Topics
5 Best Shows Like The Bondsman
Although The Bondsman‘s future may seem uncertain, viewers eagerly waiting for its next installment can check out similar supernatural shows. Given how the supernatural genre brims with stories about characters returning from the dead and slaying demons for the devil, The Bondsman does not necessarily bring anything new to the table. It borrows several themes, tropes, and story elements from other renowned shows and movies of the genre and spins them around its unique set of characters.
Despite adopting familiar ideas, The Bondsman never leaves a dull moment and keeps one invested throughout its runtime. Even its cast members do an incredible job of bringing depth to their respective roles, making its horror-comedy and action feel even more engaging and immersive. Owing to this, it is hard not to feel bad when The Bondsman season 1’s end credits start rolling. Fortunately, since the Kevin Bacon horror-comedy show shares many similarities with other shows of the genre, viewers can easily find their next supernatural fix once they are done watching The Bondsman.
5
Stan Against Evil
2016–2018
Starring John C. McGinley, Janet Varney, Nate Mooney, and Deborah Baker Jr., Stan Against Evil lasted for two seasons between 2016 and 2017 before it was canceled. Despite its premature cancelation, Stan Against Evil remains a great addition to the horror genre because of its campy tone, talented cast, and commendable VFX. The show’s titular character, Stan, is not as morally ambiguous as Kevin Bacon’s Hub from The Bondsman. However, like Hub, Stan takes it upon himself to defend his town from supernatural forces like spirits, witches, and demons.
Related
The Bondsman Season 1 Ending Explained: What Happens To Maryanne & How It Sets Up Season 2
The Bondsman season 1 ends with a massive cliffhanger that not only concludes it on a dark note but also perfectly paves the way for an epic season 2.
From a critical standpoint, Stan Against Evil mostly has favorable reviews, with most critics appreciating how it embraces silliness and does not take itself too seriously. Like The Bondsman, Stan Against Evil is not considered groundbreaking in any way. However, that is exactly what makes it the perfect series for viewers seeking light-hearted supernatural escapism.
4
Dead Boy Detectives
2024
Serving as an extension of Netflix’s Sandman universe, Dead Boy Detectives performed incredibly well among viewers and critics. It still boasts an impressive Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score of 92%. However, despite performing so well, Dead Boy Detectives was canceled after season 1. Even though Dead Boy Detectives’ next season will likely never see the light of the day, its first installment presents a compelling self-contained supernatural story that deserves to be celebrated for its blend of supernatural mystery and dark comedy.
…Similar to the Amazon Prime Video show, the Netflix Sandman spin-off presents a compelling lore that explores everything from the dark depths of the underworld to the inner workings of demonic corporations.
Dead Boy Detectives, as its name suggests, is far more procedural in its approach than The Bondsman. However, similar to the Amazon Prime Video show, the Netflix Sandman spin-off presents a compelling lore that explores everything from the dark depths of the underworld to the inner workings of demonic corporations. Since the show was canceled because of low viewership, Netflix might even consider bringing it back if it gets enough eyes.
3
Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency
2016–2017
Based on Douglas Adams’ Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency and The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul, this show lasted two seasons before it was canceled. The show primarily revolves around two characters, Todd Brotzman (Elijah Wood) and Farah Black (Jade Eshete), who set out to solve supernatural cases while uncovering a web of mysterious events that connect to an overarching supernatural conspiracy. Like The Bondsman, Dirk Gently follows a typical monster-of-the-episode format where each installment raises the stakes for the main characters by introducing a new supernatural villain.
2
Preacher
2016–2019
Inspired by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon’s popular 1990s comic book franchise of the same name, Preacher follows former criminal Jesse Custer, who returns to his hometown and becomes a preacher at a local church. He does this solely to keep his promise to his late father but finds a new sense of purpose when a supernatural power takes hold of him. With this, he joins forces with ex-girlfriend Tulip and Irish vagabond Cassidy to set out on a journey to find god while crossing paths with other eerie supernatural forces.
In terms of lore and character beats, Preacher has more depth and complexity than The Bondsman. Just like The Bondsman, though, Preacher, too, features a set of morally ambiguous characters who struggle to find their stance in a gray supernatural world. In its four-season runtime, Preacher rarely feels redundant or predictable and manages to maintain a high quality of storytelling until its final episode.
1
Ash vs Evil Dead
2015–2018
With an almost perfect Rotten Tomatoes score of 99%, Ash vs Evil Dead easily ranks among the best supernatural shows of all time. The show follows Bruce Campbell reprising his Evil Dead role, where his chainsaw-wielding Ash Williams fights one supernatural force after another. Given how Kevin Bacon’s Hub also uses a chainsaw to brutally kill two demons in The Bondsman season 1, and the Prime Video show seems to revisit many tropes that were once touchstones of the Evil Dead franchise, it is hard not to believe that it was inspired by the Sam Raimi franchise.
