# Van Helsing (TV series)
**Van Helsing** is a Canadian horror-drama television series that aired on Syfy from September 23, 2016 to 2021, running five seasons and 65 episodes[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5197820) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/van_helsing/s01). Created by playwright and filmmaker [Neil LaBute](https://www.edgepedia.org/neil-labute), it reimagines the Dracula story with a female lead: Vanessa Helsing, a descendant of the vampire hunter [Abraham Van Helsing](https://www.edgepedia.org/abraham-van-helsing), wakes from a coma into a world overrun by vampires and discovers that her blood can turn the creatures back into humans[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/van_helsing/s01) • [3](https://ddd.uab.cat/pub/tesis/2024/hdl_10803_692941/xvb1de1.pdf). The Television Academy describes the series as having no relation to the 2004 feature film *Van Helsing*[4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/news/mix/memorable-vampires).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Network and run | Syfy, September 23, 2016 to 2021; five seasons, 65 episodes[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5197820) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/van_helsing/s01) |
| Lead | Kelly Overton as Vanessa Helsing; Jonathan Scarfe, Christopher Heyerdahl, Aleks Paunovic, Nicole Muñoz, and Keeya King among the principal cast[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5197820) • [5](https://www.syfy.com/van-helsing?page=0) |
| Central premise | Vanessa's unique blood composition makes her immune to vampires and lets her turn vampires back into humans[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/van_helsing/s01) |
| In-world catastrophe | "The Rising," a volcanic eruption that clouds the sun and allows vampires to thrive, with Yellowstone named as the eruption source[6](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/van-helsing-feeders-ferals-and-vanessa-explained/) |
| Content rating | TV-14 in the United States; 18+ on Netflix[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/van_helsing/s01) • [7](https://www.netflix.com/title/80121349) |
| Reception | Season 1: 82% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer, Metascore 54, IMDb series rating 6.3/10 from about 27,000 users[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/van_helsing/s01) • [8](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/van-helsing-2016/season-1/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5197820) |
| Final season | Season five, confirmed as the series' final run after the season 4 finale[9](https://shows.acast.com/scififidelity/episodes/sff83-jonathanlloydwalkerinterview-vanhelsing) |
## Premise and setting
The series opens after an event called "The Rising": a volcanic eruption that fills the sky with ash and produces years of overcast conditions, allowing vampires to move freely in a sunless world[6](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/van-helsing-feeders-ferals-and-vanessa-explained/). Executive producer Simon Barry said Yellowstone was chosen as the eruption source because it is the super-volcano the writers believed could plausibly generate months and years of continuous ash, a nuclear-winter scenario[6](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/van-helsing-feeders-ferals-and-vanessa-explained/).
Vanessa Helsing, daughter of the famed vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing, awakens from a coma into this world[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/van_helsing/s01). Sources describe the timeline differently: Rotten Tomatoes says she wakes after a five-year coma[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/van_helsing/s01), while Netflix's synopsis says she awakens after three years in a coma[7](https://www.netflix.com/title/80121349). In the pilot she is protected in a hospital by the soldier Axel Miller, discovers her unusual powers, and learns the world fell to vampires while she slept[7](https://www.netflix.com/title/80121349).
The vampires of the show depart from the seductive archetype: they are fast, feral, and blood-soaked, and the series distinguishes them from zombies by giving them consciousness and character. Barry acknowledged the group-survival dynamic invites comparison to *The Walking Dead* but pointed out that his antagonists are actual characters the audience comes to know[6](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/van-helsing-feeders-ferals-and-vanessa-explained/).
Vanessa's power is the show's signature twist: she can turn vampires back into humans by biting them or being bitten by them, which makes her both humanity's hope for restoring the world and the vampires' prime target[5](https://www.syfy.com/van-helsing?page=0) • [6](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/van-helsing-feeders-ferals-and-vanessa-explained/).
## Development and production
The show had an unusual origin. Barry explained that, unlike most series pitched to a broadcaster by an outside writer, *Van Helsing* was generated inside Syfy from an internal pitch document[6](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/van-helsing-feeders-ferals-and-vanessa-explained/).
Neil LaBute served as showrunner for the first season. In an interview about the premiere he said he had adapted [Bram Stoker](https://www.edgepedia.org/bram-stoker)'s *Dracula* for the stage years earlier and had already turned Van Helsing into a woman in that adaptation, which made him feel like a good candidate for the job[10](https://www.syfy.com/van-helsing/season-1/blogs/van-helsing-showrunner-qa-season-1-episode-1). Simon Barry served as co-showrunner during the first season[11](https://www.tvgoodness.com/2016/11/04/simon-barry-talks-van-helsings-season-so-far/), and Jonathan Lloyd Walker later served as showrunner; in an interview recorded after the season 4 finale he discussed the broadening of the Van Helsing legacy and a direction for season five, the series' final run[9](https://shows.acast.com/scififidelity/episodes/sff83-jonathanlloydwalkerinterview-vanhelsing).
Season 1's executive producers included LaBute, Barry, Chad Oakes, Michael Frislev, Michael Nankin, Chris Regina, and Jonathan Walker, with directors including Michael Nankin and David Frazee[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/van_helsing/s01).
## Cast
Kelly Overton leads the series as Vanessa Helsing[5](https://www.syfy.com/van-helsing?page=0). SYFY's cast listing also names [Jonathan Scarfe](https://www.edgepedia.org/jonathan-scarfe), Christopher Heyerdahl, Vincent Gale, and Rukiya Bernard[5](https://www.syfy.com/van-helsing?page=0), and IMDb credits Aleks Paunovic, Nicole Muñoz, and Keeya King among the stars, with new blood joining for season 4[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5197820).
## Reception
Season 1 earned a mixed-to-favorable critical response. Rotten Tomatoes recorded an 82% Tomatometer from 11 critics, with a critics consensus praising the relatable performances and fallen-society storyline while noting it might benefit from additional action sequences; the audience Popcornmeter stood at 55%[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/van_helsing/s01). Metacritic assigned a Metascore of 54, labeled mixed or average, from five critic reviews, with a user score of 5.2[8](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/van-helsing-2016/season-1/). Reviewers frequently noted the show's violence: the Salt Lake Tribune's Scott D. Pierce called it "super violent and super gory" while suggesting genre fans give it a chance[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/van_helsing/s01).
Across the full run, IMDb users rate the series 6.3/10 from about 27,000 ratings, with an unweighted mean of 6.7; per-season episode averages drift downward, from around 7.0 for early seasons to the mid-6s for season 5[12](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5197820/ratings/). An academic survey of vampire productions observed that despite five seasons the series did not have the cultural impact of ethical-vampire works such as *Twilight* or *True Blood*[3](https://ddd.uab.cat/pub/tesis/2024/hdl_10803_692941/xvb1de1.pdf).
## Availability
The series streamed on Netflix, which lists it as five seasons and rates it 18+[7](https://www.netflix.com/title/80121349). It is also available on Amazon Prime Video and free ad-supported services including [The Roku Channel](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-roku-channel), Tubi TV, and Fandango at Home Free, and can be purchased on DVD and Blu-ray[13](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/van-helsing).
## References
1. [Van Helsing (TV Series 2016–2021), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5197820)
2. [Van Helsing: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/van_helsing/s01)
3. [Doctoral thesis on vampire productions, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona](https://ddd.uab.cat/pub/tesis/2024/hdl_10803_692941/xvb1de1.pdf)
4. [TV's Most Memorable Vampires, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/news/mix/memorable-vampires)
5. [Van Helsing official site, SYFY](https://www.syfy.com/van-helsing?page=0)
6. [Van Helsing: Feeders, Ferals, and Vanessa Explained, Den of Geek](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/van-helsing-feeders-ferals-and-vanessa-explained/)
7. [Van Helsing, Netflix](https://www.netflix.com/title/80121349)
8. [Van Helsing (2016) season 1, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/van-helsing-2016/season-1/)
9. [Jonathan Lloyd Walker Interview, Sci Fi Fidelity (Acast)](https://shows.acast.com/scififidelity/episodes/sff83-jonathanlloydwalkerinterview-vanhelsing)
10. [Van Helsing Showrunner Q&A: Season 1, Episode 1, SYFY](https://www.syfy.com/van-helsing/season-1/blogs/van-helsing-showrunner-qa-season-1-episode-1)
11. [Simon Barry Talks Van Helsing's Season So Far, TV Goodness](https://www.tvgoodness.com/2016/11/04/simon-barry-talks-van-helsings-season-so-far/)
12. [Van Helsing ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5197820/ratings/)
13. [Van Helsing streaming guide, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/van-helsing)
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