These are the best vampire TV shows of all time, according to fans of the supernatural and undead. Everyone loves these undead denizens as they’re a good stand in for liberalism and damn fun to watch. According to Daniel Bernardi, vampires represent all things the political right fears about the left. But politics aside, they make for both good heroes and villains.
Our popular culture has embraced them in basically all facets of media. The shows on this list have at one point featured vampires—though they may not be strictly about the bloodsuckers. But which ones are the best? See what people think in the ranking below.
Because so many of the best shows on TV today are about vampires, it seems they’ve taken over popular culture. This resurgence was fueled in part by vampire movies such as Twilight, but the supernatural has always been popular on the small screen. Just look at shows such as The X-Files or Charmed. They’re not strictly about vampires but have featured them quite a bit.
Another common thread you’ll find throughout these top vampire TV shows is werewolves. For some inextricable reason, TV shows that have featured vampires almost always put them at odds with werewolves. In True Blood, they’ve been rival factions for what must be centuries and in The Vampire Diaries, they’re natural born rivals due to biological reasons. The television series of the popular film What We Do In The Shadows also sets the two creatures of the night against each other.
So to find out which TV show about vampires is the best of all time, we’re asking everyone to vote. If you’re wondering where a particular movie ranks, use the search box at the top of the list to find it. Don’t see it? Add it so that others may vote on it. After all, this is supposed to be a comprehensive list of the best vampire TV shows.
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1,031604Angel
David Boreanaz, Charisma CarpenterPremiered: 1999
Genres (Tv): Supernatural drama, Supernatural, Action/Adventure, Drama, Horror Film
Entire seriesAngel (The WB, 1999) is an American supernatural television series created by Joss Whedon and... more on Wikipedia2
1,886814The Vampire Diaries
Nina Dobrev, Paul WesleyPremiered: 2009
Genres (Tv): Supernatural, Drama, Horror, Fantasy
Entire seriesThe Vampire Diaries (The CW, 2009) is an American supernatural teen drama television series... more on Wikipedia3
1,326799True Blood
Anna Paquin, Stephen MoyerPremiered: 2008
Genres (Tv): Fantasy, Horror, Drama
True Blood (HBO, 2008) is an American fantasy horror drama television series created by Alan... more on Wikipedia4
1,800634The Originals
Joseph Morgan, Daniel GilliesPremiered: 2013
Genres (Tv): Drama, supernatural drama
Entire seriesThe Originals (The CW, 2013) is an American television series created by Julie Plec, and is a... more on Wikipedia5
1,547829Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Sarah Michelle Gellar, Alyson HanniganPremiered: 1997
Genres (Tv): Supernatural, Horror, Comedy-drama, Teen drama, Action
Entire seriesBuffy the Vampire Slayer (The WB, 1997) is an American supernatural drama television series... more on Wikipedia6
1,465769Supernatural
Jared Padalecki, Jensen AcklesPremiered: 2005
Genres (Tv): Supernatural drama, Black comedy, Drama, Horror Film, Mystery
Various episodesSupernatural (The CW, 2005) is an American fantasy horror television series created by Eric... more on Wikipedia7
521421Penny Dreadful
Josh Hartnett, Timothy DaltonPremiered: 2014
Genres (Tv): Horror, Supernatural, Mystery
Penny Dreadful (Showtime, 2014) is a British-American horror drama television series created... more on Wikipedia8
642587Being Human
Lenora Crichlow, Russell ToveyPremiered: 2008
Genres (Tv): Supernatural, Drama, Horror comedy
Entire seriesBeing Human (BBC Three, 2008) is a British supernatural comedy-drama television series created... more on Wikipedia9
585450Charmed
Shannen Doherty, Holly Marie CombsPremiered: 1998
Genres (Tv): Drama, Fantasy, Supernatural
Charmed (The WB, 1998) is an American fantasy drama television series created by Constance M.... more on Wikipedia10
398398Moonlight
Alex O'Loughlin, Sophia MylesPremiered: 2007
Genres (Tv): Paranormal romance, Supernatural, Crime Fiction, Drama, Horror Film
Entire seriesMoonlight is an American paranormal romance television drama created by Ron Koslow and Trevor... more on Wikipedia11
439403Dracula
Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Jessica De GouwPremiered: 2013
Genres (Tv): Drama
Dracula is a British-American horror drama television series that premiered on NBC on October... more on Wikipedia12
379344Hemlock Grove
Famke Janssen, Bill SkarsgårdPremiered: 2013
Genres (Tv): Miniseries, Action/Adventure, Drama, Horror
Hemlock Grove (Netflix, 2013) is an American Netflix original horror thriller television... more on Wikipedia13
346430Dark Shadows
Jonathan Frid, Grayson HallPremiered: 1966
Genres (Tv): Soap opera, Horror Film, Fantasy
Entire seriesDark Shadows is an American gothic soap opera that originally aired weekdays on the ABC... more on Wikipedia14
9656Van Helsing
Kelly Overton, Jonathan ScarfePremiered: 2016
Genres (Tv): Fantasy, Horror, Drama
Van Helsing (Syfy, 2016) is an American dark fantasy horror drama television series inspired... more on Wikipedia15
538555The X-Files
David Duchovny, Gillian AndersonPremiered: 1993
Genres (Tv): Cryptozoology, Supernatural, Crime Fiction, Drama, Live action
Various episodesThe X-Files is an American science fiction horror drama television series created by Chris... more on Wikipedia16
12350A Discovery of Witches
Teresa Palmer, Matthew GoodePremiered: 2018
Genres (Tv): Fantasy, Drama, Romance
A Discovery of Witches (2018, Sky One) is a British fantasy drama series based on the All... more on Wikipedia17
11350American Horror Story
Connie Britton, Dylan McDermottPremiered: 2011
Genres (Tv): Anthology, Horror, Supernatural
American Horror Story (FX, 2011) is an American anthology horror television series created by... more on Wikipedia18
321287The Munsters
Fred Gwynne, Al LewisPremiered: 1964
Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Drama, Comedy, Fantasy
The Munsters is an American television sitcom depicting the home life of a family of benign... more on Wikipedia19
159152Tales from the Crypt
John Kassir, Roy BrocksmithPremiered: 1989
Genres (Tv): Anthology, Horror Film, Comedy, Fantasy
Tales from the Crypt, sometimes titled HBO's Tales from the Crypt, is an American horror... more on Wikipedia20
292364The Strain
Corey Stoll, David BradleyPremiered: 2014
Genres (Tv): Drama, supernatural drama
Entire seriesThe Strain (FX, 2014) is an American horror drama television series created by Guillermo del... more on Wikipedia21
393492Doctor Who
Christopher Eccleston, David TennantPremiered: 1963
Genres (Tv): Sci-fi, Adventure, Drama
Multiple episodesDoctor Who (BBC, 2005) is a British science-fiction television show created by Sydney Newman,... more on Wikipedia22
149159Goosebumps
R.L. Stine, Kathryn ShortPremiered: 1995
Genres (Tv): Anthology, Suspense, Anthology series, Horror Film, Children's television series
Goosebumps is a Canadian horror fantasy anthology television series based on R. L. Stine's... more on Wikipedia23
234231Forever Knight
Geraint Wyn Davies, Catherine DisherPremiered: 1992
Genres (Tv): Supernatural drama, Police procedural, Drama, Science Fiction
Forever Knight is a Canadian television series about Nick Knight, an 800-year-old vampire... more on Wikipedia24
232341Kolchak: The Night Stalker
Darren McGavin, Simon OaklandPremiered: 1974
Genres (Tv): Supernatural, Drama, Horror Film, Thriller, Science Fiction
Various episodesKolchak: The Night Stalker is an American television series that aired on ABC during the... more on Wikipedia25
310351Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
Melissa Joan Hart, Caroline RheaPremiered: 1996
Genres (Tv): Supernatural, Sitcom, Children's television series, Comedy, Fantasy television
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch is an American sitcom based on the Archie comic book series of the... more on Wikipedia