The 21st Century has been a particularly good era for television so far. As you well know by now, we're living in the thick of a Second Golden Age for TV, and we have been for a while. And as you've probably heard if you follow any TV critics on Twitter, we're also in the midst of "Peak TV." So not only is TV really good right now, there's a lot of it out there. If there's a downside to that, it's that there's literally too much television for any one person to watch. However, one of the less-often discussed upsides is the rise of Horror TV programming, an often bone-dry landscape that has absolutely flourished over the last two decades.

Of course, horror and genre-themed shows have been hits long before the turn of the century, and a lot of it was excellent. However, as with all of television at the moment, never has there been more of it and never has there been such a commitment to production value and fearlessness of storytelling. In short, it's a very, very good time to like serialized scares -- which also means there's plenty of good stuff that didn't make the cut.

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Image via FOX

Some of the runners-up: Scream, MTV's serialized adaptation of the Wes Craven slasher classic, which is fun but too focused on teen drama; Scream Queens, Ryan Murphy's cheeky but slightly-too-bitchy slasher series; The Returned, a lovely remake of a superior series but a remake of a superior series all the same; Fear the Walking Dead, AMC's The Walking Dead sibling series, which outshines the original in character drama but skimps on the horror beats.

As for what you'll see on the list, we're sticking to live-action, scripted programming that began after the year 2000. Which means that though Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The X-Files technically ran into the 21st Century, but they are very much products of the '90s.

The Vampire Diaries

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Image via The CW

Now that The Vampire Diaries is finally laid to rest, it's a bit easier to take stock of the legacy left behind by The CW's long-running vampire soap. In short, it wasn't always good, but when it was, it was absolutely fantastic. Created by Scream and Dawson's Creek scribe Kevin Williamson and his long-time collaborator Julie Plec, The Vampire Diaries quickly evolved from a limp supernatural teen drama into some of the most ballsy, break-neck (often literally) genre storytelling on TV.

Following Nina Dobrev's Elena Gilbert and her entangled affairs with the brooding teen vampire Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley) and his bad-boy brother Damon (Ian Somerhalder), The Vampire Diaries was relentlessly propulsive, burning through plot and fan-favorite characters with abandon. A no-bones-about-it teenage soap opera with a flourish for genuinely shocking violence, The Vampire Diaries both embraced and subverted the YA label, breaking love triangle-torn hearts as freely as it ripped them, still-beating, out of the chests of beloved characters. The edges eventually dulled and the stakes disappeared after one (or ten) resurrections too many, but we'll always have the memory of Mystic Falls at its peak.

Slasher

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Image via Chiller

Nothing coy about this one. The title says it all and what you see is what you get. Chiller's first original TV series delivers on that simple promise with an engrossing, genuinely surprising small town hack 'em up series with truly disturbing kills. It also happens to be the first title in years to make me cover my eyes and scream at the screen, so points for that. Slasher stars Katie McGrath, a woman who returns to the small town where her parents were murdered by "The Executioner" on the night of her birth. She's not home more than a week before a new series of murders begin, each one a grotesque punishment for violating one of the seven deadly sins. None of this is groundbreaking, and series creator Aaron Martin enjoys indulging in familiar slasher archetypes, but what he does with the twisted small-town mystery is much cheekier and gutsy than your average fare. Every character in Slasher has a secret dramatic enough to spawn a series of its own, and as the mask is pulled off of one twisted resident after the next, the payoff is a rollicking horror-mystery hybrid that always goes for broke.

The Walking Dead

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Image via AMC

Love it or hate it, there's no denying the immense cultural impact The Walking Dead has had over the last seven years. Inspired by Robert Kirkman's long-running graphic novel series, The Walking Dead began as a passion project for The Shawshank Redemption and The Mist director Frank Darabont, positioned as a horror prestige drama, and credit to the network, that's a bold move since "horror" and "prestige" are not typically associated. Since then, the series has seen a revolving door of new showrunners, become a ratings juggernaut, spawned a companion series, and completely redefined the popularity of the zombie genre.

Viewers follow Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and his ragtag band of survivors through hell or high water (except the death of Daryl, in which case, they would riot), and while the series narrative stalled out a while ago (new location, new bad guy, bad guy kills beloved character and destroys location, repeat), The Walking Dead has never faltered in delivering some of the most stunning effects work ever put on screen -- and that includes film. Genre vet Greg Nicotero and his team are doing unbelievable work with their creatures, and even if the human drama grows tiresome, there's never been a better one-stop shop for high production value zombie action.

Crazyhead

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Image via Netflix

If Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Supernatural had a baby and raised it with a distinctly British sense of humor, the result would be something like Crazyhead, and what a delight it is. The series follows two young women raised to believe they're insane because they have the "gift" of seeing the demons that walk the earth among us. As a result, they're a pair of weirdos to boot, and it's only when they find each other that they start to make sense of, not just their own issues, but the extent of the otherworldly forces that surround them.

Misfits creator Howard Overman works his comedy/genre-hybrid magic again with the E4/Netflix import, and as the demon hunters in question, Cara Theobold and Susan Wokoma are a knockout comedic duo whose energies bounce off each other beautifully through the increasingly insane and otherworldly scenarios. At a trim six-episodes (we're still not-so-patiently waiting for a Season 2 renewal), Crazyhead keeps the action tight by staying laser-focused on the power of friendship and empathy, even in the face of hellish forces.

American Horror Story

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Image via FX

Ryan Murphy's breakout hit functions more as a spectacle than a narrative series, but there are always wild, twisted delights to be found in his interpretation of the genre. It says something about the effect of his creature creations, hybrid genre mutations, and visual panache that I always get excited for a new season, no matter how many finales disappoint me. American Horror Story is often little more than twisted tapestry, but it's a rich one, full of iconography and splendor, and it's always something to behold. Murphy pulls off a kind of genre arithmetic, adding and subtracting elements from whatever branch of horror suits him for the moment, and always multiplying with abandon.

But it's not just the stylistic showmanship that earns American Horror Story its marks. The FX series has proved to be a platform for outstanding performances, providing a home where oft-overlooked actors (i.e. women over 40) like Kathy Bates, Angela Bassett, and of course, Jessica Lange can be fully unbridled and uniformly interesting. Plus, American Horror Story played a major role in making Sarah Paulson a household name. That's a damn fine accomplishment on its own.

Harper's Island

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Image via CBS

Harper's Island deserved so much better. The CBS slasher series was soundly cancelled after one season back in 2009, just a few years before shows like The Walking Dead and American Horror Story would revive the horror TV trend. Fortunately for us, it was a tightly-scripted season that left the devoted, if few, viewers with a satisfying ending. Seven years after the murder spree that claimed the life of her mother, Abby Mills (Elaine Cassidy) returns to her hometown on Harper's Island for her best friend's (Christopher Gorham) wedding. Once there, the killings begin anew and each episode picks off the key players one-by-one, Ten Little Indians-style, in a series of brutal murders, each more inventive and emotionally wracking than the next.

The first few episodes are a slow boil -- distant relatives and casual acquaintances disappear without fanfare -- but once the group realizes they're being targeted, things escalate quickly and never in the way you'd expect. Characters who at first appear vapid and twee become heroes and survivors, while squawking tough guys show their true colors as cowards, and each subsequent death uncovers tantalizing new details about the mystery murderer and his targets. It's an excellent piece of sustained tone and tension, with emotional arcs and character reveals that are still stuck with me, a near-decade after the short-lived series went off the air.

Channel Zero

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Image via Syfy

Sorry, American Horror Story, the award for the most ambitious and innovative anthology horror on TV right now goes to the Syfy original series Channel Zero. Created by Nick Antosca and inspired by the homespun internet-age horrors of Creepypasta, Channel Zero concocts a new nightmare each season with a fantastically surrealist bent. From urban legend TV shows that transform and torment the local children in Candle Cove to the vibrant cannibalistic carnage of Butcher's Block, there are surprising terrors waiting in each new, innovative season of the thrilling series. When it comes to weird, ambitious horror, there's not much on TV right now that tops what the creative teams deliver each new season on Channel Zero.

Supernatural

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Image via The CW

It's almost impossible to believe that Supernatural will end -- more than a decade after it all began, fans are eager as ever to follow the blue jeans and biker boot-clad, all-American adventures of the Winchester brothers. Keeping up the old family business by hunting demons, monsters, Satan himself, and whatever other occultist outliers come their way, Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) are locked in an endless war of attrition against the otherworldly forces of evil. The strength of the characters and their brotherly bond (not to mention their killer comedic timing) keeps the series afloat, even now that the show is long stuck in a familiar narrative loop. Supernatural has admittedly lost some oomph in recent seasons (though it has a Buffy-like ability to turn out series-best standalone episodes even in subpar seasons), but for a proud five-year stretch, it was some of the best monster-of-the-week meets mythology-building ever to hit the air waves.

Marianne

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Image via Netflix

This nightmare-fuel French series just launched outta nowhere to become one of the buzziest horror TV shows of 2019, and for good reason -- it's scary as shit. Created and directed by Samuel BodinMarianne stars Victoire Du Bois as Emma, a successful horror author who returns to her home town to confront that all those terrifying tales might not have come from her imagination, but a dark force tied to her childhood. And uh, that force is absolutely not messing around. Filled with nightmare fuel imagery and a particularly unsettling force of evil, Marianne uses its series length runtime to unveil a story about bitter family drama and the bonds of friendship, with a knack for brutal tableaus and set-pieces that sear into your brain.

Ash vs. Evil Dead

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Image via Starz

After decades of pleading and a divisive remake, Evil Dead fans finally got the proper follow-up they asked for. In fact, we got a whole lot more than expected. Created by Ivan Raimi, Sam Raimi and Tom Spezialy, the Starz series Ash vs. Evil Dead picks up with Bruce Campbell's chainsaw-wielding king of groovy, Ash Williams, 30 years after the events of the original films. To no one's surprise, he's every bit the self-obsessed deadbeat with a gift for the ladies (and attracting the undead) that he was the last time we saw him. After he accidentally conjures some malevolent spirits (again), Ash is pitted against the forces of evil with two new pals at his side (Dana DeLorenzo and Ray Santiago) and an intrepid investigator on his tail (Lucy Lawless). Ash vs. Evil Dead walks a fantastic line between the distinct tone of the films and the demands of the serialized format, honoring Raimi's singular stylings without becoming beholden to them and opening up the world with inventive, disturbing, and always utterly blood-soaked of the Evil Dead.

True Blood

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Image via HBO

This one went out with a whiff, but no amount of awful in the finale (and there's a lot of awful) can undermine the pure, pulpy delights of the years spent with Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), Vampire Bill (Stephen Moyer), and the countless other supernaturally-inclined residents of Bon Temps. Series creator Alan Ball sunk his teeth deep into the allure gossipy small-town soap drama and infused it with enough sex and violence to make the undead blush. Set after vampires "come out of the coffin," the HBO series is TV equivalent of a messy bitch who loves drama. During True Blood's seven-season run, each Sunday was like sipping on the world's most delicious tea; sweaty, sexy affairs (including a genuine, artifact bacchanalia), but it was also a barrage of bloodshed, serving up gallons of gore as easily as a hospitable glass of sweet tea.

Dead Set

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Image via Channel 4

With a lean five-episode run, Charlie Brooker's E4 mini-series feels a bit more like a fleshed-out (pun intended) zombie film than a proper tv series, but Dead Set finds a perfect balance between the two mediums with a runtime that neither feels rushed, nor overstays its welcome. Before Brooker earned international acclaim for Black Mirror (and before The Walking Dead singlehandedly dominated the zombie genre), he proved his knack for killer concepts with Dead Set – a zombie apocalypse drama set on eviction night at the Big Brother house. That unique vantage point allows Brooker to bring a refreshing spin on the zombie apocalypse (along with the running zombies that were all the rage in the early aughts), not unlike George Romero's concept-heavy approach to constantly reinventing the genre. While Brooker's thematic sensibilities are firmly rooted in character-driven action of classic zombie cinema, he and director Yann Demange ('71) gleefully exploit the Big Brother angle for every clever set-piece its worth. Led by excellent performances from Jamie Winstone and early-career Riz Ahmed, and featuring one of the most villainous moments of on-screen cowardice I've ever seen, Dead Set is a proper old-school zombie flick by way of mini-series with a touch of Brooker's knack for distinctly modern terrors.

Castle Rock

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Image via Hulu

Castle Rock, Hulu’s new horror series from creators/showrunners Sam Shaw and Dustin Thomason, manages to pull off the improbable: It delivers a creepy original story that’s set within one of the many connected worlds of acclaimed horror author Stephen King and it does a damn fine job in doing so. It’s no easy feat to ape King or translate his work directly to the big or small screen. That’s why Shaw and Thomason opted for an all new terrifying tale that had King’s metaphorical blood spattered all over it but could also stand well enough on its own.

The first season of Castle Rock told the complicated and mysterious tale of Henry Deaver (André Holland), a man who was called back to the small town of his childhood in order to deal with an unexplained new arrival (Bill Skarsgard) found in the depths of Shawshank Penitentiary. As Deaver unravels the mystery surrounding The Kid, he also peels back the bandages on old wounds of his family and friends, while brushing too close to the festering evil that permeates the town. Sounds like King, all right.

Season 1 featured some of the year’s most outstanding performances on the small screen specifically by King alumna Sissy Spacek, along with some awards-worthy writing and storytelling. Castle Rock is a compelling show that’s expected to be an anthology series but may feature some recurring characters in Season 2. As long as it includes just as many King Easter eggs and story connections as the first season did, we’re all in. – Dave Trumbore

Kingdom

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Image via Netflix

Part zombie apocalypse, part 15-century dynastic drama, the South Korean series Kingdom is an immersive drama that also happens to feature some absolutely grotesque and relentless zombie action. Methodically paced with the patience of a prestige drama, Kingdom tells the tale of a corrupt kingdom rife for upheaval when a minister's perverse plan to keep power leads to the swift and disastrous spread of the undead plague. Embracing massive scope, stellar action scenes and equally impressive production design, Kingdom builds a world of massive scope unlike any other zombie drama (in a sea of modern zombie dramas and makes some welcome updates on zombie lore that keep even the most experienced horror fans guessing. With a terrifying epidemic and enthralling political power struggle fuelling the action, Kingdom never loses its grip on the audience, weaving scenes of gasp-worthy human treachery with moments of cringe-worthy gore.

Bates Motel

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Image via A&E

You know what sounds like the worst idea ever? A TV prequel to Psycho. And yet, A&E's oddball series Bates Motel turned out to be some of the most compelling character drama on television in recent memory. An alternative spin on Norman Bates, beginning years before and leading up to the events of Psycho, Bates Motel is much more interested in reinventing the iconic characters than paying homage to the film. Alfred Hitchcock is inimitable, and so series creators Kerry EhrinAnthony Cipriano, and Carlton Cuse wisely never seek to imitate.

As Norma Bates, Vera Farmiga gives a wallowing, woefully under-recognized performance and she's matched by equally committed work from Freddie Highmore. While the weed farms, cancer treatments, and roguishly handsome local sheriff are fine entertainment, the relationship forged by Farmiga and Highmore is the heart, bones, and blood of the series -- and it is just plain horrifying to watch. Sure, the murders are pretty grisly, but when Bates Motels digs deep into the guts of Norma and Norman's pathology, always with extreme empathy, you find yourself wide-eyed, cringing, and squirming in your seat. And in a rare treat, and unlike a lot of series on this list, Bates Motel absolutely stuck the landing.

Santa Clarita Diet

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Image via Netflix

Created by the mind behind the tragically short-lived and outrageously funny Better off TedSanta Clarita Diet is a laugh-out-loud funny zany comedy anchored by killer comedic performances from Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant. But don't let that fool you, because this horror-comedy is also dripping in blood, body parts and bile each and every episode. Victor Fresco leans into that unrated Netflix freedom and serves up some seriously deranged imagery in his zombie comedy, with a slowly-unfolding mythology to match, but he never loses sight of the heart of the series (and not just the still-beating hearts ripped from the chests of Shiela's victims). Underneath the blood spatter and raucous comedy, Santa Clarita Diet is one of the best family comedies on TV, featuring the kind of supportive marriage most people would, well, kill for.

Stranger Things

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Image via Netflix

Netflix's wildfire sensation Stranger Things tapped into a sweet spot between nostalgia and fear, conjured up memories of your first big cinematic scare, and in a much more impressive feat, recreated that sensation and sustained it for eight hours. Set in a small Indiana town after the disappearance of a local kid sparks a series of supernatural happenings, Stranger Things feels familiar. However, unlike the legion of uninspired IP reboots plaguing network TV at the moment, the series is is an original concept rebuilt from recognizable archetypes of the halcyon days, and it's addictive to boot. Riffing freely on the familiar Amblin thrills and Stephen King chills of the 1980s, Matt and Ross Duffer created the ultimate crowd-pleaser with a dimension-hopping monster, a telekenetic pre-teen, and the Winona Ryder comeback we were all waiting for.

Masters of Horror

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Image via Showtime

Have no doubt, Showtime and Anchor Bay's anthology series earns its name. Created by genre veteran Mick Garris, Masters of Horror is a showcase for the genre's best and brightest filmmakers including John Carpenter, Stuart Gordon, Dario Argento, John Landis, Don Cocscarelli, Takashi Miike, and Tobe Hooper, just to name a few. There's a proud legacy of horror anthology series, but Masters of Horror brought a distinctly cinematic spin to the format with each episode offering an hour-long mini-feature from one of the master filmmakers. As with any anthology, the results are somewhat mixed, but the best of Masters of Horror's episodes are genuinely great pieces of horror cinema. Standouts include Carpenter's Cigarette Burns, the Norman Reedus-led tale of cinematic obsession, which has emerged as the series favorite, Stuart Gordon's restrained spin on Edgar Allen Poe's The Black Cat, which re-teamed him with Re-Animator star Jeffrey Combs, and two outstanding shorts from Dario Argento, long after his film offerings started to disappoint. That's just scratching the surface of what Masters of Horror has to offer, a series that was smart enough to hand a full toolbox to horror's best and give them the freedom to run wild.

Les Revenants

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What would you do if a long-lost loved one returned from the dead without the memory of ever being gone? What kind of people might come back to the world if such an event occurred? Would the world be better with or without them? Such are the questions at the heart of The Returned (Les Revenants), the French thriller series, which sets up a gripping mystery when a select few residents of a remote small mountainside town return to the living with no rhyme or reason. Created by Fabrice Gobert, the series dives into the dramatic life of those affected, both the returned and their families, with persistent dread and eeriness while a string of spooky events set the town's nerves on edge. The Returned takes its time threading the locals together through their shared histories, some spanning back decades, and leaves you rapt with attention in the meantime, attempting to follow the threads, put the pieces together, and make sense of the tantalizing, ominous mysteries.

The Terror

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Image via AMC

Adapted from Dan Simmons' spectacular historical horror novel of the same name, the first series of The Terror follows the crewmen of a tragically and terrifyingly ill-fated British naval expedition to find the Northwest Passage. Stacked with a cast of top-notch dramatic actors, led by Jared Harris and Tobias Menzies, The Terror treats its horrors with all the class and prestige of a BBC drama, while leaning into the visceral terrors and madness of survival, with just the right hint of adventurous awe. It's a beautiful, haunting and elegantly contained horror series that captures some of the best moments of dread in recent memory and boasts award-worthy performances, direction and writing -- oh and there's a giant snow monster too. Basically, you can't go wrong with this gorgeous, gruesome character drama.