The Strain is about a viral outbreak in New York City that turns you into a vampire. It follows a team, led by the head of CDC and other residents of the city, as they look for a cure to this virus all the while as they wage war against the evil that plagues their city. It's a show that never slows down and at times doesn't make a whole lot of sense but you'll still have a good time watching it. The best thing about this show is Corey Stoll, who finally gets a job as a lead on a show and he doesn't disappoint. This show may not be for everyone but for anyone who enjoys a good vampire or supernatural show then you'll probably enjoy this too.
256 Reviews
Everyone is right... the kid
yenifersay19 July 2021
Interesting!
Supermanfan-136 November 2022
I finally finished watching The Strain recently and have to say I really enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I'm a fan of vampire genre and deadly outbreak type shows so I'm not really sure why I out it off for so long. This is a lot different than any other vampire/deadly virus show that I've ever seen. I was definitely entertained from start to finish. All the characters and their background stories were all very interesting. Like most shows there are a few annoying characters but for the most part they're all pretty good. They also reward you with a great ending for sticking with it through the four seasons. It's hard to stick a good ending that is satisfying but this show pulls it off.
I HATE THAT KID
allisoncarroll197117 August 2022
I loved the series. Would have been much better if they killed off Zack in season 1. That kid was a worthless character. But other than that aggravating annoyance, the series was great. I was hooked from the beginning.
A refreshing take on classic vampire / zombie shows
williehayes-336898 November 2023
I recently decided to watch "The Strain" as my Halloween series over October and can say I was pleasantly surprised by how well the story unfolded. The main characters, aside from the kid, were all fantastic. This show has a good balance of story telling, along with action and drama to keep you entertained. Furthermore, they did not stretch it out too long. 4 seasons was the perfect amount and the ending was good / provides closure to the series.
Reading other reviews I did see a lot of negative comments regarding the kid. And while I agree he was not a great actor nor did his decision end of season 3 make much sense, I feel that season 4 built on his character a lot and made the ending more satisfying.
Reading other reviews I did see a lot of negative comments regarding the kid. And while I agree he was not a great actor nor did his decision end of season 3 make much sense, I feel that season 4 built on his character a lot and made the ending more satisfying.
Better Choice of Zach
desiraelily4 July 2022
Pretty okay for the most part, wish they'd have kept the first Zach. The first kid was fine, the second one is so unlikeable. A whiny brat, that one. Charlotte is a huge downgrade from Dutch, her mouth is so wide she'd make a great Strigoi.
I do love Fet & Quinlan!
I do love Fet & Quinlan!
Great watch if you don't nit-pick too hard
chrismugea23 January 2023
Yes, it has its flaws. It's full of plot holes and annoying over-used tropes. Yes, the kid character is incredibly annoying but I guess he drives the plot forward. Yes, the actor playing the kid is terrible and only has two emotions: Squinting with his mouth closed and squinting with his mouth open. Yes, in classic horror movie fashion everybody takes horrible decisions, they don't make sure their mortal enemy is actually dead, they go on silly speeches before going for the kill, allowing the antagonist to escape.
But overall, it was pretty enjoyable and different.
Great acting, apart from the kid.
7/10.
But overall, it was pretty enjoyable and different.
Great acting, apart from the kid.
7/10.
[7.6] Worth watching for Richard Sammel performance alone
cjonesas3 November 2023
A superb drama, fantasy, horror series by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan. I loved its uncompromising vibe and atmosphere, its "gruesome" screenplay, its near outstanding development and to some great extents its acting, besides Corey Stoll and Max charles who nearly undermined the series flow, especially in the last season.
One of the few series that truly combines horrific screenplay, storyline plots and gripping visual effects since the first episode.
Highly recommended and one of Guillermo del Toro's brightest and finest works.
One of the few series that truly combines horrific screenplay, storyline plots and gripping visual effects since the first episode.
Highly recommended and one of Guillermo del Toro's brightest and finest works.
- Screenplay/storyline/plots: 7.5
- Development: 8.5
- Realism: 7.5
- Entertainment: 8.5
- Acting: 7.5
- Filming/photography/cinematography: 9
- VFX: 8
- Music/score/sound: 8
- Depth: 7
- Logic: 5.5
- Flow: 8
- Drama/fantasy/horror: 7.5
- Ending: 7.
Start out strong then fizzled
tonlo-127 December 2014
I like Del Torro's work so I was anticipating this show for some time. It started off strong, good concept, different take on things & I enjoyed maybe the first half of the season. The effects were good for TV. Then it became cheesy & super predictable. The acting from some of the cast was barely mediocre. The boy/son was hard to watch, he came off bratty & not a great actor (sorry, I know he's a kid) The ending, I won't spoil but was disappointing for a season finale. I highly doubt I will tune in for season 2 when there are so many other, better put together shows available like The Knick or Penny Dreadful. The best story line was about the old man when he was younger but that was it. Sorry, not a fan.
My Progress Through This Series
gogreenlmenvironmental2 May 2023
Season 1: I was so excited I could not stop watching it. I love Vampire stories but not like Twilight, you are not supposed to fall in love with vampires. That is why I could not get into Twilight... but this story has got me completely hooked and I cannot wait to see what is in store for us in the coming seasons.
Season 2: So far I am absolutely loving this series, here is my character assessment.
Zach - He is a complete JERK and I am not sure what I would do if I was Eph, probably let him go.
Fet - What can I say about Fet except he is the epitome of machismo and I absolutely LOVE his sense of humor and MAN is he sexy!!!!
Setrakian - This character from the beginning caught my attention and I want to know how his character turns out.
Season 2: So far I am absolutely loving this series, here is my character assessment.
Zach - He is a complete JERK and I am not sure what I would do if I was Eph, probably let him go.
Fet - What can I say about Fet except he is the epitome of machismo and I absolutely LOVE his sense of humor and MAN is he sexy!!!!
Setrakian - This character from the beginning caught my attention and I want to know how his character turns out.
Don't trust the bad reviews, either they've seen just a few eps or wrong audience
leoabir-0775624 August 2017
I'll start off by saying that this series compelled me to create an IMDb account.
There are many things that makes this show one of my all time favorites: 1) The intense, noir setting 2) No unwanted random scenes (Everything contributes to the plot) 3) Fast paced (the beginning is a little slow but it's very gripping) 4) Del Torro and his direction 5) Great animation and CGI 6) Very believable and rational story line 7) Dark atmosphere and background 8) Apocalypse and survival strategies
I'm a person that enjoys dark, intense setting with good story line and action I love shows like Death Note (anime), Lost, Game of thrones, the 100, etc
If you like any of the above mentioned shows or a thrilling, dark themed apocalyptic series, you're going to absolutely love this!
People who are asking so many questions right at the beginning of the show and are calling this stupid, are dumb AF. Literally everything is explained as the show goes on!
The first episode is captivating to say the least. It's a little slow after that, but it picks up pace real quick and from that point on wards it's one crazy ride with some kick-ass characters and a dark, apocalyptic atmosphere.
There are many things that makes this show one of my all time favorites: 1) The intense, noir setting 2) No unwanted random scenes (Everything contributes to the plot) 3) Fast paced (the beginning is a little slow but it's very gripping) 4) Del Torro and his direction 5) Great animation and CGI 6) Very believable and rational story line 7) Dark atmosphere and background 8) Apocalypse and survival strategies
I'm a person that enjoys dark, intense setting with good story line and action I love shows like Death Note (anime), Lost, Game of thrones, the 100, etc
If you like any of the above mentioned shows or a thrilling, dark themed apocalyptic series, you're going to absolutely love this!
People who are asking so many questions right at the beginning of the show and are calling this stupid, are dumb AF. Literally everything is explained as the show goes on!
The first episode is captivating to say the least. It's a little slow after that, but it picks up pace real quick and from that point on wards it's one crazy ride with some kick-ass characters and a dark, apocalyptic atmosphere.
Decent but could have been great
bc_global1813 December 2020
The show has enough to make you keep watching but there are characters that should never have made the cut. Miguel is annoying up to the last season, and the mom/wife who gets infected is weak from the start. But the kid - especially the replacement Zack, is horrifyingly bad. It's not just that he's a bad actor, which he truly is, but the storyline is pathetic and simply not believable. They should have just kept him out not made him a central character. When every critical review focuses mostly on him you know he's bad. Hopefully he went to college and stopped trying to act. Otherwise the show does have other characters that kept it going though the end of the run. I thought the last season was weaker than the others so it was probably best that it ended when it did.
Amazingly dark
acochrane-9598021 February 2020
Do not listen to the bad reviews, this TV show makes you want to watch more. Great acting and great writing. Each series gets darker and you see more character development as the world descends into chaos. Guillermo Del Toro has made a fantastic TV series worth watching.
I love this series!
UniqueParticle23 May 2023
Been meaning to get more into it I watched around 6 years ago before I was doing reviews even then I loved The Strain. Very interesting especially the Sci-Fi/horror aspects, some of it is a little stale but for the most part worth watching! Nice to see Corey Stoll with hair most projects he doesn't have any he looks better with hair. For someone has a lot of sleep struggles I'm gonna thoroughly enjoy a series like this that has a lot with investigating weird phenomena's and various other occurrences. There's not enough horror series or at least not enough that aren't about zombies or poorly made teenager shows, I'm surprised there's not more like Fringe or creatures I'd love that.
Has potential, if the writing doesn't kill it.
scott-desalliers24 July 2014
An interesting show with potential, but it's still too early for the jury to render a verdict. The cliché characters could be it's undoing. The writers need to stop insulting the intelligence of their audience and do their homework. As indicated by other reviewers, the CDC would never handle a biological threat in such an off-handed casual manner. And would anybody really believe they would allow a single corner to undertake the autopsies of an entire plane of dead passengers? We get it's science fiction but please don't insult the intelligence of the audience with such blatant plot flaws. This show has the potential to be another Walking Dead, but if the sloppy writing continues it will just be plain dead. My finger are crossed with hopes of some better writing to follow.
7.3 ???? I don't think so.
Scar3821 April 2020
If ever there was a TV show that's massively under rated, this is it. I'm just watching it again from the start and I'm blown away, especially with the pilot which is as good as any pilot I've ever seen, the show is creepy, gory and action packed with a great cast, it's addictive and most Importantly entertaining.
Anyone who is thinking about watching this, DO NOT take any notice of these negative reviews, give it a whirl and you won't be disappointed.
Trust me.
Trust me.
Very nice
mhrist5 October 2014
The pilot looked very promising and it just started getting better and better. The story is very nice and the effects are quite good for cable television.
The acting is nice but is not the main point of the show, some characters are not as believable as they should but generally it is pretty good.
Of course I am a little biased since this like apocalypse stuff + vampires + fallen angels and all kind of stuff that I love.
Anyhow if you don't like the genre then don't watch it just because of Del Torro. It is not like super original and incredible enough to make a fan of someone that is not a fan of the genre.
The acting is nice but is not the main point of the show, some characters are not as believable as they should but generally it is pretty good.
Of course I am a little biased since this like apocalypse stuff + vampires + fallen angels and all kind of stuff that I love.
Anyhow if you don't like the genre then don't watch it just because of Del Torro. It is not like super original and incredible enough to make a fan of someone that is not a fan of the genre.
One good season. That's all.
bingelife27 May 2020
Season 1 is absolutely amazing. Blows of all the other vampire shows out of the water. Edge of your seat intensity from beginning to finish sprinkled with actual scary moments. Some of them Pet Sematary like.
Season 2 is ruined by pointless subplots and a very irritating kid. My god that kid! And the main story did not move forward one bit. Most of this season are fillers. Complete waste of time.
Season 3 started off with some intense actions, but cooled off very quickly, again, by pointless subplots. By now we're seeing flashbacks of supporting characters, completely irrelevant to the main story. And a couple of the main characters now have nothing to do, but the story is constantly being interrupted to give them screen time, so you can watch them sit around, drink alcohol, fluff about nothing, hook up...etc. Fillers, fillers, and more fillers.
This is where I give up. One can only tolerate so much fillers. Don't care what happens anymore.
Season 2 is ruined by pointless subplots and a very irritating kid. My god that kid! And the main story did not move forward one bit. Most of this season are fillers. Complete waste of time.
Season 3 started off with some intense actions, but cooled off very quickly, again, by pointless subplots. By now we're seeing flashbacks of supporting characters, completely irrelevant to the main story. And a couple of the main characters now have nothing to do, but the story is constantly being interrupted to give them screen time, so you can watch them sit around, drink alcohol, fluff about nothing, hook up...etc. Fillers, fillers, and more fillers.
This is where I give up. One can only tolerate so much fillers. Don't care what happens anymore.
Great Show!
madeinkorea7924 November 2022
I watched this show when it came out & now, 8 years later, I'm watching it again! Yes, it's that good! I recommend it to anyone that enjoys these types of shows. The special effects are outstanding! The actors are great & I wouldn't change any of them out for anyone else. If you haven't seen this, YOU NEED TO! Trust me, you will not be disappointed one bit! The storyline keeps you wanting more & makes you want more so you will have a hard time just saying " OK, just one more episode!" LOL! Yeah right, that would be really hard hahaha! I can binge watch if I could lol! So, enjoy and have fun!!!
Cheesy fun!
masta_maze29 April 2023
I Love this series. It's cheesy as hell, but at the same time highly entertaining if you can accept it for what it is.
The take on the vampire theme is very unique, you could enjoy it for that alone.
Production is mostly good, cgi is ok and not annoying.
Acting is between acceptable and top notch, the actor playing Eichhorst does a great job and so do some others from the cast. Both child actors are horrible tbh.
Setting and scenery are well worked in.
The story is quite cheesy, with a lot of deus ex machina moments where main characters survive unsurvivavle situations. But that doesn't stop you from being highly entertained at the same time. Also the good guys and the bad guys being a genius at one moment and incredibly dumb 3 seconds later is something that happens quite often. But somehow the show manages to work that in without making you lose your interest.
Tldr: embrace it for what it is and you'll have a great time watching it!
The take on the vampire theme is very unique, you could enjoy it for that alone.
Production is mostly good, cgi is ok and not annoying.
Acting is between acceptable and top notch, the actor playing Eichhorst does a great job and so do some others from the cast. Both child actors are horrible tbh.
Setting and scenery are well worked in.
The story is quite cheesy, with a lot of deus ex machina moments where main characters survive unsurvivavle situations. But that doesn't stop you from being highly entertained at the same time. Also the good guys and the bad guys being a genius at one moment and incredibly dumb 3 seconds later is something that happens quite often. But somehow the show manages to work that in without making you lose your interest.
Tldr: embrace it for what it is and you'll have a great time watching it!
Da Vinci-Dl Toro started a masterpiece and then spilled broth on it
neoordernz10 May 2016
You will enjoy this show if you 1. are living in 70s 2. can put your common logic on hold 3. horror genre fanatic regardless of the plot holes
in all cases otherwise, you will not! there are holes after holes but the worst is switching " A WHOLE KID" from a sweet boy to someone you want to smack for no reason!
Some other worthy of mention are . 1.An all powerful master often hires petty humans to do simple chores. 2. A very important coffin once destroyed turns out to be of no consequence. 3. The age old holocaust clichés, like seriously. how long are they going to milk this goat? 4. No one has a clue for a long long time and then all of a sudden the whole world knows and the mighty USA deploys 200 troops to protect the 2nd largest city in the world. 5. There are needless scenes after scenes that have no connection to the ongoing plot. Quite obviously they are having difficulty filling a 50 minutes episode.
Plot holes are not where it stops, some of the main actors should have been sucked out by the master just on poor performance. ie Dutch, the kid, (they will do wonderful as dumb vampires.)
Its a good plot being ravaged by below average writers. Hope del toro is taking note of this.
in all cases otherwise, you will not! there are holes after holes but the worst is switching " A WHOLE KID" from a sweet boy to someone you want to smack for no reason!
Some other worthy of mention are . 1.An all powerful master often hires petty humans to do simple chores. 2. A very important coffin once destroyed turns out to be of no consequence. 3. The age old holocaust clichés, like seriously. how long are they going to milk this goat? 4. No one has a clue for a long long time and then all of a sudden the whole world knows and the mighty USA deploys 200 troops to protect the 2nd largest city in the world. 5. There are needless scenes after scenes that have no connection to the ongoing plot. Quite obviously they are having difficulty filling a 50 minutes episode.
Plot holes are not where it stops, some of the main actors should have been sucked out by the master just on poor performance. ie Dutch, the kid, (they will do wonderful as dumb vampires.)
Its a good plot being ravaged by below average writers. Hope del toro is taking note of this.
So so vampiro
agk-7684618 September 2021
As vampire nonsense goes this isn't bad but unfortunately falls in line with the current fad for not telling a story in chronological order. Instead the preference is to jump back and forth through time.
Personally I hate this approach so couple that with the odd need to flesh out the characters with flashbacks and I probably skipped close to a third of the entire 'story'.
Personally I hate this approach so couple that with the odd need to flesh out the characters with flashbacks and I probably skipped close to a third of the entire 'story'.
Gripping.
lmahesa14 July 2014
I'm a fan of Guillermo Del Toro's work. I'm a fan of dark horror, and I'm a fan of all things Lovecraftian.
This is Del Toro through and through. I went into this knowing the basic premise and nothing else - I had avoided the graphic novels because I didn't want to spoil this viewing - other than the issue with the billboards.
My view is definitely skewed. I saw elements of Lovecraft, I saw echos of Hellboy, and I definitely saw vast swathes of dark, adult, horror.
I'll stop there. If that hasn't convinced you, you're probably the wrong audience.
This is Del Toro through and through. I went into this knowing the basic premise and nothing else - I had avoided the graphic novels because I didn't want to spoil this viewing - other than the issue with the billboards.
My view is definitely skewed. I saw elements of Lovecraft, I saw echos of Hellboy, and I definitely saw vast swathes of dark, adult, horror.
I'll stop there. If that hasn't convinced you, you're probably the wrong audience.
Good Vamp fun
jonnytheshirt16 October 2014
I've been really looking forward to this series having read the books and thinking they were perfect for TV. The casting has been spot on, although John Hurt leaving was a bit of a disappointment, everyone has been good. COry Stoll's hair however seems a bit off putting. It is a series I'd recommend binge watching however as I think the sense of urgency from the books has somewhat lost for the weekly episodal first series. The great thing about the approach to the old and tested vampire mythology here is that it's fresh mix of science and religion. This will be expanded upon in the coming series which is good to hear. Only other complaint is the Master. Abandoning CGI effects for more traditional left him looking a bit more comical than intimidating for me unfortunately. That left aside however it's movie quality stuff in a TV series and worth a watch for any horror fan - updated now for the 3rd series, unlike the books which gallop along at an excellent pace this is being drawn out with unnecessary fluff. Unfortunate that.
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