Embrace the night with Penny Dreadful and other best vampire TV shows ever made

IMDb rating: 7

Created by: Brian McGreevy, Lee Shipman

Cast: Famke Janssen, Bill Skarsgård, Landon Liboiron

No. of episodes: 33

Approx. duration of each episode: 46 minutes

Synopsis: In a small, eerie town called Hemlock Grove, a series of mysterious and brutal murders have left the community in fear. The resident and heir to the Godfrey family, Roman Godfrey (Skarsgård) befriends a newcomer Peter Rumancek (Liboiron). Rumancek soon comes under suspicion for the murders. Two team up to find out the real culprit.

Why you should watch it: Hemlock Grove is not solely a vampire show and travels across the supernatural spectrum with different kinds of entities. When it comes to vampires, however, this show has a fresh take. They are called upirs, originally from Slavic and Turkic folklore. The show has flaws, but it is still a compelling watch if you like supernatural mysteries in small towns.

Bonus tip: The show is based on Brian McGreevy’s novel of the same name.

IMDb rating: 7.3

Created by: Guillermo del Toro, Chuck Hogan

Cast: Corey Stoll, David Bradley, Kevin Durand

No. of episodes: 46

Approx. duration of each episode: 43 minutes

Synopsis: Dr. Ephraim Goodweather (Stoll), the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Canary Project, is invited to investigate a mysterious outbreak on an aeroplane where everyone is dead. Turns out, the outbreak is similar to a strain of vampirism. Despite their best efforts, the virus begins to spread, and it becomes an epic war between the dead and the undead.

Why you should watch it: The Strain puts forward a unique concept where vampirism spreads through an outbreak. But beyond that, the narration is engaging and showcases solid performances by Stoll and Bradley. And being a Del Toro co-creation, it is a visual delight.

Bonus tip: The series is based on del Toro and Hogan’s novel trilogy of the same name. It is highly recommended, but only if you like the TV show. If not, you will not like this story in the written form, either.

IMDb rating: 7.5

Created by: Andrew Hinderaker

Cast: Demián Bichir, Madison Taylor Baez, Anika Noni Rose, Ian Foreman, Grace Gummer

No. of episodes: 10

Approx. duration of each episode: 53 minutes

Synopsis: Single father Mark Kane (Bichir) has been having trouble protecting his daughter Eleanor (Baez) after she turned into a vampire 10 years before the story begins. While Eleanor is stuck at the age of 12, Mark has to feed her human blood to keep her alive. Eventually, they end up in New York, where Eleanor meets a 12-year-old boy called Isaiah Cole (Foreman). Despite their starkly different backgrounds, they bond over their mutual sense of isolation and loneliness.

Why you should watch it: It’s a different kind of vampire story, one that is focused less on the horror aspects and more on the emotional and moral complexities of being a vampire.

Bonus tip: This show is loosely based on the 2004 novel of the same title by John Ajvide Lindqvist. The novel has inspired two adaptations before, both cinematic. One, Let the Right One In (2008), is Swedish and the other, Let Me In (2010) is American. While both are great, the Swedish original captures the essence of the novel better.

IMDb rating: 7.7

Created by: Mike Flanagan

Cast: Kate Siegel, Zach Gilford, Kristin Lehman, Hamish Linklater

No. of episodes: 7

Approximate duration of each episode: 64 minutes

Synopsis: The arrival of a fanatical young priest Father Paul Hill (Linklater) causes a significant upheaval in the isolated island community of Crockett Island. As his sermons begin sparking a religious revival in the community, strange occurrences begin to plague the people, including an unholy creature who begins to kill off the islanders in the dark of night.

Why you should watch it: There is a vampire in this miniseries, which brings much woe to the community. But this show is really about faith, fear and superstition and how they are all related. The strong writing is ably complemented by some brilliant performances, particularly by Siegel and Linklater.

Bonus tip: Flanagan is one of the finest creatives in Hollywood when it comes to horror on TV or film. And you should check out every movie or show he has made for Netflix. Some titles I suggest are Gerald’s Game (2017) and The Haunting of Hill House (2018).

IMDb rating: 7.7

Created by: Julie Plec, Kevin Williamson

Cast: Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley, Ian Somerhalder

No. of episodes: 171

Approx. duration of each episode: 43 minutes

Synopsis: In Mystic Falls, Virginia, a high school student Elena Gilbert (Dobrev) falls in love with a man called Stefan Salvatore (Wesley), who, unbeknownst to her, is actually a 161-year-old vampire. Their budding romance is complicated by Stefan’s elder brother, Damon (Somerhalder), who is introduced as downright evil and treats humans like trash. Later in the show, he shows a more — for lack of a better word — human side.

Why you should watch it: This one is highly recommended for fans of the Twilight franchise. There is an epic love story at the centre, but there are entities that threaten it for reasons ranging from envy to just evil. Though, there isn’t enough moping.

Bonus tip: The show takes its time to find its stride, so stick with it even if you do not like the first few episodes.

IMDb rating: 7.9

Created by: Alan Ball

Cast: Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Sam Trammell

No. of episodes: 80

Approx. duration of each episode: 55 minutes

Synopsis: Vampires have shed their secretive past, thanks to a synthetic blood product called Tru Blood. They now live among humans. In Bon Temps, a rural town in Louisiana, a waitress, Sookie Stackhouse (Paquin), struggles with her telepathic ability and cannot stop hearing other people’s thoughts against her will. Her world is transformed when she meets and falls in love with Bill Compton (Moyer), a handsome vampire, whose thoughts she cannot hear.

Why you should watch it: True Blood is a deliciously lowbrow and sexy TV series that touches upon taboo topics like sexuality, addiction and prejudice with refreshing frankness. Being an HBO show, the production quality is outstanding with a solid set design and top-notch special and visual effects.

Bonus tip: It is based on Charlaine Harris’s The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels. If you like True Blood, don’t give the books a miss. There are 13 novels, excluding short stories and novellas.

IMDb rating: 8.2

Created by: John Logan

Cast: Eva Green, Josh Hartnett, Timothy Dalton

No. of episodes: 27

Approx. duration of each episode: 60 minutes

Synopsis: This gothic horror series brings together multiple literary characters from Victorian fiction, including Dr Frankenstein, Dracula and Dorian Gray. The story centres on Vanessa Ives (Green), a young woman of immense inner strength, who is fighting an inner battle against none other than the Devil himself. Helping her in her cause are a wealthy Londoner Sir Malcolm Murray (Dalton) and an American gunslinger Ethan Chandler (Hartnett). Together, they face monsters, both metaphorical and supernatural.

Why you should watch it: This show is named after penny dreadfuls, cheap lurid serial literature published in Victorian England that used to cost a penny per instalment — thus the name. But there is nothing cheap about this show. This is gorgeously shot television, and every frame is rich in detail and depth. The performances are outstanding across the board. Best of all, this show tells a cohesive story from start to finish — such a rarity these days.

IMDb rating: 8.3

Created by: Joss Whedon

Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan

No. of episodes: 144

Approx. duration of each episode: 44 minutes

Synopsis: A young woman, Buffy Summers (Gellar) is the latest Vampire Slayer and a long line of people chosen by fate to battle against vampires, demons and other supernatural threats to humanity. With the help of her friends Xander Harris (Brendon) and Willow Rosenberg (Hannigan), she balances her duties as the Slayer with the more routine challenges of a high schooler: studies, relationships and other growing pains.

Why you should watch it: Although Joss Whedon is known for directing the first two Avengers movies, this show remains his best creation. Not only are the storytelling and script heartfelt, but its characters, too, are well-rounded and complex to the point that they don’t feel like characters.

Bonus tip: Watch the only spinoff of this show called Angel (1999–2004). It is almost as good as the original series and can teach many other TV writers how to expand a franchise without making your product look like a cash grab.

IMDb rating: 8.3

Created by: Warren Ellis

Voice cast: Richard Armitage, James Callis, Alejandra Reynoso, Graham McTavish

No. of episodes: 32

Approx. duration of each episode: 23 minutes

Synopsis: Set in mediaeval Europe, this animated series follows vampire hunter Trevor Belmont (Armitage), magician Sypha Belnades (Reynoso) and dhampir (offspring of a vampire and a human) Alucard (Callis), as they battle the forces of evil vampire lord Count Dracula (McTavish). Dracula has sworn vengeance on the people of the Wallachia region (modern-day Romania) after his human wife was burned at the stake on a false accusation of witchcraft.

Why you should watch it: This richly animated series has everything you would want in a vampire show: action, gothic horror elements and astoundingly good storytelling. Moreover, the bite-sized episodes leave you wanting for more.

Bonus tip: The Castlevania franchise began with video games. If you are a gamer yet are not familiar with the series, begin your journey from 2010’s Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, which is a reboot of the original series, and then continue with the sequels Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate (2013) and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 (2014).

IMDb rating: 8.3

Created by: Julie Plec

Cast: Joseph Morgan, Daniel Gillies, Claire Holt, Charles Michael Davis, Phoebe Tonkin

No. of episodes: 92 episodes

Approx. duration of each episode: 45 minutes

Synopsis: Siblings Elijah (Gillies), Niklaus (Morgan) aka Klaus, and Rebekah Mikaelson (Holt) are the original vampires (thus the title) who return to their old home, the city of New Orleans, which they helped build. Klaus is angry and brash and wishes to reclaim the city. Elijah, though, is the measured one and prefers a subtler approach. The contrary perspectives create tensions within the family. The siblings also get entangled in the politics of the local supernatural community.

Why you should watch it: Charismatic, good-looking actors and pulpy, young adult-ish storylines — what’s not to like?

Bonus tip: The Originals is a spinoff series of The Vampire Diaries (2009–2017), which is also on this list. Both series are based on L. J. Smith’s books, and they are similar to the show in terms of style and tone: not literary masterpieces, but endlessly fun and written in simple, straightforward prose so they do not tax your brain too much.

IMDb rating: 8.6

Created by: Jemaine Clement

Cast: Kayvan Novak, Matt Berry, Natasia Demetriou, Mark Proksch, Harvey Guillén

No. of episodes: 50

Approx. duration of each episode: 30 minutes

Synopsis: Four vampires, Nandor the Relentless (Novak), Laszlo Cravensworth (Berry), Nadja (Demetriou) and Colin Robinson (Proksch) try (and fail) at living ordinary lives in modern-day Staten Island. While Nandor, Laszlo and Nadja are the usual bloodsucking vampires, Robinson is an energy vampire who sustains himself off the frustrations and annoyances of others. All four vampires are ably assisted by Guillermo de la Cruz (Guillén), Nandor’s human familiar who dreams of becoming a vampire someday.

Why you should watch it: This mockumentary series is just gloriously entertaining. The absurdist tone that Clement and Taika Waititi pioneered with the 2014 movie of the same name (the show is a spinoff of the movie) is at full display here. But the performances are the highlight here, with Demetriou consistently funny and watchable as the saucy, oversexed female vampire. Proksch is an extremely close second and, in fact, the episodes centred on Robinson tend to be my favourites.

Bonus tip: Do watch the 2014 movie. Unlike the show, it is set in co-director of the original movie Waititi and Clement’s native New Zealand. Expect a similar premise, vampire hijinks and sharp wit — only with a different set of characters.