Skip to main content
Tom's Guide Tom's Guide
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
RSS
  • Newsletters Newsletter
  • flag of Australia
    Australia
    flag of UK
    UK
    flag of US
    US
    flag of Canada
    Canada
    • Best Picks
    • Phones
    • Streaming
    • TVs
    • Computing
    • AI
    • Mattresses
    • Videos
    • More
      • Newsletter
      • News
      • Fitness
      • Reviews
      • How Tos
      • Home
      • Best VPN
      • Deals
      • Coupons
      • Antivirus
      • Entertainment
      • Wellness
      • Security
      • Laptops
      • Smart Home
      • Audio
      • Gaming
    Forums
    Trending
    • Switch 2 Pre-Orders
    • iPhone 17 Air
    • Best laptops
    • Best Mattress
    • Best TVs
    • Wordle Today

    Recommended reading

    César Troncoso and Ricardo Darín in "The Eternaut" coming soon to Netflix
    Netflix 5 best shows like 'The Eternaut' to stream on Netflix, Max and more
    Harold Perrineau as Boyd Stevens rings a bell in front of a dilapidated motel in From
    Streaming 9 best shows like 'From' on Prime Video, Apple TV Plus, Max and more to watch while you wait for season 4
    MATTHEW FOX as Jack, EVANGELINE LILLY as Kate, JOSH HOLLOWAY as Sawyer on Lost
    Streaming 10 best shows like 'Lost' streaming on Netflix, Max and more
    Brian Tyree Henry and Wagner Moura in Dope Thief
    Streaming 5 shows like 'Dope Thief' to stream after the Apple TV Plus show
    Agent Xavier Collins (Sterling K. Brown) in "Paradise"
    Streaming 5 best shows like 'Paradise' to watch now
    Press
    Streaming 5 best shows like 'The Couple Next Door' to stream while you wait for season 2
    Josh Duhamel as Staten in "Ransom Canyon" now on Netflix
    Streaming 5 shows like 'Ransom Canyon' to stream after the Netflix Western drama
    1. Entertainment
    2. Streaming

    17 Shows to Watch If You Loved The Strain

    Round-up
    By Josie Rhodes Cook published 17 September 2017

    If you're looking for shows to fill the void in your heart after The Strain on FX comes to an end, here are a few that might appeal to you.

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Comments (1)
    Similar to The Strain

    Similar to The Strain

    Much to the sorrow of sci-fi/horror fans everywhere, FX's TV series The Strain is ending on Sept. 17. Based on a trilogy of novels by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan, the show became a horror sleeper and lasted for four seasons on the network. If you're looking for other, similar series to check out to fill the void in your heart (and your DVR), here are just a few that might appeal to you. Read on for intense horror, supernatural elements, or anything and everything involving vampires.

    Page 1 of 18
    Page 1 of 18
    Preacher

    Preacher

    A relatively new show, Preacher is an AMC offering that is also based on books — comic books. The show follows Jesse Custer (Dominic Cooper), a small-town preacher who discovers a unique superpower that allows him to command others to do as he says. What he does with that ability is at the center of the drama. Jesse's best friend is Cassidy (Joe Gilgun), and not only is he a vampire; he also happens to be hilarious. If you liked the comic series, definitely take a look.

    Credit: Alfonso Bresciani/AMC

    Page 2 of 18
    Page 2 of 18
    Containment

    Containment

    If you liked the whole "viral infection that leads to a brave new world" aspect of The Strain, you might also like Containment. This CW series is about an epidemic that breaks out in Atlanta. The illness leads to a part of the city being sectioned off and put under quarantine, and the show explores what those left inside have to do to stay alive. It ran for one fairly short season, and since the CW didn't renew it, it's easy to breeze through the whole series.

    Credit: Quantrell Colbert/The CW

    Page 3 of 18
    Page 3 of 18
    Shadowhunters

    Shadowhunters

    And now, for something that younger viewers might enjoy. Shadowhunters is another supernatural television series that's based on a book series. But the books and the show are meant for the young-adult set. The series is about a young girl named Clary, who learns that her parents were Shadowhunters, angel-human hybrids who work together to hunt demons while the world remains blissfully unaware of their existence. Clary is meant to become a Shadowhunter, too. The show also features vampires — fairly attractive ones, at that.

    Credit: John Medland/Freeform

    Page 4 of 18
    Page 4 of 18
    Zoo

    Zoo

    Zoo is another series for fans of shows where a pandemic changes everything. This time, it's animals that are affected by the virus. And, naturally, it's based off of a novel. (Are you sensing a pattern here?) This time around, the pandemic affects humans because it causes animals to attack them. As you might imagine, that's a bit of a worldwide problem. The premise is a little out there, but the show is in its third season, so clearly, it's got its loyal fans in spite of that.

    Credit: Eduardo Araquel/CBS

    Page 5 of 18
    Page 5 of 18
    iZombie

    iZombie

    Maybe you're a fan of anything involving zombies. Or maybe you already know that you'll like anything produced by Rob Thomas of Veronica Mars fame. In either case, you should check out iZombie. It's on the CW, and it just completed its third season, with a fourth already ordered. iZombie is about a med student who is turned into a zombie and, to satisfy her need to consume brains, takes a job at a morgue. There, she can eat the brains of cadavers after she performs autopsies on them. Sound fun yet?

    Credit: Diyah Pera/The CW

    Page 6 of 18
    Page 6 of 18
    Z Nation

    Z Nation

    Another zombie-related series, Z Nation came out just months before iZombie. Clearly, network producers had a theme in mind around that time. Z Nation starts three years after the beginning of a zombie apocalypse caused by a virus. The action centers on a team of men and women tasked with transporting the only known survivor of the virus across the country, from New York to California. Z Nation is a comedy-drama, so it's a good choice if you like some laughs along with your postapocalyptic action.

    Credit: SyFy

    Page 7 of 18
    Page 7 of 18
    The Last Ship

    The Last Ship

    Based on a 1988 novel, The Last Ship follows the crew of a Navy ship after — what else? — a worldwide viral pandemic wipes out much of the world's population but leaves them untouched. Together, they have to try to find a cure for the virus, or mankind is basically doomed. No pressure, though. The show has a very strong pro-military tone to it, if that's your thing, and it stars Eric Dane, Adam Baldwin and Bridget Regan, among others.

    Credit: Doug Hyun/TNT

    Page 8 of 18
    Page 8 of 18
    Helix

    Helix

    Are you a sucker for Syfy shows? Then Helix may be right up your alley. The science-fiction drama follows a team of scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They go to a research facility in the Arctic to investigate the spread of a disease. As you might imagine, they have to find a cause and cure for the outbreak before it can affect the world at large. Fair warning: Most reviews of the now-canceled series say it's incredibly bizarre, so don't go into it if you're looking for a superserious TV fix.

    Credit: SyFy

    Page 9 of 18
    Page 9 of 18
    Dracula

    Dracula

    Back to vampires! There have been countless adaptations of Bram Stoker's Dracula over the years; this is just one of the most recent selections. It's a British-American horror drama that ended up on NBC and stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers as the title character living in London. It's a gorgeously shot series but one that didn't quite take off with viewers; it was canceled after only one season. But that makes it easy to binge if you're a fan of the vampire genre!

    Credit: NBC

    Page 10 of 18
    Page 10 of 18
    Hannibal

    Hannibal

    Speaking of gorgeously shot series, Hannibal was another NBC offering that was almost too pretty to believe. The show was based on the characters and story of Thomas Harris' Red Dragon and Hannibal novels. However, it focuses on an FBI special investigator named Will Graham alongside the notorious Dr. Hannibal Lecter. The critically acclaimed series starred Hugh Dancy as Graham and Mads Mikkelsen as Lecter, but despite getting stellar reviews and gaining an extremely loyal fandom, the show was canceled after just three seasons. If you like horror, give this one a shot.

    Credit: NBC

    Page 11 of 18
    Page 11 of 18
    Falling Skies

    Falling Skies

    Another postapocalyptic drama, Falling Skies was a TNT series about the aftermath of an alien attack on Earth and the people who come together to fight back against their invaders. It's got science-fiction and supernatural elements, if that's something you liked about The Strain or other series on this list. Furthermore, Falling Skies stars Noah Wyle of ER fame as the main character, in case you've missed seeing Dr. John Carter on your TV. The show ran for five seasons, with more than 50 episodes.

    Credit: TNT

    Page 12 of 18
    Page 12 of 18
    The Walking Dead

    The Walking Dead

    How could I write a list of horror shows and not mention The Walking Dead? It's easily the most popular zombie-related TV series ever, and an easy point of comparison for The Strain. But with a slew of award nominations and wins, it definitely deserves the attention it gets. Based on a comic book series by Robert Kirkman, The Walking Dead is about a world overtaken by zombies (though they're called "walkers" here, and I've gotten in trouble before for not making the distinction) and the people struggling to survive in it. But really, it's so much more. If you haven't yet, check it out.

    Credit: Gene Page/AMC

    Page 13 of 18
    Page 13 of 18
    True Blood

    True Blood

    Probably one of the most popular modern vampire shows, True Blood was an HBO series that also received a lot of critical praise and awards. It follows a woman named Sookie Stackhouse, a waitress living in Louisiana after the invention of synthetic blood, which lets vampires live openly among mortals. In the series, she falls for a vampire — a pretty common thing in recent vampire stories — and deals with her own telepathic abilities. With seven seasons in all, it'll give you plenty of episodes to fill the time after The Strain ends.

    Credit: HBO

    Page 14 of 18
    Page 14 of 18
    Angel

    Angel

    If you're a fan of Joss Whedon's work but have somehow never seen Angel, it's time to give the show another look. Angel was a WB series that consisted of five seasons and followed the life of Angel (David Boreanaz), a vampire who is more than 200 years old. Angel has been cursed with a soul, which leads to a whole lot of heartache after his many years of murder and mayhem. Don't write this one off just because it was on the WB; it received a lot of praise, and fans still regard it fondly among supernatural genre TV.

    Credit: Everett Collection

    Page 15 of 18
    Page 15 of 18
    Ultraviolet

    Ultraviolet

    If you want to give a show from across the pond a chance, Ultraviolet might be worth a shot, especially if you like anything having to do with vampires. Ultraviolet was a television series that premiered back in 1998, and starred Jack Davenport and a young Idris Elba. In the show, a vampire-hunting organization recruits Davenport's character after his best friend goes missing, and Elba is an agent of said organization. If you're a fan of Elba, it's definitely fun to see him in an early role.

    Credit: Channel 4

    Page 16 of 18
    Page 16 of 18
    Buffy the Vampire Slayer

    Buffy the Vampire Slayer

    You didn't think I'd mention Angel but not Buffy the Vampire Slayer, did you? Buffy, of which Angel is a spinoff, is probably one of the biggest cult-classic TV shows of all time. Even people who know very few vampire series or films know about Buffy. The show follows the title character (played by Sarah Michelle Gellar), a young women chosen to be a "slayer," who fights vampires, demons and other dark creatures. It ran for seven seasons, and launched careers for many of the actors, producers and writers involved in its production.

    Credit: Everett Collection

    Page 17 of 18
    Page 17 of 18
    The X-Files

    The X-Files

    Finally, for the oldest selection on our list: The X-Files. A science-fiction series that originally ran on Fox, The X-Files is about special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson). Together, these FBI agents investigate unsolved cases that involve paranormal phenomena. One is a believer, and one is a skeptic. How wacky! Well, the premise clearly worked, because the series ran for 10 seasons, and it's returning for an 11th season revival in 2018. If you're a sci-fi fan and still haven't seen The X-Files, what are you waiting for?

    Credit: Everett Collection

    Page 18 of 18
    Page 18 of 18
    Comments (1)
    TOPICS
    What to Watch
    Josie Rhodes Cook

    Josie Rhodes Cook is a freelance writer with more than 10 years of experience. Her work has appeared in many places, including on Tom's Guide, In Touch Weekly, Romper, Inverse, and more. She is a self-proclaimed geek interested in many different nerdy topics, writing about streaming, phones, social media, and more.

    Read more
    César Troncoso and Ricardo Darín in "The Eternaut" coming soon to Netflix
    5 best shows like 'The Eternaut' to stream on Netflix, Max and more
    Harold Perrineau as Boyd Stevens rings a bell in front of a dilapidated motel in From
    9 best shows like 'From' on Prime Video, Apple TV Plus, Max and more to watch while you wait for season 4
    MATTHEW FOX as Jack, EVANGELINE LILLY as Kate, JOSH HOLLOWAY as Sawyer on Lost
    10 best shows like 'Lost' streaming on Netflix, Max and more
    Brian Tyree Henry and Wagner Moura in Dope Thief
    5 shows like 'Dope Thief' to stream after the Apple TV Plus show
    Agent Xavier Collins (Sterling K. Brown) in "Paradise"
    5 best shows like 'Paradise' to watch now
    Press
    5 best shows like 'The Couple Next Door' to stream while you wait for season 2
    Latest in Streaming
    Gia (Susan Sarandon), Teresa (Talia Shire), Joe (Vince Vaughn), Antonella (Brenda Vaccaro) and Roberta (Lorrain Bracco) stand together in front of Enoteca Maria in Netflix's "Nonnas"
    Netflix top 10 movies — here’s the 3 worth watching right now
    YouTube TV multiview with non-sports shows
    YouTube TV just got a huge multiview upgrade — here’s how to try it
    (L-R) Jack Black as Steve, Danielle Brooks as Dawn and Jason Momoa as Garrett Garrison in "A Minecraft Movie"
    5 best new movies to stream this weekend on Netflix, Max, Paramount Plus, and more (May 17-18)
    Rob McElhenney, co owner of Wrexham talks with Tom Brady co owner of Birmingham City ahead of the Sky Bet League One match between Birmingham City FC and Wrexham AFC at St Andrewís at Knighthead Park on September 16, 2024 in Birmingham, England.
    'Welcome to Wrexham' season 4 sees Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds go for broke — can they go 'back-to-back-to-back'?
    Charlotte Ritchie (left) and Rose Ayling-Ellis (right) in British detective drama Code of Silence drama free on ITV
    How to watch 'Code of Silence' online – stream the Rose Ayling-Ellis drama from anywhere
    Prime Video logo appears on a tablet surrounded by a can of soda, spilled popcorn, headphones and a cactus
    Prime Video top 10 movies — here’s the 3 worth watching right now
    Latest in Round Ups
    A college of four pictures: A blonde woman wearing a grey neck pillow on flight (top left); someone holding up a Kindle in front of plane window (top right); a man sleeping on flight wearing Philips sleep headphones (bottom left) and blonde woman wearing light blue SOMO sleep mask (bottom right).
    These 5 airport essentials are the secret to sleeping through long flights — and they start at $14
    Sustainability Week
    10 ways to save energy at home — small changes that will make a big impact on your energy bill
    Hisense U7N Mini-LED TV
    Best TVs for March Madness 2025 — OLED, QLED, and Mini-LED top picks
    Composite image of Lucid Air Pure, Rivian R1T and Kia EV9
    I've driven over 30 electric cars in the last year — and these are the coolest features that really stand out for me
    iPhone 16e review.
    What Tom’s Guide tested this week — the iPhone 16e is the most polarizing phone of the year
    A compilation of Fujifilm Instax instant cameras
    We’re in the golden age of instant cameras — here are 5 that prove instant photography is evolving
    1 Comment Comment from the forums
    • jitenmazee
      I am going to watch it as two of them are my liked ones.
      Reply
    LATEST ARTICLES
    1. Two women sit on the Helix Dawn Mattress in a bedroom, a Tom's Guide price drop deals graphic (left)
      1
      I prefer firm mattresses — 3 I'd buy in Memorial Day sales after sleeping on them
    2. 2
      Netflix top 10 movies — here’s the 3 worth watching right now
    3. 3
      YouTube TV just got a huge multiview upgrade — here’s how to try it
    4. 4
      iPhone 17 Air just tipped for killer upgrade that could blow away Galaxy S25 Edge
    5. 5
      Has AI exceeded human levels of intelligence? The answer is more complicated than you might think

    Tom's Guide is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    • Terms and conditions
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Accessibility Statement
    • Advertise with us
    • About us
    • Archives
    • Careers

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

    Please login or signup to comment

    Please wait...