The 20 best anthology series

Though American Horror Stories doesn’t attain quite the heights of its parent series, American Horror Story, there are still enough campy horror delights here to satisfy fans of both the genre and Ryan Murphy’s particular take on it. With a few exceptions, each episode features a self-contained episode. As with many of the creator’s other projects, they sometimes vary in quality, but they all bear his unmistakable imprint, and they are as visually striking as they are campily horrifying. As a bonus, several of Murphy’s collaborators, including Matt Bomer, Denis O’Hare, and Cody Fern, appear in the series.

HBO’s True Detective  is one of those anthology series that has had a checkered history, from the highs of the first season starring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson to the slight misfire that was season two, onward to more success in seasons three and four. However, even at its worst, True Detective manages to keep the viewers on the edge of their seats as the main characters' have their worldviews challenged. True Detective is very much a production of the pessimist present when corruption and self-dealing seem to lurk around every corner, and no one is what they seem.

Mike White is the creative genius behind The White Lotus, the acclaimed black comedy anthology series from HBO. Each season focuses on a different location of the fictional hotel chain, The White Lotus, with the hotel staff forced to deal with the antics of the wealthy and clueless guests. As if that wasn’t enough, there is also a murder in each season, which serves as the central enigma. It’s a scathingly funny series that highlights just how out-of-touch the wealthy are, and while the audience can’t help but admire and envy their wealth, they also can’t help but be entertained by their actions. Though each season has focused on new characters, Jennifer Coolidge’s Tanya did manage to appear in both.      

Though it was somewhat overshadowed by the similarly titled American Crime Story, ABC’s American Crime  still deserves credit for its willingness to tackle some heavy issues percolating in American society. The show is an embarrassment of riches when it comes to its cast, which includes such heavy hitters as Timothy Hutton, Felicity Huffman, Regina King, and Lili Taylor. Moreover, each season pinpoints the extent to which crime, trauma, and race always intersect in America, often with devastating consequences. Most importantly, American Crime refuses the viewer the comfort of tidy endings and moral binaries, which gives it an interrogative edge many similar series lack.

With Feud,  Ryan Murphy made yet another entry in the world of anthology television, with the first season focusing on the well-publicized feud between Joan Crawford and Bette Davis and the second the fierce falling out between author Truman Capote and the group of socialites known as the Swans. The two series provide rich psychological portraits of their subjects, situating them against a society and a world that is rapidly changing around them. As so often in Ryan Murphy shows, the production values are truly remarkable, and the campier moments are still grounded in performances from the likes of Tom Hollander, Susan Sarandon, and Jessica Lange.

Netflix has repeatedly shown remarkable skill at cultivating animated series, one of the most audacious of which is Love, Death & Robots. As the title suggests, each episode is a self-contained story, with each one connecting in one way or another to love, death, or robots. The animation style often varies from episode to episode, and it doesn’t shy away from graphic violence and other more mature themes and content. Like the best animated series, Love, Death & Robots combines compelling visuals with stories that dabble in multiple genres including horror, science fiction, and fantasy. Some stories can be pretty bizarre, but they never fail to entertain.

If there’s one cinematic universe that is truly sprawling and complex, it would have to be Star Wars. After beginning in film, it has expanded into many other media, including TV, and one of the most audacious of its television offerings is the anthology series Visions. Each short film is self-contained and created using a different animation style. This approach allows the creators to explore some elements of the Galaxy that haven’t been seen in the main narrative of the movies. As a result, the series is something of a breath of fresh air to a franchise that can sometimes seem a bit cautious in what stories it seeks to tell. 

Ryan Murphy continued his penchant for creating compelling anthology series with American Crime Story.  The three seasons of the series that have aired so far have chronicled such remarkable criminal phenomena as the O.J. Simpson trial, the killing of fashion icon Gianni Versace, and the impeachment of President Bill Clinton. Each season sheds a fascinating light on how these high-profile cases revealed something important about the American psyche, and they have been grounded by remarkable performances from the likes of Sarah Paulson, Darren Criss, and Beanie Feldstein. The series shows no signs of going anywhere, and a fourth season is currently slated for production. 

If there’s one director known for his unique and rather macabre imagination, it would have to be Guillermo del Toro. He hosts Cabinet of Curiosities, which features several self-contained stories often written and directed by various creators. All of them, however, share an interest in horror, ranging from the cosmic to the gothic. Del Toro makes for a genial and engaging host, and his affection for the genre and the particular stories is palpable. What’s more, each installment is a success both on its own and as part of a whole.

Throughout the late 2010s and into the 2020s, Mike Flanagan had a very productive relationship with Netflix, and arguably, his finest horror achievement is The Haunting anthology series. The first, The Haunting of Hill House, was based on the novel of the same name by Shirley Jackson, while the second, The Haunting of Bly Manor, was based on "The Turn of the Screw" and other works by Henry James. The two series were filled with lush production values, genuinely tense and frightening stories, and remarkable performances from the cast (many of whom rolled over from one season to the next). Like all good horror, however, The Haunting was about fundamental human experiences and emotions, particularly those centered around family, trauma, and the past.

Ryan Murphy is one of the most prolific creators working in Hollywood, and one of his most enduring and long-running projects has been American Horror Story. Though some throughlines run through the seasons, for the most part, each one is a self-contained story filled with camp horror, bloodshed, and outlandish performances from great actresses such as Sarah Paulson, Jessica Lange, and Kathy Bates. The series might have reached its apogee way back in its second outing (Asylum), but even its weakest seasons still manage to entertain, demonstrating the extent to which the television public still yearns for horror spectacle. 

Since its beginning in 2011, Black Mirror has been one of the most thought-provoking and challenging series on television. Each episode tells a different story, using its narrative to explore technology-related issues and its impact on people’s daily lives. The series is undeniably dystopian in its ethos, leaving the viewer feeling discomfited about the ways that advances, such as algorithms, dating apps, and social media. Remarkably, Black Mirror has also been prescient in its depiction of some elements of the future, making it an even more discomfiting viewing experience from the point of view of the present. 

Though Rod Serling would be most famous for his creative influence on The Twilight Zone, he also hosted Night Gallery. As one might guess from the title, Night Gallery skewed more toward macabre and horror, with the essence of each story captured in a painting that Serling introduced. Like many other anthology series of the era, Night Gallery forces the viewer to contend with some of the darker, more sinister aspects of the human psyche and condition. Moreover, many actors who had already established themselves in Hollywood made appearances on the show, including Roddy McDowall, Joan Crawford, and Raymond Massey. 

If there was one Hollywood director who was renowned for his skill at creating suspenseful stories, it would be Alfred Hitchcock. In 1955, he proved he had what it took to be a hit on television too, and though he would only direct a handful of episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, it would be impossible to imagine the show without him. The series was generically diverse, ranging from dramas to thrillers. Some of the episodes are disturbing and all are thought-provoking, engaging with some of the pressing issues of the day. As with so many other TV series of the 1960s, it also showcased the talents of many stars of the big screen.

Few anthology series have had quite the cultural influence of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone, particularly its original incarnation, which aired from 1959-64. The series skillfully blends suspense, science fiction, and episodic drama for a masterclass in television storytelling. Of course, the series is best known for its ability to craft stories with a twist at the end that forces the viewer to rethink the entire episode that came before it. The fact that it has been revived several times — most recently in 2019 — is a further testament to its enduring power and the impact the series has had on television history and pop culture generally.

With such creative minds as Seth Meyers, Bill Hader, Rhys Thomas, and Fred Armisen behind the scenes, it’s no surprise that Documentary Now! manages to be such a consistently funny series. As its title implies, each episode sends up a well-known documentary by mimicking its style but with fictional subjects. So far, the series has spoofed such docs as Grey Gardens, Nanook of the North, The Thin Blue Line, and The Gleaners and I. Often, the parodies are so expertly crafted that one can almost believe they are watching the real thing rather than an imitation.  

The 1950s and 1960s were something of a golden age for the anthology series, and though The Twilight Zone might be the best-known of these, The Outer Limits deserves its fair share of recognition. In some ways, the latter series was consistently darker than its counterpart and stayed more limited to straight science fiction. Like other series of the time, however, it’s a fascinating time capsule of the era, exploring some of the pressing concerns of the Cold War era. Moreover, it went on to have an influential afterlife, and its presence can be seen in, among other things, the original Star Trek.

Anyone who grew up in the 1980s and early 1990s has creepy memories of Tales from the Crypt, with its signature demented puppet, the Cryptmaster, who served as the show's host. Each episode featured a different weird and terrifying story, most featuring just the right mix of camp and genuine horror. Like many other HBO series of the era, it pushed the envelope regarding what could be shown on television, giving it its own exciting edge. As if all of this were not enough, it also featured an embarrassment of riches when it came to its guest stars, which included the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Brad Pitt, and Brooke Shields.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a true juggernaut, and it deserves its reputation as one of the most successful franchises in the history of Hollywood. One of its more notable and fascinating entries is the animated series What If…?, which focuses on a number of alternate timelines within the already-established mythos of the MCU. The animation is as gorgeous as one would expect from a production with this much money behind it, but it’s also a thought-provoking reflection on the nature of time itself and how differently an entire universe might have been had things gone a different way. The fact that it brings back many of the original cast to provide their voices is an added benefit. 

Based on the beloved Coen Brothers film of the same name, the FX series Fargo retains its predecessor’s neo-noir/black comedy ethos while also being very much its own entity. Unsurprisingly, each season focuses on a different set of characters and a cascading set of crimes and misdeeds. The series skirts a fine line between being brutally violent and deliciously hilarious, which aligns it very much with its source material. It also features sinister villains who could have come straight out of a Coen Brothers movie, whether Lorne Malvo of the first season (played by Billy Bob Thornton) or Sheriff Roy Tillman in the most recent season (played by none other than Jon Hamm).