There have been some memorable horror TV shows over the years, most notably Ryan Murphy’s belovedAmerican Horror Stories. The series has delved into a different element of the genre every season, from witches to haunted houses to some strange things happening at the circus. There are some unforgettable teen horror shows too, includingThe Vampire Diaries, which was incredibly popular during its eight-season run and which told fun, action-packed stories with characters who fans couldn’t help but care about deeply.
With so much content coming out all the time, it can be hard to keep track of it all, and when some horror TV shows are canceled after only one season, it’s no wonder that they fade into the background. These series didn’t make much of an impression.
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The Secret Circle (2011-2012)
Britt Robertson starred inThe Secret Circle, which aired on The CW for one season in 2011. Unlike thebest teen horror TV shows,The Secret Circledoesn’t have anything that makes it stand out. Cassie Blake begins living with her grandma in Chance Harbor, Washington and learns that she’s part of a coven of witches.
While this should be exciting, and there are great young adult stories about witchcraft, includingThe Craft(both the original and the remake),The Secret Circledoesn’t have any characters who stick out or create much of an impression. Instead, the show feels cheesy, as Cassie finds out that there are people who don’t like the powers that she has, and everything about it feels expected.
666 Park Avenue (2013-2014)
The Drake hotel at 666 Park Avenue looks like everything that people dream about when they think about moving to New York City. It’s beautiful, old-fashioned, elegant, and sophisticated. Henry Martin (Dave Annable) and Jane Van Veen (Rachael Taylor) become the new co-managers and think that they have hit the jackpot… but then they learn that the hotel has demons inside of it. Vanessa Williams and Terry O-Quinn also starred as Olivia and Gavin Doran, who owned the building.
While there aremovies that combine the supernatural and slasher genres, sometimes a TV series with paranormal elements can be incredibly corny, and that was the problem with666 Park Avenue. The series only got one 13-episode season. The idea of characters living in a haunted hotel or apartment building has definitely been done before, most notably with the 1968 filmRosemary’s Baby.
The Whispers (2015)
While Milo Ventimiglia is most famous for playing Jess Mariano inGilmore Girlsand Jack Pearson onThis Is Us, the actor also played Captain Sean Bennigan in the short-lived TV seriesThe Whispers. Lily Rabe played Special Agent Claire Bennigan, a child specialist with the FBI who learns that kids are talking to a mysterious figure named “Drill.”
The series aired on ABC during the summer of 2015 and was cancelled after 13 episodes. While the series is pretty creepy, as it’s unnerving to see children being taken over by Drill, the story and characters didn’t have enough staying power.Fans wonder if horror shows can be as scary as movies, and while the mystery of Drill is compelling, fans sadly didn’t get the chance to learn what was really going on thanks to the show’s cancellation. Out of all of the short-lived horror TV shows,The Whispersmight have been the most interesting one, with strong actors and a premise that makes it hard to stop watching.
The Mist (2017)
WhileThe Mistis anunderrated Stephen King adaptation, the 2007 movie is definitely much better than the 2017 TV series, which only lasted for a season. The show starred Gus Birney, Alyssa Sutherland, and Morgan Spector as the Copeland family who realize that their town of Bridgeville, Maine is now covered in mist.
The TV series doesn’t stand out much and Stephen King fans likely prefer the 1980 novella and the 2007 movie. The show is too chaotic and messy to be a solid adaptation and wasn’t very well-received. Like thedisappointingUnder The DomeTV adaptation,The Mistdoesn’t do much with King’s work.
The Passage (2019)
While Justin Cronin’sThe Passagetrilogy is acclaimed and celebrated, the 2019 TV adaptation was disappointing. Mark-Paul Gosselaar played Brad Wolgast, a federal agent who is supposed to take Amy Bellafonte (Saniyya Sidney) to Project Noah, a facility where scientists believe they have found a virus that can stop every illness in the world. The problem? It could also cause the end of the world.
The Passageis ablend of science-fiction and horrorand while the novels are thrilling and impossible to put down, the TV series quickly fizzled out and became forgotten. It’s possible that not many people have seen it as it only aired for one ten-episode season on Fox.
