Do you believe those things that go bump in the night? Did you know the ending of The Sixth Sense five minutes into the movie? Have you had a paranormal experience, or wish you have? Whether or not the answers are yes, these eight top paranormal investigation shows on TV will have you questioning everything you believe about the afterlife.
We’ve also included where these shows can be viewed.
Ghost Hunters (2004)
13 seasons
Jason Hawes, Grant Wilson, Steve Gonsalves
The seminal ghosting-hunting reality program, lasting a spooky 13 seasons, starred a pair of guys moonlighting from their day job as plumbers to hunt ghosts at night. (When do they sleep?)
They and their trusty team, together known as The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS,) visit allegedly haunted houses to investigate the truth behind the reports. While most of these investigations take place in the US, some in the earlier seasons were shot in Canada, Ireland and the UK.
So popular was this show, it launched two spinoffs, Ghost Hunters International and Ghost Hunters Academy and, most recently, a reboot of the original series, not to mention a whole genre.
The show often featured celebrity guests and at-home audience participation. It was also known for broadcasting a live show every Halloween for many years.
Watch on Hulu, Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video
Ghost Adventures (2008)
24 seasons
Zak Bagans, Nick Groff, Aaron Goodwin, Billy Tolley, Jay Wasley
You don’t get to 24 seasons in 12 years without doing something right, and this die-hard fan-pleaser can make that claim to fame.
The concept is about as authentic to the preeminent Ghost Hunters as a show of the genre can get: ghost hunters investigate supposed hauntings. Their goal: to collect any available evidence supporting the veracity of the claims they investigate.
Often, this involves setting up night vision cameras in locations suspected of having ghostly activity to try to catch the spirits in action.
They also employ a wide variety of other tools of the trade, from the most esoteric technology (including electromagnetic field meters and an Ovilus communication device) to the most unscientific folk practices such as taunting the ghosts verbally to make them appear.
Starting out as a documentary film investigating paranormal activity around Nevada, the series spent a great deal of time revisiting the area through its tenure.
Watch on Fubo, Apple TV
Ghost Nation (2019)
2 seasons
Jason Hawes, Steve Gonsalves, Dave Tango
Ghost Nation is a firm favorite of the Travel Channel and sees 3 paranormal pioneers take on cases that haven’t been solved thus far by local investigators.
Each episode sees the guys travel to communities across the US to find the source of the hauntings using all kinds of high tech gadgets and gizmos to do so.
We see them take on cases in people’s homes, hotels, restaurants, asylums, and even battleships. For both believers and skeptics of the paranormal, Ghost Nation tends to take a more realistic approach in comparison to many other shows of this nature.
Some critics have labeled the show as ‘dull’ and ‘mundane’ partly because the investigators don’t play up to the entertainment value as much as we see elsewhere.
Definitely one to watch if you like being educated as opposed to entertained!
Watch on The Travel Channel
The Dead Files (2011)
14 seasons
Amy Allan, Steve DiSchiavi
The Dead Files has been around for sometime now. It is quite a unique paranormal investigation show that has been successful with it’s audience. Combining a retired NYPD homicide detective with a medium gives a unique approach to contacting the dead.
In 2021, Amy and Steve have just started a new season to try and solve more unexplained phenomena. The latest season 14 episodes include investigating homes around Victorville and Oxnard in California.
Watch on Travel Channel
Ghosts of Shepherdstown (2014)
2 seasons
Nick Groff, Bill Hartley, Elizabeth Saint
Assisting residents in restoring peace to their homes and delving into the enigma of Shepherdstown’s haunting reputation, “Ghosts of Shepherdstown” introduces a remarkable trio consisting of distinguished investigator Nick Groff, technology expert Bill Hartley, and researcher with heightened sensitivity, Elizabeth Saint.
Shepherdstown, nestled within the state of West Virginia, boasts a reputation as the most otherworldly town in the United States, as nearly every resident has been privy to unexplainable phenomena.
These supernatural denizens have directly impacted the town’s police department, compelling the five-man team to divert significant portions of their time to addressing incidents that appear to possess a paranormal nature rather than stemming from criminal activity.
Seeking assistance, Police Chief Michael King enlists the expertise of top-tier paranormal investigators to unravel the mysteries surrounding the vanishing of objects, disembodied voices, and the presence of faceless apparitions lurking in the shadows.
Watch on Hulu, Apple TV, Google Play
Kindred Spirits (2016)
5 seasons
Adam Berry, Amy Bruni
This American paranormal television and documentary reality series called Kindred Spirits made its debut on October 21, 2016, airing on Destination America and TLC until 2018. Following that, it has been broadcasted on Travel Channel since the initiation of its third season in 2019.
The primary cast members of the show are investigators Adam Berry and Amy Bruni, who were previously part of the Ghost Hunters and Ghost Hunters Academy television series, known for being aired on Syfy while Berry and Bruni were still involved.
Berry and Bruni conduct thorough investigations of homes to determine if recurrent paranormal activity is linked to the families residing there. In the fourth season, psychic medium Chip Coffey joined the team.
After almost five decades since their initial encounter with Ed and Lorraine Warren, the Perron family made a comeback in the second episode of the fourth season, returning to their childhood home.
Watch on Discovery+, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play
Haunted Towns (2017)
2 seasons
Chris Smith, Steven “Doogie” McDougal, Scott Porter, Brannon Smith, Mike Goncalves
Here’s a ghost-hunting show served up to you with a bit of Southern charm. Bet you didn’t expect to read that in this list! Yet that’s exactly what Haunted Towns delivers.
The show followed a team of paranormal investigators, and good ole Southern boys, aptly known as the Tennessee Wraith Chasers (TWC) as they traversed the US to visit the most reputedly haunted towns in the nation, look into reports of true-life ghostly encounters there and, hopefully, catch themselves a few ghosts while they’re at it.
The TWC team itself, with its mix of science and engineering knowledge and homespun Southern know-how, is what makes this show stand apart. You have the two co-founders, “The Architect” and “The Complainer”; the historian, aka “The Profiler”; the inventor, aka “The Engineer”; and the audio technician, aka “The Surveillance Guru.”
What also makes this show uniquely thrilling is that the team actually tries to trap the ghosts they encounter. It’s like they’re the Klondike Trappers of the spirit world.
Watch on Fubo, Apple TV
Ghost Brothers (2016)
Dalen Spratt, Juwan Mass, Marcus Harvey
2 seasons
In collaboration with Crybaby Media, Pilgrim Media Group presents a supernatural exploration series that chronicles the endeavors of Dalen Spratt, Juwan Mass, and Marcus Harvey.
Surprisingly, these individuals, hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, are not only fashion designers and a barber but also devoted ghost hunters.
The Ghost Brothers, an African-American trio, embark on ventures to the most renowned haunted sites across America, striving to provide substantiation for the existence of spirits.
Watch on Fubo, Apple TV
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