Vampire TV shows stage comeback as zombie TV shows fade

Several years ago, you almost couldn’t change the channel on your TV without landing on a vampire show. The first half of the decade was flooded with shows about blood-suckers, including “True Blood,” “The Vampire Diaries” and “The Strain.” But the trend petered out. Those shows and others have since been canceled.
In its place came a wave of zombie shows, riding on the success of AMC’s “The Walking Dead.” But now zombie shows seem to be ebbing. Ratings are way down for “The Walking Dead”; Syfy recently canceled “Z Nation” after five seasons; and the CW’s “iZombie” is preparing to air its fifth and final season starting in May.
But it looks like vampire TV shows could be staging a comeback.
Earlier this month, Fox premiered “The Passage,” a drama series based on the trilogy of vampire-themed novels by Justin Cronin. It joins Syfy’s vampire apocalypse show “Van Helsing,” which was just renewed for a fourth season.
In March, FX is set to air “What We Do in the Shadows,” a comedy series based the 2014 film of the same name. It follows three vampires who have been roommates for hundreds of years.
Meanwhile, the CW has ordered a pilot for a possible series based on the 1987 vampire movie “Lost Boys.” Rob Thomas, showrunner for “iZombie,” is executive producing the new show, according to Deadline.
The following are lists of TV shows featuring vampires and zombies. I’ve included only English-language, live-action series.

Vampire TV shows:

Angel (WB, 1999-2004)
Being Human (BBC, 2008-2013)
Being Human (Syfy, 2011-2014)
Blade (Spike, 2006)
Blood Ties (Lifetime, 2007)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (WB, UPN; 1997-2003)
Cliffhangers: The Curse of Dracula (NBC, 1979)
Dark Shadows (ABC, 1966-1971)
Dark Shadows (NBC, 1991)
Death Valley (MTV, 2011)
Demons (ITV, 2009)
Dracula (NBC, 2013-2014)
Dracula: The Series (syndicated, 1990-1991)
Forever Knight (CBS, USA Network; 1992-1996)
From Dusk till Dawn: The Series (El Rey, 2014-2016)
The Gates (ABC, 2010)
Kindred: The Embraced (Fox, 1996)
The Lair (Here TV, 2007-2009)
Moonlight (CBS, 2007-2008)
My Babysitter’s a Vampire (Disney Channel, 2011-2012)
The Originals (CW, 2013-2018)
The Passage (Fox, 2019-present)
Penny Dreadful (Showtime, 2014-2016)
Preacher (AMC, 2016-present)
The Strain (FX, 2014-2017)
True Blood (HBO, 2008-2014)
Ultraviolet (Channel 4, 1998)
The Vampire Diaries (CW, 2009-2017)
Vampire High (YTV, 2001-2002)
Van Helsing (Syfy, 2016-present)
Young Dracula (CBBC, 2006-2014)

Zombie TV shows:

Death Valley (MTV, 2011)
Fear the Walking Dead (AMC, 2015-present)
Helix (Syfy, 2014-2015)
In the Flesh (BBC, 2013-2014)
iZombie (CW, 2015-present)
Santa Clarita Diet (Netflix; 2017-present)
The Walking Dead (AMC, 2010-present)
Z Nation (Syfy, 2014-2018)

Photos: Promotional art for “The Passage” and “Van Helsing.”