feelsalike.comSign in
The Strain poster

Shows that feel likeThe Strain (2014–2017)

A high concept thriller that tells the story of Dr. Ephraim Goodweather, the head of the Center for Disease Control Canary Team in New York City. He and his team are called upon to investigate a mysterious viral outbreak with hallmarks of an ancient and evil strain of vampirism. As the strain spreads, Eph, his team, and an assembly of everyday New Yorkers, wage war for the fate of humanity itself.

If you loved The Strain, the closest series we have are Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities (2022), Swamp Thing (2019) and Manifest (2018). All three share The Strain's cerebral and dreamlike feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Wayward Pines (2015).

★ 7.3 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗4 seasons · FXcreated by Guillermo del Torocerebraldreamlikecontemplativetwisty
11 of 12 streaming nowNetflix · HBO Max · Amazon Prime Video

If The Strain hit the spot, these will too

Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities poster
★ 7drama · mystery · sci-fi & fantasyNetflix

Del Toro's love of gorgeous, grotesque creature design, distilled

The difference: An anthology of one-offs — no ongoing war to sink your teeth into

Bizarre nightmares unfold in eight tales of terror in this visually stunning, spine-tingling horror collection curated by Guillermo del Toro.

Swamp Thing poster
Swamp Thing
2019 · 1 season · DC Universe
★ 7.3mystery · sci-fi & fantasy · drama

A CDC scientist chasing an outbreak into full-blown body horror

The difference: Cancelled after one season — the story stops mid-stride

CDC researcher Abby Arcane investigates what seems to be a deadly swamp-born virus in a small town in Louisiana but she soon discovers that the swamp holds mystical and terrifying secrets. When unexplainable and chilling horrors emerge from the murky marsh, no one is safe.

Manifest poster
Manifest
2018–2023 · 4 seasons · NBC
★ 7sci-fi & fantasy · mystery · dramaNetflix

An ordinary New York flight's aftermath spiraling into the uncanny

The difference: Network mystery-box earnestness — sentiment where The Strain goes gory

After landing from a turbulent but routine flight, the crew and passengers of Montego Air Flight 828 discover five years have passed in what seemed like a few hours. As their new realities become clear, a deeper mystery unfolds and some of the returned passengers soon realize they may be meant for something greater than they ever thought possible.

Wayward Pines poster
Wayward Pines
2015–2016 · 2 seasons · FOX
★ 7.3drama · mystery · sci-fi & fantasyHulu

A creeping wrongness that keeps escalating past each explanation

The difference: Small-town containment — a twist engine more than a monster war

Imagine the perfect American town... beautiful homes, manicured lawns, children playing safely in the streets. Now imagine never being able to leave. You have no communication with the outside world. You think you're going insane. You must be in Wayward Pines.

Kingdom poster
Kingdom
2019–2020 · 2 seasons · Netflix
★ 8.3drama · mysteryNetflix

Two things both keep coming back to: outbreak and survival

The difference: Trades the ideas of The Strain for an angle of its own

In this zombie thriller set in Korea's medieval Joseon dynasty which has been defeated by corruption and famine, a mysterious rumor of the king’s death spreads, as does a strange plague that renders the infected immune to death and hungry for flesh. The crown prince, fallen victim to a conspiracy, sets out on a journey to unveil the evil scheme and save his people.

The Terror poster
The Terror
2018–2019 · 2 seasons · AMC
★ 7.8mystery · drama · sci-fi & fantasy

Dread closing in on people who realize the threat too late

The difference: Slow-burn prestige chill — patience required, no pulp momentum

A chilling anthology series featuring stories of people in terrifying situations inspired by true historical events.

The Originals poster
The Originals
2013–2018 · 5 seasons · The CW
★ 8.2sci-fi & fantasy · drama · mysteryPrime VideoPeacock

Ancient vampires treating a city as territory to be ruled

The difference: Soapy family power plays — vampires as romantic leads, not parasites

The Vampire Diaries spin-off that follows the Mikaelsons, a family of millennia-old, power-hungry vampires who want to reclaim the city they built, New Orleans, and dominate all those who have wronged them.

Lovecraft Country poster
Lovecraft Country
2020 · 1 season · HBO
★ 7.1drama · mystery · sci-fi & fantasyMax

Monsters both literal and human stalking an American landscape

The difference: Anthology-loose structure — big swings that don't always connect

The anthology horror series follows 25-year-old Atticus Freeman, who joins up with his friend Letitia and his Uncle George to embark on a road trip across 1950s Jim Crow America to find his missing father. They must survive and overcome both the racist terrors of white America and the malevolent spirits that could be ripped from a Lovecraft paperback.

Sleepy Hollow poster
Sleepy Hollow
2013–2017 · 4 seasons · FOX
★ 7.3drama · mystery · sci-fi & fantasyHulu

Apocalyptic evil unearthed beneath an unsuspecting modern town

The difference: Buddy-cop breeziness — the apocalypse comes with banter

Ichabod Crane is resurrected and pulled two and a half centuries through time to unravel a mystery that dates all the way back to the founding fathers.

The Haunting of Bly Manor poster
The Haunting of Bly Manor
2020 · 1 season · Netflix
★ 7.4mystery · dramaNetflix

Something old and hungry hiding inside a familiar setting

The difference: Gothic romance at heart — mournful ghosts, not monsters at the throat

After an au pair's tragic death, Henry Wingrave hires a young American nanny to care for his orphaned niece and nephew who reside at Bly Manor with the estate's chef Owen, groundskeeper Jamie and housekeeper, Mrs. Grose. But all is not as it seems at the manor, and centuries of dark secrets of love and loss are waiting to be unearthed in this chilling tale.

The OA poster
The OA
2016–2019 · 2 seasons · Netflix
★ 7.8sci-fi & fantasy · mystery · dramaNetflix

Cerebral where it counts, dreamlike underneath

Seven years after vanishing from her home, a young woman returns with mysterious new abilities and recruits five strangers for a secret mission.

Locke & Key poster
Locke & Key
2020–2022 · 3 seasons · Netflix
★ 7.3sci-fi & fantasy · drama · mysteryNetflix

The same mix in both: stillness, then twists

After their dad's murder, three siblings move with their mom to his ancestral estate, where they discover magical keys that unlock powers — and secrets.

In the mood for more cerebral?

all cerebral shows →

The best-reviewed series that share The Strain’s defining feeling.