The first vignette in Bad Thoughts Season 1 introduces Rex Henley, a global country music star who has lost his creative inspiration. Rex kidnaps several of his fans and imprisons them in a dilapidated, impoverished town. He forces these captives to share their most personal and traumatic experiences, believing that mining their dark stories will help him write a new hit song. The sequence shows Rex’s increasingly desperate and controlling behavior as he compels his fans to reveal their secrets, highlighting his moral decline and obsession with regaining fame through others' pain.

In another story, a hitman violates his personal code. The episode begins with the hitman accepting a contract but then facing a moral dilemma when the target’s circumstances challenge his usual detached professionalism. The hitman’s internal conflict escalates as he debates whether to complete the job or spare the target, ultimately leading to a confrontation where he chooses to break his code, resulting in unexpected consequences for both himself and the target.

A separate vignette follows a man who takes elderly care to extreme lengths. The man, initially motivated by love and duty, becomes obsessively involved in the care of an elderly relative. His actions grow increasingly invasive and controlling, culminating in a tense scene where his overprotectiveness causes a serious conflict with other family members and the elderly person’s autonomy is threatened.

Another story centers on an IT worker who becomes overly intense about his job. The sequence begins with the worker’s routine tasks but quickly escalates as he obsessively monitors his coworkers and the company’s systems. His behavior becomes invasive and paranoid, leading to a confrontation with management and coworkers who challenge his excessive zeal. The episode ends with the worker facing disciplinary action and reflecting on his obsession.

In a vignette about an apocalyptic evacuation, a man initially resists the chaos but eventually gives in to the panic. The sequence shows the man’s gradual breakdown as he navigates the evacuation, encountering various obstacles and other evacuees. His decisions become increasingly erratic, culminating in a moment where he surrenders to the overwhelming situation, symbolizing a loss of control and hope.

Another story shadows an action star whose day turns disastrous. The star begins with a typical day of filming and public appearances but faces a series of mishaps, including accidents on set and personal embarrassments. The sequence details each incident step by step, showing the star’s frustration and attempts to salvage the day, which only lead to further complications and a public relations nightmare.

A country singer’s music session becomes nightmarish in another vignette. The singer, struggling with creative block, invites collaborators to a session that quickly devolves into chaos. Conflicts arise over artistic direction, personal grievances surface, and the session ends abruptly with the singer storming out, frustrated and uninspired.

One episode features a vocalist inspired to make a powerful return. The sequence follows the vocalist’s preparation, rehearsals, and emotional struggles. The return performance surprises the audience and the vocalist’s peers, marking a significant personal and professional milestone.

A school performance takes parents by surprise in another story. The sequence shows the buildup to the event, the children’s rehearsals, and the parents’ expectations. During the performance, unexpected content or behavior shocks the parents, leading to a mix of reactions ranging from amusement to outrage.

One vignette depicts a memorable evening with inseparable sisters. The sequence follows their interactions, conversations, and shared experiences throughout the night. The story highlights their bond and reveals underlying tensions or secrets that come to light during the evening.

A romantic relationship in France changes course in another story. The sequence begins with the couple enjoying their time together but gradually reveals conflicts and misunderstandings. A pivotal moment or revelation shifts the relationship’s trajectory, leading to a significant decision or breakup.

A wife’s final request shocks her spouse in a separate vignette. The sequence shows the couple’s interactions leading up to the request, the spouse’s reaction, and the subsequent actions taken to fulfill or respond to the request, which challenges their relationship and personal beliefs.

A normal plane journey becomes frightening after hitting rough air. The sequence details the flight’s routine start, the onset of turbulence, passengers’ reactions, and the crew’s efforts to maintain calm. The turbulence escalates, causing panic and a near-crisis situation before the plane stabilizes.

A forced landing leads to communication chaos in another story. The sequence follows the events leading to the emergency landing, the crew’s attempts to communicate with ground control, and the passengers’ reactions. Miscommunications and technical difficulties exacerbate the tension until the situation is resolved.

A revolutionary game makes a powerful comeback in a vignette. The sequence shows the game’s initial popularity, decline, and the efforts to revive it. The comeback involves strategic decisions, marketing efforts, and player reactions, culminating in a successful relaunch.

A coffee request becomes an unstoppable phenomenon in another story. The sequence begins with a simple coffee order that escalates as more people join in, misunderstandings occur, and the situation spirals out of control, leading to comedic chaos in a café setting.

In the final vignette of the season, Tom Segura’s character joins a gym with hopes of enhancing his masculinity and impressing women. While signing the membership forms, he imagines a traumatic scenario where people shame him and his sexual organ. The imagined sequence includes public humiliation and extreme embarrassment. Ultimately, Tom sheds his fears, deciding the risk is worth it, and the vignette ends with him embracing the gym experience despite his anxieties.

Bad Thoughts Season 1 explores six universal themes across its six episodes: jobs, success, family, love, communication, and health. Each episode loosely revolves around one of these themes, with some sketches spanning multiple episodes and including a mix of dark, crude, and highly inappropriate humor.

The series integrates much of Tom Segura's stand-up comedy into its sketches, including callbacks to his early material. For example, it features an awkward airplane conversation and adaptations of his father's Vietnam War stories into a problematic children's play. This blending of stand-up and sketch elements forms a core part of the show's narrative style.

The humor in Bad Thoughts Season 1 is dark, crude, unapologetically offensive, and often highly inappropriate. It includes low-brow comedy, scatological jokes, sex jokes, and shock value, with a delivery that is deadpan and brutally honest. The show pushes boundaries and is not suitable for viewers seeking clean or lighthearted comedy.

Some sketches in Bad Thoughts Season 1 play through more than one episode, indicating recurring storylines. However, the show is structured as a variety sketch comedy series rather than a continuous narrative with recurring characters. The focus is more on thematic exploration and comedic bits than on character development.

While Bad Thoughts Season 1 is filled with dark and sometimes over-the-top obscene humor, there are moments of brilliance and genuine belly laughs interspersed throughout. The show balances its shock value and crude jokes with creative setups and occasionally thought-provoking content, though some viewers find the darker content overwhelming or off-putting.

The TV show Bad Thoughts, Season 1 (2025), is not family friendly and is intended for adult audiences only. It is rated TV-MA and R for "crude humor" and "injury detail".

Potentially objectionable or upsetting aspects for children or sensitive viewers include:

• Frequent sexual taboos and explicit sexual jokes throughout the episodes.
• Crude bathroom humor and offensive language, including children using curse words in a school play setting.
• Scenes involving violence or aggressive behavior, such as a customer assaulting a barista over a minor issue.
• Depictions of sexual activity involving elderly nursing home residents, which may be disturbing or offensive.
• Overall, the show leans heavily into dark, shocking, and taboo-breaking comedy that some viewers may find disturbing or in poor taste.

The humor is described as "fearless, sick-minded, and brilliantly wrong," with a strong reliance on shock value and blue humor. Sensitive viewers or children are likely to find the content inappropriate and potentially upsetting.