Dark Shadows (1991)

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Dark Shadows (1991) ranks 2,447 out of the 18,225 shows on TV.com.

The 92 users who count themselves as Dark Shadows (1991) fans have written a total of 9 reviews.

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In 1966, the gothic soap opera Dark Shadows premiered on ABC and ran for 5 years, making exactly 1,225 episodes. Today, it is known as one of the most popular cult classics of all time. In 1991, Dan Curtis remade the show as a weekly prime-time drama. NBC bought the series and aired it mid-season 1991.... more »

In 1966, the gothic soap opera Dark Shadows premiered on ABC and ran for 5 years, making exactly 1,225 episodes. Today, it is known as one of the most popular cult classics of all time. In 1991, Dan Curtis remade the show as a weekly prime-time drama. NBC bought the series and aired it mid-season 1991. The series wasn't up to NBC's standards in ratings, so the network cancelled the show after only twelve one-hour episodes.

Dark Shadows: The Revival Series remade most of the beginning storylines and the episodes that transported Victoria Winters back to 1790 (in the original series, Victoria went back to 1795). The series starts with the resurrection of Barnabas Collins, who was released from his coffin by Willie Loomis, the bumbling caretaker on a quest for legendary family riches. Dr. Julia Hoffman attempts to cure his vampirism, and release him from the curse that Angelique Bouchard put on him two hundred years earlier. Later on, Victoria is transported to 1790 during a séance in which the Collins family was trying to contact Barnabas' sister, Sarah, who died in 1790. Trapped in the past, Victoria becomes the governess of Sarah and Daniel Collins, and the governess who was hired to tutor the children, Phyllis Wick, has taken Victoria's place in 1991. Victoria stays in 1790 for a while, and many people accuse her of being a witch for knowledge of the future and many other things. She is put on trial and Peter Bradford (her first friend in 1790 Collinsport) tries to save her from being hanged.less «

• Still Remember It!!

  I was in 3rd grade when this was on, and I watched every ep. Wish they'd give it another chance. Can't they replace one of the many Law and Order shows on NBC?

  I was in 3rd grade when this was on, and I watched every ep. Wish they'd give it another chance. Can't they replace one of the many Law and Order shows on NBC?less «

  menmyteddy13 Last online Mar 19, 2009
  9 comments, last one Apr 4, 2009 + Add Comment

• Dark Shadows on the big screen

  Good news! Dark Shadows is going to be brought to the big screen. As of now the only role they have filled is the part of Barnabas Collins. Johnny Depp is to play the part. Who do you think should play the other parts?

  Good news! Dark Shadows is going to be brought to the big screen. As of now the only role they have filled is the part of Barnabas Collins. Johnny Depp is to play the part. Who do you think should play the other parts? less «

  tbys1980 Last online 2 days ago
  2 comments, last one Apr 4, 2009 + Add Comment

• Dark Shadows Revival Series moved too fast

  Do you think DS: Revival moved too fast compared to the original series?  I mean after just 6 episodes they were into the past and then in 6 more they were back again.  Don't get me wrong I enjoyed this series.  I am just curious as to what everyone else thinks.

  Do you think DS: Revival moved too fast compared to the original series?  I mean after just 6 episodes they were into the past and then in 6 more they were back again.  Don't get me wrong I enjoyed this series.  I am just curious as to what everyone else thinks.less «

  tbys1980 Last online 2 days ago
  5 comments, last one Nov 24, 2007 + Add Comment

•  

  6.5 Fair

  It wasn't as good as the original, but still not too bad. hide « show »

  Ben Cross was slightly lacking in his Barnabas, but he did get better as the series progressed; who knows where he would have been had the series continued.
  I do not remember Angelique being quite so...French in the origial, but Lysette Anthony did a respectable job.
  Carolyn was not quite as much of a... what's the word that I'm looking for? spoiled brat (to put it nicely).
  I loved Michael T. Weiss in this, he is a really underappreciated actor.
  Jean Simmons was brilliant as Elizabeth Collins Stoddard.
  I wish we'd gotten to see more of Josef Gordon-Levitt as David.
  I don't remember an affair between Maggie Evans and Roger Collins.

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  CrimsonFlame42 Added Mar 30, 2009 All my reviews
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  10 Perfect

  One of my favorite shows hide « show »

  I was a teenager when the show was on and knew nothing of the original and let me just say, I LOVED this show. It might be what got me started on my fondness for this genre. The vampires, witches, flashbacks, the love story! I was completely engrossed in this show, would wait for it anxiously every week, and would be sad when the hour was up. When the season ended, with so many things left unresolved it made me anxious for its return. I did not like it one bit when NBC cancelled the show. So many questions left un-answered. It would have been nice if they had done a TV movie on it to tie up the loose ends. But we'll never know what happened.

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  ilhbk923 Added Jul 11, 2008 All my reviews
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  9 Superb

  Love this show hide « show »

  I loved this show back when it was first airing on NBC. It got jerked around and moved around and people couldn't find it to keep watching. Ben Cross was amazing as Barnabas and I love seeing him in other things to this day.
  This show ended on a cliffhanger of Twin Peaks proportions and I really hate that because I still want to find out what happened next. I'm glad that it was back for as long as it was. Haven't ever watched the original series though.
  Too bad they wouldn't let them do a 2 hour TV movie after it was cancelled to let them tie up all the loose ends.

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  sweet_em Added Oct 8, 2006 All my reviews
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  10 Perfect

  Inspiring Return to a Classic Horror Series hide « show »

  After the demise of "Dallas," there seemed to begin a curse that there would never again be another successful Friday Night TV series. "Sabrina The Teenage Witch" almost broke this curse, and "Ghost Whisperer" just may break this curse. Unfortunately, the NBC network also started their track record for horrible mistakes and cancelling great shows against viewer demand with this one. Killed by Gulf War footage, this show actually nearly filled in the vacuum on Friday with the excellant idea of remaking America's favorite series with the budget and location shootings it deserved. Ben Cross made an excellant, if not, more seductive Barnabus,and Joanna Going made an exquisitely beautiful and virginal ingenue as Victoria Winters. The whole cast was perfect, except for perhaps the new Carolyn, and the mysterious mansion that served as Collinwood had the right amount of Gothic atmosphere for the series. Much of the series original concept was altered to more modernize the story and previous storylines were altered for a cleaner and easier to follow flow. Started not with the start of its original, but at the point the original series became a cult hit, this mini-series very nearly became a hit except for some criticism from loyal fans of the original. If allowed to continue, this show would have definitely been a hit, but NBC realized it far too late and went against viewer support and common sense by ending another great series and furter making what the Dark Shadows cosmology will always be - eternal.

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  aesgaard41 Added Aug 29, 2006 All my reviews
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  9.5 Superb

  What a great remake. hide « show »

  Vampires, great plots, flash bakcs to colonial times, great costumes, witchcraft, what else could this show have. This show was wonderful. It had great acting, great stories and yet it was cancelled. To me, this show was an improvement over the first one. Ben cross made a great barnabus. the only downer was that it did not get a fair chance. It was so much better than the original yet did not last. I think if it was on another network it would have lasted. My whole family would watch htis show. True it was a dark subject matter, but i was only nine years old and new it was only make believe. i just loved everyhthing about it. Even the remake of this show was cancelled before it jjpremiered. Networks just wont give dark shadows a chance.

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  makgambit Added Jul 16, 2006 All my reviews