Editing Dark Shadows (section)

{{short description|American Gothic soap opera}}
{{about|the 1960s ABC soap opera|other uses|Dark Shadows (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox television
| image                = Dark Shadows (original television series) logo.svg
| caption              = 
| genre                = {{Unbulleted list|
[[Soap opera]]|
[[Gothic fiction|Gothic]]|
[[Horror fiction|Horror]]
}}
| runtime              = 20-22 minutes
| producer             = Robert Costello
| creator              = [[Dan Curtis]]
| developer            = [[Art Wallace]]
| writer               = [[Gordon Russell (writer)|Gordon Russell]]<br>[[Sam Hall (writer)|Sam Hall]]<br>[[Ron Sproat]]<br>Violet Welles<br>[[Malcolm Marmorstein]]<br>Art Wallace<br>Joe Caldwell<br>[[Francis Swann]]<br>Ralph Ellis
| starring             = [[Joan Bennett]]<br>[[Louis Edmonds]]<br>[[Nancy Barrett]]<br>[[Denise Nickerson]]<br>[[Mitchell Ryan]]<br>[[Alexandra Isles|Alexandra Moltke]]<br>[[Grayson Hall]]<br>[[Kate Jackson]]<br>[[Jonathan Frid]]<br>[[Kathryn Leigh Scott]]<br>[[David Selby]]<br>[[Clarice Blackburn]]<br>[[Lara Parker]]<br>[[Thayer David]]<br>[[John Karlen]]<br>David Henesy
| composer             = [[Robert Cobert]]
| country              = United States
| company              = Dan Curtis Productions
| network              = [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
| first_aired          = {{Start date|1966|6|27}}
| last_aired           = {{End date|1971|4|2}}
| num_episodes         = 1,225
| num_seasons          = 6
| list_episodes        = List of Dark Shadows episodes
}}

'''''Dark Shadows''''' is an American [[Gothic fiction|Gothic]] [[soap opera]] that aired weekdays on the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] television network from June 27, 1966, to April 2, 1971. The show depicted the lives, loves, trials, and tribulations of the wealthy Collins family of [[Collinsport]], [[Maine]], where a number of supernatural occurrences take place.

The series became popular when [[vampire]] [[Barnabas Collins]] ([[Jonathan Frid]]) was introduced ten months into its run. It would also feature [[ghost]]s, [[werewolf|werewolves]], [[zombie]]s, man-made monsters, [[witch]]es, [[warlock]]s, [[time travel]], and a [[Parallel universe (fiction)|parallel universe]]. A small company of actors each played many roles; as actors came and went, some characters were played by more than one actor. The show was distinguished by its melodramatic performances, atmospheric interiors, numerous dramatic plot twists, broad cosmos of characters, and heroic adventures. Unusual among the soap operas of its time, which were aimed primarily at adults, ''Dark Shadows'' developed a large [[teenager|teenage]] audience and a dedicated [[cult following]]. By 1969, it had become ABC's highest-rated daytime series.

The original network run of the show amassed 1,225 episodes. The success of the series spawned a media franchise that has included two feature films (''[[House of Dark Shadows]]'' in 1970 and ''[[Night of Dark Shadows]]'' in 1971), a [[Dark Shadows (1991 TV series)|1991 TV remake]], [[Dark Shadows (2004 TV pilot)|an unsprouted 2004 remake pilot]], a [[Dark Shadows (film)|2012 film reboot]] directed by [[Tim Burton]], and numerous spin-off novels and comics. Since 2006, the series has continued as a [[Dark Shadows (audio drama)|range of audio dramas]] produced by [[Big Finish Productions]], featuring members of the original cast including [[David Selby]], [[Lara Parker]], and [[Kathryn Leigh Scott]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bigfinish.com/hubs/v/dark-shadows|title=Hubs - Big Finish|work=bigfinish.com|access-date=2015-01-15|archive-date=2015-01-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150121033141/http://www.bigfinish.com/hubs/v/dark-shadows|url-status=live}}</ref>

''[[TV Guide]]''{{'}}s list of all-time Top Cult Shows ranked the series #19 in 2004,<ref>[http://forums.tannerworld.com/showthread.php?t=4001 TV Guide's 25 Top Cult Shows&nbsp;— TannerWorld Junction] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090104213337/http://forums.tannerworld.com/showthread.php?t=4001 |date=2009-01-04 }} TannerWorld Junction: May 26, 2004</ref> and #23 in 2007.<ref name="TopCultShows">[https://www.tvguide.com/news/top-cult-shows-40239.aspx TV Guide Names the Top Cult Shows Ever&nbsp;— Today's News: Our Take] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120812080754/http://www.tvguide.com/news/top-cult-shows-40239.aspx |date=2012-08-12 }} [[TV Guide]]: June 29, 2007.</ref>