Raising the stakes: the 25 best vampire TV shows, ranked

had great action and lots of gore—which is exactly what you’d want from anything Blade-related—but it was missing a crucial element that made the film trilogy work: Wesley Snipes. Though the series is a continuation of the films, Snipes didn’t return, leaving the role to be filled by Sticky Fingaz. To be fair, Fingaz does a great job as the titular half-vampire vampire hunter, but it’s simply impossible to fill Snipes’ shoes. The series probably would’ve been much better off if it had just started over in a new continuity and distanced itself from the films, but the lack of Snipes was a dealbreaker for viewers, and Blade: The Series was canceled after one season. [Jen Lennon]