, literally.
10:43The grind of running a funeral home is usually comedic in Six Feet Under.
10:47Still, there's equally deep drama in the driving themes of family dysfunction and existentialism.
10:54Obviously, many clients bring heartbreaking or life-affirming stories with their deceased
11:00loved ones.
11:02As for the Fishers themselves, they all have powerful stories of self-determination.
11:07Nate's strife in bearing others' burdens and terminal illness was especially groundbreaking
11:12in how it approached sensitive male subjects.
11:15Even bolder was David's crises and triumphs as a gay Christian.
11:20Culminating in one of the most moving series finales of all time, Six Feet Under boasts
11:25all the joy, pain and beauty of life itself.
11:2910.
11:39The Haunting Mike Flanagan is known for chilling horror
11:47driven by character drama.
11:49The anthology series The Haunting exemplifies that with modern, poignant twists on classic
11:55supernatural literature.
11:57The Haunting of Hill House reimagined Shirley Jackson with the family's tragic lives after
12:02their matriarch's death in the haunted family home.
12:06This yielded piercing allegories for grief, mental health and reconciliation.
12:11The Haunting of Bly Manor, inspired by the works of Henry James, is even more moving.
12:17It's a ghost story from the perspective of the ghosts.
12:20Contrasted with that are redemptive love stories that enrich themes of life and remembrance.
12:26For all of Flanagan's general mastery of mixing thrills and emotion, The Haunting is
12:31particularly… well, the title says it all.
12:389.
12:48The Last of Us Raw emotion helped set The Last of Us apart
12:59from most action video games.
13:01Perhaps more shocking is how it sets HBO's adaptation apart from most TV dramas.
13:08In the first season alone, the zombie opus earned a reputation for establishing many
13:13rich characters, only to quickly kill them off.
13:17At least Bill and Frank went out on their own terms in the third episode's beautifully
13:21developed love story.
13:23Mostly, heroes Joel and Ellie must reckon with gruesome death, sacrificed principles
13:29and human horror.
13:30They never seem to get desensitized to it, nor does the audience.
13:34Every hardship raises the stakes and enriches complex characters.
13:39Each episode of The Last of Us is an emotional ride, well worth playing through.
13:508.
13:53The Bear Anyone who's worked in the culinary industry
14:03probably has more reason than others to cry at The Bear.
14:08It's a darkly comedic portrayal of frantic professional and financial stress, until it's
14:13a well-balanced underdog story.
14:16Carmi Bersato leads most of the heartbreak as he struggles to maintain sobriety against
14:21family trauma and reviving his late brother's restaurant.
14:25Self-destructive masculine passion ends up being a key theme in his bitter drama.
14:30It's even harder to swallow for his employees' own personal turmoil, but the hard-fought
14:35triumphs of their community and dreams ultimately hit the spot.
14:39The Bear blends a lot of flavors into an intense experience, with as much heart as meticulous
14:45presentation to leave its patrons emotionally satisfied.
14:547.
14:57Breaking Bad Much of Breaking Bad's renown may be based
15:09on its masterful tension, but so much of that is based on fans' emotional investment.
15:14The show develops its characters so thoughtfully that their heavy fates often rise from shocking
15:20to heart-rending.
15:21Their moral tragedies really stand out, particularly in a complex representation of masculine hubris.
15:27Walter White enters the drug trade to provide for his family, only to become consumed by
15:32his power in the criminal underworld.
15:35His toxic downfall culminates in Ozymandias, widely considered the show's best episode.
15:41Walt clearing his wife as his accomplice with a cruel cell phone call symbolizes men's deepest
15:47dread.
15:48Altogether, though, Breaking Bad deserves more recognition as one of TV's most wholly
15:54emotional achievements.
16:076. BoJack Horseman An animated talking horse mounting his acting
16:21comeback surely leaves you in tears from laughter.
16:24But for all the ingenious satire in BoJack Horseman's animal lore, it's a Trojan horse
16:30for heavier human allegories.
16:33The title character's struggles with alcoholism and remorse, stemming from a loveless childhood,
16:39feel shockingly raw.
16:41Developments like the drinking death of an old co-star BoJack-enabled are bold for any
16:45genre.
16:46In the animation, however, the bitter and the sweet moments take on an expressionism
16:51that makes them even more impactful.
16:53BoJack's turmoil and ultimate redemption is still just one of many caringly defined
16:59character arcs on BoJack Horseman.
17:02It's simply the final word on how even the quirkiest cartoons can deliver the realest
17:07emotion.
17:175. Rescue Me Machismo is at the heart of the thrills and
17:34frills of Rescue Me.
17:35As irreverently as the dramedy handles the dynamics of New York firefighters, it holds
17:41their work and woes in high regard.
17:43Their tireless efforts to save lives is always emotionally intense and, sadly, not always
17:49successful.
17:50This weighs heaviest on Tommy Gavin, a complicated anti-hero enduring alcoholism, family dysfunction,
17:58and 9-11 survivor's guilt.
18:00The show is the gold standard for representing PTSD among firefighters.
18:04All of that's just the beginning of the hardship that Tommy and company must face
18:09to realize the men they should be.
18:11For all its charms, Rescue Me's consistently searing drama drives home that even the toughest
18:17among us break down.
18:19I lost my buddy, my best friend, my cousin, my brother.
18:284. Sons of Anarchy
18:30I'll find out who you are and where you live and then I'm gonna kill you.
18:38Mastering gritty drama with his work on The Shield, Kurt Sutter went harder with Sons
18:43of Anarchy.
18:44There are no heroes in a motorcycle club's criminal exploits, yet the gripping thriller
18:49so carefully develops the characters' morally ambiguous dynamics that you feel their relentless
18:54tragedy.
18:55Jax Teller holds down the sentimental core by struggling to redeem his late father's
19:00club for the sake of his own sons.
19:03After he loses the honorable Opie Winston in Season 5, each devastating death represents
19:08Jax's downfall.
19:10Sutter skillfully reconciles violence with raw emotion and distorted redemption.
19:15The spinoff Mayans M.C. continued that uniquely brutal form of consequential drama, but S.O.A.
19:22sets the extreme in cruelty and humanity to make you cry for the bad man.
19:27Take care of our girls, Philip, yeah?
19:37I love you.
19:383. This Is Us
19:40You doing me a favor?
19:43Stop trying to live up to me.
19:47I was terrified of being like my dad and you are terrified of not being like yours.
19:52With practically every episode leaving fans in tears, This Is Us gained an unfair reputation
19:58as a women's show.
20:00Certainly, it handles the complexities of womanhood and female relationships beautifully,
20:05but its masculine themes are equally profound.
20:08Flashbacks center around Jack Pearson trying to be the decent man his abusive father never
20:13was.
20:14His example and untimely death send sons Kevin and Randall on their own difficult journeys
20:20to self-actualization.
20:22Remorse, responsibility, race, and many other themes are complicatedly nuanced under the
20:27male condition.
20:29The series finale even focuses on Jack simply teaching his sons how to shave.
20:34It's the perfect coda for a perfect portrait of what it means to be a man.
20:38Of course, This Is Us is designed to make anyone weep.
20:47Hey.
20:49Hi.
20:51Number 2.
20:521883 I heard a thousand stories, but none could
20:56describe this place.
20:58Taylor Sheridan's gritty, unsentimental drama is epitomized in the neo-western Yellowstone.
21:04But in showing how the Dutton dynasty began, 1883 finds deeper humanity in the harshness.
21:10The Duttons are part of a wagon train that must endure unforgiving elements to settle
21:15in the American West.
21:16The nuanced ensemble is led by Elsa Dutton, whose poetic narration on the beauty and brutality
21:22of nature is revealed to be posthumous.
21:25Key to the western's staggering authenticity is a vivid portrayal of hardship and pioneering
21:31and the trauma of Americans following the Civil War.
21:34Every episode is a visceral blend of epic thrills and poignant heartbreak.
21:39Sheridan may have mastered hardcore tension, but some fans believe the heart is what distinguishes
21:451883 as his masterpiece.
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22:11Number 1.
22:12Band of Brothers The HBO miniseries Band of Brothers transcended
22:27not just TV production standards, but war filmmaking.
22:31Its format provides a full-scale dramatization of World War II's Western Front, including
22:37its horror.
22:39Viewers are immersed into the experiences of ordinary men facing extraordinary carnage
22:45on either side of combat and in surrounding communities.
22:49Whether characters are developed across one episode or the series, their fates are always
22:54gutting.
22:55Amid this human cost, the episode, Why We Fight, fulfills its title with the liberation
23:00of a Nazi concentration camp.
23:02But Band of Brothers makes no excuses for the global bloodshed, nor do the companion
23:07series The Pacific and Masters of the Air.
23:10They simply express camaraderie and sorrow, unlike any other male-driven drama of its
23:16format.
23:26What are your favorite guy-cry moments in a TV show?
23:30Share your feelings in the comments.