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Kristen Stewart (Bella) and Robert Pattinson (Edward) star in New Moon. (Photo: Summit Entertainment)
Not sure how to bide your time until the New Moon premiere on November 20? Do you find yourself clutching your copies of Twilight, reading the series over and over again trying to fill in the void of the lack of Twilight for a whole other month? Perhaps your friends think you've lost your mind because all you can talk about is Twilight; Edward, Bella and Jacob; or perhaps you're a little ashamed and are more of a closet Twilighter.
Whatever the case, you realize that you've got it bad. Yep, you have Twilight Fever, and there's no easy cure. Maybe you don't even want one. Perhaps you just need something else to sink your teeth into, at least until next month.
Check out 10 TV shows, new and old, which might just do the trick to scratch the itch of your Twilight withdrawal symptoms. Maybe you'll even find yourself with a new addiction.
10. Blood Ties
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Edward's not the only immortal seventeen year old vampire around. There's also Henry Fitzroy (Kyle Schmid), the 480 year old illegitimate son of Henry VIII. He's sexy, seductive, sarcastic, and unlike Edward, actually embraces what he is. Like Twilight the true protagonist of the story is a woman. Vicki Nelson (Christina Cox), a feisty 29 year old ex-cop turned private detective, finds herself drawn to the strange and supernatural, where she meets Henry as they investigate the same murder. An entertaining love triangle unfolds between Vicki, Henry, and her ex partner, Detective Mike Celluci (Dylan Neal).The show only lasted two short seasons, but Season One and Season Two can now be seen on DVD and it's well worth a watch.
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This sci-fi show has garnered a lot of attention the past few years, but one element that has often been overlooked is the star-crossed relationship between Helo and Athena. The show tells the story of the surviving humans in search of the "mythological" Earth after their home planet was destroyed and taken over by Cylons, robots who look and feel human. Athena happens to be one of these Cylons, while Helo is a human; Like Twilight, its Romeo and Juliet all over again. Through out the entire series, their love story is just one element why this show is worth watching. You can now watch all 5 seasons on DVD.
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Easily a cult hit, this vampiric show with a clever wit, aired for seven seasons from 1997-2003. Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar), a 16 year old girl, discovers she was born to be a vampire slayer. Add in a little teen angst, and Buffy finds herself falling for Angel (David Boreanaz), a vampire with a soul. Whether you find yourself a fan of Buffy with Angel or Spike (another vampire with less brood and more humor), there's lots of unrequited love to go around. Willow (Alyson Hannigan), Buffy's best friend, even falls in love with a werewolf. Jacob fans anyone? All seven seasons can be bought on DVD here.
7. Angel
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In a brilliant spin off of "Buffy", Angel moves to Los Angeles in search of redemption where he opens up a detective agency to help the helpless. And if Angel isn't "your own personal brand of heroin," there's good news! Angel's not the only tortured soul of the bunch. The series is filled with damaged characters. All five seasons are available on DVD. You know what they say; vampires it seems never go out of style.
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In a "tale as old as time," Catherine (Linda Hamilton), a young District Attorney, is kidnapped one evening and left to die, when Vincent (Ron Perlman), a lion-man with empathic powers, saves her life, bringing her to where he lives underground in a utopian society of misfits. After he nurses her back to health, their connection continues to deepen. Like Edward, he risks exposing the secret of this underground city by saving her life. Vincent tells his adopted father a familiar phrase, "Should I have just left her there to die?" The third season was a bit of a disappointment, but this fantastic and addicting series is a hidden gem you'll want to watch again and again. The complete series is now available on DVD.
5. Roswell
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This teen drama which aired for three seasons (1999-2002), is probably the closest to Twilight in content, themes and relationships. Yet surprisingly, there are no vampires in sight. Instead Roswell (no surprise here) is all about aliens, sexy teenage ones at that. Liz Parker (a more ambitious and career-minded version of Bella played by Shiri Appleby) is your average teenage girl, until one day Liz is fatally shot while working in her family’s diner. Max (an alien teenage hybrid from the 1947 Roswell crash) decides to risk it all by saving Liz with his ability to heal. "Why?" she asks. "Because it was you," Max admits. And again the Shakespearean stage is set. Like Edward and Bella, they even become lab partners. Roswell is less about aliens and more about star-crossed teenage love. If you love Twilight, you will most likely enjoy Roswell. The show is available in its entirety on DVD.
4. True Blood
The second season of this hit vampire show (based on the "Southern Vampire Mysteries" by Charlaine Harris) just wrapped on HBO and its still going strong. It's no Twilight though. It's edgy, sexy, graphic, R-Rated, and strange. But it still has the romance. True Blood is for the older vampire fans and not the faint of heart. The show follows Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), a barmaid who has the ability to read people's thoughts. She meets Bill (Stephen Moyer), a vampire, and her life changes forever. This isn't your typical vampire show. In fact, vampires are out, public, and campaigning for equal rights. There are love triangles, twists and enough action and romance to keep you wanting more. The first season is available on DVD, while the second is available for Pre-Order.
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Already being accused of tailing on the success of Twilight,this teen series (based on the popular series by L.J. Smith), headed by Dawson's Creek/Scream writer Kevin Williamson is quickly becoming a cult favorite. Elena (Nina Dobrev), a recently orphaned teenage girl finds herself torn between two vampire brothers, the dreamy Stefan (Paul Wesley) who lends Elena a first edition of Wuthering Heights, and Damon (Ian Somerhalder), the bad boy with a killer bite. It's romantic, witty, at times gory, and a fun treat that can stand on its own. You can watch the full episodes online. The show airs on Thursday nights on the CW at 8/7 c.
Smallville may be all about Clark Kent and his destiny to become Superman, but one aspect often overlooked is the dark retelling of Beauty and the Beast between Chloe (Allison Mack) and Davis (Juilliard trained Sam Witwer) in the eighth season. Davis Bloome, a nice guy paramedic, starts to have blackouts, only to discover he's Doomsday, a monster who kills against his will. He falls in love with Chloe Sullivan (long time fan favorite, and best friend to Clark Kent) who sees the good in him, when no one else does. Like Edward, he is a "killer" but doesn't want to be. He believes Chloe will be able to save him. "I feel like you were sent to me." Davis confesses. Using elements from gothic literature, fairy tales and Cocteau’s classic film La Belle et La Bête, watching their story unfold is a thing of beauty. But as great as their story is, the last episode of the season, Doomsday, was an epic letdown. It might even leave you feeling cheated and outraged. But every passionate moment (with one of the best on screen kisses in episode 20, Beast) from these actors and their rare, sizzling chemistry makes it worth it all the same. Perhaps skipping the season finale is your safest bet.
1. Moonlight
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Winning the People's Choice Award for best new drama in 2008 wasn't enough to keep this cult hit around. With only 16 episodes, this series surely had more to say, but with a satisfying ending it's still worth catching on DVD. Mick St. John (Alex O’Loughlin), a vampire, and also private detective in Los Angeles, falls for Beth Turner (Sophia Myles), a mortal woman with ties to his past. Moonlight isn’t just for girls though. Considered for the role of James Bond, Alex O'Loughlin plays the vampire with a tortured soul to perfection, but he's no pretty boy. Sure he can be romantic one minute, but he can also be just as intimidating the next. He's witty, clever and the love story between Mick and Beth is one for the books. And if Mick’s not enough for your vampiric fix, you’ll be happy to know Mick's not the only vampire around. There's also Josef (Jason Dohring), his 400 old snarky best friend who embraces his nature, and Coraline (Shannyn Sossamon), Mick's ex-wife who turned him into a vampire in the 1950's. With romance, action, mystery, and a new and refreshing approach to the world of vampirism with ties to the French Revolution, this series is worth owning and watching again and again.
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Comments
Roswell! Blood Ties! Buffy!
I have to check some of the others out still, but I've got to say the whole Smallville Davis/Doomsday-and-Chloe arc resonated the most with me. That was the Beaty and the Beast arc done incredibly right. I agree, skip Doomsday. that was FAIL.
The storyline between Chloe & Davis was SO beautiful! Doomsday really was a mistake from the writers! :/
I love these choices. The Chloe/Davis arc also resonated with me. Their love story is SO beautiful. Don't bother with the last episode though. Anyway, Moonlight is definitely worth checking out (still my favorite show) and Roswell is the perfect choice for Twilight fans. When I read the first book a while back, I kept thinking of Roswell. Anyway, great list!
SMALLVILLE ROCKS!!
I'm definitely one of those that desperate to find ways to fill the time between now and the premiere of New Moon. Fantastic suggestions, I hadn't heard of some of these like Moonlight or Blood ties. I'm excited to check them out!
I loved the Chloe/Davis arc in last season's Smallville, so thanks for mentioning it! I was really disappointed in the finale, and I stopped watching the show over it. Sam Witwer and Allison Mack had fantastic chemistry though, so it was great to watch while it lasted.
I so agree with Moonlight being #1. That show was awesome! Mick St.John was everything a vampire should be,tortured,vulnerable,funny,sexy,and very protective of his lady love Beth. I also have to mention the romance between Mick and Beth,the chemistry between them was phenomonal,and their love story was so hauntingly beautiful that it stay burned in your memory. Moonlight...I will forever miss it and hope they somehow bring it back.
Chloe has great chemistry with everyone (but Jimmy) so it was great to see her with another great character like Davis. Sadly the last episode of their romance is crap so try and cherish them while they last and write a fan fic for the end. Like we do with season 9 of Smallville. So not worth the time and almost no Chloe.
I love Vampire Dairies! It's odd I never read the books nor twilight but I couldn't help to not check the TV show out. Now I'm hooked! The characters are great and the Vampire brothers are very sexy. And I loved that you mentioned Chloe/Davis. That was the best arc of season 8. The actors had real chemistry, which is rare to come by but the damn writers completely demolished Doomsday. What an epic fail that was. Their love was so beautiful and the writers screwed the ending. I was done with Smallville after that for sure. VD is so much better on that night. :) and great article.
Thanks for acknowledging the talent of Allison Mack. She carried the show as leading lady last year, and is half of what I love about the show (the other half being Clark, of course.) The new season is terrible with Allison's reduced screentime and I refuse to watch until it gets better.
Very well written article Amber -- my top two favorites are definitely MickBeth & Chlavis; Chlavis being #1 :). It's sad that they two aren't given a chance, although in all fairness even though Moonlight ended way too early Mickbeth fans were left with a happy ending for the couple. Can't say the same for chlavisers. I really had hope (for both Davis & Chlavis) and it got destroyed in one episode.
But you know Allison Mack & Sam Witwer CHEMISTRY is something i've never seen and probably something i'll never see. Both their verbal and nonverbal communication, their emotions, expressions made me root for them when he was Doomsday for crying out loud. There was a strong connection and both Sam & Allison played that love story beautifully, tragic as it was.
So it really doesn't matter that there's no more Davis and Chlavis cause as far as I and the other chlavisers are concerened they will ALWAYS LIVE ON :).
Chloe has great chemistry with everyone (but Jimmy) so it was great to see her with another great character like Davis. Sadly the last episode of their romance is crap so try and cherish them while they last and write a fan fic for the end. Like we do with season 9 of Smallville. So not worth the time and almost no Chloe.
Yeah, I agree, the Chloe/Davis-Doomsday story was riviting and deserved a far better ending than what it got. While no one should watch the ending of the last episode, there are a few nice momements before the epic fail kicks in (and the term "epic fail" is not being used lightly). Just bail after Chloe "does what Clark was planning" and imagine your own ending.
I've got to agree with you about Moonlight! I loved the film noir look and Mick's voiceovers. It helped us understand what was inside the man, and made us realize that many times he would do the opposite of what he was actually feeling. There were so many layers of Mick to love. The supporting cast was excellent,too.
Amber you must have the same taste in tv that I do! I loved Beauty and the Beast and Roswell was also a big fave of mine. And lets not forget Angel and Buffy! Oh my they were the most angsty couple there was but my all time favorite is Moonlight of course!
I loved Roswell. It was a human-alien love story, well told, well acted. I bought the whole DVD set, something I never do for TV programs. I highly recommend it.
Moonlight was the best televisions series ever...never given a chance to grow to its full potential...There is so much more to tell.
twilight is totally roswell's rip off no wonder why you placed it in the list. There're so many similarities between the two that it's almost scaring xD maybe S. Meyer didn't watch buffy but she can't tell me that she didn't want roswell or read the books. Good choices BTW!
Thank you so much for your wonderful comments about Moonlight. It's my favorite. I do own it and watch it and enjoy it over and over again.
"Moonlight" - is the best show about vampires of all time! Never before and after him have not seen such a beautiful and profound in content, stylish series, in addition to the excellent casting.
Great article! Great mentions of Chloe/Davis and good job for warning people about the end. That was just a rude awakening espeacilly for fans who love beuaty and the Beast type of story.
Oh and Buffy and Angel was great! I totally loved Angel it was the best Spin off ever done! So classic!
And Autumn now you mention it the begining of Roswell does remind me of Twilight. Very interesting.
And of course Moonlight as # 1. Hee. I love Moonlight and will never understand why it was cancelled after winning a people's choice award.
I loved and agreed with everything said about SV's Chloe and Davis. Their relationship was the best arc in S8 -- until the writers screwed it all up in the finale. Sam Witwer and Allison Mack have amazing chemistry together, a true Beauty and the Beast couple, and I hope to see them work together again someday. :)
It's wonderful to see the inclusion of Smallville's Chloe and Davis on your list. The Doomsday.Chloe plot was a fantastic story arc that was, sadly, butchered in the finale. But watching Allison Mack and Sam Witwer work together was a thing of beauty, and we'll always have that to remember from Season 8.
Unfortunately, Smallville's Sason 9 hasn't had anything to offer this Chloe fan, so I'm not watching - at least until AM's screetime and story arcs pick up. If they don't, then I won't be back.
Glad you have BLOOD TIES at the top there! Great show with a great vampire that needs to come back, like MOONLIGHT, for that MOVIE, as it too was cancelled before its time!!!
Really good recommendations!
Thanks for the shout out to "Beauty and the Beast." Too long ago to remember clearly, except that I was giving birth the night S3 premiered---with a MAJOR plot turn---and was determined to watch it through the labor pains if necessary! Romantic & different. But S3 was NOT the same show, alas.
I've only seen S1-2 of "BSG," but it's a compelling show.
I totally share your love for S8 of "Smallville." A well-done character-in-search-of-redemption story is irresistible to me. The Davis Bloome arc raised the show to a new level of emotional maturity and riveting, creative storytelling. I haven't been THAT invested in a character in years! Then make Chloe--and Davis's love for her--a key element in that quest and you have "Smallville's" best season ever...Until that appalling finale.
Follow bkwurm1's cue (posted below) about when to tune out and enjoy an amazing journey and a terrific, nuanced performance from Sam Witwer---an actor to watch!
I don't think I'll ever forgive the Smallville writers for how they destroyed Chloe/Davis, what were they thinking. Nice to see Helo/Athena getting a mention, BSG actually had a lot of great, well-developed couples, I also loved Kara/Sam, Caprica/Gaius, and Laura/Bill. The Vampire Diaries is early in its run but already after six episodes you can see so much potential.
Beauty & the Beast is my all time favorite romantic tv show!!! -I'm still hoping for a tv movie to reunite Catherine & Vincent! I also like The Crow:Stairway to Heaven series, Forever Knight, The Kindred, Moonlight, Dark Angel, Supernatural, Lost, Heroes, Smallville (Love Chloe) & I'm giving The Vampire Diaries a chance (I haven't read the books)
I have seen most of the shows on your list and agree they are all terrific. Moonlight is my favorite and I'm glad to see it at #1. Mick, Beth, Josef, Coraline, Logan, Lt. Carl, Josh....the list goes on and on for my favorite characters on that show. It is such a wonderous, fantastic, romantic show that pulls you into this amazing world. You really do believe that Mick and Josef are best friends living in Los Angeles. Wish we had gotten more than 16 episodes to explore the backstories of the vampires.
I'm looking forward to New Moon, but nothing will ever come close to my love for Moonlight.
Moonlight is an amazing show that has romance, comedy and lots of drama. Best of all, it has the best vampires on TV.
You're SO right about Moonlight! Mick St John is the best vampire ever, and his best friend Josef Kostan is the best vampire friend evere. There's nothing to match Mick and Beth's love story!!
I love Moonlight! I'd also like to recommend La Femme Nikita. The chemistry between Michael and Nikita was phenomenal. Their romance and love story still touches my heart as does the one between Mick and Beth. Both are unforgettable couples.
ALL of these shows are far, far superior to Twilight. Watch them instead and forget the crappy Twilight series altogether!
Vampire tales may come and go, but nothing will ever replace Moonlight for drama, humor, cast chemistry, and the most captivating, sexy vampire ever. But be warned: you will become addicted to the series, and doomed to wander forever through the TV channels, mourning the loss of this amazing show, and begging for a mini-series or a movie, along with the rest of us tortured fans!
Glad to see Moonlight in Number 1 - exactly where it belongs! Thanks for the list.
Moonlight just had to be #1 because it is all over the world!! This show touched my heart and put me in a place I really wanted to be physically!!!!!!! Mick/Beth is the most wonderful love story and Mick and friend Josef's friendship drama is awesome. The fact that Mick is a great private detective just ads more juice to the show, especially when he and Josef go out to avenge good against evil!!!
I would just die for a Moonlight Movie, it would be wonderful, awesome, fabulous if we could have Moonlight back on TV but I would be ex-tactic to have a movie either way. Moonlight, you can not beat this vamp show!!!!!1
Awesome list. I've seen half of these shows already. Now I know what to put in my Netflix queue.
Cool list - I definitely think people should check out 'Roswell', it was one of my favorites in high school and the first season is one of the best out there.
Well, the writer must like not knowing where anything is going if she found the end to moonlight "satisfying." Roflmfao! That's hilarious.
Windy, I found part of the ending satisfying as (SPOILERS) Mick and Beth were at least able to get together. That said, I also read what the plan was for season two, which I loved. I think the cancellation of Moonlight was unjust and the show still had a lot more to say. But you would be wrong in assuming that I don't care about where something is going. The fact of the matter is, I did know where season two was going because one of the producers spilled the beans. That said, I still think for those who haven't seen the show, that while there are some cliffhangers, the sixteenth episode does end on a good note, and it is worth watching. I'm not sure why you find that hilarious. But to each their own.
Everyone else, I hope you can find something new to watch from this list!
I'm glad you have Chlavis on the list. I love them to death.
And I've recently gotten into Moonlight. That is one amazing show.
I miss Chlavis too! I hope Davis back in season 10!
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