Set in Collinsport, Maine, the original series focused on the tangled lives and histories of the Collins family. Matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (well-known classical Hollywood movie star Joan Bennett) presided over the ancestral estate, Collinwood, along with her brother Roger Collins (Louis Edmonds). The show was in danger of being canceled after its first few months on the air until the character of Barnabas Collins, a 172-year-old vampire, was introduced. As played by Jonathan Frid, Barnabas was less a monster and more a tortured gothic hero, and he quickly became the show’s most popular character. Governess Victoria Winters (Alexandra Moltke), waitress Maggie Evans (Kathryn Leigh Scott), and Elizabeth’s daughter Carolyn (Nancy Barrett) became the first few women to fall sway to the vampire’s charms. Dr. Julia Hoffman (Grayson Hall) attempted to cure him of his affliction, although she too subsequently fell in love with him. Barbabas was protected during the day by his manservant Willie Loomis (John Karlen), although Roger’s son David (David Henesy) almost discovered his secret.

One of the series’ most innovative developments was its use of time travel and parallel universes as narrative tropes that constantly reshuffled storylines and characters, enabling many of the show’s most popular actors to play different types of characters within different settings. The first of these shifts occurred when governess Victoria Winters traveled back in time (via a séance) to the year 1795 so that the series could explore the origins of Barbabas’s vampirism. The witch Angelique (Lara Parker) was introduced during these episodes, as was the witch-hunting Reverend Trask (Jerry Lacy). After the 1795 sequence, Angelique returned to the present-day Collinwood as Roger’s new wife Cassandra; she continued to practice witchcraft under the direction of warlock Nicholas Blair (Humbert Allen Astredo). Other classic gothic narratives were soon pressed into service, and the 1968 episodes also featured a werewolf, a Frankenstein-type creation, and a pair of ghosts à la The Turn of the Screw.

Those ghosts proved to be the catalyst to another time shift, this time to 1897, wherin dashing playboy Quentin Collins (David Selby) was introduced. His dark good looks and brooding sensuality made him a hit with the fans, and his popularity soon began to rival that of Barnabas. The 1897 sequence marked the height of the show’s popularity, and the writers created intricately interwoven stories about vampires, witches, gypsies, zombies, madwomen, and a magical Count Petofi (Thayer David). Quentin was turned into a werewolf, only to have the curse controlled by a portrait, as The Picture of Dorian Gray. When the show returned to the present time once again, it began working a storyline liberally cribbed from H.P. Lovecraft’s “Cthulu” mythos. Though various time shifts and parallel universes, the show continued to rework gothic classics (including Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Turn of the Screw, Rebecca, Wuthering Heights, and The Lottery) until its demise in 1971. Ingénues came and went, including pre-Charlie’s Angels Kate Jackson as Daphne Harridge and Donna McKechnie (A Chorus Line) as Amanda Harris.

The Popularity of Dark Shadows must be set against the countercultural movements of the late 1960s: interest in alternative religions, altered states of consciousness, and paranormal phenomena such as witchcraft. Dark Shadows regularly explored those areas through its sympathetic supernatural creatures, while most of the true villains of the piece turned out to be stern patriarchs and hypocritical preachers. (The show did come under attack from some fundamentalist Christian groups who dubbed the series “Satan’s favorite TV show.”) Monstrous characters as heroic or likable figures were appearing elsewhere on TV at this time in shows such as Bewitched, The Addams Family, and The Munsters. Many fans of those shows (and Dark Shadows) apparently looked to these figures as playful countercultural icons, existing in a twilight world somewhere outside the patriarchal hegemony. Furthermore, since the show was shot live on tape and mistakes were rarely edited out, the series had a bargain-basement charm that appealed both to spectators who took its storylines seriously and to those who appreciated the spooky goings-on as camp. The range of acting styles also facilitated a camp appreciation, as did the frequently outlandish situations, costumes, and makeup. Despite these technical shortcomings, the gothic romance of the show appears to be one of its most enduring charms. Fan publications most regularly try to recapture the tragic romantic flavor of the show rather than its campiness, although some fans faulted the latter-day NBC remake for taking itself too seriously. Whatever their idiosyncratic reasons, Dark Shadows fans remained devoted to the property, and its characters remain popular icons in U.S. culture.