While there’s never a shortage of TV dramas in the age of streaming, all those choices can quickly become overwhelming.
It’s hard to know where to begin with so many platforms and so many subgenres to choose from.
That’s why Watch With Us is recommending just one drama show for you to check out this month — and it’s an action-packed, underrated vampire series you can now watch on Netflix.
Learn more about why Van Helsing is our September 2025 pick for the one drama show you should stream.
It’s a Creative Premise That Mixes Old and New Vampire Lore
As you might expect, Van Helsing takes some inspiration from Dracula — it follows a descendant of the legendary vampire slayer Abraham Van Helsing. (In this story, her name is Vanessa Van Helsing, and she’s played by the talented Kelly Overton.) And the series uses some other classic vampire tropes — all the usual ways of killing a vampire are on display here, for example. But Van Helsing the series places that traditional vampire mythos in a very nontraditional landscape.
When the series begins, Vanessa is waking from a three-year coma, during which a volcanic eruption coated the atmosphere with so much ash that the sun was essentially blotted out — leading vampires to rise out of the darkness and take over the world. Now, humans live on the run from vamps, holding on to hope of some savior who may be able to turn things around.
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The setting of Van Helsing is reminiscent of The Walking Dead or The Last of Us, and deals with some of the same themes of tribalism and survival. The vampires are genuinely scary, leaning fully into violence and gore rather than the more elegant bloodsuckers we’ve seen in shows like True Blood. But one of the most interesting twists on vampire mythology is revealed at the end of the first episode — Vanessa’s Van Helsing blood doesn’t just make her immune to vampirism, it has the power to turn vampires back into humans. That discovery gives the show stakes beyond survival: redemption and the possibility of reclaiming humanity.
The Chemistry Between the Leads Is Captivating — and Not How You’d Expect
Vanessa’s partner in her mission against the vampires turns out to be Axel Miller (Jonathan Scarfe), a former Marine who was charged with caring for Vanessa while she was in her coma. Once she wakes up, their connection and like-mindedness are palpable — but it doesn’t take the romantic turn you’d expect. Instead, their strong and loyal friendship becomes one of the show’s greatest assets.
Where many genre shows force a love story, Van Helsing lets Axel and Vanessa build a platonic bond rooted in mutual respect and survival. Their banter balances tension with humor, and their trust in one another allows for some of the most emotionally grounded moments in the series.
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Kelly Overton Is an Underrated Action Hero
Van Helsing ran on Syfy from 2016-2021, and although that’s a respectable run, the series never really got the love it deserved. Kelly Overton, in particular, should be remembered in the butt-kicking female heroine hall of fame alongside Buffy Summers (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Michonne Hawthorne (The Walking Dead) and Wynonna Earp (Wynonna Earp). She has cool superpowers (which get more and more impressive over the course of the series), but she also has the heart of a hero.
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She carries the show with a mix of physicality and emotional weight. Overton’s fight choreography — especially her one-on-one battles with “feral” vampires — proves she can stand toe-to-toe with any action star, while her delivery of Vanessa’s sardonic one-liners gives the character a much-needed edge. At the same time, she plays Vanessa’s struggle with the burden of leadership and motherhood with genuine vulnerability, especially in later seasons when her daughter Dylan becomes part of the story.
If you’re looking to sink your teeth into the best horror action series you’ve never heard of, check out Van Helsing on Netflix.
