10 Vampire Shows Of All Time!

10 Vampire Shows Of All Time!

Vampire shows have always managed to catch our fascination, with their supernatural themes, identifiable suspense, action and mystery, seductive blood sucking vampires and exploration of their relationships with humans. Over the years, they have gained a cult following that cuts across age, religion, caste, color and creed. Blogs, fan sites and fan clubs have become a rage on the internet, some have been turned into movies and studio sets have been converted into tourist hot spots. Though many of them experienced a short run on television, few have created records by shattering the misconception that they too would suffer the same fate as their predecessors. Love them or hate them, these vampire shows continue to thrill the audience and have satisfied the thirst of their die hard fans countless times.

1. Moonlight

Moonlight is an American paranormal romance television series that aired on CBS from September 28, 2007 to May 16, 2008. It showed a vampire named Mick St. John landing a job as a private investigator and struggling for existence after being bitten by his vampire bride, Coraline, sixty years ago. While working on a gruesome murder case on Harper’s Island, Mick meets Beth, a news reporter, working on the same case and subsequently both are attracted to each other. Both must now face the realities of a vampire human relationship. The show was produced by Warner Bros and Silver Pictures. It was created by Ron Koslow and Trevor Munson, and was executive produced by Hollywood bigwig, Joel Silver.

2. Blood Ties

Blood Ties was premiered in America on Lifetime cable network in 2007. Based on the hugely popular books of the same name by Tanya Huff, the show focused on a private detective Victoria Nelson with the Metropolitan Toronto Police who quits her day job after learning of a degenerative eye disorder. She however takes up private investigation and is asked to work on a case by a client who is convinced that a vampire has murdered her boyfriend. As the show progresses, she ends up meeting a 450 year old vampire, Henry Fitzroy. Victoria unknowingly gets involved deeply with the mystical world while torn apart between her attraction for Henry and love for MTP contact and detective, Mike Celucci. The show was created by Peter Mohan.

3. Sanctuary

Sanctuary was a Canadian science fiction fantasy television series created by Damian Kindler and financed by the Beedie Development Group. It went on air in 2008 and finally culminated on December 30, 2011, having tasted a successful run of 59 episodes. It starred Amanda Tapping of the Stargate SG-1 fame as Dr. Helen Magnus who heads a sanctuary of supernaturals whom she captures from all over the world. She injects herself and a group of colleagues at the sanctuary with a serum which she created from pure, ancient vampire blood. This endows them with extraordinary powers and capabilities. Older than what she actually looks, Dr. Magnus and her team of specialists seek to protect the ‘abnormals’ from the repulsion of humans who are frightened of them. They also strive to unlock the mystery behind their very existence.

4. Being Human

Being Human is the first television series to have two different versions. Broadcasted from 2008-2013 on BBC Three and the other is presently in its fourth season, primarily aired on the American SyFy and Canadian Space. It also began its first run in 2008. Both are supernatural drama television series having a common plot: Three, twenty something roommates living in a house in Boston and struggling to keep their identities safe from the outside world. Two of them are males, and while one is a 120 year old vampire, the other is a highly intelligent werewolf. The third one, a female, is a ghost who died under mysterious circumstances. Together, they help out each other survive the complexity of living a dual life of both a supernatural and a human.

5. Kindred: The Embraced

Kindred: The Embraced was inspired by the white wolf role playing game, Vampire: The Masquerade. This prime time drama went live on TV in 1996 and was created by Aaron Spelling. It tells the story of the clan based vampire society in San Francisco lead by Julian Luna, the undead prince of the city. He somehow falls in love with a human reporter named Caitlin and the story moves on from there. This TV series died a quiet death since the main story line deviated a lot from the original concept of the game and hence could never find acceptance from the mainstream audience.

6. Dark Shadows

It was the first Gothic soap opera and was launched as a day time tv series on ABC TV. It had a successful run from June 1966 to April 1971. It had impressive viewership figures and have also been made into a film casting Johnny Depp. The original television serial plot is all about the rich Collins family of Collinsport in coastal Maine which is suddenly tormented by strange occurrences of witches and werewolves. The family is already a victim of a curse that dates back centuries. The family head, Barnabas Collins, who was turned into a vampire by a beautiful vengeful witch, finally comes to the rescue of his dysfunctional kinsfolk after being released from imprisonment. This TV show was the brainchild of producer Dan Curtis.

7. Blade: The Series

Blade: The Series is a 2006 television adaptation of the Marvel comic book character titled Blade who is a half vampire, half human, vampire hunter. This action packed serial shows a very powerful vampire, Chthon, whose danger over mankind is growing stronger with each passing day, on the verge of eliminating the final barriers against his supremacy over humans. Blade’s own mother was attacked by a vampire called Deacon Frost while she was pregnant. Obsessed with revenge, he teams up with a master weapon smith and a woman filled with rage against the dark lord for killing her brother, to stop Chthon from executing his evil plans.

8. Ultraviolet

Ultraviolet is a 1998 British television series that was relayed on Channel 4. It had the famous Jack Davenport, also its creator, as detective Michael Colefield who is suspected behind the disappearance of his allegedly corrupt partner. The antagonists were never referred to as ‘vampires’ once in this show; albeit they were known as ‘code five infection’. The serial traces the exploits of a covert government unit within the police, armed with the latest weaponry to hunt down and exterminate subjects with ‘code five infection’. Michael is reluctantly thrown into the battle between the ‘code fives’ and the secret unit after transforming into one himself and in his effort to prove himself innocent. On finding that his lost partner and best friend Jack Beresford also is a ‘code five’, Michael is forced to kill him in defense and eliminate any threat to people. The series was directed by the eminent Joe Ahearne, who created the immensely famous ‘This Life’ which also had Davenport as one of the actors.

9. Buffy, The Vampire Slayer

Based on a movie of the same name that was made in 1992, this hit television series was beamed from March 10, 1997 to May 20, 2003 on Warner Bros. Network. It was created by Joss Whedon who also wrote the screenplay for the movie. The story starts out by showing Buffy Summers as a cheerleader at Hemery High School in Los Angeles in the early 1990’s. She accidentally meets a strange man named Merrick during a trip to a mall who informs her that she is the ‘Chosen One’. Initially, she refuses to believe that, but as time passes, she is revealed of the skill and strength of the ‘Chosen One’. She is the ‘Slayer’, the one standing between mankind and the evil world of vampires. Her encounters with vampires assures her about the truth of the revelation by Merrick. As the Slayer of her generation, she begins training under the vigilance of Merrick and in the passage of her fight against the diabolical blood suckers, she befriends some of their kind who help her in her resistance.

10. Vampire Diaries

This vampire show is relatively new. It primarily focuses on a high school girl Elena Gilbert who is torn between her feelings for two vampire brothers, Stefan and Damon Salvatore. Both are completely opposite to each other in nature. While Stefan is trying his best to settle peacefully among humans, Damon reflects vampire violence and brutality. The show is a creative development of Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec who adopted the book series of the same name by L.J. Smith. Since the first episode was screened on the CW network on September 10, 2009, the serial has garnered a huge female fan following thanks to its attractive actor, Ian Somerhalder.