Although a horror TV show doesn't have to follow the monster-of-the-week formula, it's an effective trope for a reason and helps get viewers acquainted with the world of the story. Some of the best horror TV series of all time are monster-of-the-week shows that incorporate character development and season-long arcs into the episodic format of the weekly evil. As time has progressed, fewer monster-of-the-week shows are being made since audiences are so familiar with their formulas. However, this hasn't diminished appreciation for the projects that already exist.

Many of the most anticipated horror TV shows of 2025 are more serialized since shorter seasons and the budgets of streaming services have allowed for more experimenting and fewer filler episodes. However, there's something comforting and familiar about the procedural format, even if the heroes are chasing down monsters and demons. Knowing that the heroes will have to band together to take down the villain and that good will triumph over evil is the appeal of these series. Despite this, there are plenty of shows that subvert expectations and leave viewers on cliffhangers throughout the episodes.

10 Night Stalker (2005–2006)

An updated iteration of a classic 1970s supernatural drama

Based on the original 1964 TV series, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Night Stalker was an exciting update to this story, even if it was short-lived. A young Gabrielle Union stars as the journalist Perri Reed, alongside Stuart Townsend as Carl Kolchak​​​​​​, the reporter chasing down supernatural leads. Haunted by his dark past and the belief that something dark and dangerous is out there, Carl pulls Perri into his supernatural world, searching for answers about his wife's murder and the strange occurrences around them.

Set in Los Angeles, Night Stalker balances the realism of the city with the fantastical nature of its monsters, using them as a metaphor for the urban decay surrounding the characters.

As one of the best TV shows with only one season, Night Stalker only has a few episodes, but each one is memorable. Going back to watch the original series and following it up with Night Stalker makes for a compelling juxtaposition between the way monster-of-the-week shows have changed across the decades. Set in Los Angeles, Night Stalker balances the realism of the city with the fantastical nature of its monsters, using them as a metaphor for the urban decay surrounding the characters.

9 Evil (2019–2024)

A religion-based horror TV show with a growing following

Religion takes center stage in Evil, as Mike Colter plays a Catholic priest, David Acosta, who's charged with investigating reports of divine and demonic intervention. Though Acosta is firmly a believer in the shocking encounters he has, his partners, Dr. Kristen Bouchard (Katja Herbers) and Ben Shakir (Aasif Mandvi), aren't quite so quick to trust what their eyes tell them. The monsters in Evil are some of the best parts of the show, as they tackle supernatural folklore and religious imagery with great effect.

There are many reasons why Evil season 5 needs to happen, as the series recently exploded in popularity after being added to streaming services. However, there are no official plans for another installment of this iconic modern horror show, despite the fact that Evil has been hailed as one of the best monster-of-the-week series to come out in the last few years. Like any good story that follows a formula, Evil is careful to slowly build on its ongoing narrative through the individual scares.

8 Millennium (1996–1999)

A short-lived crime show with ties to The X-Files

Lance Henriksen stars in Millennium as Frank Black, an ex-FBI agent working outside the traditional routes of law enforcement to go after killers and criminals. Though it's never definitively confirmed that Frank is psychic, his uncanny ability to understand the murderers he chases goes beyond the typical skills of a profiler. As the seasons of Millennium progress, it becomes clear that the organization Frank works for isn't telling him everything, and the supernatural becomes an everyday part of Frank's life.

Millennium was never afraid to put Frank through a lot and make him question his loyalties.

Millennium was canceled after season 3, but because the series shared a creator with The X-Files, Frank appeared in a spinoff episode of The X-Files in season 7, "Millennium." It was agreed upon that Millennium had a much darker tone than The X-Files, as Frank was typically investigating horrible crimes much closer to home. Millennium was never afraid to put Frank through a lot and make him question his loyalties.

7 Supernatural (2005–2020)

There's a reason this horror-drama ran for fifteen seasons

For fifteen seasons, Supernatural was one of the most popular horror-fantasy TV shows on television, and when it finally came to an end in 2020, it left a hole in the genre. A lot changed over the course of Supernatural's many seasons, as what the show was before season 5 and after are considered significantly different series. At the start, Supernatural was a classic monster-of-the-week show, following the brothers, Sam and Dean Winchester, as they traveled across the U.S. chasing monsters and hunting demons.

Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles brought Sam and Dean to life, and the actors' chemistry as brothers was a strong emotional anchor for the show. Though the major antagonists of every Supernatural season influenced the direction of the show, the series continuously relied on the monster-of-the-week formula to create excitement and drama over the years. Supernatural will likely remain one of the best-known series of the genre for many years to come, as it's still widely discussed.

6 Warehouse 13 (2009–2014)

Combining elements of comedy and adventure, Warehouse 13 is easy to watch

As long as there have been governments, there have been government conspiracy theories, and Warehouse 13 draws its premise from one of the most common. The show begins with Secret Service agents Pete Lattimer (Eddie McClintock) and Myka Bering (Joanne Kelly) being transferred to South Dakota as part of the Warehouse 13 team. While other supernatural series might focus on monsters and demons, Warehouse 13 is more concerned with gadgets and artifacts, with the agents and their partners traveling to recover them in each episode.

Though there are elements of Warehouse 13 that lean into campy and comedic territory, this helps to balance out the seriousness of some episodes and the dangerous situation the characters are in.

Though there are elements of Warehouse 13 that lean into campy and comedic territory, this helps to balance out the seriousness of some episodes and the dangerous situation the characters are in. The adventures that Myka and Pete go on throughout Warehouse 13 draw them into a world of lore and history, disrupting many of the beliefs they previously held. However, with every expedition and newly found artifact, the team grows closer, and the audience continues to appreciate Warehouse 13.

5 Angel (1999–2004)

This iconic Buffy spinoff went even darker than the original

After Angel (David Boreanaz) left Sunnydale and Buffy behind in Buffy The Vampire Slayer season 3, the tortured vampire sets up shop in Los Angeles as a private detective. This is where Angel picks up, and this addition to the Buffy universe deserves more attention, especially considering how much further it pushed the initial concept of the fantasy world. Though Buffy isn't afraid to get dark, Angel is even more bleak, and the characters in the show are pushed to their limits.

Angel saved Buffy The Vampire Slayer's Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter), as well as many other characters from the original series. At first, Angel put a more crime-oriented spin on the monster-of-the-week format that the show shares with Buffy The Vampire Slayer​​​​​​. However, because of the loss and intensity featured in Angel, the show went through many transformations, resulting in one of the best final seasons of television of the 21st century.

4 Grimm (2011–2017)

The darkness of fairytales is all too real in Grimm

Taking its name from the famous Brothers Grimm, who compiled and wrote many European fairytales that are well known today, Grimm follows a man with the ability to see these mythical monsters. David Giuntoli plays Detective Nick Burkhardt, the descendant of a long line of Grimms, who are people able to see through the illusions and understand there are supernatural forces at work. Throughout the show, he balances his duties as a detective with his calling as a Grimm.

Set in the Pacific Northwest, Grimm's style and aesthetic lent itself to the moody fantasy procedural format of the story.

Set in the Pacific Northwest, Grimm's style and aesthetic lent itself to the moody fantasy procedural format of the story. Unlike similar TV series that touched upon the darker side of fairytales, Grimm was more violent and complex, with Nick often coming up against the forces of evil on his own. However, this isn't to say that Nick doesn't find a fantastic team and continuously fights to have a normal life while being a Grimm.

3 Fringe (2008–2013)

The sci-fi series wasn't afraid to get dark as the seasons progressed

Though Fringe is typically compared to The X-Files, the similarities between the shows aren't as far-reaching as they might seem. From the start, Fringe is fully entrenched in science fiction and leans into its otherworldly narratives, delving further into the outlandish with each ing season. Monsters take many forms in Fringe, as they're sometimes the results of experiments gone wrong or are invaders from a parallel universe. The parallel universe is something that becomes a critical part of Fringe by the final season.

As Fringe progressed, the series became more serialized, but it never lost the monster-of-the-week elements that made audiences fall in love with Fringe at the beginning. Today, Fringe is considered a cult classic amid the horror and sci-fi genres, as it might start as an FBI procedural, but Fringe is much more than that. Thanks to its all-star cast featuring Anna Torv and Joshua Jackson as the will-they-won't-they couple, Fringe kept the viewer invested in even the most improbable plot lines.

2 The X-Files (993–2018)

The X-Files perfectly blended the crime and supernatural genres

The X-Files was a groundbreaking addition to the crime procedural genre, taking the dynamic of the skeptic and the believer to the extreme through Scully and Mulder. Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny were the perfect actors to bring these characters to life on The X-Files, as their chemistry and timing gave Scully and Mulder a timeless dynamic. Though The X-Files initially came to an end in 2002, two additional seasons were released in 2016 and 2018, completing the show.

As time has progressed, The X-Files has come to be known as one of the most influential crime-horror TV shows of all time, with many series following its example. Like a traditional crime show, The X-Files gives Scully and Mulder a new case to tackle every week, but because of their division, these are the typical crimes FBI agents are assigned to. In The X-Files, the monsters the agents deal with are literal instead of their human counterparts.

1 Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1997–2003)

The greatest vampire TV show of all time

As arguably the best vampire TV show of all time, Buffy The Vampire Slayer brought the monster-of-the-week and supernatural teen drama genres back to the forefront of television. With 22 episodes in an average season, Buffy had plenty of room to incorporate standalone stories as well as narratives that drove the season's overarching plot forward. While some of these weekly demon-centered episodes could be considered filler, they comprise some of Buffy's greatest installments.

Though Buffy is a horror series, the writers and creators understood how to balance the scares and terrifying demons with heart and humor, always making the characters' development the most important part of the show. As Buffy and her team were facing down horrible monsters, there was always a deeper connection with what the characters were going through, and a metaphor for common issues that people face in adolescence. Using the monster-of-the-week format in conjunction with coming-of-age was a stroke of genius on Buffy The Vampire Slayer.