15 TV Shows Like Supernatural – TVLine

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One of the most successful scripted television shows in American history is “Supernatural,” created by Eric Kripke and running for 15 seasons from 2005 to 2020. The CW series centered on brothers Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) as they traveled the country hunting paranormal creatures. Along the way, the Winchesters found themselves averting the apocalypse and coming into conflict with the forces of Heaven, Hell, and everything in between. The show thrilled millions of fans worldwide and created an enduring legacy before coming to a close exactly five years ago.

Of course, there are countless television shows like “Supernatural,” with its blend of horror and action led by likable main characters. These nocturnal adventures largely delve into the overtly supernatural, with both an overarching story and monsters of the week. Even the shows that don’t revolve around the paranormal still have a sinister edge to them, coupled with plenty of effective human drama. 

To commemorate the anniversary of the “Supernatural” series finale, here are 15 other TV shows that fans of the Winchesters should check out immediately.

Vampires figured heavily into “Supernatural,” including in its emotional series finale, but usually just as a recurring monster type. The progenitor of modern vampire shows was the 1997 coming-of-age horror series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” After writing the 1992 movie of the same name, series creator Joss Whedon launched a much more ambitious adventure for vampire hunter Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar). As Buffy progressed through high school and college, she battles vampired and demons, while trying to balance her personal life, including a romance with tragic vampire Angel (David Boreanaz).

It was shows like “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” that helped get subsequent series like “Supernatural” made, proving horror was more than a niche genre. In detailing Buffy embracing her Slayer destiny, Whedon honed many of his fan-favorite storytelling elements, most significantly infusing a self-aware sense of humor into the proceedings. But the real strength behind the 1997 series was the strong ensemble cast around Buffy, each with their own foibles and complex character arcs. Though Whedon may be a problematic figure now, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” still stands as landmark television in terms of influence and sheer entertainment.

One fan-favorite fantasy series on The WB that was winding down as “Supernatural” was gearing up was 1998’s “Charmed.” Created by Constance M. Burge, the series centered on three sisters who held the title of The Charmed Ones, the most powerful witches in the world. Channeling the mythical Power of Three, the Halliwell sisters defended innocents from demons, monsters, and those that are corrupted by dark magic. Each of the sisters had their own signature magical abilities which they developed further as the series progressed.

Just as “Supernatural” features siblings taking down different monsters each week with an overarching narrative, so too does “Charmed,” predating the Winchester brothers by seven years. The show’s initial trio of Shannen Doherty, Holly Marie Combs, and Alyssa Milano stands as its strongest sisterly dynamic, though the series lasted an additional five seasons after Doherty’s departure. The series received a revival in 2018, introducing a new set of sisters, which ran for four seasons itself. If “Buffy” brought the vampires, “Charmed” brought the witches, and it did so in effortless style and magical fun.

While there’s often been a prominent sensuality to vampire stories, the laxer content restrictions on HBO let the premium cable channel go wild with these themes in “True Blood.” Adapting Charlaine Harris’ “The Southern Vampire Mysteries” novels, the 2008 show followed protagonist Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) in small-town Louisiana. Set in a world where the existence of vampires was public knowledge, Sookie falls in love with Civil War-era vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer). This plunges her in an adventure full of vampires, werewolves, witches, and more, revolving around the contentious dynamics between these paranormal populations and humanity.

Though “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” was a cult classic, it was arguably “True Blood” that reignited the wider public’s love for vampires. HBO was acutely aware of the premise’s appeal, dialing up the salacious elements and over-the-top narrative concepts to wonderfully excessive levels. Though there was an expansive narrative covering the various supernatural forces in the world, “True Blood” was fueled by gratuitous sex and violence first and foremost. A show that steadily kept its audience entertained by leaning into its fundamental strengths, “True Blood” understood its own assignment.

Author L.J. Smith’s “The Vampire Diaries” novels were adapted into a show of the same name by The CW in 2009. Set in the fictional Virginia small town of Mystic Falls, the show initially follows high schooler Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev). While recovering from her parents’ deaths, Elena falls into a love triangle with vampire brothers Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder). As Elena’s relationship with the Salvatore brothers grows, she learns about the town’s history, including its other monstrous and undead denizens.

“The Vampire Diaries” spawned an entire television franchise for The CW, including two subsequent spin-off shows, “The Originals” and “Legacies.” The chemistry between the show’s three leads popped off the screen, and Dobrev’s departure following the sixth season left the series never quite feeling the same. But apart from its charismatic cast, the show weaved an ambitious mythology that its follow-ups only built upon and expanded further. A genre contemporary to “Supernatural” on The CW that carved its own legacy, “The Vampire Diaries” garnered its own vocally passionate fanbase.

While the 1985 cult classic film “Teen Wolf” was played for comedy-horror laughs, the 2011 television adaptation on MTV played its premise deadly seriously. The show opens with protagonist Scott McCall (Tyler Posey) being bitten by a werewolf the night before starting his junior year of high school. This causes him to similarly become a werewolf, using his lycanthropic powers to defend his friends and their hometown. Scott’s life becomes even more complicated when he becomes smitten with Allison Argent (Crystal Reed), part of a werewolf hunter clan, while figuring his place in the werewolf hierarchy.

“Teen Wolf” unabashedly mixes soapy teen drama with supernatural stakes and an expansive look at werewolf lore. Beyond the lycanthropic action, the show provided standout performances from Dylan O’Brien and Tyler Hoechlin, playing characters who have very different dynamics with Scott and his double life. After wrapping its six-season run, “Teen Wolf” received a revival movie in 2023 on Paramount+, revisiting the surviving characters years later. Far better than it has any right to be, MTV’s “Teen Wolf” series created its own distinct take on the ’80s campy comedy.

The classic European fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm served as the inspirational basis for the aptly titled 2011 NBC series “Grimm.” David Giuntoli stars as Portland police detective Nick Burkhardt, who discovers he’s part of an ancient line of figures charged with protecting the world from monsters. As Burkhardt acclimatizes to his supernatural role and abilities, he’s aided by his partner Hank Griffin (Russell Hornsby) and the reformed lycanthrope Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell). This leads Nick and friends to be drawn into a violent world of revenge and warring factions hidden away from the world’s prying eyes.

Even with its prominent fantasy elements, “Grimm” is still a police procedural at heart, something underscored by the partnership between Burkhardt and Griffin. Sure, the duo’s investigations often involve grisly murders committed by the paranormal, but the crime show structure is still there. Moreover, these cases of the week never feel like they derail from the overarching storylines and world-building that the show brings to the table. An underrated fantasy crime thriller, “Grimm” blends its narrative genres seamlessly to create something wholly original.

Washington Irving’s classic 19th century short story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” serves as the loose inspiration for the 2013 Fox series “Sleepy Hollow.” The show has American Revolution soldier Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison) seemingly die after beheading a merciless horseman in 1781. Mysteriously coming back to life in present-day Sleepy Hollow, New York, Crane learns that the horseman has also been revived, with their resurrections linked. Crane works with lawwoman Abbie Mills (Nicole Beharie) to stop the Headless Horseman from triggering the apocalypse, also learning that his son has since become the biblical Horseman of War.

While quite the ridiculous premise for a procedural show, “Sleepy Hollow” makes it all work, as Crane and Mills take on different demons and monsters week-to-week. The action moves steadily along, the chemistry between Mison and Beharie is palpable, and the underlying fantasy narrative holds up surprisingly well. “Sleepy Hollow” also had a crossover with “Bones,” offering a fun, if admittedly odd, team-up with the more grounded procedural. Running for four seasons, “Sleepy Hollow” ended with a (literally) hellish finale, leaving the door open for more adventures; it was ultimately canceled in May 2017.

Based on popular DC Comics character John Constantine, 2014’s “Constantine” provided a more comic book-faithful depiction of the character than the 2005 Keanu Reeves movie of the same name. Matt Ryan stars as Constantine, a wandering magician who constantly finds himself in dangerous situations involving the occult. At the beginning of the series, Constantine learns the forces of Hell are trying to invade Earth at specific points of concentrated demonic activity. Using a map of these locations, Constantine travels around North America confronting and exorcising demons, looking to bring about Hell on Earth.

While the show only ran for a single season, “Constantine” does its comic book source material justice and consistently entertains during its 13-episode story. Ryan portrays a John Constantine jumped straight from the comics into glorious live-action, facing demons with the smug authority for which the character is known. Ryan would reprise his role as Constantine in The CW’s Arrowverse, giving the occultist the send-off he deserved on “Legends of Tomorrow.” Still, there’s just something about the show “Constantine” that better suits the character’s more mature sensibilities, wonderfully captured by the NBC series.

After succeeding “Supernatural” creator Eric Kripke as that series’ showrunner, screenwriter and producer Sera Gamble teamed up with John McNamara to adapt “The Magicians” for television. Based on the young adult novel trilogy by Lev Grossman, the show takes place in and around the Brakebills University for Magical Pedagogy. The school’s latest student is Quentin Coldwater (Jason Ralph), who is surprised to learn the childhood fantasy books he grew up with are based on truth. Along with his new classmates, Quentin uses his newfound magical skills to protect the world from the encroaching darkness.

Running for five seasons on Syfy from 2015 to 2020, “The Magicians” is a rare adaptation better than the books on which it’s based. Where the television series excels is capturing that directionless ennui and frustration that comes from being in one’s mid-20s without much to seemingly show for it. That, along with a likable ensemble cast, helps make the show more than just a formulaic young adult dark fantasy story. A stylishly fun take on the genre, “The Magicians” elevates itself from its contemporaries with quirky personality.

DC Comics has its own unique iteration of the biblical fallen angel Lucifer Morningstar, with this version loosely adapted for the 2016 series “Lucifer.” Tom Ellis stars as the eponymous demon, who has grown bored of reigning over Hell and decides to retire to Los Angeles. While running his own nightclub in the City of Angels, Lucifer puts his skills to use serving as an independent consultant to the Los Angeles Police Department. This pairs him with detective Chloe Decker (Lauren German), with the two delving into supernatural incidents around the city.

Ellis brings plenty of swarthy charm in his performance as the titular Prince of Darkness, always commanding every scene he’s in. But across the show’s six-season run, “Lucifer” builds up a solid ensemble around him, especially German’s Chloe, every inch Morningstar’s intellectual equal. The show also got a significant second wind when it was saved from cancellation by Netflix, which not only doubled its length but upped the scope, both creatively and production-wise. A monster-of-the-week show of hellish proportions, “Lucifer” leaned heavily on its charismatic cast and was all the better for it.

Archie Comics properties saw a surprise renaissance on television starting with the more mature take on the characters in “Riverdale.” Premiering in 2017, the show opened with its titular upstate New York small town being rocked by a gruesome murder. Idealistic Archie Andrews (KJ Apa) and his friends set out to unmask the killer while dealing with the romantic chaos of high school. As the series progressed, Archie and the gang graduated from high school, faced serial killers, insidious cults, and more.

Starting out as an atmospheric murder mystery fueled by small-town intrigue, “Riverdale” escalated into an absurd young adult drama with supernatural flourishes. The show never quite went completely off the rails, even as Archie led a jacked vigilante gang, explored parallel universes, and participated in musical sequences. All of these disparate elements somehow coalesced into an entertaining seven-season ride where the melodrama also enhanced how ridiculous the story got. As wild as it may sound, “Riverdale” is the “Twin Peaks” of its time, eagerly pushing proceedings over the top to deliver one of The CW’s most memorable coming-of-age dramas.

The “All Souls” fantasy novel trilogy by Deborah Harkness was adapted for television in 2018 under the title “A Discovery of Witches,” after the first book. In this world of supernatural entities, a tense dynamic exists between witches and vampires, following protagonist Diana Bishop (Teresa Palmer) who initially rejects her magical heritage. After finding an enchanted tome at Oxford where she’s continuing her studies, Diana is drawn back into the fantasy world she left behind. Joining her is vampire Matthew Clairmont (Matthew Goode), a professor who initially wants the manuscript for himself but strikes up a connection with Diana.

“A Discovery of Witches” is elevated by its atmospheric production, taking advantage of its British filming locations and rich art design. The show is also an adaptation that knows not to overstay its welcome, coming to a natural conclusion after wrapping its story in three seasons. But through all the magical hijinks and fantasy creatures that propel the narrative, the chemistry between Palmer and Goode remains the main attraction. A supernatural show that feels as cozy as any contemporary British drama, “A Discovery of Witches” provides a distinctly tonal warmth to the genre.

The Archie Comics resurgence spread to Netflix with the teen horror series “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina,” starring Kiernan Shipka as teenage witch Sabrina Spellman. Growing up in the small town of Greendale, Sabrina prepares to embrace her dark destiny by pledging her fealty to Satan and mastering the art of witchcraft. This leads her to be targeted by cunning forces looking to manipulate her, including the duplicitous Madam Satan (Michelle Gomez), who wants to leverage Sabrina to seize power in Hell. Sabrina’s human friends keep her from complete demonic corruption, including her warlock boyfriend and classmate Nicholas Scratch (Gavin Leatherwood).

Gleefully leaning into its Satanic elements, “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” always wore its classic horror movie influences on its sleeve. Like its sister show “Riverdale,” the Netflix original series was packed with numerous insane moments, albeit with a decidedly more hellish edge to them. The story was also much more concisely told, with Sabrina’s magical saga only running for two seasons, divided across four parts. A binge-friendly horror-infused teen drama, “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” never takes itself too seriously, which only adds to its appeal.

Pulp literary detective Nancy Drew got the “Riverdale” treatment with an eponymous dark teen drama series in 2019. Airing on The CW, the show starred Kennedy McMann as Nancy, a recent high school graduate reeling from the loss of her mother. Nancy and her friends become drawn into a murder mystery involving the wealthiest family in their small coastal Maine hometown. As Nancy’s investigation deepens, she discovers she’s more personally connected to the murder than she originally thought while supernatural elements to the mystery surface.

Running for four seasons, “Nancy Drew” mixed coming-of-age drama with plenty of small-town intrigue. The paranormal stakes were gradually woven into the story, with the murder mystery at the narrative’s forefront. Driving the show forward in a standout performance is McMann, who offers a more vulnerable and complex take on Nancy than prior depictions. An engrossing New England mystery that takes advantage of its small-town setting, “Nancy Drew” is a perfect young adult binge.

Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodríguez’s popular comic book series “Locke & Key” was adapted into a Netflix original series in 2020. Like the comic, the show has Nina Locke (Darby Stanchfield) relocate to the mysterious Keyhouse with her three children after her husband’s death. As the Locke family grows accustomed to their new home, they discover it contains a set of magical keys, each opening doors with their own unique properties. However, the Lockes also realize that their father was killed by malevolent forces looking to seize the keys for themselves, and they are now targeting the family.

A television adaptation of “Locke & Key” had been in various stages of development for years, including a production involving Steven Spielberg. The Netflix version that finally brought the project to life starts as a strong and faithful recreation of the comic book source material. Though the series perhaps tries to cram too much into three seasons, fans of the comic series will appreciate the expansive approach to the fantasy mythos. A streamlined take on the best-selling comic, “Locke & Key” makes for a lightweight dark fantasy binge watch.