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 (2,959 votes)
Seasons: 9
Streaming (US): Shout! Factory Amazon Channel · The Roku Channel · Tubi TV
Language: EN
Type: TV series

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Ratings refreshed Aug 19, 2026 · 9 seasons indexed

Seasons

Season 1 (1979)

6.84 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	737
2	Mrs. Bixby and the Colonel's Coat	7.1	570
3	William and Mary	6.4	511
4	Lamb to the Slaughter	7.2	601
5	The Landlady	7.2	592
6	Neck	6.7	501
7	Edward the Conqueror	6.1	423
8	A Dip in the Pool	6.5	417
9	The Way Up to Heaven	7.1	433

Season 2 (1980)

6.36 avg 16 episodes 6.4 → 6.0 25 min avg

Rollercoaster

Season 2 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Royal Jelly	6.4	472
2	Skin	6.4	367
3	Galloping Foxley	6.3	398
4	The Hitch-Hiker	7.2	429
5	Poison	6.4	342
6	Fat Chance	6.9	341
7	Taste	7.2	421
8	My Lady Love, My Dove	5.1	348
9	Georgy Porgy	5.8	335
10	Depart in Peace	6.0	311
11	The Umbrella Man	7.0	354
12	Genesis & Catastrophe	5.9	300
13	Mr Botibol's First Love	5.3	297
14	Back for Christmas	7.0	329
15	The Orderly World of Mr. Appleby	6.8	305
16	The Man at the Top	6.0	211

Season 3 (1980)

6.94 avg 9 episodes 8.2 → 6.4 25 min avg

Rollercoaster

Season 3 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	The Flypaper	8.2	615
2	A Picture of a Place	6.5	286
3	Proof of Guilt	6.7	286
4	Vengeance Is Mine Inc.	6.3	267
5	A Girl Can't Always Have Everything	6.9	286
6	Parson's Pleasure	7.1	317
7	The Stinker	7.3	325
8	I'll Be Seeing You	7.1	284
9	The Party	6.4	274

Season 4 (1981)

6.39 avg 17 episodes 6.7 → 6.9 26 min avg

Season 4 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Would You Believe It?	6.7	258
2	Vicious Circle	6.4	252
3	The Boy Who Talked with Animals	5.3	270
4	The Best of Everything	7.1	268
5	A Woman's Help	6.4	217
6	Shatterproof	7.0	275
7	The Sound Machine	6.4	239
8	Never Speak Ill of the Dead	6.7	235
9	The Best Policy	5.4	216
10	The Last Bottle in the World	6.4	243
11	Kindly Dig Your Grave	6.6	230
12	Completely Foolproof	6.3	241
13	There's One Born Every Minute	6.8	240
14	Bosom Friends	6.5	252
15	A Glowing Future	5.5	226
16	The Way to Do It	6.2	219
17	Hijack	6.9	251

Season 5 (1982)

6.51 avg 18 episodes 6.1 → 5.8 26 min avg

Season 5 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Blue Marigold	6.1	275
2	The Eavesdropper	7.1	274
3	Operation Safecrack	7.3	276
4	Run, Rabbit, Run	5.7	221
5	Stranger in Town	7.0	313
6	The Moles	6.5	237
7	Decoy	6.1	234
8	Pattern of Guilt	6.9	222
9	A Harmless Vanity	7.6	325
10	Death Can Add	6.8	215
11	Light Fingers	6.5	210
12	Death in the Morning	6.2	220
13	What Have You Been up to Lately?	6.8	217
14	The Absence of Emily	6.5	211
15	In the Bag	6.1	192
16	A Man with a Fortune	6.4	211
17	Who's Got the Lady?	5.7	195
18	The Skeleton Key	5.8	208

Season 6 (1983)

6.15 avg 14 episodes 6.4 → 5.3 26 min avg

Season 6 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	A Passing Opportunity	6.4	199
2	The Memory Man	6.7	229
3	A Sad Loss	6.5	226
4	Clerical Error	7.0	233
5	Heir Presumptuous	5.5	207
6	Where's Your Sense of Humour?	6.1	136
7	Down Among the Sheltering Palms	5.8	215
8	The Vorpal Blade	6.6	253
9	The Wrong 'Un	6.5	220
10	The Luncheon	5.6	227
11	The Tribute	5.8	213
12	Hit and Run	6.5	208
13	Youth from Vienna	5.8	199
14	The Turn of the Tide	5.3	188

Season 7 (1984)

5.83 avg 15 episodes 6.1 → 5.2 26 min avg

Season 7 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	The Dirty Detail	6.1	196
2	The Best Chess Player in the World	6.0	207
3	Proxy	6.2	196
4	Have a Nice Death	5.1	212
5	Number Eight	6.8	242
6	The Last of the Midnight Gardeners	5.8	197
7	The Gift of Beauty	6.2	206
8	Wet Saturday	4.5	210
9	Sauce for the Goose	5.7	214
10	Bird of Prey	5.8	204
11	I Like It Here in Wilmington	5.6	174
12	Accidental Death	6.2	184
13	The Reconciliation	6.3	179
14	The Mugger	6.0	185
15	The Open Window	5.2	189

Season 8 (1985)

6.60 avg 4 episodes 6.2 → 6.5 28 min avg

Season 8 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	People Don't Do Such Things	6.2	189
2	In the Cards	6.6	187
3	Nothin' Short of Highway Robbery	7.1	237
4	Scrimshaw	6.5	210

Season 9 (1987)

6.47 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	263
2	The Colonel's Lady	6.5	180
3	The Surgeon	6.5	188
4	The Verger	7.3	256
5	The Facts of Life	5.6	185
6	Wink Three Times	6.5	209
7	The Dead Don't Steal	6.6	153
8	The Finger of Suspicion	5.6	170
9	A Time to Die	6.3	183
10	Mr. Know-All	6.2	195