10 Best Anthology Series, Ranked
It’s never been a more exciting time to be a fan of television. The medium has even dwarfed the heights of the cinematic experience in many ways. Television continues to push boundaries with the niche stories and high budgets that make it feel like anything is possible on the medium. There are merits to strong, serialized stories, but anthology series that are linked through a genre, theme, or property, have an even greater level of freedom.
Television has experimented with anthologies for decades, but the storytelling structure has experienced such a revival in recent years and there are now more anthology series than ever before. These types of stories aren’t going anywhere, so it’s the perfect time to reflect upon the strongest anthology series to hit the medium.
10
American Crime Story Properly Channels Ryan Murphy’s Signature Excess
The modern anthology boom has a lot to do with the success that Ryan Murphy has found across his many genre-based anthology series. There are ten seasons of American Horror Story, but the show’s track record is very inconsistent. Alternatively, American Crime Story only has three seasons, but they’re strong across the board and contain some of Murphy’s best work. The anthology series breaks down a different high-profile crime across a single season of television, which has led to some phenomenal performances. Murphy has even more anthology series underway, but it will be hard to reach the same heights as American Crime Story.
9
Are You Afraid Of The Dark? Tells Tales That Terrify Both Kids And Adults
Anthology series work very well for a younger demographic and they can operate as the perfect gateways to get children into genres like horror and science fiction. A lot of spooky children’s anthology series are out there, but Are You Afraid of the Dark? is the standout. It delivers 100 episodes of satisfying campfire stories that will entertain both kids and adults alike, with a few entries that are legitimately scary. The whole Midnight Society framing device is also just so charming. The anthology series has cultivated an impressive legacy that’s even led to a modern version of it.
8
Tales From The Darkside Is Full Of Evil Beasts And Dark Twists
The 1980s and ’90s were rich with horror anthologies. Programs like Monsters and Rod Serling’s Night Gallery are worthwhile, but it’s Tales From the Darkside that functions as a worthy companion to anthology heavy-hitters like Tales From the Crypt and The Twilight Zone.
The George A. Romero-produced horror series is always entertaining and the majority of the episodes have extremely satisfying twists. There’s such a playful practical nature to the creatures that appear in the show, too. Episodes like “Halloween Candy” and “Sorry, Right Number” are among the series’ strongest and the movie version also holds its own with the best horror movie anthologies.
7
Fargo Is An Intricate Crime Saga With Many Moving Pieces
Impressively, Noah Hawley’s crime anthology series, Fargo, uses the entire filmography of the Coen Brothers to influence the series’ many stories, but never directly adapts the events of any movie. Each season is set in a different decade that’s able to deconstruct a different facet of society and corruption, all of which showcase remarkable casts. Each of Fargo’s seasons tells distinct stories that stand on their own, but an increasing amount of connections have formed between the series’ different sagas, which has been satisfying to discover for the dedicated fans.
6
Channel Zero Uses Creepypasta Lore To Inspire Terrifying Visuals
Anthology series are most plentiful when it comes to the horror genre, but few are able to get under the audience’s skin and truly disturb on the level of Channel Zero. The program quietly produced four of the most unnerving seasons of television, all of which are inspired by a different “creepypasta” Internet urban legend. Channel Zero’s short six-episode seasons unpack grief, abuse, mental illness, and so much more with elegance. However, each season also contains a monster that’s pure nightmare fuel, with figures such as Pretzel Jack and the entire Peach family.
5
Black Mirror Teases Humanity’s Fear Of Technology
Society’s increasing reliance on technology only makes each episode of Black Mirror, the bleak technology-driven British anthology series, hit a little harder. Audiences joke that more and more of the episode’s plots have become a reality, which can definitely be foreboding as the lines between art and real-life become blurred.
The series’ interests and tone have grown more broad after the British series became a Netflix production, but it’s still able to tell prescient stories that are both chilling and insightful. Even the worst episode of Black Mirror will bring forward some worthwhile ideas.
4
Inside No. 9 Deconstructs Genre And Storytelling To Craft Incredible Stories
Inside No. 9 has quietly put away six of the best seasons of anthology storytelling on television. Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton write every episode and typically star in each installment, all of which are set within the confines of a different “number nine,” whether that’s an apartment number or the label of a police car. Inside No. 9 typically verges into dark territory with exceptional twists, but each entry is wildly different. Inside No. 9 always pushes boundaries with its storytelling, such as an episode that’s done without dialogue, another that’s entirely through iambic pentameter and one that’s contained to CCTV surveillance footage.
3
Alfred Hitchcock Presents Effortlessly Loses Its Audience In Suspense
Alfred Hitchcock is considered a master of suspense storytelling through his cinematic contributions, but his anthology series, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, made just as big of a mark on the television industry. Hitchcock’s introduction to each episode, as well as the show’s theme song, are iconic in their own rights and there are more than 350 episodes of high-quality storytelling that embrace horror, thrillers, and heightened crimes. Alfred Hitchcock Presents helped launch many careers, but Hitchcock also directed more than a dozen of the series’ best entries and was deeply involved.
2
Tales From The Crypt Is A Classic Of Horror And Genre With An All-Star Host
Tales From the Crypt, which finds its story inspiration from the various pulpy, genre stories out of various E.C. Comics’ labels, is a landmark anthology series. The series’ seven-season run on HBO led to a high level of talent getting involved both behind and in front of the camera. The series tells very compelling horror stories that know how to effectively lean into B-movie territory, but they’re even more fun when people like Brad Pitt or Tom Hanks are the stars. There are plenty of successful horror anthology series that are out there, but there’s only one Cryptkeeper.
1
Nothing Beats The Twilight Zone’s Contemplative Tales Of Terror
The Twilight Zone and Rod Serling’s sly, authoritative bookends to staggering pieces of storytelling have very much set the standard for how the bulk of anthology series are put together. The unbelievable quality behind the original Twilight Zone from the 1950s and ’60s is truly on a whole other level, especially considering most of the scripts are penned by Serling himself, or Richard Matheson. The iconic twists behind each episode are also the benchmark that every other anthology strives to achieve. All of the subsequent Twilight Zone remakes, while inferior to the original, still manage to tell some creative stories.
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