10 Best Monster Of The Week Shows, Ranked

Monster-of-the-week television shows have delighted audiences for decades. The gist is that a hero encounters a threat that must be stopped before the episode ends. Storylines rarely cross over into the next episode, with each installment more or less functioning as a hard reset of the formula. 

Rinse and repeat.

Shows like "Kolchak: The Night Stalker" and "The X-Files" follow this pattern, sometimes blending the monster-of-the-week approach with a larger story. Either way works, and honestly, sometimes it's fun to jump into a series without needing to watch dozens of previous episodes to understand what's happening.

If you're looking for some of the best examples of this narrative structure, look no further. The following list highlights the 10 best monster-of-the-week TV shows, ranked from worst to best. We've included everything from terrifying horror to lighthearted animated fare. Read on to see where the likes of "Charmed" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" land on our ranking, and which series earns the top spot.

Yes, we're starting with "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!," the late '60s cartoon about a group of teenagers who solve mysteries with their cowardly brown dog, Scooby-Doo.

Formulaic and straightforward, this Hanna-Barbera production doesn't get points for originality. Each episode adheres to a strict formula: Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby roll into a creepy town in the Mystery Machine, hear rumors about a ghost or monster, spend the episode getting chased through haunted houses and abandoned amusement parks, and eventually reveal that the "monster" is really just some guy trying to scare people away from a hidden treasure or real estate scheme.

And they would've gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for those meddling kids!

Later iterations of the beloved cartoon increased the stakes. HBO Max's "Velma" took the premise even further, creating a serialized mystery designed to appeal to older audiences — albeit one completely devoid of Scooby-Doo himself. Another live-action reboot is also on the way, as of this writing.

And yet, the original "Scooby-Doo" remains the best. Atmospheric and spooky, particularly for a series aimed at kids, this madcap caper is silly, innocent fun, with terrific voice work, funny gags, colorful characters, and a snazzy theme song. As far as monster-of-the-week television series go, it absolutely deserves a place among the best — and that, at the very least, deserves a Scooby Snack.

"Grimm" took the police procedural and turned it on its head. Rather than arresting bad guys in the traditional sense, our heroes investigate murders and crimes committed by fairy-tale creatures in Portland, Oregon, loosely inspired by stories published by the Brothers Grimm and other folklore traditions.

In fact, detective Nick Burkhardt (David Giuntoli) discovers he's descended from a long line of hunters known as the Grimms and must maintain the peace between humans and the strange creatures — known as Wesen — that secretly live among us. Each episode follows a reliable structure: a cold open where something weird happens, be it a murder, attack, or unruly behavior by some sort of monster, and then Nick arrives to investigate.

Together with Detective Hank Griffin (Russell Hornsby), Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell), Juliette Silverton (Bitsie Tulloch), and the rest of the team, Nick tracks down the threat, solves the case, and usually uncovers another piece of the show's larger mythology in the process.

In all honesty, it's basically just "The X-Files" with a fairy-tale twist. Who cares? Especially when the various ingredients blend together so well. Really, it all comes down to the overarching lore. If you've ever wanted a deep dive into German folklore or wanted to know the difference between a Lausenschlange and an Aswang, then "Grimm" definitely scratches that itch.

Look out for an upcoming film reboot on Peacock.

Another older cartoon, this one hailing from the mid '80s, "The Real Ghostbusters" takes the extraordinary supernatural adventures of the hit 1984 film and spins them for younger audiences.

Well, we say that — but, good hell, this sucker induced plenty of nightmares thanks to its rotating collection of memorable monsters. Early seasons, in particular, introduced terrifying animated baddies like the Boogeyman, a big-eared mutant with spiky punk-rock hair, enormous lips, and goat feet; Samhain, a pumpkin-headed demon; the Sandman, who haunts his victims in their dreams à la Freddy Krueger; and many others.

Yeah, the stakes were real, but that just made our heroes, Peter, Ray, Egon, and Winston — and Slimer — all the more essential. Riding in the iconic Ecto-1, our boys would cross New York and battle ghosts and supernatural creatures, using proton packs to trap them in their containment unit. For a young kid, this was the stuff of dreams.

Later seasons offered lighter adventures, but still maintained the straightforward approach. At any rate, once that theme song kicked into gear, you knew some ghost busting was about to go down. Sure, it may not have the depth of other entries on this list, but "The Real Ghostbusters" is a classic animated adventure through and through and one of the best shows about ghosts.

At first glance, "Fringe" may appear as little more than an "X-Files" knockoff. The premise follows a similar pattern: FBI agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) teams up with eccentric scientist Walter Bishop (John Noble) and his estranged son, Peter (Joshua Jackson), to investigate strange phenomena connected to fringe science. Cases involve everything from mind control and teleportation to parallel universes and time travel... and somehow it all holds together.

That's what makes "Fringe" slightly different from "X-Files." Where the latter plants its tent firmly in mystery, reveling in cases that are impossible to understand, "Fringe" gets its kicks by using science to explain everything. Granted, sometimes the science is absurd, but the explanation at least feels plausible and grounds the show in some truth.

Also, "Fringe" is warmer and far more emotional. As the series progressed, it became less about solving creepy cases and more about family, guilt, love, and sacrifice. Indeed, the father-son relationship between Walter and Peter anchors the series, even while our heroes confront disturbing creatures and weird mythology.

Produced by J.J. Abrams and boasting a solid supporting cast, including Jasika Nicole and Lance Reddick, "Fringe" took the monster-of-the-week format and gradually transformed it into an ambitious piece of science fiction.

The Superman mythos gets a fun makeover in "Smallville," a corny but addicting saga that follows Clark Kent (Tom Welling) during his formative years in Kansas before he donned his legendary suit. As it turns out, Supes was close friends with Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum), desperately in love with Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk), and continually bumping into strange entities pulled directly from the hero's rogues' gallery.

Each week, Clark battled a formative villain/monster, many attaining their powers via meteor exposure following the meteor shower that hit Smallville when he arrived on Earth. Early seasons saw him deal with individuals possessing super strength, shapeshifting abilities, mind-control powers, and even invisibility. And each harrowing battle also afforded Clark the opportunity to test his evolving superpowers, as he slowly pieced together the traits that would transform him into the Man of Steel.

This sharp premise kept viewers entertained, but later seasons gradually shifted away from the "Superman-before-Superman," monster-of-the-week approach in favor of larger mythology-driven storylines. Clark's weekly struggles eventually gave way to classic villains like Zod (Callum Blue) and Doomsday (Sam Witwer), transforming "Smallville" from a coming-of-age story into a more serialized comic book adventure, sans the famous costume. And that's just one of several problems the show's creators admitted they'd change.

Hear us out: "Charmed" is cheesy and campy. But it's hard to dismiss because, in the end, it's still an entertaining monster-of-the-week saga with its own built-in lore, quirky characters, and exciting showdowns.

Here's the rundown: three sisters, Prue (Shannen Doherty), Piper (Holly Marie Combs), and Phoebe (Alyssa Milano), discover they are the most powerful witches in the world and are suddenly tasked with defending humanity from demons, warlocks, ghosts, and, well, just about everything. Using their Book of Shadows and the "Power of Three," the trio brews potions, casts spells, and always manages to vanquish the threat before it becomes too problematic.

Then they go home and deal with everyday problems like romance, family drama, career struggles, heartbreak, etc. Honestly, that's probably what will make or break the show for most viewers. If you latched onto the sisters and enjoyed hanging out with them for roughly 45 minutes, then all the magical gobbledygook was just icing on the cake.

Lasting eight seasons, "Charmed" always seemed to have a trick up its sleeve that lured viewers back for more. After Doherty left following Season 3, the producers wisely replaced her with an all-new character, long-lost half-sister Paige Matthews (Rose McGowan), who fit the crew like a glove. Better still, the writers could throw almost anything they wanted at our trio, pulling every conceivable monster from fairy tales, myths, and legends.

So, yes, "Charmed" is goofy, but it's also charming, addictive, and incredibly entertaining.  

"Supernatural" sits comfortably atop "Charmed" for all the same reasons mentioned about that show. Darker and grittier than the campy witch drama, Eric Kripke's sprawling series follows brothers Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) as they battle the, well, supernatural all over America.

Their mother was killed by a mysterious force, and their father, John (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), raised them to become hunters. Early on, their adventures follow the typical monster-of-the-week formula, but gradually the show evolved into an epic adventure involving angels, demons, Heaven, Hell, Lucifer, and God, with the fate of the universe at stake. The show's massive mythology kept it afloat for 15 seasons and 327 episodes. Though, like "Charmed," much of the enjoyment stemmed from our pair of likable heroes. 

Really, the chemistry between Padalecki and Ackles is extraordinary, and helped sell the goofiest of concepts. These guys battle archangels and cosmic beings, see friends and villains die, return, and then die again; heck, the rules and power scaling seem to evolve with each episode. And yet, our lead actors are so watchable that viewers were often willing to go along with even the show's most convoluted storylines.

Even so, "Supernatural" remains one of television's most successful monster-of-the-week series with its careful blend of genres and abundance of heart.

Based on the film "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," the series somehow played better on the small screen thanks to its incredible cast, sturdy mix of horror, comedy, and drama, and its ability to blend emotional themes into a monster-of-the-week storyline.

Sarah Michelle Gellar stars as the beloved vampire slayer, Buffy Summers, easily one of the greatest TV protagonists of all time. Funny, vulnerable, sarcastic, and heroic, this warrior fought all manner of evildoers, including demons, pale, smiling creatures known as the Gentlemen, werewolves, zombies, a god, robots and cyborgs, and even boyfriends who turned into monsters. And she did so while dealing with the social pressures of high school life — you know, romance, grief, isolation, fear, etc.

Aided by her core "Scooby Gang" — consisting of Rupert Giles (Anthony Stewart Head), Willow Rosenberg (Alyson Hannigan) and Xander Harris (Nicholas Brendon) — alongside vampire allies like Spike (James Marsters) and Angel (David Boreanaz), who got his own spinoff series, Buffy's journey traversed dark territory and evolved from a low-budget horror series into an ambitious epic.

More than two decades later, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" remains a benchmark for monster-of-the-week television.

None of the shows on this list would exist without "Kolchak: The Night Stalker." Call it the granddaddy of monster-of-the-week shows. Chris Carter patterned "The X-Files" after it, and even had star Darren McGavin on two episodes of his signature series. "Supernatural" was pitched as a knock-off. Yeah, it's pretty influential despite its limited run.

McGavin stars as Carl Kolchak, a reporter on the hunt for stories involving the supernatural. Audiences got their first look at our straw boater hat-wearing hero in a TV movie, "The Night Stalker." That film gave birth to a follow-up movie, "The Night Strangler," a year later, and a TV series in 1974.

Moody, atmospheric, and highly effective, the series saw Kolchak roaming across Chicago chasing all manner of beings — vampires, zombies, and demons, among them. Heavy research allowed him to figure out a way to stop the monster... and then no one learns anything. Kolchak's story gets buried, people think he's nuts, and we move on to the next case.

Surprisingly, the show lasted only a single season and never achieved high viewership ratings. No matter, fans continue to admire "Kolchak," and its vast influence and legacy propel it to the upper echelon of monster-of-the-week television.

Out of all the entries on this list, "The X-Files" stands out as the most memorable thanks to its ability to reinvent itself. For 11 seasons, Chris Carter's epic sci-fi saga explored everything from aliens to demons, psychic killers to body horror, and that unpredictability gave the series a fascinating edge that kept viewers entranced.

If you never got around to watching an episode of "The X-Files," the series follows FBI agents Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) and Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) as they travel the country investigating strange happenings dubbed "X-Files." Oh, and another curveball: Scully is a pragmatic skeptic who refuses to believe in UFO nonsense, while Mulder is a devout believer, pushed to the brink so he can find his missing sister. Together, they form an unlikely partnership, and their distinct personalities and realistic banter often serve as the best part of every episode. Putting it mildly: these two could argue over toast and still make it captivating.

Toss in a handful of urban legends, supernatural myths, and the occasional serial killer, not to mention an eerie atmosphere, and an always shifting tone that veered between heavy drama, absurd comedy, and tragedy with ease, and it's easy to understand why "The X-Files" remains the gold standard for monster-of-the-week television.