The Strain
Monster horrorCreatures and slashers, fear made physical.This show: 9/10Graphic violenceExplicit, unflinching violence.This show: 8/10Dark toneShadowy mood and subject matter, a shade short of outright bleak.This show: 8/10SurvivalStaying alive against nature, scarcity or pursuit.This show: 7/10SerializedContinuous arcs where every episode builds on the last.This show: 7/10TenseSustained suspense and pressure from start to finish.This show: 7/10
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Starring
Corey StollDavid BradleyKevin DurandJonathan HydeRichard SammelMiguel Gomez
Written by
Guillermo del ToroChuck Hogan
Starring
Corey StollDavid BradleyKevin DurandJonathan HydeRichard SammelMiguel Gomez
Written by
Guillermo del ToroChuck Hogan
Ratings per Episode
Votes per Episode
The Strain Episode Ratings Heatmap
| Avg | E1 | E2 | E3 | E4 | E5 | E6 | E7 | E8 | E9 | E10 | E11 | E12 | E13 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S1 | 7.9 | 8.2 | 7.7 | 7.8 | 7.6 | 7.9 | 7.9 | 8.4 | 8.4 | 7.6 | 7.4 | 7.7 | 7.9 | 7.8 | |
| S2 | 7.7 | 7.7 | 7.5 | 7.4 | 7.3 | 7.6 | 7.8 | 7.8 | 7.7 | 7.8 | 7.8 | 8.0 | 7.3 | 8.1 | |
| S3 | 7.9 | 7.6 | 7.6 | 8.1 | 7.6 | 7.7 | 7.9 | 7.6 | 8.0 | 8.5 | 8.3 | ||||
| S4 | 8.0 | 7.6 | 7.4 | 7.6 | 7.5 | 7.9 | 8.0 | 8.9 | 8.3 | 7.8 | 8.2 |
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About
"Vampire apocalypse played as gruesome viral outbreak horror"
A viral outbreak on a landed plane turns out to be the opening move of an ancient vampire apocalypse, and a CDC doctor teams up with a grizzled Holocaust survivor who's hunted these creatures before. The show leans hard into body horror: parasitic worms, bleached skin, stinger tongues, and a slow citywide collapse into chaos. It's pulpy and gruesome rather than elegant, moving at a deliberate burn early on before turning into full outbreak carnage. Del Toro's visual imagination carries a lot of it, even as the plotting gets messier season to season.
Watch it for
the practical creature effects and Del Toro's gnarly, parasite-driven take on vampirism.
Maybe skip if
you want tight plotting, since later seasons sprawl and grow uneven.
Written by our AI editor to help you decide, spoiler-free by design.
All Seasons
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Season 12014
7.927K139h 55m
Season one begins the story of Dr. Ephraim Goodweather, the head of the CDC Canary Team in New York City. He and his team are called upon to investigate a viral outbreak with hallmarks of an ancient and evil strain of vampirism. As the strain spreads, Eph and his team wage war for the fate of humanity itself.
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Season 22015
7.717K139h 59m
The transformation has begun in season two. New York City is falling to an evil epidemic and no one is coming to its rescue. Its citizens must fight or die. Now Eph and Dr. Martinez concentrate on creating a biological weapon, while Setrakian searches for an ancient book he hopes will reveal the strigoi's history...and possibly a way to kill them.
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Season 32016
7.911K107h 10m
New York City is a battleground as humans fight for survival against the vampire apocalypse in season three. Though our heroes achieve small victories, they are not winning the war. Beset by personal conflicts – betrayal, disappointment, paranoia – the group splinters as the Master closes in on executing an irreversible transformation of the world.
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Season 42017
8.011K107h 20m
As the final season begins, nine months have passed. The world has fallen into darkness, and the strigoi are in control. The Master and his minions have created an unsettling alliance in “The Partnership.” The majority of humans are now working for the strigoi, operating with a single understanding – collaborate or die.
In the face of annihilation…do our heroes have what it takes to save humankind?
Full Cast & Crew
Cast
Corey Stoll Ephraim Goodweather
David Bradley Abraham Setrakian
Kevin Durand Vasiliy Fet
Jonathan Hyde Eldritch Palmer, The Master
Richard Sammel Thomas Eichhorst
Miguel Gomez Augustin 'Gus' Elizalde
Ruta Gedmintas Dutch Velders
Natalie Brown Kelly Goodweather
Max Charles Zach Goodweather
Robin Atkin Downes The Master
Crew
Guillermo del Toro
Chuck Hogan
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