Dark Shadows

Dark Shadows is an American Gothic soap opera that aired weekdays on the ABC television network from June 27, 1966, to April 2, 1971. The series depicted the lives, loves, trials, and tribulations of the wealthy Collins family of Collinsport, Maine, where a number of supernatural occurrences take place. It was created and executive-produced by Dan Curtis, and developed by Art Wallace. The ensemble cast featured Joan Bennett, Louis Edmonds, Denise Nickerson, Kathryn Leigh Scott, David Selby, Nancy Barrett, Thayer David, Clarice Blackburn, John Karlen, Jonathan Frid, Grayson Hall, Jerry Lacy and Lara Parker. Actors often portrayed multiple roles; as cast members came and went, some characters were played by more than one actor.

Initially framed as a mixture of family saga and gothic romance, the series introduced progressively more supernatural elements during its first year, culminating in the debut of the vampire Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid), who quickly became Dark Shadows' breakout character and main protagonist. The show would go on to feature ghosts, werewolves, zombies, man-made monsters, witches, warlocks, time travel, and parallel universes. Critics and scholars have credited the series with pioneering a more nuanced characterization of supernatural creatures that had previously been depicted as one-dimensional villains or inhuman monsters, and influencing subsequent horror and paranormal-themed TV shows.

During its initial run, Dark Shadows developed a large teenage audience and a dedicated cult following; by 1969, it had become ABC's highest-rated daytime series. The original network run of the show amassed 1,225 episodes over six seasons. The success of the series spawned a media franchise that has included two feature films (House of Dark Shadows in 1970 and Night of Dark Shadows in 1971), a 1991 TV remake, an unsprouted 2004 remake pilot, a 2012 film adaptation directed by Tim Burton, and several spin-off novels and comics. Since 2006, the series has continued as a range of audio dramas produced by Big Finish Productions, featuring members of the original cast including David Selby, Lara Parker, and Kathryn Leigh Scott.

TV Guide's list of all-time Top Cult Shows ranked the series #19 in 2004, and #23 in 2007.