20 Anthology Shows Everyone (With a Short Attention Span) Should Check Out

Imagine, if you will, a civilization whose economic system just destroys the human mind and turns it into ADD-riddled cheese. And imagine as well, if you will, that in this civilization TV shows possess intertwined stories, absurdly complex lores, boring character development, and tons of character names and relations that viewers must learn in order to enjoy them. What is some poor TV fan (say, an Internet writer with the attention span of a scared kitten) to do in the face of such a cognitive challenge? We submit for your approval, then, an idea, a concept, a genre: the anthology TV series.

Indeed, we now venture into 20 anthology shows, particularly of the horror, sci-fi, suspense, and black comedy variety. Some of them are well-known classic and contemporary representatives of their subgenres, while others might be lesser-known or even obscure shows that might warrant your attention. Your momentary attention, that is. For some of us are never going to learn the names of houses or rings or thrones or ’80s fast food joints – but we can focus for 20 to 40 minutes on a self-contained morality tale involving the dark side of the mind and spooky twists. Take a walk with us, then, through The Strange Stories From the Vault of the Cracked Pictof – okay, we have to work on the name.

20 Tales from the Crypt

Anthology Shows 1989 - 1996 TALES FROM THE CRYPT For older readers, this edgy HBO show means two things: boobs and blood. Isn't that what life is all about? No? Whatever. Based on the classic 1950s ЕС Comics stories, the iconic Cryptkeeper would pun his way through chilling tales of ghosts, monsters, and madness. Today, the IP is a mess, so don't expect a revival any time soon. CRACKED.COM — Wikipedia

19 One Step Beyond

Anthology Shows 1959-1961 ONE STEP BEYOND Surprisingly, this anthology thriller actually premiered nine months before The Twilight Zone. Also known by its corporate name, Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond, it was about allegedly true historical events with a paranormal twist. For example, host and show director John Newland went to Mexico to try mushrooms, and tripped balls in what is (unsurprisingly) a rarely aired episode. CRACKED.COM — Wikipedia

18 Love, Death + Robots

Anthology Shows 20019 - present LOVE, DEATH + ROBOTS The brainchild of David Fincher and Deadpool's Tim Miller, this show features sci-fi and horror stories which are beautifully animated, but can also be anticlimactic bores. Some episodes, though, like Beyond the Aquila Rift, can be particularly creepy and brilliant. CRACKED.COM XBOT 4000 — Wikipedia

17 Unsolved Mysteries

Anthology Shows 1987-1992 UNSOLVED MYSTERIES This was actually more of a crime docudrama than straight-up anthology fiction. Still, those out of the loop should look up the classic intro and be creeped the hell out (and the original run wasn't bad). CRACKED.COM — Wikipedia

16 Night Visions

Anthology Shows 2001 - 2002 NIGHT VISIONS Former Black Flag frontman Henry Rollins hosted this show, because the studio just wanted it to be edgy. Night Visions was muddled by studio interference trying to make it the next X-Files, which of course didn't work. Still, the show has some standout episodes, likeDead Air. CRACKED.COM — Wikipedia

15 Thriller

Anthology Shows LER LER HRI 1960 - 1962 THRILLER Stephen King considers this one of the best horror shows ever. Boris Karloff hosted this gothic horror show, and even starred in some episodes. The series was canceled when Alfred Hitchcock pulled strings to not have it compete with his own anthology. CRACKED.COM — Wikipedia

14 Ray Bradbury Theater

Anthology Shows 1985 - 1992 THE RAY BRADBURY THEATER Sci-fi master Ray Bradbury wrote every episode of this show. In fact, most were based on his stories (which means we get all the hits, like A Sound of Thunder, The Veldt, and The Long Rain), but they were also expanded and elaborated upon. Truly he wet dream of any Bradbury fan (except for the fact he hated TV). CRACKED.COM — Wikipedia

13 Way Out

Anthology Shows 1961 WAY OUT Perhaps seeing Rod Serling and Alfred Hitchcock be all sexy on camera, children's author Roald Dahl just had to get in the anthology-horror-host game. Of course, Dahl was also an accomplished writer, and his cynical delivery and dark humor help a lot. Seriously, Dahl enjoys himself too much, almost like a precursor to the Cryptkeeper. CRACKED.COM — Wikipedia

12 Monsters

Anthology Shows 1988 - 1991 MONSTERS Originally a sequel to the 1983 anthology series Tales from the Darkside, this show ditched sci-fi and fantasy for straight-up creature feature horror. While still way too goofy, some episodes stand out, like the adaptation of Stephen King's short story The Moving Finger, featuring Tom Noonan. CRACKED.COM — Wikipedia

11 Masters of Horror

Anthology Shows Stephen King scholar Mick Garris led this anthology horror series boasting some of the best names in the genre - people like Tobe Hooper, Don Coscarelli, Dario Argento, Joe Dante, Stuart Gordon, and Lucky McKee. John Carpenter's episode, Cigarette Burns, is an underrated masterpiece, and Takashi Miike's Imprint turned out to be too horrific even for such a visionary show. 2005 - 2007 MASTERS OF HORROR CRACKED.COM — Wikipedia

10 Friday the 13th: The Series

Anthology Shows 1987 - 1990 FRIDAY THE 13TH: THE SERIES An anthology centered around Camp Crystal Lake survivors sounds fascinating, but this show wasn't about that. Instead, they just changed the name of something originally called The 13th Hour, about the new owners of an antique shop trying to recover the cursed objects they sold. Sadly, they were never murdered by Jason Vorhees. CRACKED.COM — Wikipedia

9 Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction

Anthology Shows 1997-2002 BEYOND BELIEF: FACT OR FICTION Spooky stories with spooky twists - with the gimmick of having to guess whether the stories were true or fictional. James Brolin hosted the first season, but who are we kidding, the only reason anyone knows this show is Jonathan Frakes' cheesy delivery while telling us поре, false, the story was a fake-the stuff of meme legends. CRACKED.COM — Wikipedia

8 Freddy's Nightmares

Anthology Shows 1988 - 1990 FREDDY'S NIGHTMARES Clearly inspired by Tales from the Crypt, this show was hosted by Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger. The scary stories were only sometimes related to Freddy, but most were suggested to have been influenced by his demonic presence. The pilot shows shows Freddy's trial for child murder - which makes it canon, we think? CRACKED.COM — Wikipedia

7 Are You Afraid of the Dark?

Anthology Shows 1990 - 1996 ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK? Hey, kids need their horror fix too, you know? In this Nickelodeon show, a bunch of kids calling themselves The Midnight Society share spooky stories by the campfire. Since the horror was limited by the demographic, the endings weren't too dark, but were still effective. CRACKED.COM — Wikipedia

6 Amazing Stories

Anthology Shows 1985 - 1987 AMAZING STORIES This was Steven Spielberg's foray into the anthology format. Besides creating the show, he directed several episodes, and his A-list status also brought directors like Martin Scorsese, Robert Zemeckis, Joe Dante, Clint Eastwood, and Tobe Hooper. Despite only lasting two seasons, it was a hit, and more family-friendly than similar shows. CRACKED.COM — Wikipedia

5 Inside No. 9

Anthology Shows 2014 - present INSIDE No. 9 This show by theater nerds Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton might be the only ongoing anthology show able to compete with early Black Mirror in terms of quality and creepiness. Many episodes are dark comedies, but they also do nightmare fuel. Just turn off the lights and watch The Devil of Christmas, or the 2018 Halloween special, Dead Line. CRACKED.COM — Wikipedia

4 Alfred Hitchcock Presents

Anthology Shows By 1955, Hitchcock's name was already synonymous with masterful creepy suspense. So he created this anthology show, which he also hosted with bookends in his usual droll style, which have become forever associated with his image. Hitchcock directed 18 episodes, but the show also featured works by greats like Robert Altman and William Friedkin. 1955 - 1965 ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS CRACKED.COM — Wikipedia

3 The Outer Limits

Anthology Shows 1963 - 1965 THE OUTER LIMITS The only show of the time that could dream of surpassing The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits focused more on sci-fi, but kept the suspense and plot twists, and even doubled down on the creatures and sheer horror. It has always lived in the shadow of the better-known show, but it fought the good fight nonetheless. CRACKED.COM — Wikipedia

2 Black Mirror

Anthology Shows 2011 - present BLACK MIRROR Had Black Mirror ended after, say, the 2014 Christmas special, it might have dethroned classic Twilight Zone in the anthology horror/sci-fi game. While not all bad, however, the Netflix output has struggled to achieve the heights of even the lesser BBC episodes. Yes, it's a great show- but its cautionary tales now seem quainat compared to real life. CRACKED.COM — Wikipedia

1 The Twilight Zone

Anthology Shows The problem with trying to introduce the show's classic run to newer generations is that no matter how many times they've heard they just have to watch it, it's always true. Rod Serling's masterpiece remains the gold standard of the genre, and Eye of the Beholder is what childhood traumas are made of. 1959 - 1964 THE TWILIGHT ZONE CRACKED.COM — Wikipedia

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