Streaming Sci Fi TV: Tracking down sci fi and fantasy shows of interest on the streaming services. Note that streaming availability can change with little to no notice.
What Is It?
This daytime soap opera from the 1960’s delivered gothic mystery and supernatural intrigue along with vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and more. The main focus of the show was the reluctant vampire Barnabas Collins, but it brought in many characters and storylines and had since become recognized as a classic horror television series.
Aired: ABC, 1966-71, 6 Seasons Totaling 1225 Episodes
Starring: Jonathan Frid, Joan Bennett, Grayson Hall, Nancy Barrett, Alexandra Moltke
Created By: Dan Curtis
Why Watch It?
This afternoon soap opera was the delight (and terror) of many kids coming home from school back in its day, as well as the adults who were able to tune in at the early hour it aired. Vampires, werewolves, ghosts, witches, and more supernatural creatures populated the show, but most importantly it was carried by Jonathan Frid’s standout performance as the vampire Barnabas. His appearance changed the direction of the show when he arrived in its second season (it leaned more heavily to the soap opera side in its first year) and helped grow Dark Shadows into the legendary horror series it has since become.
Note to those going into the show for the first time: it was made in the 60’s on a soap opera budget and schedule, so adjust expectations accordingly. The special effects can be cheesy at times and there are plenty of gaffs with the props and lines, so it can be rough around the edges as well. But the stories and characters really stood out and this series delivers a very moody and creepy horror tale when it is at its best.
Where Is It Streaming?
Both Tubi TV and FreeVee have the entire original run of the series (1,225 episodes!) available for streaming for free with ads. Both start with the second season which is when Barnabas joins the show, but the first season is available as a separate entry referred to as Dark Shadows: The Beginning (you can also find a recap of that season on YouTube). Tubi TV is a free streaming service that is very similar to Hulu when it started off, offering a large selection of acquired television shows and movies. FreeVee (formerly IMDb TV) is Amazon’s version of the same thing which does not require a Prime subscription. It also has a decent selection of television shows and movies streaming for free. Dark Shadows is also streaming on The Roku Channel, though not the entire run, and there is a Pluto TV channel dedicated to the show as well. You can find a guide to the show’s main storylines at its wiki site to help you decide which episodes to watch (the arrival of Barnabas is a must), and this should provide a fun (and sometimes campy) journey back to one of the greatest television horror series.
CancelledSciFi.com: Keep up with the status updates of all the currently airing sci fi and fantasy shows with our Cancellation Watch posts. And be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for breaking news and updates.
SciFiTVSite.com: Follow our Sci Fi TV Schedule for all the currently airing and upcoming sci fi and fantasy television shows, and you can see the premieres for all the upcoming genre entries at this link.
Thank you for your coverage of Jonathan Frid! I wanted to make everyone aware there is an award winning documentary about him, DARK SHADOWS AND BEYOND – THE JONTHAN FRID STORY. It is currently available to rent or buy on Amazon, Apple TV, Google Play, Youtube, Vudu and it is free with ads on Amazon’s freevee, Pluto, Plex, Tubi and Vudu. In addition to the United States, it is available in Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom. It is sold on DVD and Blu-ray at Amazon and MPI Media Group. The website is jonathanfrid.org.