Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the best fictional TV series with significant supernatural elements.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the best fictional TV series
00:10with significant supernatural elements.
00:12Oh, and for the record, supernatural and science fiction are not the same thing, so Mulder,
00:19Scully, you guys can take a back seat for this one.
00:41This isn't your typical roommate sitcom.
00:43No, this mockumentary fantasy show revolves around a group of vampire roomies who are
00:47hundreds of years old.
00:49What We Do in the Shadows has been recognised for its effective incorporation of comedy
00:53into its supernatural world.
00:54Oh yeah, and there's some vampire feuding.
00:57Some bad blood, if you may.
01:07The show has also had multiple major guest star appearances, including the man who played
01:11Luke Skywalker.
01:12That's right, Mark Hamill appears in season two as Jim, the vampire.
01:16Of course, he nails it with a humorous twist on vampire tropes, while sinking his teeth
01:21into the parodic elements of the series.
01:38Based on the Archie comic book series, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina lives up to its name
01:43with some legitimately spooky vibes.
01:45Kiernan Shipket plays the character Sabrina Spellman, a half-mortal, half-witch.
01:50Because with a name like Spellman, it's essentially destined to be.
02:02The teenager faces a balancing act between her human and witch identities.
02:07As she leans into the supernatural realm, let's just say things veer further and further
02:11away from the typical high school life.
02:13Those creepy vibes build up to danger and darkness.
02:16Give this show a try, and it might just cast an intoxicating spell on you, as a Rotten
02:20Tomatoes consensus statement puts it.
02:35Set about three decades after the original Evil Dead films, the Ash vs. Evil Dead TV
02:40series brings back Bruce Campbell in his iconic role as Ash Williams.
02:44You'd think after all he's been through, the man would finally catch a break.
02:48And at first, it seems like he does.
02:53But not so fast.
02:54The Necronomicon, also known as the Book of the Dead, just won't die.
02:58Ash, now living a quiet life with his pet lizard and a mobile home, finds himself once
03:02again confronted by evil.
03:09And things get, well, intense.
03:11With that said, there are still several moments of comma relief sprinkled throughout the series.
03:29A telepathic waitress who's part human, part fairy, falls for a 173-year-old vampire
03:34in this HBO series.
03:36Talk about an unusual couple.
03:38True Blood explores themes revolving around assimilation, coexistence and discrimination,
03:43as vampires try to fit into everyday human life in small-town Louisiana.
03:47Sure, they've got synthetic blood now, so they don't need human blood to survive,
03:51but that doesn't mean everyone's on board.
04:00The divide this creates, even among humans, really shakes things up.
04:03If you're into a whole range of supernatural creatures, this show's got even more to
04:07offer than just vampires and fairies.
04:09We're talking shapeshifters, werewolves, witches, demons, you name it.
04:26Previous standards of TV-appropriate content clearly did not cross anyone's mind during
04:30the making of Tales from the Crypt.
04:32It's a particularly violent and graphic horror anthology series.
04:35Each episode's storyline is teed up and wrapped up by the Crypt Keeper, a delightfully
04:40creepy character who makes not getting goosebumps a real challenge.
04:51For paranormal enthusiasts and horror fans in general, Tales from the Crypt may be the
04:55key to a fun, binge-packed weekend, although it may be hard to look at the screen at times.
05:00If the scares don't pull you in, maybe the star-studded guest appearances will, including
05:04industry giants like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tom Hanks and Whoopi Goldberg, just to name
05:09a few.
05:20The power of three is unmatched when it comes to the witchcraft capabilities of the three
05:25sisters in the series, Charmed.
05:27It turns out the power to successfully charm audiences was no joke either, as the show
05:31quickly conjured up an immense following.
05:38Telekinesis, the ability to freeze things and the power of premonition are just a few
05:43of the supernatural perks on display throughout the series.
05:46Like all good witches, the protagonists have to juggle saving the world while keeping their
05:49supernatural identities secret.
05:51They say teamwork makes the dream work, and the Halliwell sisters pulled that off with
05:55plenty of style.
06:05What would the devil running an L.A. nightclub look like?
06:08Well, you get to see one interpretation of that scenario in Lucifer.
06:12During the series, Lucifer uses his manipulative powers, but they don't work on Chloe, an
06:18And no, she's not a Jedi, to answer Lucifer's question.
06:26While the series' premise is set up by his traditionally rebellious nature, Lucifer becomes
06:30more and more in touch with humanity.
06:32He devotes time to solving crimes, and he finds himself getting tangled up in human
06:36emotions and connections.
06:37Oh yeah, and with that whole desire thing, you could say the table's turned.
06:42Sprinkle in a bit of wit to this series, and you've got something worth a watch.
07:02Navigating life after transforming into something completely different is no easy task, both
07:06physically and mentally.
07:08But that's exactly what high schooler Scott McCall faces after being bitten and turned
07:12into a werewolf in the series, Teen Wolf.
07:20As if that wasn't complicated enough, he ends up crushing on a girl whose family are
07:24werewolf hunters.
07:25Convenient, right?
07:26Naturally, Scott has to keep his new identity under wraps while suppressing his animalistic
07:31urges.
07:32But he's not the only one dealing with supernatural challenges.
07:34Teen Wolf does a great job of developing a wide array of folklore characters, while
07:38maintaining a strong focus on Scott's journey.
07:53The first adaptation of Charles Adams' comic strip, this series focuses on a family with
07:57an affinity for the macabre.
08:06As the theme song says, their house is a museum, featuring Lurch, the Frankenstein-like butler,
08:11a disembodied hand-called Thing, killer plants, and plenty of references to some bizarre extended
08:16family members.
08:17Including cousin It, who's, well, we don't really know.
08:26This family of oddballs may be dark, but that only makes them more lovable.
08:29And they've inspired television reboots, feature films and even a stage musical.
08:33In 2022, Netflix even put a modern spin on a member of the Adams family with the series
08:38Wednesday, which stars Jenna Ortega as the titular character.
08:53Don't you just hate it when your roommate doesn't do the dishes?
08:59How about when it's a full moon and he becomes a werewolf?
09:01Well, that's a recurring issue for the characters of Being Human.
09:04The show follows a ghost, vampire and werewolf, who live together and try to, as the title
09:09says, be human.
09:18It succeeds in making paranormal problems very real, like when a ghost deals with isolation
09:22or werewolves and vampires resist their urges to kill, which has obvious parallels to substance
09:27use disorder.
09:28The show was so popular, it inspired an American remake that ran on sci-fi for four seasons.
09:45It's easy to write off any work of fiction from the vampire craze started by Twilight,
09:49but don't be so quick to judge this one.
09:52Also based on a series of young adult novels by LJ Smith, this series takes a darker look
09:57at vampires, following Elena Gilbert, a young woman who gets caught up in a love triangle
10:01with two vampire brothers.
10:09This in turn reveals her family's connection to the complicated history of their hometown,
10:14appropriately named Mystic Falls.
10:16The series is elevated by a careful balance of its complex story and characters with fun
10:21supernatural mayhem.
10:22In 2013, it even spawned a spin-off, The Originals, which offered fans a deeper exploration
10:27of the show's universe, focusing primarily on the original vampire family.
10:42Wait, is that a zombie?
10:44Oh, it's just a group of gnomes pretending to be a teenage boy.
10:47Wait, what?
10:48Is this weird?
10:49Is this too weird?
10:50That's just a normal day in the town of Gravity Falls, where Dipper and Mabel uncover
10:54a strange journal that details the paranormal figures that populate the town, including
10:58sea monsters, mermaids, deities, shapeshifters and, of course, Judge Kitty Kitty Meow Meow
11:04Face-Warshteen.
11:10Running only for two seasons, creator Alex Hirsch wanted the show to tell its story without
11:13losing its original spark.
11:15While we're gonna miss the show, we're glad that it managed to pack tonnes of supernatural
11:19fun in just 40 episodes.
11:33This British-American horror-supernatural series features famous characters from 19th-century
11:38literature like Dorian Gray, Victor Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll.
11:42Overtaken by a world of darkness, these beloved figures band together to fight the strongest
11:46supernatural forces of Victorian England, including vampires, werewolves and witches.
11:55Most notably, the show's female lead, played by actress Eva Green, has received several
11:59award nominations for her role as the elusive yet powerful medium, Vanessa Ives.
12:04Honestly, it's really all we could ask from a gothic drama.
12:07It's sexy, it's sinister and it's scary good.
12:22No, no, not that mess of a film Tim Burton made.
12:29That was actually based on a soap opera from the mid-20th century, focusing on the wealthy
12:33Collins family.
12:34The series became popular once it introduced Barnabas Collins, a vampire ancestor who brings
12:40with him various problems for the family, including witches, ghosts and time travel.
12:55The show was famous for its plot twists, and so many characters entered and left the series,
12:59that some actors even played multiple characters in the same series.
13:03Hmm, why does that sound so familiar?
13:12Oh yeah, speaking of actors rotating roles, here we have a haunted house, a demented asylum,
13:17school of witchcraft, a sinister freak show and a hotel filled with secrets as just sort
13:22of the ever-growing list of settings for this anthological horror series.
13:33Following new characters each season, characters have faced ghosts, aliens, demons, failed
13:38science experiments, the Antichrist, Satan and a Frankenstein baby.
13:42Winner of over 15 Emmys, this series has received critical acclaim, particularly for the performances
13:47of recurring actors like Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates and Sarah Paulson.
13:52Over the years, it has also featured several surprise guest stars, including Lady Gaga
13:56and Kim Kardashian.
14:01The hit Netflix series, Stranger Things has so much going on, an alternate dimension,
14:10shady government lab activity and spooky Dungeons and Dragons characters brought to life in
14:15unique ways.
14:16It features extremely well-developed characters, including a telekinetic girl along with interesting
14:21and unpredictable relationships among them.
14:29Plus, the nostalgic atmosphere of 1980s small-town Indiana shines through in the physical surroundings,
14:35soundtrack and even in seemingly arbitrary details such as the 1985 new Coke.
14:46The Duffel Brothers seamlessly weave these creative components together with brilliant
14:50writing, creating a show that blends science fiction, mystery, drama, horror and comedy.
14:55I mean, we could go on and on.
14:57There are at least 11 more things that make this show so awesome.
15:12Ever feel like something just isn't quite right?
15:15Well, as Rod Serling famously said, you may have stumbled into the Twilight Zone.
15:20This series followed a new story each week, always placing characters in situations involving
15:25supernatural entities, almost always closing with an ironic twist ending.
15:37The show has reached classic status and critical acclaim by using an eerie tone to show a mostly
15:41darker side of human nature.
15:43You'll find aliens, gremlins, ghosts and even a living doll in these parallel dimensions.
15:48But more often than not, scariest beings are actually the people.
16:07Okay so this one really shouldn't come as a surprise, considering both the title and
16:11the fact that quote, saving people and hunting things are what make up the family business.
16:16Sam and Dean Winchester are brothers who travel the United States battling just about any
16:20creature you can think of, primarily borrowing from folklore and various religions.
16:24One of the most common villains includes Satan himself, and the series has also featured
16:28Norse, Greek and Egyptian deities.
16:37You really have to give the boys credit, they've quite literally been to hell and back battling
16:42these creatures.
16:43The show continued strong for 15 whole seasons, becoming the longest-running live-action fantasy
16:47series in the US.
16:49We bet they still had plenty of creatures left to last a few more seasons, if they felt
16:53like it.
16:59Don't let the title fool you, vampires were the least of this badass teen's problems,
17:13and that includes the trials of growing up.
17:14Josh Whedon's magnum opus follows a young woman and her friends as she faces off against
17:19endless creatures from a hellhole.
17:21This included various demons, mythical creatures, ghosts, aliens, witches, psychics and countless
17:26other original creatures created specifically for the series.
17:32They'd even spun off into the well-received Angel.
17:38But what made the show so memorable was the way it could tackle serious issues, like coming
17:42out and losing a loved one, while also having an unpredictable gang of baddies.
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18:10After FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper is called in to investigate a murder, Twin Peaks takes
18:25viewers down a thrilling, complex path.
18:28The detective fiction series does a great job of incorporating supernatural and surreal
18:32elements into the storyline, as Agent Cooper finds himself increasingly involved with the
18:37town, its people and the horrifying events unfolding there.
18:46The show also succeeds in effectively utilising dreams and visions to steer the plot in various
18:51directions.
18:52Twin Peaks has been critically recognised for its writing, music, costume design and
18:57actors' performances.
18:58Perhaps the only downside for some fans was the season two cliffhanger that left them
19:02on the edge for 25 years.
19:05But when season three finally dropped, it was well worth the wait.
19:13So, is there a supernatural series that you've been waiting to see new episodes of?
19:16Let us know in the comments.