Created by Jonathan Tropper and David Schickler, Banshee is an action, crime thriller that took the world by storm in 2013. Starring Antony Starr, Ivana Milicevic, Ulrich Thomsen, and Frankie Faison, Banshee is set in the fictional town of Banshee, Pennsylvania. It follows the story of an ex-con, who assumes the identity of Lucas Woods (Antony Starr), the murdered sheriff of the town. This character’s real identity in never revealed throughout the show. He does so to hide from a powerful crime lord, Rabbit (Ben Cross). In doing so, he opens the doors to a lot of complications for himself and those around him.

This thriller show ran for a total of four seasons. Although rumors of its cancelation surfaced, this was not the case as the show’s story was complete. As a creative decision, the show was never meant to go on for a longer stretch. Banshee ranked as Cinemax’s highest-rated show, with one of the best production values. It is often regarded as a very underappreciated and underrated show, as it was overshadowed by a lot of others shows at the time, for not being from an internationally renowned production company.

The Truth about Unicorns (S2 E5)

Directed by Babak Najafi, "The Truth about Unicorns" is the fifth episode of the second season. In this episode, Carrie (Ivana Milicevic) is released from prison and Lucas comes to pick her up. On their way back, they find themselves on the tail of something, walking back towards the old house that he had bought for them. This thrilling episode has the right balance of emotion and actions that can be present in an episode. The mystery looms for the majority of the episode about someone following them, who turns out to be Agent Racine. What follows, is an action-filled sequence of sniper attacks and gunfire from which Lucas and Carrie escape. Fans get to see both of their intense emotional sides along with survival instincts immediately kicking in.

Only Way a Dog Fight Ends (S4 E6)

"Only Way a Dog Fight Ends" is a great episode that builds the curiosity of what is to unfold in the last two episodes of the series. Directed by Jonathan Tropper, it follows the plot of Lucas and Dawson in search of a satanic cult that is involved in serial murders. Fans get to see their beloved Dawson in full action in this episode. The action scenes of the episodes are particularly filmed in a way to show disruption in the series for a good finale. It builds the excitement of an extremely eerie showdown with the serial killer, as Lucas and Dawson are busy tracking him down. This episode stands out as one of the best, as it ended with a lot of speculations about what could happen next. Fans were even wondering if Lucas would survive in the series or not, and could only wait to find out.

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Wicks (S1 E6)

The sixth episode of season one brings about demons from Lucas’ past. Directed by Ole Christian Madsen, "Wick" tells the story of an old ex-con mate of Lucas passing through Banshee. During this endeavor, he recognizes the sheriff by their time together. Wick’s visit to Banshee brings about a lot of issues from the past of Albino, a man hired by Mr. Rabbit to terrorize Lucas. Exploring more of the friendship between Lucas and Wick, this episode also shows many instances where Wick relapses to beating people and visiting casinos. Emotions ran high in this whole episode, as Wick plans to expose Lucas, but before he can do that, Lucas and Sugar kill him.

Bullets and Tears (S2 E10)

Directed by Greg Yaitanes, "Bullets and Tears" is the twentieth episode of the entire series. It follows the story of Lucas and Carrie prepping for the showdown against Rabbit, while Proctor returns home from prison. This episode was the hype of 2015, summing up the exciting first two seasons. The thrill and suspense of the episode surpassed any other from the series. The action scenes had everyone hanging on the edge of their seats, as Lucas and Carrie make some close escapes. "Bullets and Tears" ends with one of the biggest twists in the story, with Rabbit killing himself and Lucas finding out that he is a father, when Deva walks in and call him “Dad.”

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Tribal (S3 E5)

Directed by Ole Christian Madsen, "Tribal" is one of the most chaotic action episodes in the thriller series. It follows the plot of hell breaking loose in Banshee, as the army of Redbones invades the small town. The havoc raises a lot of issues for Lucas and his men. While the backstory of Proctor wanting to reach his sick mother is going on, this tribal issue in the hands of Lucas stirs a lot of emotions and suspense into the story line. All action shots are taken from suspense-inducing camera angles with aesthetically pleasing footage included too. As the show is famous for, this episode also ends with some heart-wrenching deaths like that of Proctor’s mother and Siobhan.

Requiem (S4 E8)

Ole Christian Madsen directed the last episode of the final season. In this episode, Lucas decides to leave Banshee forever. While doing so, he discovers that an old murder case he closed might be open again. Adding to this, Proctor finally faces off with Calvin and the Brotherhood. Tensions were extremely high in this episode. As the series was ending with it, a twist like Lucas leaving really confused fans, but also built a lot of the hype. Full of stories unfolding, people facing off against each other, and anxiety-inducing action, "Requiem" perfectly summed up the whole story in style. Fans say their final goodbyes to Lucas Hood, who parts his way to nowhere.