TAGGED AS: , , , ,

Being Human (BBC America), True Blood (HBO), BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Season 3, 1996-2003 (©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection); What We Do in the Shadows (FX), THE VAMPIRE DIARIES, (from left): Paul Wesley, Nina Dobrev, Ian Somerhalder, (Season 1), 2009-. (photo: Andrew Eccles / © CW / Courtesy: Everett Collection)

(Photo by BBC America; HBO; ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection; FX; Andrew Eccles / © CW / Courtesy: Everett Collection)

50 TV Vampire Shows Ranked By Tomatometer

Even before the fall 2008 premieres of True Blood on HBO and Twilight in theaters ushered in the vampire craze of the late 2000s, television had immortalized the mythological creatures in series dating back to the early days of the medium.

Off-kilter 1960s sitcom The Munsters included bloodsuckers in its cast of spooky characters, and supernatural soap opera Dark Shadows, which debuted in 1966, introduced a number of nightwalkers over its six-year run.

Rotten Tomatoes has compiled a list of TV’s best and worst vampire series. While the shows don’t all have to be solely about vampires, each of the series on this list must have significant characters with the urge to suck blood. That’s why even though General Hospital spin-off Port Charles didn’t start off as a supernatural series, it made this list anyway because of the series’ vampire-related story lines.

True Blood and The Vampire Diaries, of course, feature prominently, but there are also many that debuted before Edward Cullen sparkled in the sunlight — the grand dame of teen supernatural soap operas, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, for one. We’ve also added newcomers, including the based-on-the-film FX comedy What We Do in the Shadows and Dracula, a Netflix-BBC co-production from Sherlock creators Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat.

Most recently joining the list are 2022 series Interview With the Vampire, Let the Right One In, Vampire Academy, First Kill, and animated series Vampire in the Garden, as well as 2021’s Firebite, and 2019’s The Passage and V Wars.

Below the series with Tomatometer scores, you’ll find more titles (in alphabetical order) that don’t currently meet the criteria to have a Tomatometer score; either their seasons don’t have enough reviews to get a score or they have more seasons without scores than with them.

Check out our list of the best vampire TV shows ranked by Tomatometer:

Being Human (2008)
100%

#1
Synopsis: Deciding to turn over a new leaf, a group of friends who also happen to be vampires and werewolves move... [More]
Starring: Michael Socha, Damien Molony, Kate Bracken, Steven Robertson
Directed By: Philip Trethowan, Rob Pursey

Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974)
100%

#2
Synopsis: Newspaper reporter uncovers supernatural causes in his investigations.... [More]
Starring: Darren McGavin, Simon Oakland, Jack Grinnage, Ruth McDevitt

What We Do in the Shadows (2019)
98%

#3
Synopsis: Based on the feature film of the same name from Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, "What We Do in the... [More]
Starring: Matt Berry, Kayvan Novak, Natasia Demetriou, Harvey Guillen
Directed By: Jemaine Clement, Paul Simms, Taika Waititi, Scott Rudin

Interview With the Vampire (2022)
99%

#4
Synopsis: In the year 2022, the vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac lives in Dubai and seeks to tell the story... [More]
Starring: Jacob Anderson, Sam Reid, Bailey Bass, Eric Bogosian

Castlevania (2017)
94%

#5
Synopsis: Inspired by the popular video game series, this anime series is a dark medieval fantasy. It follows the last surviving... [More]
Starring: Richard Armitage, James Callis, Alejandra Reynoso, Jessica Brown Findlay
Directed By: Warren Ellis, Kevin Kolde, Fred Seibert, Adi Shankar

Supernatural (2005)
93%

#6
Synopsis: This haunting series follows the thrilling yet terrifying journeys of Sam and Dean Winchester, two brothers who face an increasingly... [More]
Starring: Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Misha Collins, Alexander Calvert
Directed By: Jeremy Carver, Robert Singer, Philip Sgriccia, Adam Glass

Penny Dreadful (2014)
91%

#7
Synopsis: Many people are familiar with classic literary characters like Dr. Frankenstein and Dorian Gray. "Penny Dreadful" brings those and other... [More]
Starring: Timothy Dalton, Eva Green, Josh Hartnett, Reeve Carney
Directed By: John Logan, Sam Mendes

Angel (1999)
87%

#8
Synopsis: Leaving his true love, Buffy, behind in Sunnydale, the vampire Angel tries to get a fresh start in Los Angeles.... [More]
Starring: David Boreanaz, Alexis Denisof, J. August Richards, Amy Acker
Directed By: Joss Whedon, Gail Berman, Fran Rubel Kuzui, Kaz Kuzui

Preacher (2016)
87%

#9
Synopsis: Fulfilling a promise to his deceased father, one-time outlaw Jesse Custer returns home to West Texas to take over his... [More]
Starring: Dominic Cooper, Ruth Negga, Joseph Gilgun, Ian Colletti
Directed By: Sam Catlin, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg

The Vampire Diaries (2009)
86%

#10
Synopsis: This supernatural drama, based on the series of novels by L.J. Smith, details the lives of two brothers, Damon and... [More]
Starring: Paul Wesley, Ian Somerhalder, Nina Dobrev, Kat Graham
Directed By: Kevin Williamson, Julie Plec, Leslie Morganstein, Caroline Dries

Midnight Mass (2021)
87%

#11
Synopsis: The arrival of a charismatic priest brings miracles, mysteries and renewed religious fervor to a dying town.... [More]
Starring: Zach Gilford, Kate Siegel, Hamish Linklater, Annabeth Gish
Directed By: Mike Flanagan

A Discovery of Witches (2018)
86%

#12
Synopsis: "A Discovery of Witches" is a fantasy series based on the similarly-named novel of the "All Souls" trilogy, written by... [More]
Starring: Matthew Goode, Teresa Palmer, Alex Kingston, Valarie Pettiford
Directed By: Juan Carlos Medina, Alice Troughton

Firebite (2021)
86%

#13
Synopsis: When the Vampire King arrives to the last colonial stronghold in a remote Australian mining town, it's up to two... [More]
Starring: Rob Collins, Shantae Barnes-Cowan, Yael Stone, Thibul Nettle
Directed By: Warwick Thornton, Iain Canning, Brendan Fletcher, Rachel Gardner

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997)
85%

#14
Synopsis: Sarah Michelle Gellar takes on the role of Buffy Summers in this TV version of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," based... [More]
Starring: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, James Marsters
Directed By: Joss Whedon, Marti Noxon, David Fury

The Originals (2013)
84%

#15
Synopsis: Klaus, the original vampire/werewolf hybrid, returns to New Orleans -- which his family helped build -- to investigate rumors of... [More]
Starring: Joseph Morgan, Daniel Gillies, Phoebe Tonkin, Charles Michael Davis
Directed By: Julie Plec, Leslie Morgenstein

The Munsters (1964)
83%

#16
Synopsis: The family at 1313 Mockingbird Lane is a little... different. Dad Herman looks like Frankenstein's monster; mom Lily and her... [More]
Starring: Fred Gwynne, Yvonne De Carlo, Al Lewis, Patrick Lilly

Vampire in the Garden (2022)
86%

#17
Synopsis: After humanity loses its battle with vampires, a young survivor named Momo has a fateful encounter with Fine, a vampire... [More]
Starring: Megumi Han, Yu Kobayashi
Directed By: Tetsuya Nishio, Ryoutarou Makihara

Death Valley (2011)
80%

#18
Synopsis: Maintaining law and order is the mandate of the UTF, but this isn't exactly Benson and Stabler working the streets... [More]
Starring: Texas Battle, Bryce Johnson, Tania Raymonde, Charlie Sanders
Directed By: Austin Reading, Julie Kellman Reading, Drew Daywalt, Austin Reading

The Strain (2014)
79%

#19
Synopsis: Dr. Ephraim Goodweather, the head of the CDC's New York-based Canary Project, is called upon to investigate when an airplane... [More]
Starring: David Bradley, Corey Stoll, Kevin Durand, Richard Sammel
Directed By: Guillermo del Toro, Chuck Hogan, Carlton Cuse, Gary Ungar

Being Human (2011)
77%

#20
Synopsis: "Being Human," based on a BBC series of the same name, features three 20-something roommates who each try to keep... [More]
Starring: Sam Witwer, Sam Huntington, Meaghan Rath, Dichen Lachman
Directed By: Anna Fricke, Michael Prupas, Rob Pursey, Toby Whithouse

Shadowhunters (2016)
76%

#21
Synopsis: On her birthday, Clary Fray discovers a surprise concerning her life. The teenager is not who she thinks she is... [More]
Starring: Katherine McNamara, Dominic Sherwood, Alberto Rosende, Emeraude Toubia
Directed By: McG, Todd Slavkin, Darren Swimmer, Michael Reisz

Vampire Academy (2022)
77%

#22
Synopsis: Lissa, a royal vampire, and her best friend and protector, Rose, navigate romance, class politics and ancient magic at their... [More]
Starring: Sisi Stringer, Daniela Nieves, Kieron Moore, André Dae Kim
Directed By: Julie Plec, Marguerite MacIntyre, Emily Cummins, Don Murphy

Dracula (2020)
71%

#23
Synopsis: The Count Dracula legend transforms with new tales that flesh out the vampire's gory crimes -- and bring his vulnerability... [More]
Starring: Claes Bang, Dolly Wells, John Heffernan, Joanna Scanlan
Directed By: Sue Vertue

True Blood (2008)
68%

#24
Synopsis: Small-town Louisiana waitress Sookie Stackhouse already is viewed as an oddball by her friends and neighbors, since she can read... [More]
Starring: Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Sam Trammell, Ryan Kwanten
Directed By: Alan Ball

Let the Right One In (2022)
68%

#25
Synopsis: The lives of Mark and his daughter, Eleanor, were forever changed 10 years earlier when she was turned into a... [More]
Starring: Demián Bichir, Anika Noni Rose, Grace Gummer, Madison Taylor Baez
Directed By: Andrew Hinderaker, Seith Mann, Marty Adelstein, Becky Clements

American Horror Story: Hotel (2015)
64%

#26
Adjusted Score: 65484%
Critics Consensus: Favoring garish style over effective storytelling, the fifth American Horror Story strands a talented cast at Ryan Murphy's Hotel.
Starring: Kathy Bates, Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Wes Bentley
Directed By: Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Tim Minear, Bradley Buecker

Demons (2009)
63%

#27
Synopsis: A teenager discovers he is the last descendant of vampire hunter Van Helsing.... [More]
Starring: Philip Glenister, Christian Cooke, Zoe Tapper, Holliday Grainger

The Passage (2019)
62%

#28
Synopsis: Based on author Justin Cronin's trilogy of the same name, "The Passage" is a character-driven action drama that focuses on... [More]
Starring: Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Saniyya Sidney, Jamie McShane, Caroline Chikezie
Directed By: Matt Reeves, Adam Kassan, Ridley Scott, David W. Zucker

Midnight, Texas (2017)
61%

#29
Synopsis: Based on Charlaine Harris' book series by the same name, "Midnight, Texas" follows the lives of the strange inhabitants of... [More]
Starring: François Arnaud, Dylan Bruce, Parisa Fitz-Henley, Arielle Kebbel
Directed By: Eric Charmelo, Nicole Snyder, David Janollari

First Kill (2022)
61%

#30
Synopsis: Falling in love is tricky for teens Juliette and Calliope because one's a vampire and the other's a vampire hunter... [More]
Starring: Sarah Catherine Hook, Imani Lewis, Elizabeth Mitchell, Aubin Wise
Directed By: Emma Roberts, Karah Preiss, Victoria Schwab, Felicia D. Henderson

V Wars (2019)
60%

#31
Synopsis: A doctor is pitted against his best friend when an ancient disease turns people into vampires; from the comics by... [More]
Starring: Ian Somerhalder, Adrian Holmes, Jacky Lai, Kyle Breitkopf

Dracula (2013)
53%

#32
Synopsis: In an update of Bram Stoker's iconic novel, Dracula travels to London, pretending to be an American entrepreneur with an... [More]
Starring: Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Jessica De Gouw, Thomas Kretschmann
Directed By: Daniel Knauf, Tony Krantz, Colin Callender, Gareth Neame

Blade: The Series (2006)
50%

#33
Synopsis: Krista Starr returns from Iraq to learn that her twin brother, Zack, has died under mysterious circumstances. Krista soon meets... [More]
Starring: Kirk "Sticky Fingaz" Jones, Jill Wagner, Jessica Gower, Neil Jackson

Dark Shadows (1991)
50%

#34
Synopsis: When a modern-day groundskeeper opens the Collins family crypt during a treasure hunt, Barnabas Collins, the 200-year-old family vampire, emerges... [More]
Starring: Ben Cross, Jean Simmons, Roy Thinnes, Joanna Going
Directed By: Dan Curtis

Hemlock Grove (2013)
38%

#35
Synopsis: Based on the book by Brian McGreevy and executive produced by acclaimed horror master Eli Roth ("Hostel"), this Netflix original... [More]
Starring: Famke Janssen, Bill Skarsgård, Landon Liboiron, Dougray Scott
Directed By: Eli Roth, Brian McGreevy, Lee Shipman, Mark Verheiden

Kindred: The Embraced (1996)
30%

#36
Synopsis: "Dracula" meets "The Godfather" in this complicated but short-lived supernatural drama, in which San Francisco Police Detective Frank Kohanek makes... [More]
Starring: C. Thomas Howell, Mark Frankel, Kelly Rutherford, Stacy Haiduk
Directed By: Aaron Spelling, E. Duke Vincent, John Leekley

Moonlight (2007)
22%

#37
Synopsis: In this eerie mystery series, private investigator Mick St. John is charismatic, resourceful and undead. Alex has been a vampire... [More]
Starring: Alex O'Loughlin, Sophia Myles, Jason Dohring, Shannyn Sossamon

Blood (2015)
--

#38
Synopsis: This drama is about a vampire surgeon who treats patients and struggles for justice and the value of human life.... [More]
Starring: Ahn Jae-hyun, Baek Seung-hwan, Ji Jin-hee, Koo Hye-sun
Directed By: Ki Min-su, Lee Jae-hoon

Blood Ties (2007)
--

#39
Synopsis: While trying to solve a complicated murder case, Toronto private investigator Vicki Nelson encounters dashing Henry Fitzroy, who looks to... [More]
Starring: Christina Cox, Dylan Neal, Kyle Schmid, Gina Holden

Dark Shadows (1966)
--

#40
Synopsis: A vampire returns to his family mansion in Collinsport, Maine.... [More]
Starring: Jonathan Frid, Grayson Hall, Alexandra Isles, Louis Edmonds

Forever Knight (1992)
--

#41
Synopsis: Nick Knight is an 800-year-old vampire working as a homicide detective on the graveyard shift in modern-day Toronto, a result... [More]
Starring: Geraint Wyn Davies, John Kapelos, Catherine Disher, Natsuko Ohama

From Dusk Till Dawn (2014)
--

#42
Synopsis: Bank robber Seth Gecko and his violent brother, Richie, are on the run -- a robbery gone bad left several... [More]
Starring: D.J. Cotrona, Zane Holtz, Eiza González, Jesse Garcia

The Gates (2010)
50%

#43
Synopsis: The Monahan family abandons Chicago to settle into a private mountain community, The Gates, where father Nick becomes the new... [More]
Starring: Frank Grillo, Marisol Nichols, Rhona Mitra, Luke Mably
Directed By: Gina Matthews, Grant Scharbo, Richard Hatem

Salem's Lot (1979)
--

#44
Synopsis: A writer (David Soul) and a boy (Lance Kerwin) hunt a vampire in their New England town.... [More]
Starring: David Soul, James Mason, Lance Kerwin, Bonnie Bedelia
Directed By: Tobe Hooper

Salem's Lot (2004)
--

#45
Synopsis: When writer Ben Mears returns to his childhood hometown of Jerusalem's Lot, he discovers that it is being terrorized by... [More]
Starring: Rob Lowe, Andre Braugher, Donald Sutherland, Samantha Mathis
Directed By: Mikael Salomon

Tokyo Vampire Hotel (2018)
--

#46
Synopsis: After narrowly escaping being killed in a murder rampage, Manami runs for her life; she is chased by a member... [More]
Starring: Kaho, Shinnosuke Mitsushima, Ami Tomite, Megumi Kagurazaka
Directed By: Sion Sono

Ultraviolet (1998)
--

#47
Synopsis: Detective Sergeant Michael Colefield discovers a secret government vampire-hunting unit while investigating the disappearance of his partner.... [More]
Starring: Jack Davenport, Susannah Harker, Idris Elba, Philip Quast
Directed By: Joe Ahearne

Valemont (2010)
--

#48
Synopsis: A young woman investigates the mysterious death of her brother at an elite university.... [More]
Starring: Kristen Hager, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Eric Balfour, Nikki Blonsky

Van Helsing (2016)
--

#49
Synopsis: In this reimagining of the classic Dracula story, the world is dominated by vampires, requiring humans to work together to... [More]
Starring: Kelly Overton, Jonathan Scarfe, Christopher Heyerdahl, Paul Johansson
Directed By: Neil LaBute, Chad Oakes, Michael Frislev, Simon Barry

Young Dracula (2006)
--

#50
Synopsis: Vlad and Ingrid move to Britain from Transylvania with their father, Count Dracula.... [More]
Starring: Gerran Howell, Keith-Lee Castle, Simon Ludders, Craig Roberts

Like this? Subscribe to our newsletter and get more features, news, and guides in your inbox every week.

Movie & TV News