Supernatural shows feed into all our real life fears of a door opening in the middle of the night, or being the only one to see a face in a crowded room. From vampires to werewolves, witches, demons and ghosts there’s literally something for everyone to feast on, no matter your taste. The genre has come so far over the years due to the technological advancements that made way for VFX artists to put things on screen that were never even thought of before. The possibility for the genre are endless.
Though this list isn’t necessarily comprehensive, it features shows both old and new, those that have been on the air for years and some that have recently premiered. It’s a great place to get your toes wet before diving into the deep end. And though these shows aren’t necessarily perfect, they’ve contributed and will continue to contribute to the genre as a whole. So without further ado, and in no particular order, here are the 10 best supernatural TV shows.
The Vampire Diaries
The Vampire Diaries is here purely due to legacy and a phenomenal first three seasons. Everything else is largely questionable but at no point will you want to stop watching. TVD came at a time when Twilight was becoming a cultural phenomenon and TV studios needed an Edward and Bella for the screen and they found it in Stephan and Elena. From vampires, sirens, witches and the literal Devil, TVD surely made its mark, but if I heard the word doppelgänger one more time, there were going to be problems.
Supernatural
One thing about the CW Network, they stick to the adage “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Supernatural was on air for a whopping 15 seasons, (327 episodes) and only came to an end because the cast decided it was time. It was one of the longest running supernatural/sci-fi shows in history, coming second to Doctor Who.
The issue with shows that run for this long, is that they will inevitably become repetitive and stale in some aspects. This is exactly what happened in some of the later seasons of the show. Nonetheless, there’s depth here that you won’t find in other places. Dean and Sam are bound by their brotherhood and have clear motives (seeing as their mother was killed by a demon). Overall it’s a sold piece of television.
Teen Wolf
Sometimes Teen Wolf feels like a fever dream, but then I remember that a movie is scheduled to be released January 26, 2013 (mark your calendar I guess), and it all comes rushing back. Coming at a time where MTV didn’t have Ridiculousness on 24/7 (pun intended), Teen Wolf was destined to succeed. Focusing on an average teen boy who gains supernatural powers and then becomes spectacular wasn’t a new trope (in fact it’s riffing on the 80’s teen comedy of the same name), but the storytelling and villains made up for what could have been just another lackluster, derivative series. Lest we forget season 3. If you know, you know.
Wizards of Waverly Place
Alex Russo of The Wizards of Waverly Place had an entire generation putting pens and pencils in their boots pretending they were wands. The impact speaks for itself. Who would become the family wizard was the talk of the town for 5 years and the payoff did not disappoint. If you weren’t there for the cinematic masterpiece Wizards vs Angels, what exactly were you doing? When we found out that Juliet and Mason used to date… that’s what television was meant to be.
The cool thing about Alex is that in a sense, she really was Disney’s first anti-hero in a prominent series. Think about it: as much as we know and love Alexa Russo, do we really want a person who acts like her to be in our immediate friend circle? Her character design is ingenious, and it all came to life because Selena Gomez put her everything into that role.
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
If you’re like me, you grew up watching Sabrina the Teenage Witch on ABC every Saturday morning. Spoiler alert: In Teenage Witch one of the most emotional things that ever happened was Sabrina’s mom turning into a ball of wax when they met for the first time and Sabrina’s tears getting her out of it. The brilliance of daytime television.
So imagine my surprise when I clicked play on the The Chilling Adventures, and Sabrina had to sign her life away to the devil on her 16th birthday. Yeah. But once you get over the whiplash and manage your expectations, the show is something else… in the best way possible. The show immediately lets you know that this will be nothing like the previous live action series of the 90s. Sabrina is gritty, dark and has a subversive humor that ties everything together. Riverdale could never.
Lucifer
Creating a show centered on the Devil was a risky move, (even one loosely inspired by a popular comic book series) but let Lucifer be the testament to the saying that you lose all the chances you don’t take. Premiering in 2016, Lucifer wasted no time in proving that it would be one to contend with when it came to telling complex stories that deal with the themes of life, death, love, and faith. Throughout the series Lucifer claims that he isn’t responsible for the evils of humanity, but instead those actions fall back on the individuals themselves. That opened the door for other important questions. What makes one evil? Who decides the difference between good and evil? Should we obey and why?
The Walking Dead
What would you do if you were in a coma only to wake up and realize that you’ve been caught in the middle of a zombie apocalypse? Me, personally, I don’t know how much effort I’m putting in, but that’s why it happened to Deputy Rick Grimes and not Gabriella Remy. After waking up and barely recognizing his surroundings, Rick is tasked with the responsibility of leading a group of humans who not only want to survive the walkers (zombies), but other humans who will do whatever it takes to survive.
The beauty about The Walking Dead, and shows like it, are the stakes. You can’t expect anyone to survive just because they’re a main character. That would be too easy. Anything’s game in this series which leaves viewers sitting at the edge of their seats.
American Horror Story
I say this with a heavy heart because I am a scaredy cat, but even fear cannot overshadow the greatness of American Horror Story. Over 11 seasons, American Horror Story has delivered story after story to its insatiable audience. One of the best things about AHS is that it is an anthology series (though some later seasons are deeply connected). If a season is not to your liking, you can head to the next one. With cult classic seasons like Asylum, Coven, and Apocalypse led by seasoned actors such as Angela Basset and Sarah Paulson, losing wasn’t a possibility.
Charmed (1998)
I’m specifically talking about the 1998 version, though I have not heard great things about the 2018 reboot (it was cancelled). I always wondered why no one ever decided to just study the Book of Shadows so that they wouldn’t have to run to it every time a new demon or ghost attacked them, but maybe that says more about me than them. Nonetheless whenever the Halliwell sisters used the “Power of Three” to defeat whatever monstrosity they were facing that day, I was always up front and center.
Stranger Things
“And if I only could, I’d make a deal with God and beg him to swap our places.” I would not have anticipated Kate Bush having the song of the summer for 2022, but “stranger things” have happened.
Every time a new season of Stranger Things premieres it feels like a worldwide event and for good reason. Besides the fact that it always feels like a lifetime since the last season, the story just keeps getting better. Who would have thought that the disappearance of Will Byers in 1983 would lead us to this moment in time. Now we’ve got an alternate dimension, Vecna, a Mind Flayer and the Soviet Union. Literally anything could happen.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
It’s not easy being the chosen one. There’s school, friends, family and oh, just the occasional vampire to slay. In contradiction to it’s name, Buffy isn’t just about vampires. Over 7 seasons, Buffy protected Sunnydale from demons, clowns, witches and evil itself. She does this with her best friends Willow and Xander (who she meets on her first day of school), and her mentor Giles, who becomes more of a father figure more than anything else.
Buffy gives us teen drama encapsulated by real, potentially world ending scenarios, that make each episode fun but suspenseful. Did I mention that the slayer is also in love with a vampire? And potentially multiple vampires at that.
Featured Image via Bustle
