Our culture can’t seem to get enough of vampires.
We’ve seen the bloodsucking creatures evolve over time, from terrible monsters to the kind who sparkle. And on television, we’ve seen them involve in even more complex ways.
From classic favorites to the more modern versions, here are 14 of our favorite TV vampires!
Spike (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel)
Buffy the Vampire’s Spike is known for his leather jacket, bleached-blonde hair, and witty comebacks. Seriously, he’s one of the most interesting vampires we’ve seen on TV.
Damon Salvatore (The Vampire Diaries)
Damon Salvatore is another complicated vampire, and he’s one we grew to love over the past several seasons. I mean, how could you not?
Caleb Morley (Port Charles, General Hospital)
Michael Easten has played a LOT of characters in the General Hospital universe — from John McBain to Hamilton Finn, but let’s be honest. We loved him most as a brooding vampire.
Barnabus Collins (Dark Shadows)
Even before Angel, and I’m talking long before, there was Barnabus Collins from Dark Shadows. He showed a selfless side too.
Katherine Pierce (The Vampire Diaries)
The Vampire Diaries’ Katherine Pierce is smart, fierce, and seems to be impossible to kill. She’s yet another complex vampire that we love to watch on our TV screens.
Angel (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel)
Angel was one of the first TV vampires to actually be a hero. He was cursed with a soul and forced to live(?) with the guilt of all of the people he’d killed, but he turned that into something good by helping fight vampires and other kinds of monsters, and essentially saving the world. More than once.
Grandpa Munster (The Munsters)
Here’s another classic. Grandpa Munster shares similarities with Bram Stoker’s Dracula in that he can transform himself into a bat or a wolf. He’s also incredibly sarcastic, and one of the few vampires on this list who’s supposed to make us laugh.
Bill Compton (True Blood)
True Blood gave us many different sides to Bill Compton, from a vampire just trying to be a part of the community to a power-hungry villain. That kind of complexity makes him one of our favorites.
Marcel Gerard (The Vampire Diaries, The Originals)
How can you not adore Marcel Gerard? He’s another well-intentioned vampire, and as much as that sounds like an oxymoron, it’s not exactly uncommon on TV these days.
Drusilla (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Here’s a vampire who never showed much in the way of goodness (except in flashbacks to her human days). Instead, she showed pure evil and plenty of crazy, but man, she’s an entertaining vampire to watch.
Klaus Mikaelson (The Vampire Diaries, The Originals)
Yes, he’s a hybrid between an Original Vampire and Original Vampire, but that doesn’t mean Klaus shouldn’t be on the list. He’s a beloved vampire from The Originals, and he’s one who cares deeply for his siblings.
Eric Northman (True Blood)
True Blood’s Eric Northman isn’t much like the other True Blood vamp on this list. He’s handsome, cool, and intriguing — and he’s really more of a vampire than Bill is.
Countess Elizabeth (American Horror Story)
Lady Gaga as a vampire? Yes, please. Countess Elizabeth from American Horror Story: Hotel was ruthless and intuitive, and character we couldn’t help but love to watch.
John Mitchell (Being Human)
John Mitchell from Being Human is charming, laid back, and another one of the “good” vampires on this list, which is what makes us love him the most. Even his choice to become a vampire was a heroic act.
