20 Best Vampire Series
Vampire TV shows have become as popular as cinema productions. Starting with the story of the famous Buffy fighting demonic creatures, a series from the late 1990s, episodic television stories about bloodthirsty monsters began to multiply.
Currently, TV series about vampires develop storylines from movies or are completely independent productions. Among the themes they explore, love stories, depicting forbidden relationships between humans and demonic creatures, occupy an important place. Another common theme is the struggle between vampire clans, as well as an epidemic of vampirism. Series based on Bram Stoker’s famous novel Dracula are also popular.
20 vampire series
1. “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (TV 1997–2003)
“Buffy” is already a cult series about vampires. It depicts the adventures of a teenager who has been gifted with unique abilities: she can see bloodsuckers hiding among humans and fight them effectively. However, Buffy’s (Sarah Michelle Gellar) life becomes complicated when one of the vampires, Angel (David Boreanaz), falls in love with her and begins to arouse deeper feelings in her. Buffy is assisted in her mission to destroy the monsters by a mysterious librarian.
2. “True Blood” (TV 2008–2014) – dir. Alan Ball
“True Blood” is a popular HBO series that has won a Golden Globe, among other awards. The main character is Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), a young bartender who can read minds, but only human ones. She cannot hear vampires, who, surprisingly, coexist peacefully with humans. Scientists have developed a miraculous substance called “true blood” that replaces human blood for vampires. Thanks to this, Sookie meets the handsome ex-vampire Bill (Stephen Moyer).
3. “Dark Shadows” (TV 1991)
“Dark Shadows” is an Emmy Award-winning series whose main character is a young governess, Victoria Winters (played by Joanna Going). The woman is hired by a wealthy family, but has no idea that the huge estate is overrun by vampires and dark forces.
4. “The Vampire Diaries” (TV 2009–2017)
“The Vampire Diaries” is a story of love, brotherly rivalry, and bloodthirsty monsters. Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley) is a vampire who returns to his hometown after more than a century of absence. He soon meets Elena (Nina Dobrev), a beautiful teenager descended from the family of Katherine, a woman he loved years ago. In the past, Stefan’s older brother Damon (Ian Somerhalder) was in love with the same girl and never forgave Stefan for losing his beloved. This time, he intends to take revenge and teach his younger brother a lesson.
5. “The Originals” (TV 2013 – 2018) – Julie Plec
“The Originals” is a series that was created on the wave of popularity of “The Vampire Diaries”. The main characters are the world’s oldest clan of bloodsuckers who built the city of New Orleans in the past. Years later, they return to their original kingdom, but it turns out that someone else has already taken over: the vampire Marcel (Charles Michael Davis). Klaus (Joseph Morgan), Rebekah (Claire Holt), and Elijah (Daniel Gillies) intend to change that.
6. “From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series” (TV 2014–2016) – Robert Rodriguez
“From Dusk Till Dawn” is a series by Robert Rodriguez based on a popular comic book and feature film. Two brothers, Seth (D. J. Cotrona) and Richard (Zane Holtz), are involved in criminal activities. When people are killed during a robbery, the robbers have to flee the country. On the way, they take hostages. In Mexico, they stop at a nightclub, which turns out to be overrun by vampires.
7. “Angel” (TV, 1999–2004) – Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt
“Angel” continues the story of the series “Buffy”. The main character is the titular Angel (David Boreanaz) – a vampire with a soul who fell in love with the beautiful slayer of bloodthirsty monsters, Buffy. However, the man leaves the city and his beloved and moves to Los Angeles, where he intends to atone for his past sins. Together with his friend and Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter), he sets up a detective agency that helps people pursued by dangerous demons.
8. “American Horror Story” (TV 2011) – Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk
“American Horror Story”, a Golden Globe-winning series, tells the story of a family who moves into a haunted house in Los Angeles. The Harmons move with their daughter to forget their difficult past. Successful psychiatrist Ben (Dylan McDermott), his wife Vivien (Connie Britton), and their teenage daughter choose a huge mansion as their new home. It soon turns out that a bloody crime took place there years ago, and it has consequences.
9. “Shadowhunters” (TV 2016 – 2019)
The main character of the series “Shadowhunters” is a teenager from Brooklyn, Clary Fray. One day, the girl discovers that she is not an ordinary human, but belongs to the Night Hunters. Her destiny is to fight bloodthirsty demons. Soon, her mother is kidnapped. The series stars Katherine McNamara. It is based on the novel by Cassandra Clare.
10. “Legacies” (TV 2018) – Julie Plec
The series “Legacies” follows the adventures of Hope Mikaelson, daughter of the famous vampire Klaus and Hayley Marshall. The girl is therefore half-vampire, half-werewolf. The heroine decides to hone her extraordinary skills at the famous Salvatore School, where she has the opportunity to meet a whole group of interesting creatures: werewolves, witches, and vampires. Danielle Rose Russell plays the lead role in the series.
11. “Supernatural” (2005–2020) – Eric Kripke
“Supernatural” is a very popular series about two Winchester brothers with supernatural abilities. As the sons of a monster hunter, they have remarkable skills in this field. However, the younger brother, Sam (Jared Padalecki), does not want to continue the family tradition. He decides to study, find love, and lead a normal, peaceful life. But when his father disappears without a trace, Sam must help Dean (Jensen Ackles) find him.
12. “The Passage” (TV 2019) – Liz Heldens
“The Passage” is a series based on the novels by Justin Cronin. Scientists are working on a mysterious virus that could prove to be a panacea for all human diseases. However, in addition to amazing health and physical vigor, those infected also exhibit other undesirable symptoms. They develop vampiric tendencies, which is why they are called Virals. The leaders of “Project Noah” intend to include a little girl named Amy (Saniyya Sidney) in their tests, who is to be escorted by federal agent Brad Wolgast (Mark-Paul Gosselaar). During the journey, however, the man changes his mind and decides to save the child.
13. “Dracula” (TV, 2013–2014)
The series “Dracula” is set in the 19th century. The famous vampire takes on the identity of an American entrepreneur who intends to run a profitable business in London: he wants to distribute an innovative invention. This patent is electricity. However, the business is only a cover for Dracula’s true motives; he really has a score to settle with enemies from his distant past. Jonathan Rhys Meyers plays the lead role.
14. “Dracula” (TV, 2020)
An even newer version of the Dracula story is presented in the series by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat. Claes Bang plays the main character. Subsequent episodes show the extensive history of the famous vampire: his youth in Eastern Europe, his later struggle with the famous monster hunter Van Helsing, and the further fate of the monster.
15. “The Strain” (TV 2014–2017) – Guillermo del Toro, Chuck Hogan
“The Strain “is an interesting series whose plot keeps you in suspense from the very beginning. In New York, a gruesome discovery is made on board a plane that has just landed. Most of the passengers are dead, and the four survivors are exhibiting strange symptoms. It soon turns out that they are infected with a vampirism virus. The series stars Corey Stoll and Mia Maestro.
16. “What We Do in the Shadows” (2019)
“What We Do in the Shadows” is a comedy series based on the 2014 feature film of the same name. The main characters are two male vampires and one female vampire who share an apartment in New York City. The docu-style episodes show their everyday life, arguments, worries, and problems, but also the extraordinary mission they have to carry out. The main characters are played by Kayvan Novak (as Nandor), Matt Berry (as Laszlo), and Natasia Demetroiu (Nadja).
17. “Moonlight” (TV 2007–2008)
“Moonlight” is a series about an unusual vampire, Mick (Alex O’Loughlin), who, despite his identity, does not drink human blood. Years ago, he was turned into a bloodthirsty monster by his own wife on their wedding night. Now he is a detective. One day, he falls in love with reporter Beth Turner (Sophia Myles).
18. “Being Human” (TV 2011–2014) – Jeremy Craver, Anna Fricke
“Being Human” is a Canadian series that follows the lives of three peculiar roommates: vampire Aiden (Sam Witwer), ghost Sally (Meaghan Rath), and werewolf Josh (Sam Huntington). The friends’ greatest dream is to lead normal lives like average people.
19. “A Discovery of Witches” (TV 2018)
The main character of the series “A Discovery of Witches” is Diana Bishop (Teresa Palmer), an Oxford history lecturer. One day, she comes across a mysterious manuscript. Wanting to understand its message, she turns to a geneticist named Matthew Clairmont (Matthew Goode) for help. However, the biggest secret is hidden by the characters themselves – she is a witch and he is a vampire.
20. “Penny Dreadful” (TV 2014–2016) – John Logan
The series “Penny Dreadful” is set in the 19th century. A series of mysterious murders takes place in London. Spiritualist Vanessa (played by Eva Green) and traveler Sir Malcolm (Timothy Dalton) try to solve the mystery of these deaths on their own. They are soon joined by unusual characters, including the young doctor Frankestein (Harry Treadaway). They will meet Dracula himself and Dorian Gray.