10 Near-Perfect Forgotten Horror TV Shows That Deserve A Second Chance

The horror genre has brought some of the best TV shows of all time, but many other great shows have become forgotten, for different reasons. The horror genre on TV is one of the most popular ones, but, at the same time, it’s one of the most underrated. Horror can blend with other genres, most notably sci-fi and comedy, bringing a wider variety of content.

TV shows like The Twilight Zone and Buffy the Vampire Slayer have greatly influenced the genre, and others, like The Haunting of Hill House, have elevated the genre on TV. However, other great and near-perfect horror TV shows have faded into obscurity, either due to other, bigger shows overshadowing them, a lack of marketing, or bad scheduling, but they deserve a chance.

Slasher (2016-2025)

Six Seasons

Slasher is a horror anthology TV series created by Aaron Martin. Each season of Slasher sees a masked killer with unknown motives to kill their victims. Slasher premiered on Chiller in 2016, moving to Netflix for its second season and third seasons, and the rest premiering on Shudder, with season 6 rebranded as a miniseries titled Hell Motel.

Slasher was a hit with critics, who praised its concept, characters, stories, and type of violence, and though every season follows the same idea, they all offer something different that makes the show worth returning to. However, Slasher got limited marketing, which, along with its uneven quality, led to it not being widely known.

Channel Zero (2016-2018)

Four Seasons

Channel Zero is a horror anthology TV series created by Nick Antosca. Like Slasher, each season of Channel Zero tells a different story, but the latter’s are based on popular creepypastas. Season 1 is “Candle Cove”, about a man trying to figure out if his brother’s disappearance is linked to a bizarre TV show, and season 2 is “No-End House”, set in a house of horrors.

Season 3 is “Butcher’s Block”, which takes viewers into a haunted city where a series of disappearances have been happening, and season 4 is “The Dream Door”, about a strange door in the basement. Channel Zero was a critical hit, and despite its high-quality and creative stories, it was overshadowed by other, bigger, more mainstream horror shows.

30 Coins (2020-2023)

Two Seasons

30 Coins is a Spanish mystery horror TV series created by Álex de la Iglesia. 30 Coins introduces viewers to Father Vergara (Eduard Fernández), an exorcist and ex-convict attempting to move on in the Spanish town of Pedraza. When paranormal phenomena begin to occur in Pedraza, Vergara, local mayor Paco (Miguel Ángel Silvestre), and veterinarian Elena (Megan Montaner) team up to figure out what’s going on.

The mystery seems to be linked to a coin owned by Vergara, which might be one of the 30 silver coins paid to Judas Iscariot for betraying Jesus. Despite this religious connection, 30 Coins isn’t a religious show, instead being a blend of Lovecraftian mystery, thriller, adventure, and drama. Despite this interesting blend, fast pace, and character dynamics, 30 Coins isn’t widely known due to a lack of marketing.

Are You Afraid of the Dark? (1992-1996, 1999-2000, 2019-2022)

10 Seasons In Total

Are You Afraid of the Dark cast screaming

Are You Afraid of the Dark? is a horror anthology TV series aimed at a younger audience, and created by D.J. MacHale and Ned Kandel. Are You Afraid of the Dark? follows a group of teenagers who call themselves “The Midnight Society”, and who gather at a secret spot in the woods at midnight to share scary stories.

Every episode is a different story told by a different member of the Midnight Society, and though the show is aimed at a younger audience, it has some truly scary episodes. Are You Afraid of the Dark? had a revival in 1999 and another one in 2019, though the latter completely changed the show’s format. Are You Afraid of the Dark? had some strong competition with Goosebumps, and the latter’s more successful adaptations and revivals have pushed the former further into obscurity.

Santa Clarita Diet (2017-2019)

Three Seasons

Timothy Olyphant as Joel Hammond holding a shovel in Santa Clarita Diet

Santa Clarita Diet is a comedy horror TV show created by Victor Fresco and starring Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant. Santa Clarita Diet is the story of Sheila (Barrymore) and Joel Hammond (Olyphant), a married couple and suburban real estate agents living in Santa Clarita, California. The Hammonds’ life takes a turn when Sheila becomes undead and develops a craving for human flesh.

Santa Clarita Diet has been praised for its mix of comedy and gore, how it blends a family story with a zombie one, and the performances of Barrymore and Olyphant. Santa Clarita Diet had the same fate as many other great Netflix TV shows that didn’t get marketing support and ended up being canceled too soon, leaving it with a massive cliffhanger.

Masters of Horror (2005-2007)

Two Seasons

Masters of Horror is a horror anthology TV show created by Mick Garris. As the title says, Masters of Horror brings together various horror directors to each direct an hour-long episode. Thanks to this, each episode of Masters of Horror has a different story, subgenre, style, and cast, and some of the masters who worked on the show are Tobe Hooper, Dario Argento, and John Carpenter.

Season 1’s final episode, “Imprint”, was shelved by Showtime as it was considered deeply disturbing.

While all those different styles are the greatest strength of Masters of Horror, they contributed to it becoming an underrated and forgotten show, as some consider it “inconsistent.” Masters of Horror also had a limited run and not enough marketing support, but that doesn’t make it any less interesting and worth watching.

Castle Rock

Two Seasons

Castle Rock is a supernatural horror TV show created by Sam Shaw and Dustin Thomason. Castle Rock isn’t an adaptation of a specific Stephen King story, instead being inspired by the universe created by him. Each season of Castle Rock covers a different story, with season 1 following criminal attorney Henry Deaver (André Holland).

Henry returns to the titular town following the discovery of a mysterious prisoner at Shawshank State Penitentiary, simply known as The Kid (Bill Skarsgård), who had been kept in a forgotten, underground cell for 27 years. Season 2 follows a young Annie Wilkes (Lizzy Caplan) and her daughter, Joy (Elsie Fisher), serving as a prequel to Misery.

While its concept of a show set within the Stephen King universe, but without adapting a specific story, is one of its strengths, it’s also one of the reasons that led to Castle Rock not reaching a wider audience. Some consider Castle Rock as too “niche”, and this, along with poor marketing and debuting on Hulu, prevented it from being more well-known.

Being Human (UK) (2008-2013)

Five Seasons

Being Human is a supernatural comedy-drama TV show created by Toby Whithouse. Being Human introduces the audience to John Mitchell (Aidan Turner) and George Sands (Russell Tovey), friends and colleagues, as well as a vampire and a werewolf, respectively. Mitchell and George move into a new home, where they have an unexpected roommate: Annie Sawyer (Lenora Crichlow), a ghost.

Together, they try to live their lives as humanely as possible while they deal with the challenges of their respective conditions. Being Human aired on BBC Three, which contributed to it not becoming a mainstream hit. In addition, none of the three original cast members made it to the final season, which made many viewers quit, and the American remake ended up overshadowing the original show.

Ash vs Evil Dead (2015-2018)

Three Seasons

Ash is bloody with his chainsaw hand while standing on front of two other characters in Ash vs Evil Dead

Ash vs Evil Dead is a comedy horror TV show developed by Sam Raimi, Ivan Raimi, and Tom Spezialy. Ash vs Evil Dead is a sequel to the original Evil Dead movie trilogy starring Bruce Campbell, who returned as Ash Williams on the show. As such, Ash vs Evil Dead catches up with Ash three decades after the events of Army of Darkness.

Ash now works as a stock boy and lives a normal life, but he’s dragged back into action when the Evil Dead returns and new deadites rise. With the help of new allies, Ash fights the Evil Dead once again, with the show staying true to the chaotic comedic tone of the Ash-lead movies.

Despite the popularity of the Evil Dead franchise, Ash vs Evil Dead didn’t reach a mainstream audience, and this is mostly attributed to it being more “niche” and airing on Starz. Still, Ash vs Evil Dead is a must-watch for fans of the movies and horror, in general.

The Outer Limits (1963-1965)

Two Seasons

The Outer Limits is a sci-fi horror anthology TV series created by Leslie Stevens. As such, every episode of The Outer Limits tells a different story in a monster-of-the-week style, while also exploring philosophical themes in each episode. Due to its structure and tone, The Outer Limits is often compared to The Twilight Zone, with the latter overshadowing the former.

The Outer Limits was also limited by poor time slots, and even though it had a longer revival in 1995 with seven seasons, the original show is still one of the most underrated and forgotten horror and sci-fi shows of all time – and that also makes it one that deserves a new chance to reach a wider audience.

Release Date: 1963 – 1965-00-00
Directors: Gerd Oswald, Byron Haskin, Charles F. Haas, James Goldstone, László Benedek, Leonard Horn, Paul Stanley, Alan Crosland, Jr., John Brahm, Abner Biberman, Felix E. Feist, John Erman, Leon Benson
Writers: Joseph Stefano, Seeleg Lester, Robert C. Dennis, Sam Neuman, Milton Krims, Meyer Dolinsky, Allan Balter, Anthony Lawrence, Jerry Sohl, Robert Mintz, Harlan Ellison, Stephen Lord, Robert Towne, William Bast, William R. Cox, John Mantley, Otto Binder, Robert Specht, Samuel Roeca, Oliver Crawford, Richard H. Landau, Orin Borsten, Ib Melchior, Francis M. Cockrell