It’s safe to say with the current situation all around the world, we’re all going to have a lot of time on our hands. Being cooped up in the house sucks, we know, but we also know it’s for our own good. It doesn’t have to be so bad though.
There’s a whole lot of things we can do with all this free time; organize closets, bookshelves (talking to myself here), read, (again talking to myself here), but what’s even better is you can revisit an old TV series or watch a new one.
If you’re struggling with what to watch, just think of the different TV genres you’re a fan of. One genre I greatly enjoy is vampires. I love any show about vampires and never get tired of them. Here are the 10 vampire series to watch.
Dark Shadows
This series, which ran from 1966-1971, was the first time I watched something with vampires. That’s where my fascination began and I have my mom to thank for that. This series centers around the wealthy Collins family of Collinsport, Maine. Their cousin Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid), who happens to be a vampire, comes to stay with them after being freed from his coffin. Barnabas is on a mission to find his lost love Josette and along the way, he does a lot to protect his family from other supernatural forces. The series was initially in black and white, (I know for some people that may be a turnoff, which I don’t get because some of the best things i have watched were in black and white) but it eventually went to color in 1967.
To show you just how popular Dark Shadows is, there have been lots of remakes over the years from the 1991 reboot on NBC to the Tim Burton directed film starring Johnny Depp as Barnabas. I just discovered an article from Variety written last year announcing a remake coming from The CW. This is wonderful news, because The CW has delivered some quality vampire series over the years. I will be checking this out whenever it happens.
Dark Shadows is available to stream on Tubi, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
I think most people who grew up in the 90s are familiar with Buffy The Vampire Slayer. It’s one of the best female-led vampire series of all time. Sarah Michelle Gellar stars in the title role of Buffy Summers. Buffy is a teenage girl who happens to be a vampire slayer. She moves to Sunnydale with the hopes of putting her slayer days behind her, but that’s not possible because her new school Sunnydale high just happens to be sitting on top of a gateway to demon realms known as the “hellmouth.” As if high school wasn’t hard enough already right?
Buffy is once again tasked with protecting the citizens and students of Sunnydale, because her birthright as a slayer dictates this is her life’s calling. Growing up I always thought Buffy was such a badass and I still do. It was the first time I saw a girl get to be the one doing the saving instead of playing the damsel in distress. Buffy showed us all that we could be feminine and still be strong and fight for what we believed in, and that’s why I think the show remains a classic to this day.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu.
Angel
Now this is a spin-off of Buffy and it centers on her ex boyfriend Angel (David Boreanaz), who is a vampire. Now I admit, I never finished this series. Don’t get me wrong the show was good but, it just felt odd to me watching a show without Buffy. These two were my OTP, and I was devastated when they were no longer together. I do have plans at some point to revisit the series though.
Angel, who is still looking for redemption after all of the horrible things he’s done, and trust me he did some pretty shitty stuff, (See Buffy Season 2 Episode 17) moves to Los Angeles for a fresh start. There he works alongside his friends as a private detective, on a mission to help the helpless. Some of those friends were previously in Buffy. Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter), and Wesley (Alexis Denisof) prove to be valuable assets to Angels team.
Angel is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video and Hulu.
Blood Ties
This show was one of my absolute favorites, and unfortunately was canceled after only two seasons. Blood Ties, based on the Blood books by Tanya Huff, is about Vicki Nelson (Christina Cox), a former Toronto police officer turned PI. After meeting Henry Fitzroy (Kyle Schmid) a 470 year old vampire, they team up to solve crimes together.
Both seasons of this series were amazing, and I was so hoping it would return for a third one. Vicki and Henry’s relationship was just beginning, and we never got to see it come to fruition. That was one OTP I was desperately waiting for, and it bums me out that I never got to see them get together.
Blood Ties is available to stream on Tubi.
The Vampire Diaries
Aside from Twilight, we had a bit of a dry spell when it came to any type of Vampire series on television. The Vampire Diaries came along and saved the day. Based on the books by L.J. Smith, The Vampire Diaries follows teenager Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev), who falls in love with 162 year old vampire Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley). Things get a little complicated when Stefan’s brother Damon (Ian Somerhalder) shows up promising to make Stefans life pure hell. Part of that plan includes trying to take Elena away from him. since Damon feels Stefan stole his true love Katherine away. And if things aren’t complicated enough, Elena is a dead ringer for Katherine. so that makes things even more interesting.
One of the great things about this show is the character development throughout every season. There is also a great sense of relatability. Although they are all dealing with problems of a supernatural nature, because most of them are teens, they also have to deal with real life struggles. That’s what I think keeps bringing new audiences to this show all the time.
The Vampire Diaries is available to stream on Netflix.
The Originals
The Originals is a spin-off of The Vampire Diaries, and centers on the Mikaelson siblings Klaus (Joseph Morgan), Elijah (Daniel Gillies), and Rebekah (Claire Holt). The Mikaelson family are known as the originals, because they are the first vampires in history. I was always a fan of the Mikaelson siblings when they were on The Vampire Diaries, even though at times they could all be assholes in their own way. My favorite in particular was always Elijah. I’m embarrassed to say that I still have not finished the series.
Even though I myself have yet to finish the series, I think The Originals is a really good show. It gives us a deeper look a the Mikaelsons which ultimately gives us an understanding of what made them they way they are. If you’re a fan of The Vampire Diaries and the Mikaelson clan, you should definitely watch it.
The Originals is available to stream on Netflix.
Legacies
Legacies, which started in 2018, is a spin-off of The Vampire Diaries and The Originals. The series is about a group of supernatural kids going to The Salvatore School for the Young and Gifted, and centers on Klaus Mikaelsons (The Originals) daughter Hope, and Alaric Saltzman’s (The Vampire Diaries) twins Lizzie and Josie.
I have not watched this one yet since I still need to finish The Originals but, I have heard a lot of good things about it.
Legacies is available to stream on The CW and Netflix.
True Blood
I like to refer to True Blood as a vampire show for adults. I know there are a lot of people out there who are fans of vampires, but can’t get into the sparkly Twilight kind or the kids from Mystic Falls. No judgments here, I totally understand and that’s why True Blood is on this list.
Based on the books by Charlaine Harris, True Blood is the story of telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), who meets and falls in love with a 173 year old vampire named Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer). Obviously we know vampires dating humans doesn’t really work out that well so needless to say, there is tons of drama. What also makes this show so interesting is watching the vampires on their crusade for equal rights. They can live amongst the human citizens of Bon Temp Louisiana, but they still don’t get treated with respect and they face hatred all the time.
This show doesn’t just have vampires though. There are all kinds of supernatural beings werewolves, shapeshifters, and witches so if you’re aren’t just a fan of vampires, this show has you covered.
True Blood is available to stream on Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and HBO Now.
Being Human
Being Human, is a series about three roommates who are all supernatural beings. Josh (Sam Huntington) is a werewolf, Aidan (Sam Witwer) is a vampire, and Sally (Meaghan Rath) is a ghost. Despite all of this, they try as best as they can to live normal lives. Of course we know, there really is no such thing as a normal life for any type of supernatural being.
This version of Being Human is actually based on the BBC version, which I have not seen. This show was one of my favorites when it aired on Syfy and I loved Aidan.
Being Human is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
A Discovery of Witches
This series based on the books by Deborah Harkness is about Diana Bishop (Teresa Palmer) a historian and witch who uncovers Ashmole 782 a bewitched manuscript. Diana sets out to unravel the secrets of the manuscript and while doing so, meets Matthew Clairmont (Matthew Goode) a geneticist who happens to also be a vampire.
Matthew offers to help Diana despite the fact witches and vampires have a long history of not trusting one another. They end up forming an alliance to protect the book and all it holds and as they do, they become closer and start to fall in love.
Vampires and witches are not supposed to be together, but Diana and Matthew’s love is undeniable. I love this show because Diana is not a shrinking violet or damsel in distress. She doesn’t need anyone to save her and she is not afraid to fight for what she believes in.
A Discovery of Witches is available to stream on AMC and Amazon Prime Video.
That was a lot of vampire shows, but it should keep you busy for quite some time and there’s something to suit whatever mood you’re in. Which of these shows will you be checking out? which ones have you seen? tell us in the comments.
