The Strain

When a baffling outbreak hits New York City, Dr. Ephraim Goodweather, head of the CDC Canary Team, is pulled into a case that looks less like any flu and more like something ancient and predatory. As he and his small team investigate, evidence points to a vampiric strain that spreads fast and leaves bodies and minds changed. The show follows the investigators, a handful of street-smart survivors, and an unlikely group of allies as they try to hold the city together while learning what this pathogen is and how it spreads. Tension builds through containment efforts, moral compromises, and escalating threats to anyone who gets too close.

The series premiered in 2014 on FX, created by Guillermo del Toro and Carlton Cuse, and adapts material from the novel series by del Toro and Chuck Hogan. Its setup blends procedural disease investigation with mythic horror elements.

Critical response leaned toward mixed to positive, reflected in an average user score around 7.5 out of 10. Reviewers often praised the show's atmosphere, production design, and creature work, while some noted uneven pacing and occasional shifts in tone across seasons. Central themes include infection and containment, the breakdown of institutions under stress, and what people will do to survive when rules collapse.

Among genre audiences the show made an impression for bringing graphic, old-world vampire imagery into a modern urban epidemic setting. It attracted a dedicated fanbase interested in serialized horror on cable television, and it contributed to conversations about blending medical thriller tropes with supernatural horror on TV.

The Strain did not become a major awards magnet at mainstream ceremonies. It kept a steady viewership across its run and gained attention within horror and sci-fi communities, even though it wasn't widely decorated at the big industry awards shows.