10 Horror TV Shows That Wasted Incredible Premises
2. Dracula
Considering the literary stature of Count Dracula as a character, it is legitimately surprising that so few cinematic takes on the world's most famous vampire have managed to do him in a satisfactory manner; look no further than the BBC's latest, endlessly hammy 2020 mini-series.
NBC's 2013 single season offering Dracula unfortunately falls into the aforementioned category, but not for the reasons one might think. The show featured some stunning visuals, an engrossing lead performance from Jonathan Rhys Meyers as the eponymous Count, and received glowing feedback from audiences and critics alike. This new take on Dracula sees him posing as a wealthy entrepreneur, seeking to gain revenge on a mysterious shadowy organization known as the Order of the Dragon.
Sadly, despite what appeared to be a blank canvas on which to finally do justice to Bram Stoker's classic character, NBC drove a stake through the show's heart and cancelled it after just one season. Dracula failed to keep up with the stratospheric ratings of contemporary competitors such as Game of Thrones and True Blood, but that took nothing away from the intrinsic quality of the gorgeous spectacle that was beginning to unfold.
Regrettably, despite such promising early omens, Dracula is ultimately remembered as a show that was cancelled before it could begin to take full advantage of what was such a thrilling premise.