Are you ready for the world of monsters, ghosts, demons, and other supernatural creatures? Well, if you are looking for shows like Supernatural, that is your forte for sure.
Eric Kripke created Supernatural, the American dark fantasy drama series. It started airing on The WB network in September 2005. It later became part of The CW network’s lineup.
The show stars Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester and Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester. They are two brothers who are hunting demons, monsters, ghosts, and supernatural beings in general.
Creator Kripke spent several years unsuccessfully pitching the TV show to studios. That is why it was filmed in Vancouver, British, Columbia, and surrounding areas for nearly ten years. The ratings of the first four episodes and the pilot episode prompted The WB network to pick up the show for a full season.
Eric Kripke planned the show to run for only three seasons but then expanded it to five. The fifth season concluded the main storyline and then he departed from the show. Supernatural continued for ten more seasons with new showrunners, becoming the longest-running American live-action fantasy TV series.
Growing up, Kripke connected to television shows that had signature cars. For example, The Dukes of Hazzard and Knight Rider. This is why he included one in Supernatural. His idea for Supernatural was two gunslingers who ride into town, fight the bad guys, kiss the girl and ride out into the sunset again.
With that in mind, here are some similar shows like Supernatural. Some of them follow the concept of gunslingers and some follow the concept of his supernatural world.
Walker
Follow Jared Padalecki on a new adventure. His Walker TV show is basically a Western-inflected cop drama. In this show, he stars and serves as an executive producer.
It is a Chuck Norris-inspired show where Padalecki plays Cordell Walker. He is a decorated Texas Ranger trying to readjust to normal life after coming home from a long undercover assignment.
He has to balance solving case-of-the-week crimes with his responsibilities to family life. During the show, he is always trying to solve the mystery of who killed his wife Emily.
Grimm
Grimm is one of the best shows that aired on NBC. It is a cult hit. The show follows a Portland cop who discovered he was from a long line of guardians sworn to protect the world from mythological creatures. David Guintoli plays the main character, Nick Burkhardt.
If you loved the supernatural nature of Supernatural, this show will also do the trick. It is more of a crime procedural drama, but it is loaded with fantasy elements.
And the best part is character development. The show has strong characters that they develop through multiple seasons. The show is dark and goofy at the same time.
The Dresden Files
Supernatural is a lot like a detective show. If you like another supernatural detective series, check The Dresden Files. Many believe this show influenced Kripke and his vision of Supernatural.
The Dresden Files aired on SyFy (then known as the Sci-Fi Channel). It follows Harry Dresden, played by Paul Blackthorne, who is a private investigator and a wizard. He helps the police with supernatural cases in Chicago.
The Vampire Diaries
We can safely say that The Vampire Diaries is among the best shows with supernatural and fantasy elements. The teen drama series was based on a book series of the same name.
It premiered on the CW Network in September 2009 and run until March 2017 for eight seasons. The pilot episode attracted the largest audience for the CW Network of any series.
Nina Dobrev played the main character for six seasons. She returned as a guest star in the series finale. Thanks to the success of the show, it launched a media franchise that includes web series, novels, comic books, and more TV series.
The Originals
One of the spinoff series that The Vampire Diaries launched is The Originals. This one follows the story of the first vampires, commonly known as The Originals.
It focuses on three of the Mikaelson siblings, Klaus Mikaelson, Elijah Mikaelson, and Rebekah Mikaelson. They are the first-ever vampires to exist.
The show begins with the siblings returning to the city of New Orleans. The show lasted for five seasons, with the final season taking place seven years after the fourth season.
The Walking Dead
If you are a Supernatural fan who loves supernatural beings, then you have to check The Walking Dead. The show is set in a post-apocalyptic world. The collapse of modern civilization has left survivors that must confront other human survivors who have formed groups and communities.
And they all have to stay alive following a zombie apocalypse and a near-constant threat of attacks from zombies known as “walkers”.
Some of the main characters of the ensemble cast include Andrew Lincoln, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun, Chandler Riggs, Melissa McBride, Christian Serratos, Seth Gilliam, and more.
The X-Files
We cannot have a list of shows like Supernatural without The X-Files. It is one of the best shows about supernatural things and supernatural beings. Without X-Files, many of the other supernatural shows might not have existed.
This Fox drama saved Fox from an early grave and brought sci-fi television to the mainstream. It opened the possibilities for many more future shows in the supernatural genre.
The show stars Gillian Anderson as Agent Scully and David Duchovny as Agent Mulder.
Fringe
What made Supernatural so great was the combination of standalone episodes and serialized genre storytelling. This is what Fringe is about as well. And you have to love the action in a series produced by J.J. Abrams.
The show tells the story of a small FBI team that investigates unexplained phenomena. Similar to Supernatural, character development and character relationships are the strong part of the show.
Lucifer
Tom Ellis stars as Lucifer Morningstar, a version of the devil in the DC Universe. Based on the DC Comics character, the show received mixed reviews from critics for the first season. But it then picked up ratings.
The story is all about Lucifer who abandons Hell for Los Angeles where he runs his own nightclub. There, he becomes a consultant for the Los Angeles Police Department.
Fox canceled the show after three seasons, but then the streaming platform Netflix picked it up. There, it continued for three more seasons and earned high viewership.
Wynonna Earp
We had great storytelling in Supernatural, mostly among the siblings. This show is all about siblings, but instead of the Winchester brothers, we have the Earp sisters.
Wynonna Earp is a cult favorite show, another one that ran on the Syfy network. It tells the story of the bond between Wynonna Earp, a great-great-granddaughter of Wyatt Earp. She is tasked with banishing demons, all while working with her half-sister, Waverly Earp.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
We cannot talk about supernatural shows without mentioning Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Sarah Michelle Gellar became a star on television thanks to this show.
It revolves around Buffy Summers, the latest in a line of young women who are Vampire Slayers. She is chosen by fate to battle against vampires, demons, and other supernatural beings.
She wants to lead a normal life, but through the show, she embraces her role and destiny. The show earned critical and popular acclaim. It even helped Gellar earn a nomination for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress.
Angel
When you talk about Buffy, you have to mention the spinoff it produced. Angel is a direct sequel and spinoff to Buffy. Joss Wheadon, the creator of Buffy, created Angel in collaboration with David Greenwalt.
It details the ongoing trials of Angel, the vampire whose human soul was restored to him by a Romani curse.
David Boreanaz plays the vampire who now works as a private detective in Los Angeles and helps the helpless. In the process, he has to battle his own demonic nature and other evil demons.
Being Human
Let’s finish off the list of shows like Supernatural with Being Human. It is a TV series about a vampire, ghost, and werewolf who live together under strange and forceful circumstances.
Together, all three supernatural creatures have to find a way to overcome their differences and survive in the modern world.
