The new Netflix series Keep Breathing is now streaming, and the series features flashbacks to great effect to help the narrative progress. The main character is stranded in the wilderness while simultaneously having flashbacks to her life in order to survive.

Many television shows use this tactic to help advance the story. These shows may include flashbacks to give the viewers insight into clues which as to what can happen next. For example, this happens in the teen show Pretty Little Liars. Flashbacks also can occur to help understand the characters, which happens in shows like Lost or Once Upon A Time.

Orange Is The New Black (2013-2019)

Orange Is The New Black is one of the biggest series that Netflix ever released. It centered around a group of women from different backgrounds that were incarcerated, and explored what got them there and how they adjust to life behind bars.

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Each main character gets the chance to be developed by their flashback episodes. These episodes provided information for the viewers to understand who they are as people and why they are in prison. Each episode draws the viewers while handing out information that allows the story to progress in the most effective way. It's essentially one of the best tv shows with flashbacks because of this.

This Is Us (2016-2022)

This Is Us was a part of many tv shows snubbed by the 2022 Emmys. It involved multiple generations of the same family told through different time periods. The television series centered around the Pearson family and the highs and lows of life.

Not only does This Is Us tell its stories through many flashbacks, but it also features flash-forwards as well. It has been known to use its flashbacks to explain the dynamics of the Pearson family and allowed viewers to piece together moments of the present and why they are the way they are as adults. It focuses on their inner struggles as well as clues to the future.

Scandal (2012-2018)

Scandal followed Olivia Pope as she handled multiple scandals for politicians with her crisis management team while also dealing with her past regarding her relationship with the President of the United States.

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Scandal often went back and forth with its flashbacks to tell its story. It also used flashbacks to reveal shocking events and betrayals among other characters. It allowed the viewers to understand the characters and also learn plot twists that would appear in the present. The flashbacks in this series were a bit more creative in their premise since they was mostly used as a shock factor. However, it still worked out in the end and made the series what it was.

How I Met Your Mother (2005-2014)

How I Met Your Mother was one of the best sitcoms from the 2000s. It depicted a middle-aged man telling the story to his children about how he met their mother while also exploring the dating life as an adult through flashbacks.

The series is one of the most memorable shows to feature flashbacks because the main premise involves a series of explanations through the flashbacks. The series may include flashbacks within flashbacks to help progress the story and explain the characters and their backgrounds. It's also a tool to let the viewer in on the main character's journey to meeting his soulmate.

Veronica Mars (2004-2019)

Veronica Mars centered around Veronica and her father as they solved many mysteries while trying to live a normal life in their town. In the first season of the series, Veronica Mars explored its stories through many flashbacks to explain how Veronica ended up in her outcast role.

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She was once popular and had a best friend, but quickly the audience learns she somehow became an outcast. With the use of flashbacks, fans are able to piece together her life before and what that meant to her in the present. It also allowed the viewer to follow the clue as to who could be the culprit in not only the first mystery in season 1 but other mysteries as well.

Once Upon A Time (2011-2018)

A current hidden gem on Disney Plus is Once Upon A Time. It involves a group of fairytale and storybook characters that live among people in the real world. It follows these characters as they grow to learn about who they really are after a curse makes them forget.

Throughout the entirety of the series, flashbacks are used to show the fairytale characters in their world to explain the dynamics of each character. It shows just how they are all connected, which was exciting for fans to discover. The flashbacks took a majority of the narrative through each episode of Once Upon A Time. It was the perfect balance between the fairytale world and the real world that made the show special.

Arrow (2012-2020)

Arrow follows a billionaire named Oliver that goes missing on a remote island. A couple of years later, he returns to his home city with a new perspective and a new mission as a vigilante.

This series featured flashbacks That gave Oliver's character more depth. It allowed the viewer to gain more sympathy for him. These flashbacks created more tension and an overall understanding of where Oliver's life may lead him as it happens in the past and in real-time. It's enough of a backstory to keep fans interested, just like many other shows that rely on flashbacks.

Pretty Little Liars (2010-2017)

A year after their friend's disappearance, four former best friends try to piece together what happened to her. They also must face the secrets only she knew while being blackmailed by a mysterious figure.

Pretty Little Liars is a notable series that uses flashbacks. This was apparent especially in the earlier season when the characters were trying to figure out what happened to Alison. The flashbacks allowed fans to understand the dynamics between the girls and why they held tight to their secrets. Flashbacks allowed the viewer to also play along with the overall mystery of the show by coming up with clues to tie into the story. Overall, There were many storylines no other show could have done, and the flashbacks made it all the more interesting.

Person Of Interest (2011-2016)

Person Of Interest centers on a programmer as he teams up with an ex-CIA agent to help people from death through a hyper-advanced AI surveillance system.

Person Of Interest was able to utilize the use of flashbacks the most effectively. It provides the viewer with information about different events in the past and present that tie up the information that's needed to understand the plot or figure out what's going to happen next. The flashbacks allow the viewer to actually be surprised by the twists and turns, which makes the show fun to watch.

Lost (2004-2010)

After a plane crash, a group of strangers land on a mysterious island and try to figure out a way to survive while making the island their home. Lost is one of the most recognized television shows to depict character development and story structure through its use of flashbacks.

The seemingly average characters are made relatable by the flashbacks that are provided in order to get to know each character. There are also flash-forwards that brought in many twists and turns for the show that seems to always connect its plots. Overall, the flashbacks are what made the show what it was.

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