15 Best TV Shows Like Supernatural – SlashFilm

Once we first met Sam and Dean Winchester (performed by Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles, respectively) on “Supernatural,” they have been only a pair of estranged brothers with a complete host of daddy points trying to trace down their lacking father (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). They — and we — by no means might have imagined the journey that the Winchesters would go on over the course of the present’s astonishing 15 seasons. From their humble origins as hunters to changing into pawns in a bigger battle between God and the Satan, one of the best “Supernatural” episodes noticed these two boys put via the gamut. 

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With such an extended sequence run, “Supernatural” was in a position to embrace each side of the style, together with goofier and more and more meta storylines proper across the present’s tenth season. “Supernatural” was beloved by its followers, as evinced by 1000’s of pages of fan fiction produced and the enthusiastic response to its stars’ appearances at conventions. For those who’re nonetheless mourning its loss, listed here are another comparable exhibits that may fill the Winchester-formed gap in your coronary heart.

For those who’ve by no means heard of “Lifeless Final,” you are hardly alone there: It was cancelled after only a single season again within the early 2000s, and solely six of its 12 filmed episodes really made it to air. However just like how the Winchester brothers, particularly within the first few seasons of “Supernatural,” spent plenty of time making an attempt to scale back the Midwest’s ghost inhabitants, “Lifeless Final” was all about three buddies making an attempt to assist the lifeless resolve no matter unfinished enterprise that was stopping them from transferring on to the afterlife.

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Their story begins when the three bandmates bump into an amulet that provides them the flexibility to see ghosts. And as soon as they see them, it is sort of onerous to unsee them. Or, for that matter, to disregard their pleas for assist, despite the fact that the trio would actually moderately deal with the way forward for their band, The Drawback. “Lifeless Final” had plenty of potential, however its preliminary sequence run was reduce brief within the aftermath of September eleventh. (The truth that its third episode, “Demise Is within the Air,” got here out two weeks earlier than 9/11 and concerned our heroes on a aircraft that was about to crash, did not assist.) Its fifth episode was preempted by protection of the terrorist assaults, and from there, WB appeared to chop their losses — it solely lasted yet one more episode.

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Bodily, Edwin (George Rexstrew) and Charles (Jayden Revri) haven’t got a lot in widespread with the Winchester brothers. In any case, they’re — because the present’s identify suggests — lifeless boys, whereas Sam and Dean are tall manly males whose voices suspiciously get deeper and deeper because the seasons go by. However on the identical time, they serve an identical operate as non-public investigators who specialize within the supernatural. Additionally, they’ve all died at the least as soon as, and a few of them have spent a not insignificant time frame in Hell, via no fault of their very own.

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In contrast to many ghosts, these two aren’t trapped on Earth due to unfinished enterprise — they’re actively making an attempt to keep away from the afterlife, as a substitute specializing in sticking round as spectral detectives, fixing supernatural crimes and serving to different wayward souls. “Lifeless Boy Detectives” solely lasted for one season, besides, it made its mark on Netflix.

Certain, “The X-Recordsdata” is pretty mild on the bottom with regards to ghosties and ghoulies. However inside its formative monster-of-the-week template accompanied by a bigger seasonal arc, what they lack within the supernatural they make up for within the extraterrestrial. This beloved sci-fi program featured Gillian Anderson as Dana Scully, the skeptic who all the time believes there is a rational rationalization for the whole lot, and David Duchovny as Fox Mulder, a real believer who suspects little inexperienced males on the drop of the hat. Collectively, they examine numerous mysterious goings-on for the federal government and, as they are saying, the reality is on the market. 

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“The X-Recordsdata,” identical to “Supernatural,” was surprisingly lengthy operating for a style present, and through its heyday within the late ’90s, it was in all places. It ran for 9 seasons from 1993 to 2002, acquired two standalone function movies, and was given a revival sequence that ran from 2016 to 2018 and noticed its stars — whose chemistry launched an epic will-they-will not-they romantic marketing campaign — famously reunited.

“Hex” feels a bit just like the U.Okay.’s reply to “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” though its intrepid teen heroine (Cassie, performed by Christina Cole) is a witch moderately than a vampire slayer. Cassie is a scholar at an English boarding college making an attempt to slot in amongst her classmates when she begins having visions that, with the assistance of her pal Thelma (Jemima Rooper), open the door to her supernatural heritage. She’s the newest in an extended line of witches, and has the burgeoning telekinetic powers to show it. 

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But when that wasn’t sufficient to be coping with, Cassie additionally begins seeing a wierd man round campus — Azazeal, a fallen angel who has been in a multi-generational relationship with every of her household’s witches, and now professes to be in love together with her. Azazeal was performed by Michael Fassbender, and for most individuals, “Hex” is remembered as we speak as providing up certainly one of his earliest main roles. Though we solely get them in season 1 — the second season targeted on a unique main duo — their unconventional chemistry goes a great distance in making “Hex” an underrated treasure.

Similar to Sam and Dean in “Supernatural,” Nick (David Giuntoli) in “Grimm” has a supernatural birthright: The power to see all the assorted monsters and ghouls that populated “Grimm’s Fairy Tales,” and, for that matter, to take care of the delicate coexistence between them and atypical people. Fortunately, he is a cop, so along with his paranormal presents, he additionally has appreciable police sources at his disposal. 

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Every week, Nick does battle with the monsters that stay within the hole between fairy tales and the actual world. “Grimm” was a type of fantasy sequence that developed its mythology extra thoughtfully over the seasons (an argument to be made in opposition to style exhibits being cancelled early, earlier than they’ve had an opportunity to come back into their very own), and by the point it ended after its sixth season, it might go toe to toe with a number of the greatest fantasy exhibits of all time — together with its rather more beloved massive brother, “Supernatural.”

When George (Ellen Muth) dies within the pilot episode of “Lifeless Like Me,” it is actually only the start of her story. After being crushed to demise by a falling area station bathroom (discuss embarrassing), she learns that she’s been chosen to hitch the ranks of the grim reapers, who’re tasked with eradicating the souls of individuals simply earlier than they die to ease their approach into the afterlife. And though she’s initially annoyed by the course her odd little life has gone in, collectively together with her native crew of reapers (together with Mandy Patinkin as Rube, Jasmine Man as Roxy, and Callum Blue as Mason), she finally finds a spot for herself that eluded her throughout her precise life on Earth. It is a basic coming-of-age story — only one that takes place after its protagonist has, you recognize, already died.

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“Lifeless Like Me” ran for 2 seasons on Showtime, amassing a cult following earlier than its (satirically) premature demise. Though efforts to resume the present for a 3rd season in the end failed, it did get a standalone movie, “Lifeless Like Me: Life After Demise.” Like a lot of Bryan Fuller’s productions, “Lifeless Like Me” shone with a unusual aesthetic and grimly humorous relationship with demise.

Liv (Rose McIver), the star of “iZombie,” doesn’t have what you would possibly take into account nice luck. First, her promising profession as a medical resident is interrupted when she is changed into a zombie, forcing her to shift gears professionally. She takes up a job as a medical expert, which supplies her contemporary entry to all of the brains she might ever need (if she does not get brains, she turns into a type of basic, glassy-eyed zombies). However these brains include an sudden aspect impact: Consuming them provides Liv entry to the recollections and even the persona of the deceased, providing her prime perception into how they died.

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“iZombie” was a fixture on The CW for 5 seasons, and though many have criticized its underwhelming finale, for probably the most half the sequence was met with reward. It provided a unique tackle the effectively-worn zombie style, injecting it with contemporary blood and a youthfulness that prevented its model from feeling stale. Listed below are some horror exhibits to binge in the event you beloved “iZombie.”

Irrespective of how completely Joss Whedon has decided to tear down his personal legacy, brick by brick, there is no denying the truth that with regards to style tv, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” is a formative textual content. The teenager drama (first airing on The WB, then its successor community The CW) stars Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers, a typical highschool woman in each approach — apart from the truth that she alone amongst her technology possesses the power to battle all of the forces of darkness that appear to pop up within the sleepy Southern Californian city of Sunnydale. 

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Over the course of the seven seasons the present was on the air, Buffy and her buddies spent every week preventing — effectively, and infrequently relationship — vampires, demons, and humanoid praying mantises, in addition to averting the apocalypse now and again. With a trademark humorousness, beloved characters, loads of heartbreaking moments, and a glib method to the weather of horror that populated the present, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” was not like something that had been on the air till then, and its affect on exhibits like “Supernatural” is palpable.

Though “Supernatural” began off focusing in your bathroom normal ghosts, demons, and ugly bug infestations, over the course of the present it grew extra epic in scope, coping with archangels, God, and the Satan. “The Almighty Johnsons” facilities on a unique mythology, revolving across the Norse pantheon of gods, who over the centuries have emigrated to sunny New Zealand (who might blame them?) and their diminished kinds stay inside human vessels. These chosen few have their god revealed to them on their twenty first birthday, and are given the strengths (and weaknesses) of their deity. 

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Every brother within the Johnson household serves as a vessel for the gods — and when their youngest brother Axl (Emmett Skilton) comes of age, he shocks all of them changing into the human incarnation of probably the most highly effective of all of them, Odin. Now, Odin, coming again is a giant deal — as in, his presence presents the gods the possibility to reclaim their full powers if Axl can monitor down the human incarnation of Odin’s spouse, Frigga. And as if that wasn’t sufficient, every of the brothers is on the finish of their rope dealing with the burden of their powers. There are supernatural hijinks afoot, in fact, however on the coronary heart of “The Almighty Johnsons” is the customarily contentious however nonetheless highly effective bond between the brothers — identical to in “Supernatural.”

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“The Haunting of Hill Home” is just about all about unresolved trauma, and the identical will be stated for “Supernatural,” whose heroes mainly struggle demons to keep away from going to remedy. The Crane household is ceaselessly modified after they take up residence at Hill Home, a foreboding manor whose sinister power impacts every member of the household otherwise. Now adults, they’re every grappling with the lingering results of their expertise in the home, when youngest sister Nell (Victoria Pedretti) returns to Hill Home, solely to die there. 

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As they reunite for her funeral, previous wounds resurface, they usually’re compelled to confront the darkish legacy of Hill Home. Based mostly on the favored novel by Shirley Jackson, “The Haunting of Hill Home” is a masterclass in ambiance — a gradual sense of dread develops over the course of the whole sequence, punctuated by a couple of moments of real terror, together with the horrifying soar scare of the Bent-Neck Woman.

The writers of “Supernatural” made up loads of spooky storylines over the present’s 15 seasons, however in addition they typically discovered inspiration in actual-life ghost tales and concrete legends. These tales are on the coronary heart of “Lore,” which was primarily based on a supernatural podcast exploring the origins of a lot of our most enduring horror myths. With every episode specializing in a unique basic horror origin story, mixing a documentary-model method with vivid reenactments.

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“Lore” ran for 2 seasons on Prime Video, giving followers of the style a brand new tackle the tales they knew and beloved, earlier than being cancelled by the streamer. Though there are solely 12 episodes of the sequence out there to look at, audiences can take solace in the truth that the award-successful podcast from Aaron Mahnke has a powerful 250 episodes for followers to sink their enamel into, making it a veritable vault of data on all issues darkish and spooky.

For years, followers of the collaboration between Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman hoped for an on-display screen adaptation of “Good Omens.” Lastly, they received what they requested for when Prime Video launched a sequence primarily based on the novel which might see an angel (Michael Sheen) and a demon (David Tennant) crew as much as avert the approaching apocalypse. Having lived among the many people for millennia, the 2 had gotten snug functioning as earthly representations of excellent and evil, halfheartedly sticking to the corporate line. However when the Antichrist is born, their chill Earthly existence is threatened, and neither notably relishes the considered returning to heaven or hell full-time. And thus, an alliance is shaped.

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“Good Omens” retains a lot of the quirky humorousness of the guide intact, relishing the eccentricities of the angel and demon and their plain chemistry with each other. Though the primary season wrapped up the story of the guide, the showrunners have been in a position to efficiently develop upon it, making a second season that did justice to all of the characters audiences fell in love with.

If you’ve received a present as universally beloved as “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” the one cheap factor to do is create a by-product with certainly one of its hottest characters. In “Angel,” the reformed vampire Angel (David Boreanaz) recovers from his current breakup with Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) by transferring to Los Angeles (it is town of angels — get it?) and beginning up a supernatural detective company. Simply one other instance of highly effective geriatrics who refuse to retire.

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He initially groups up with half-demon Doyle (Glenn Quinn) and Sunnydale alum Cordelia Chase (Charisma Carpenter), though the disgraced ex-Watcher Wesley Wyndham-Pryce (Alexis Denisof) replaces Doyle within the second season. Collectively, they tackle the sporadic case, and cope with the supernaturally-tinged drama inside their very own lives — like Angel’s son, who’s born to his ex-flame Darla (Julie Benz), kidnapped as an toddler, after which unceremoniously returns as an angsty demon-searching teen (Vincent Kartheiser). “Angel” ran for 5 seasons, and though it not often reached the heights of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” it grew right into a worthy style sequence in its personal proper.

You know the way Sam and Dean work collectively for the great of all humanity, however nonetheless spend plenty of each episode of “Supernatural” sniping at each other, a lifetime of sibling grievances pouring out on-display screen? “Charmed” has a really comparable vibe, solely it revolves round three sisters who’re additionally witches. Piper (Holly Lauren Combs), Prue (Shannen Doherty), and Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) — and later Paige (Rose McGowan), their youngest half-sister who joined the present after Doherty left — are the newest technology of the highly effective Halliwell household, which has produced witches for ages. And collectively, they’re thrust into loads of magical mischief.

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“Charmed” was a supernatural hit, operating for eight seasons on The WB. It was rebooted in 2018 with a brand new trio of witches — the second “Charmed” was a modest success, airing on The CW for 4 seasons earlier than being cancelled. Finally, it was a sufferer of the community’s restructuring and intentional step away from the style programming that had initially made it aggressive.

Though “Supernatural” started with two brothers who, as hunters, have been adjoining to the paranormal neighborhood, over the course of the present, angels, demons, and different non-human entities emerged as a vital a part of its supporting solid. Against this, “Being Human” is basically bored with depicting the human perspective in any respect. It incorporates a vampire (Aidan Turner), a werewolf (Russell Tovey), and a ghost (Lenora Crichlow) who all stay (effectively, in a way of talking) in the identical flat. 

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However they do not precisely have your typical roommate points — their trials and tribulations tackle an appropriately paranormal leaning, as a few of them (and we’re not naming any names) can not seem to cease inadvertently killing folks. The present ran for 5 seasons, though the primary solid was solely changed through the years to make room for a brand new trio of supernatural beings. It was resurrected, for lack of a greater phrase, on American tv, the place the brand new model stayed on the air for a further three years.