Tales of the Unexpected (1979)

Comedy · Drama · Horror

A British television anthology of stories, often with sinister and wryly comedic undertones, and a twist at the end. With early episodes written and presented by Roald Dahl, the series featured a plethora of big name guest stars.

IMDb rating: 7.6 (2,928 votes)
Seasons: 9
Streaming (US): Shout! Factory Amazon Channel · The Roku Channel · Tubi TV
Language: EN
Type: TV series

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Seasons

Season 1 (1979)

6.86 avg 9 episodes 7.3 → 7.1 25 min avg

Season 1 episodes — IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	The Man from the South	7.3	719
2	Mrs. Bixby and the Colonel's Coat	7.1	557
3	William and Mary	6.5	499
4	Lamb to the Slaughter	7.2	585
5	The Landlady	7.2	580
6	Neck	6.7	491
7	Edward the Conqueror	6.1	413
8	A Dip in the Pool	6.5	405
9	The Way Up to Heaven	7.1	420

Season 2 (1980)

6.36 avg 16 episodes 6.4 → 6.1 25 min avg

Rollercoaster

Season 2 episodes — IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Royal Jelly	6.4	459
2	Skin	6.4	359
3	Galloping Foxley	6.4	388
4	The Hitch-Hiker	7.2	417
5	Poison	6.4	333
6	Fat Chance	6.8	334
7	Taste	7.2	410
8	My Lady Love, My Dove	5.1	340
9	Georgy Porgy	5.8	329
10	Depart in Peace	6.0	304
11	The Umbrella Man	7.0	346
12	Genesis & Catastrophe	5.9	296
13	Mr Botibol's First Love	5.3	292
14	Back for Christmas	7.0	324
15	The Orderly World of Mr. Appleby	6.8	300
16	The Man at the Top	6.1	206

Season 3 (1980)

6.93 avg 9 episodes 8.2 → 6.4 25 min avg

Season 3 episodes — IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	The Flypaper	8.2	597
2	A Picture of a Place	6.5	280
3	Proof of Guilt	6.6	280
4	Vengeance Is Mine Inc.	6.3	264
5	A Girl Can't Always Have Everything	6.9	280
6	Parson's Pleasure	7.1	310
7	The Stinker	7.3	318
8	I'll Be Seeing You	7.1	278
9	The Party	6.4	269

Season 4 (1981)

6.36 avg 17 episodes 6.7 → 6.8 26 min avg

Rollercoaster

Season 4 episodes — IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Would You Believe It?	6.7	251
2	Vicious Circle	6.3	246
3	The Boy Who Talked with Animals	5.3	266
4	The Best of Everything	7.0	262
5	A Woman's Help	6.3	213
6	Shatterproof	7.0	266
7	The Sound Machine	6.4	233
8	Never Speak Ill of the Dead	6.7	228
9	The Best Policy	5.4	210
10	The Last Bottle in the World	6.4	237
11	Kindly Dig Your Grave	6.6	226
12	Completely Foolproof	6.3	237
13	There's One Born Every Minute	6.8	236
14	Bosom Friends	6.5	248
15	A Glowing Future	5.5	221
16	The Way to Do It	6.2	213
17	Hijack	6.8	246

Season 5 (1982)

6.50 avg 18 episodes 6.1 → 5.8 26 min avg

Rollercoaster
Mid-peak

Season 5 episodes — IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Blue Marigold	6.1	269
2	The Eavesdropper	7.1	266
3	Operation Safecrack	7.3	269
4	Run, Rabbit, Run	5.7	219
5	Stranger in Town	7.0	305
6	The Moles	6.5	236
7	Decoy	6.1	233
8	Pattern of Guilt	6.9	219
9	A Harmless Vanity	7.6	318
10	Death Can Add	6.8	212
11	Light Fingers	6.5	207
12	Death in the Morning	6.2	217
13	What Have You Been up to Lately?	6.7	215
14	The Absence of Emily	6.5	209
15	In the Bag	6.1	189
16	A Man with a Fortune	6.4	210
17	Who's Got the Lady?	5.7	194
18	The Skeleton Key	5.8	205

Season 6 (1983)

6.16 avg 14 episodes 6.4 → 5.3 26 min avg

Bad finale
Rollercoaster

Season 6 episodes — IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	A Passing Opportunity	6.4	194
2	The Memory Man	6.7	225
3	A Sad Loss	6.5	224
4	Clerical Error	7.0	229
5	Heir Presumptuous	5.5	204
6	Where's Your Sense of Humour?	6.1	135
7	Down Among the Sheltering Palms	5.8	211
8	The Vorpal Blade	6.6	251
9	The Wrong 'Un	6.5	217
10	The Luncheon	5.7	222
11	The Tribute	5.8	211
12	Hit and Run	6.5	207
13	Youth from Vienna	5.8	195
14	The Turn of the Tide	5.3	186

Season 7 (1984)

5.85 avg 15 episodes 6.1 → 5.3 26 min avg

Rollercoaster
Mid-peak

Season 7 episodes — IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	The Dirty Detail	6.1	194
2	The Best Chess Player in the World	6.0	205
3	Proxy	6.2	193
4	Have a Nice Death	5.1	209
5	Number Eight	6.8	236
6	The Last of the Midnight Gardeners	5.8	194
7	The Gift of Beauty	6.2	202
8	Wet Saturday	4.5	207
9	Sauce for the Goose	5.7	208
10	Bird of Prey	5.8	200
11	I Like It Here in Wilmington	5.7	168
12	Accidental Death	6.2	179
13	The Reconciliation	6.3	175
14	The Mugger	6.0	178
15	The Open Window	5.3	183

Season 8 (1985)

6.63 avg 4 episodes 6.2 → 6.6 28 min avg

Season 8 episodes — IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	People Don't Do Such Things	6.2	184
2	In the Cards	6.6	182
3	Nothin' Short of Highway Robbery	7.1	228
4	Scrimshaw	6.6	204

Season 9 (1987)

6.51 avg 10 episodes 7.6 → 6.2 29 min avg

Rollercoaster

Season 9 episodes — IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Skeleton in the Cupboard	7.6	253
2	The Colonel's Lady	6.5	174
3	The Surgeon	6.5	181
4	The Verger	7.3	244
5	The Facts of Life	5.7	179
6	Wink Three Times	6.6	203
7	The Dead Don't Steal	6.7	150
8	The Finger of Suspicion	5.6	163
9	A Time to Die	6.4	179
10	Mr. Know-All	6.2	189