They say too much TV fries your brain. We say, everything is better fried.
From the return of Mulder and Scully, to the spawn of Satan himself, to gripping true crime documentaries and dramas, we picked out the freakiest TV shows 2016 had to offer. No matter what kind of creepy you crave, there was a series to satisfy you in the 2016 season, so make room for these freaky shows that are sure to satisfy your binge-worthy cravings.
This article was updated September 26th, 2018.
The X-Files on Fox
Premiers: January 24, 10 p.m., then January 25, 8 p.m. (regular timeslot)
Unless you’re living on another planet, you’ve heard about special agents Mulder and Scully’s return to prime time after more than a decade of radio silence. The cult sci-fi horror drama hit airwaves again in the form of a six-episode miniseries. And, yes, it featured some great Monsters of the Week episodes, and plenty of great moments between on-again, off-again couple Mulder and Scully. Catch 2016's season before the beloved sci-fi horror show returns for season 11 in 2018.
Related: Nightmare Fuel: 10 Books That Will Haunt Your Dreams
Premiers: Late January
Front Page is an original series that covers major crimes within weeks of the actual event. Past installments have focused on alleged serial killer Robert Durst and former NFL tight end Aaron Hernandez. Its latest: an Avery-focused companion piece to Making a Murderer that addresses “critical” details left out of Netflix’s hot commodity. Dateline journalist Keith Morrison hosts.
Dark Net on Showtime
Premiers: January 21, 11 p.m.
Similar to Syfy’s digital-danger series The Internet Ruined My Life, Dark Net is a techno-horror docuseries that exposes the dark and terrifying corners of the Weird Wide Web. Boot up for bio-hacking, cyber-kidnapping, digital warfare, online cults, pornography addiction and the webcam sex trade—yes, the webcam sex trade [SMH].
London Spy on BBC America
Premiers: January 21, 11 p.m.
Are you in bits after finishing Luther? Turn thy attention to London Spy, a British five-part miniseries starring cinema favorite Ben Whishaw as one half of a couple at the center of a murder mystery. Touted as a romance crime drama, the series—with its dead bodies, bedroom bondage, and crack-pipe play—promises to be something much darker than your everyday espionage thriller.
Premiers: February 2, 10 p.m.
Based on lawyer and CNN analyst Jeffrey Toobin’s bestselling book, The Run of His Life: The People vs. O.J. Simpson, this anthology series’ first season takes on the trial–and the tiny glove–that captivated a nation, with Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr. starring as O.J. and anthology master Ryan Murphy directing a pair of episodes.
Related: Terrifyingly Real: 8 Award-Winning True Crime Books
11.22.63 on Hulu
Premiers: February 15
Calling 11.22.63 merely a political drama about the JFK assassination isn’t doing it justice. Let’s try: A time-hopping thriller chock-full of chatty ghosts, noisome cockroaches, and crusty kitchen knives. Yeah, that’s better. An eight-part miniseries about a guy (James Franco) who goes back in time to kill Lee Harvey Oswald, it comes from quite the pair: Stephen King and J.J. Abrams.
Related: 6 BEST STEPHEN KING MOVIES AND THEIR CREEPY CHARACTERS
Hap and Leonard on SundanceTV
Premiers: March 2, 10 p.m.
Because every taut thriller should have a bit of comic relief. Take a break from wetting yourself, and tune in to this action-packed mystery thriller about a pair of misfits fighting to stay on the right side of the Texas law in the ‘80s. Based on the Joe Lansdale novels, the series has ordered six episodes, four of which are directed by Jim Mickle (the English-language We Are What We Are and Cold in July).
Damien on A&E
Premiers: March 7, 10 p.m.
Yep, that little weirdo from the classic 1976 film is making the jump to television, and he’s all grown up. The series from The walking Dead's Glen Mazzara catches up with Damien Thorn (Bradley James), now a 30-something war photographer who’s forgotten all about his satanic past. Though it won’t be long until the 666 starts calling and his true Antichrist colors begin to show. Barbara Hershey co-stars.
Related: PINT-SIZED MAYHEM: 11 SCARY MOVIES STARRING VERY EVIL CHILDREN
The Path on Hulu
Premiers: March 30
Hell to the yes. That’s what we said after glimpsing the initial teasers for Hulu’s original show about a man who just can’t deal with being a member of a soul-draining cult. Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul stars as said conflicted man; Michelle Monaghan, the wife, and Hannibal’s Hugh Dancy, the chilling cult leader, round out the perfectly cast crew of Parenthood creator Jason Katims’s hotly anticipated thriller.
Animal Kingdom on TNT
Premiers: Summer 2016
We’re certain producer John Well’s pet project won’t hold a Bic lighter to the drug-dealing chaos unleashed by the 2010 Aussie film on which his series is based. That said, with newly minted TNT president Kevin Reilly on the scene—previously of NBC and FOX, and also the man who turned FX into the envelope-pushing hub of entertainment it is today—we simply can’t count it out.
Stranger Things on Netflix
Premiers: Late 2016
Formerly known as Montauk, the supernatural drama series stars Tim Burton alum Winona Ryder in a fitting role: The mother of a boy who’s tangled up in a mystery involving terrifying forces from beyond the grave. The eight-episode series come from the minds of twin filmmakers Matt and Ross Duffer of Wayward Pines.
Outcast on Cinemax
Premiers: Late 2016
Based on the same-name comic from creator Robert Kirkman, who also created The Walking Dead for Image Comics, the 10-episode series follows a guy named Kyle Barnes (Patrick Fugit from Almost Famous) on his journey to get answers to why he’s lived a life plagued by ghosts, demons, and possession. Genre savant Adam Wingard, who directed You're Next and The Guest, helms the pilot.
The OA on Netflix
Premiers: Late 2016
Full disclosure: We don’t know jack about this show. Except that writer/actress Brit Marling and writer/director Zal Batmanglij, who teamed up to write Sound of My Voice, a chilling cult thriller, and The East, a taut anarchistic thriller, pair up again for this shrouded-in-mystery mystery. Count us in.