The Best Horror TV Show Ever According to Stephen King Is a 2-Season '60s Classic

Stephen King called NBC’s 1960s anthology series Thriller “the best horror series ever put on TV,” praising its craftsmanship rather than cheap shocks. In his 1981 nonfiction book Danse Macabre, King highlighted the show hosted by Boris Karloff, which ran two seasons and produced 67 episodes from 1960 to 1962. Thriller began blending crime and suspense, then grew darker with supernatural and Gothic elements. Karloff’s measured theatrical delivery and the episode introductions helped set a ritual-like tone. King admired horror conveyed through unease in mood, word, and sound, supported by guest stars including Mary Tyler Moore, Leslie Nielsen, Elizabeth Montgomery, and William Shatner.