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I know, I know, friends. We started out loving True Blood together, embracing its blend of soap opera, cheese, and some truly impressive shirtless actors. We liked vampires! We liked the gore! We liked the barely-clothed allegories to the struggle for gay and civil rights! We really liked Pam and Eric!

Now, 6 seasons in, the show has lost some of its luster. Sure, everyone in this world still looks like an underwear model and Pam and Eric remain The Bombs, but the magic has slowly leached out of the world. The glimmer of promising storylines in the past couple weeks isn’t enough to convince me we’re getting a show back on its track. The time may have come where I just have to admit it – I might be over True Blood.

Pam hates Sookie's vagina

So how can we fill the True Blood-shaped hole in our hearts (aside from googling Eric gifs)? Let’s look at some of our options (all conveniently available via Netflix instant streaming).

You could be watching The Vampire Diaries, if you like hot creatures of the night. Three seasons of the show are available on Instant, which should kill a couple of hours for you. The cast of TVD skews a bit younger than the twenty-somethings of True Blood, but you’ve got your vampires, your love triangles, some witches – well, basically, everything you need. Check out our recap of the series here.

Teen Wolf (for those of you who still think Alcide’s hotness overshadows his incredible douchiness) has two seasons streaming right now, and while I can’t personally vouch for the show, TW gets shockingly good reviews for an MTV produced series.

You can check out either the BBC version of Being Human (for the snotty purist in you) or the American remake –werewolves, ghosts, and vampires! While you’re watching, you can read along with our retro recap series of the UK show.

Being Human UK

The Netflix original series Hemlock Grove was released in its entirety earlier this year. The show cranks up the cheese factor, doesn’t skimp on the naked asses, has some really great werewolf transformation scenes, and Lili Fucking Taylor in a starring role. As a whole, the series suffers from some of the problems True Blood wrestles with – namely with its tone, as it can’t really seem to commit to the B-movie vibe of the show and wants to mean more than it ultimately does, but it is only 13 episodes long, so even if it’s not your cup of tea, you haven’t invested a couple of years into the show.

Peter and the wolf

Of course, there’s always Dark Shadows (the television show, not that abomination of a movie) if you want to get back to the roots of our fascination with supernatural soap operas. Barnabas Collins influenced a generation of television writers – you’re gonna recognize him immediately.

I’ve cited this one before, but for my money, one of the best vampire movies to come out in recent years is the Swedish Let the Right One In. It’s rare that a vampire film introduces something truly new to the genre, which is what we get in Oskar and Eli. Turn off the Internet, turn down the lights, and give this one your full attention. You won’t regret it.

Oskar and Eli talking

Similarly, the Russian trilogy of Night Watch, Day Watch, and Twilight Watch (in production) are fresh twists on the old good versus evil, fate of the world hangs in balance, supernatural creatures walk among us tales. You may not always know what’s going on, and yes, you will have to read the subtitles, but the ride is with the confusion. The movies are adaptations of a popular book series that is available in English translation, if you’re looking for a little more “read” and a little less “watch.”