17 Shows That Wave the Weird Flag

Ryan Murphy has brought us season after season of this bizarre anthology series. From a murder house to a haunted hotel, Murphy delves deep into the weird and horrific. American Horror Story is not for the faint-hearted, so viewer beware! It airs currently on FX and previous seasons can be found on Netflix.

Manfred, a ghost magnet, has arrived in the small town of Midnight, Texas which turns out to be a haven for the weird. It's home to a group of supernatural creatures who must band together, along with some human friends, to battle a horde of demons trying to break through the veil that protects Midnight from the hellish underworld! The show is based on a series of books by Charlaine Harris and airs on NBC.

If you've ever read any of the stories on Creepypasta, then you know how weird and horrific those short stories are. Channel Zero created an anthology series based on some of the website's creepiest stories. Weird pirate puppets and a tooth man are only two of the horrors you'll find on this show. Channel Zero airs on Syfy.

Kyle Barnes has been haunted by possession since he was a child. Now as an adult, he's trying to figure out why, but the answers are more dangerous than he could ever imagine. The series is based on a comic of the same name by Robert Kirkman. There were two seasons of the series, only one of which aired in the U.S. Season 1 can be found on Cinemax and Amazon Video.

This prequel to Psycho featured a mother/son dynamic that is chillingly odd. Norma and Norman's love for each other is anything but normal. As Norman's psyche grows more deranged, it culminates in the ultimate show of love for his mother. Bates Motel aired for five seasons and is a must-watch series that will both fascinate and appall. It can be found on Amazon Video.

The Twilight Zone is the original waver of the weird flag. The anthology series focused on stories that mixed horror, science-fiction, drama, comedy and superstition. All the stories had a surprise ending and some were more scary than other. The Twilight Zone can be seen on Amazon and Hulu.

If you've ever wondered what kind of trouble a preacher, his badass girlfriend and a vampire can get into, then Preacher is your show. After something otherworldly arrives in the small town of Annville, Texas, Jesse, Tulip and Cassidy learn some astonishing news that sends them on a quest to find God. Preacher is one of those shows you have to see to believe. Seth Rogen is involved, so you know it's going to be crazy. Preacher airs on AMC.

One of the most iconic and weird television series of all time. Mulder and Scully are two FBI agents who investigate unexplained cases that may have to do with the supernatural or otherwise. The original series, which ran from 1992-2003, was the longest running sci-fi show in network history. X-Files was revived in 2016 and the show will return again in 2017. The original series can be found on Netflix.

Forget the revival, if you want the weird, the original 1990 series was one of the strangest shows on television. It followed an FBI agent who was trying to solve the mystery of who killed Laura Palmer, a high school student in the small town of Twin Peaks. The show didn't have great ratings at the time and was canceled after only two seasons, but it built a huge cult following. Twin Peaks is available on Netflix.

Black Mirror has been described as the Twilight Zone for a new age. This British anthology series explores the horrors of technology if we let it take over. The stories are genuinely chilling and really make you think. You can check out the series on Netflix.

Imagine going to an amusement park where you can live out your fantasies without any consequences. That's the basic gist of Westworld, but it's so much more. The show ponders the question of whether artificial life can be more than artificial. Is it possible for robots to be able to feel and remember? Westworld really makes you think about things in different ways. You can watch it on HBOGo and Amazon.

American Gods is one of the strangest shows on television. What happens when the new gods of technology want to get rid of the old gods of mythology? Mr. Wednesday is an old god who has enlisted the help of ex-con Shadow Moon to gather the old gods to fight for their rightful place in our belief system. There are some really "out there" moments including how Bilquis eats a man, but it's a fun and interesting ride. American Gods is based off the book of the same name by Neil Gaiman and can be found on Starz and Amazon.

If you're a sucker for 80s nostalgia and like a good thriller, you'll want to check into Stranger Things. The story follows the disappearance of a young boy named Will and his mother's quest for answers. There are many twists and turns throughout the story and plenty of supernatural elements to thrill any fan of the weird. You can watch Stranger Things on Netflix.

This is Twilight Zone with an edge. There were more monsters and hard science-fiction in this anthology series than in Twilight Zone and it was creepy. Very creepy. Just watch "The Zanti Misfits" and you'll get our meaning. The Outer Limits can be seen on Hulu and Amazon.

Dark Shadows is the original supernatural soap opera featuring vampires, werewolves, ghosts, zombies, witches and other otherworldly and man-made monsters. Once you start watching, you won't be able to stop. There's a Dark Shadows revival, but what you want is the original series. You can find Dark Shadows on Hulu and Amazon.

It seems the British are as weird as Americans when it comes television shows. Fortitude is a sci-fi psychological thriller based in a small settlement in the Artic where weird things are happening like bizarre murders. What could be terrorizing the townsfolk? It's scarier than you think. You can watch Fortitude on Amazon.

One of the weirder shows on television that was canceled too soon, Penny Dreadful is a psychological horror thriller that followed Sir Malcolm, an explorer who is searching for his daughter in Victorian London. He gets help from a clairvoyant named Vanessa and together they search London's underbelly for the girl while coming across famous literary characters such as Dr. Frankenstein and Dorian Gray. It's another must-see show for fans of the weird. You can watch Penny Dreadful on Showtime and Amazon.