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Best Supernatural TV Series Now Available to Stream

Best Supernatural TV Series Now Available to Stream

For pure escapism, few genres can equal television shows that delve into the supernatural. Among the themes that keep us glued to the small screen are time travel, the paranormal, parallel universes, vampires, satanism, possession of mysterious powers, and unexplained phenomena.

As Americans look for entertainment outlets to relieve their confinement from COVID-19-induced isolation, 24/7 Tempo has compiled a list of supernatural TV series now available to stream. We identified all of the supernatural shows available for streaming — using data from website JustWatch — and ranked them based on their Internet Movie Database average user ratings, weighted by the number of votes each series received.

 

Our list includes mind-benders from the earliest days of television, including “The Twilight Zone” and “The Outer Limits,” programs that dealt with paranormal and science fiction themes. These programs are among the most watched classic television series. Here are the best classic TV shows now available to stream.

Some recently concluded series such as “Fringe” and “Counterpart” use parallel universes as the framework for their programs. Limited series such as “11.22.63” peg their plot on a historical event — in this case the Kennedy assassination — as a premise for time travel. No list of supernatural-themed television series would be complete without including shows such as “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “True Blood.”

Series such as “The X-Files” and the currently running “Stranger Things” have been recognized repeatedly by the television industry with multiple Emmy Awards. Here are TV shows with the most Emmy wins of all time.

To determine the best supernatural TV series now available to stream, 24/7 Tempo identified all of the shows available for streaming — using data from website JustWatch — that are classified as “fantasy” or “sci-fi” by the Internet Movie Database (IMDb). We then ranked the series based on their Internet Movie Database average user ratings, weighted by the number of votes each series received. Editorial discretion was then applied to include or omit titles that we felt did not match the classification of “supernatural.”

In order to be considered, each show was required to have at least 4,000 user votes on IMDb.

Source: SDI Productions / E+ via Getty Images

25. The OA (2016-2019)
> Starring: Brit Marling, Jason Isaacs, Scott Wilson
> Age rating: TV-MA
> Available on: Netflix

Brit Marling co-created and starred in this Netflix series about a young blind woman who returns to her hometown after having gone missing for seven years. She’s back with her sight restored and some in town regard this seeming miracle as threatening. “The OA” holds a Freshness rating among Rotten Tomatoes critics of 84% and 83% among audiences. The show has a 7.9 rating out of 10 among IMDb users.

Source: Courtesy of No Distributor Found

24. Counterpart (2017-2019)
> Starring: J.K. Simmons, Olivia Williams, Harry Lloyd
> Age rating: TV-MA
> Available on: Redbox, Apple iTunes, Vudu, Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Video, FandangoNOW, Google Play Movies

The sci-fi thriller that ran on Starz features Oscar winner J.K. Simmons (Best Actor for “Whiplash”) as a nondescript U.N. employee who discovers that he is a top spy in a parallel universe that he accesses through a passageway hidden by his agency. The two-season series has a perfect rating among Rotten Tomatoes critics, with Critics Consensus calling the taut thriller “an absorbing thrill-fest led by J.K. Simmons’ multi-faceted dual lead performance.” “Counterpart” holds an 8.1 rating out of 10 among IMDb users.

Source: Courtesy of No Distributor Found

23. Eerie, Indiana (1991-1992)
> Starring: Omri Katz, Justin Shenkarow, Mary-Margaret Humes
> Age rating: TV-Y7
> Available on: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Video

“Eerie, Indiana” enjoys a perfect rating among critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. The plot for the 19-episode show that originally ran on NBC revolves around a teen whose family moves to the rural town of Eerie, Indiana. A lot of weird things are going on in town — Elvis is on the boy’s paper route and Bigfoot eats out of his garbage can — and the boy and a friend try to find out why. The show has an 8.2 rating out of 10 among IMDb users.

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22. The Outer Limits (1963-1965)
> Starring: Bob Johnson, Ben Wright, William Douglas
> Age rating: TV-PG
> Available on: Apple iTunes, Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Video, Hulu, The Roku Channel

Baby boomers probably remember the unnerving introduction of the show, a narrator’s ominous warning, “There is nothing wrong with your television set,” against visuals of an oscilloscope and eerie theme. The show was a creepy anthology series about the paranormal. Among the future stars who appeared on the ABC series were Martin Sheen, Bruce Dern, Cliff Robertson, Carroll O’Connor, and William Shatner. “The Outer Limits” holds a Freshness rating among critics of 91%, and it has a perfect score among audiences. Among IMDb users, the show has an 8.2 rating of 10.

Source: Courtesy of No Distributor Found

21. The Lost Room (2006)
> Starring: Peter Krause, Julianna Margulies, Peter Jacobson
> Age rating: TV-PG
> Available on: Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Prime Video, Tubi TV

The sci-fi/fantasy limited series is about a detective who while on an investigation at a motel discovers one of the rooms is a passageway to an alternate universe. The series appeared on the SyFy channel and holds a Rotten Tomatoes Freshness rating among critics of 77%. Critics lauded the cast and cinematography, but sometimes found the plot convoluted. “The Lost Room” has an 8.2 rating out of 10 among IMDb users.

Source: Courtesy of No Distributor Found

20. The Vampire Diaries (2009-2017)
> Starring: Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley, Ian Somerhalder
> Age rating: TV-14
> Available on: Apple iTunes, Vudu, Amazon Video, FandangoNOW, Google Play Movies, Netflix, DIRECTV

This eight-season vampire-themed series stars Nina Dobrev as a high school teen new to the town of Mystic Falls who becomes involved in a love triangle with two brothers who are vampires. Three of the show’s eight seasons which originally aired on the CW network have a perfect Freshness score among Rotten Tomatoes critics.

Source: Courtesy of HBO

19. True Blood (2008-2014)
> Starring: Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Sam Trammell
> Age rating: TV-MA
> Available on: Apple iTunes, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, FandangoNOW, HBO Now Amazon Channel, HBO Now, HBO Go, Microsoft Store, DIRECTV, HBO Max

Vampire-drama “True Blood” is based on the novels by Charlaine Harris. The show starred Oscar winner Anna Paquin (Best Actress, “The Piano”) as a waitress with telepathic powers who encounters strange phenomena, including vampires. The series won a Golden Globe and an Emmy ran for seven years on HBO. After the first five seasons that were well received by critics, “True Blood” was in need of a transfusion, with TV critic Carrie Raisler finding the finale forced, “silly,” and — worst of all — “boring.”

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18. 11.22.63 (2016)
> Starring: James Franco, Sarah Gadon, George MacKay
> Age rating: TV-MA
> Available on: Apple iTunes, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, FandangoNOW, Hulu, Microsoft Store

The title of the series is the date President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, and the plot centers on an English teacher who travels back in time to try and stop the murder of the president. The teacher’s mission to prevent the tragedy runs into complications. The eight-episode mini-series that aired on Hulu stars James Franco and holds a rating of 8.2 out of 10 among IMDb users.

Source: Courtesy of No Distributor Found

17. Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency (2016-2017)
> Starring: Samuel Barnett, Elijah Wood, Hannah Marks
> Age rating: TV-14
> Available on: Apple iTunes, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, FandangoNOW, Hulu

“Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency” features a quirky detective and his assistant who use unconventional methods to try and solve mysteries. The two-season BBC America series is based on a novel series by Douglas Adams. The show enjoys a 95% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, and it holds an 8.3 rating out of 10 among IMDb users.

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Television Distribution

16. Forever (2014-2015)
> Starring: Ioan Gruffudd, Alana De La Garza, Joel David Moore
> Age rating: TV-PG
> Available on: Apple iTunes, Vudu, Amazon Video, FandangoNOW, Google Play Movies, Microsoft Store, Curiosity Stream, CW Seed

In “Forever,” a New York City medical examiner tries to find out what has kept him alive for 200 years while he draws on his experiences from his very long life to solve cases. The ABC program was not well received by critics on Rotten Tomatoes, who gave the 22-episode series a Freshness score of 57%. Audiences differed, awarding the show a 92% approval score. Users on IMDb gave the show an 8.3 rating out of 10.

Source: Courtesy of KVH Media Group

15. Penny Dreadful (2014-2016)
> Starring: Josh Hartnett, Timothy Dalton, Eva Green
> Age rating: TV-MA
> Available on: Apple iTunes, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, FandangoNOW, Showtime Amazon Channel, Netflix, Showtime, Microsoft Store, fuboTV, DIRECTV

“Penny Dreadful” is a gothic horror series uniting characters from 19th century fiction such as Dorian Grey and Victor Frankenstein with a medium to battle supernatural creatures in London. The series executive producers are John Logan (“Alien: Covenant”), Pippa Harris (“Revolutionary Road”), and Sam Mendes (“1917”). The Showtime series holds a 91% Freshness rating among Rotten Tomatoes critics, and a 90% rating from audiences. It has a rating of 8.2 out of 10 among more than 108,000 IMDb users.

Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures

14. The Originals (2013-2018)
> Starring: Joseph Morgan, Daniel Gillies, Claire Holt
> Age rating: TV-14
> Available on: Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, FandangoNOW, Netflix, Microsoft Store, DIRECTV

“The Originals” is a spinoff of “The Vampire Diaries” and tells the story of a vampire family who return to New Orleans to reclaim the city they once controlled from a rival vampire. Critics didn’t warm to the CW series in its first season, giving it a 57% Freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but it received a perfect score over the next three seasons. Among more than 111,000 IMDb users, the series received a rating of 8.2 out of 10.

Source: Courtesy of No Distributor Found

13. The Leftovers (2014-2017)
> Starring: Justin Theroux, Amy Brenneman, Christopher Eccleston
> Age rating: TV-MA
> Available on: Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, FandangoNOW, HBO Now Amazon Channel, HBO Now, HBO Go, DIRECTV, HBO Max

“The Leftovers,” adapted from Tom Perrotta’s novel, centers around how a small town copes after some of its residents have mysteriously disappeared during a global event called the Departure. The perplexing HBO series holds a 91% Freshness rating among Rotten Tomatoes critics, and 89% of audiences liked the show. It has an 8.3 rating out of 10 on IMDb.

Source: Courtesy of 20th Television

12. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)
> Starring: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan
> Age rating: TV-14
> Available on: Apple iTunes, Vudu, Amazon Video, FandangoNOW, Google Play Movies, Hulu, Microsoft Store

Sarah Michelle Gellar plays Buffy, a cheerleader selected to battle vampires and other undead denizens, in the Emmy Award-winning series that was a ratings winner for the WB network. The seven-season series was lauded by critics for its performances and writing. It holds a 92% audience score among Rotten Tomatoes users, and it has an 8.2 rating of 10 among IMDb users.

Source: Courtesy of Walt Disney Television

11. Legion (2017-2019)
> Starring: Dan Stevens, Rachel Keller, Aubrey Plaza
> Age rating: TV-MA
> Available on: Apple iTunes, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, FandangoNOW, Hulu, Microsoft Store, Sling TV, DIRECTV

American audiences know Dan Stevens as the young aristocrat from the British period series “Downton Abbey.” In the FX sci-fi fantasy “Legion,” he plays a man who’s been diagnosed as schizophrenic and who discovers he has special powers. Critics have called the series “visually arresting, mind-bending television that never fails to surprise.” The series has a Freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes of 91%, and an 84% rating among audiences. “Legion” has an 8.3 rating of 10 among IMDb users.

Source: Courtesy of De Mour via Facebook

10. Sense8 (2015-2018)
> Starring: Doona Bae, Jamie Clayton, Tina Desai
> Age rating: TV-MA
> Available on: Netflix

The Netflix series created by J. Michael Straczynski and sisters Lana and Lilly Wachowski (The Matrix movie franchise) focuses on eight people from around the world who are connected mentally and must try to avoid being pursued and captured by those who consider them a threat. The provocative series holds an 86% Freshness rating among Rotten Tomatoes critics, and audiences liked it even better, giving it a score of 91%. Among IMDb users, “Sense8” has a rating of 8.3 out of 10.

Source: Courtesy of Vertigo Inc.

9. Lucifer (2015- )
> Starring: Tom Ellis, Lauren German, Kevin Alejandro
> Age rating: TV-14
> Available on: Apple iTunes, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, FandangoNOW, Netflix, Microsoft Store, DIRECTV

Tom Ellis plays the titular character, who’s grown bored with his time in Hell so he decides to go to Los Angeles, the City of Angels, where he helps law enforcement catch criminals. The Fox/Netflix series that began in 2015 found little favor among critics on Rotten Tomatoes in its first season, only getting a 49% Freshness score. Over the following three seasons, “Lucifer” received a perfect score. The series has a rating of 8.2 out of 10 on IMDb.

Source: Courtesy of No Distributor Found

8. Outlander (2014- )
> Starring: Caitriona Balfe, Sam Heughan, Duncan Lacroix
> Age rating: TV-MA
> Available on: Redbox, Apple iTunes, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, FandangoNOW, Netflix, Starz, DIRECTV

“Outlander” is a time travel-themed series based on a series of historical romance science fiction novels by Diana Gabaldon. The show is about a British combat nurse during WWII who is transported back to Scotland in the 18th century where she falls in love with a Scottish freedom fighter. The Starz series has a rating of 8.4 out of 10 among more than 112,000 IMDb users. The show holds approval ratings from critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes of 90% and above.

Source: Sean Pavone / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

7. Fringe (2008-2013)
> Starring: Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, John Noble
> Age rating: TV-14
> Available on: Apple iTunes, Vudu, Amazon Video, FandangoNOW, Google Play Movies, Microsoft Store, IMDb TV

“Fringe,” a parallel universe-based show, revolves around an FBI agent who works with a once-institutionalized scientist and his son to investigate a string of bizarre crimes. The five-season series on Fox holds a Freshness rating among Rotten Tomatoes critics of 90%, and 93% of audiences enjoyed the program. It has a rating of 8.4 out of 10 on IMDb. All the seasons are available to watch on Amazon Video. The series has drawn many comparisons to “The X-Files.”

Source: Courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

6. The X-Files (1993-2018)
> Starring: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Mitch Pileggi
> Age rating: TV-MA
> Available on: Apple iTunes, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, FandangoNOW, Hulu, Microsoft Store, fuboTV, DIRECTV

The series that coined the phrase “The truth is out there” starred David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson as FBI agents investigating unexplained phenomena. The series built a strong fan following and ran for 11 seasons on Fox. Over that time, the show hauled in 15 Emmy Awards and five Golden Globes. “The X-Files” has an 8.6 rating out of 10 among nearly 192,000 IMDb users.

Source: Courtesy of No Distributor Found

5. The Twilight Zone (1959-1964)
> Starring: Rod Serling, Robert McCord, Jay Overholts
> Age rating: TV-PG
> Available on: Apple iTunes, Vudu, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, Netflix, CBS

The five-season series of suspenseful tales of the unexplained, hosted by master storyteller Rod Serling, made for thought-provoking and innovative television in the early 1960s and has retained a cult following. The Golden Globe and Emmy-Award winning series that ran on CBS has a Freshness rating among Rotten Tomatoes critics of 82%, and a 96% rating among audiences. IMDb users gave “the Zone” 9.0 out of 10.

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4. Supernatural (2005-2020)
> Starring: Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Jim Beaver
> Age rating: TV-14
> Available on: Apple iTunes, Vudu, Amazon Video, FandangoNOW, Google Play Movies, Netflix, Microsoft Store, The CW, The Roku Channel, Sling TV, DIRECTV, TNT

The long-running (327 episodes) CW series is about two brothers whose mother is killed by malevolent forces and who are raised by their father to fight demons, monsters, and other supernatural beings. Nine of the show’s 15 seasons hold a perfect score among Rotten Tomatoes critics, and it has a 93% Freshness rating overall. “Supernatural” has an 8.4 rating out of 10 among IMDb users.

Source: Courtesy of No Distributor Found

3. Dark (2017-2020)
> Starring: Karoline Eichhorn, Louis Hofmann, Jördis Triebel
> Age rating: TV-MA
> Available on: Netflix

“Dark” is a critically acclaimed plot-twisting series about how the disappearance of two young children in a German town reveals the tenuous and tense relationships among multiple families. The Netflix series that premiered in 2017 holds a 94% score among critics and audiences, and it has an 8.8 rating out of 10 among nearly 189,000 users of IMDb. Its third season is due to begin on June 27.

Source: Courtesy of Walt Disney Television

2. Lost (2004-2010)
> Starring: Jorge Garcia, Josh Holloway, Yunjin Kim
> Age rating: TV-14
> Available on: Apple iTunes, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, FandangoNOW, Crackle, Hulu, Microsoft Store, IMDb TV

“Lost” is about the tensions that arise among survivors of a plane crash on what appears to be a deserted island. J.J. Abrams, who helped develop the Mission: Impossible franchise and was involved in the reboot of the Star Trek franchise, was one of the creators of “Lost.” The provocative series ran for six seasons on ABC and won 10 Emmy Awards and one Golden Globe. “Lost” holds a Rotten Tomatoes critics Freshness rating of 85%, and a 92% among audiences. The series has an 8.3 rating out of 10 among IMDb users.

Source: Courtesy of No Distributor Found

1. Stranger Things (2016- )
> Starring: Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Winona Ryder
> Age rating: TV-14
> Available on: Netflix

Three seasons of this Netflix series, inspired by the small-town adventure and horror works of Steven Spielberg, Stephen King, and others, have been released to date. Another eight-episode season to come in 2021. “Stranger Things” is about the disappearance of a boy in a small Indiana town that is followed by the appearance of a girl with special powers. The show has been hugely popular and won six Emmys thus far. The supernatural series holds an 8.8 rating out of 10 among more than 745,000 IMDb users. Critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes gave the show at least a 91% approval score.

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