Pictorial Parade/Archive Photos/Getty ImagesBefore Dark Shadows, the notion of a romantic, reluctant vampire simply wasn’t as mainstream as it is now. Starting on April 18, 1967, Jonathan Frid embodied the character of the immortal vampire, Barnabas Collins, on the gothic soap opera, Dark Shadows. And now, 59 years after his debut, Barnabas — patient zero for storylines like Twilight and The Vampire Diaries — will return in a new animated series that reboots the original show. During the 2026 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Warner Bros. has announced that Barnabas will, indeed, return for a new animated reboot of Dark Shadows, the first new version of the franchise since the 2012 remake film directed by Tim Burton.According to the press release from WB: “Warner Bros. Animation is resurrecting tormented vampire Barnabas Collins as it is currently in development on an adult animated series based on the classic gothic sensation Dark Shadows.” Many outlets are pointing out that this is just in time for the 60th anniversary of Dark Shadows, which debuted its very first episode on June 27, 1966, on ABC. However, this date is not the first appearance of Barnabas Collins, the vampire who made Dark Shadows a sensation. So, how was the star of Dark Shadows not in the first episode of Dark Shadows?Dark Shadows did not start as a vampire showThe logo for the new Dark Shadows. | Warner BrosThe first appearance of Barnabas Collins on Dark Shadows is slightly debatable, but no serious fan would say it was in the first episode. And that’s because starting in the 210th episode (YEP!), the hand of Barnabas was revealed, and starting in the 211th, he became a major character. However, the concept of bringing an immortal vampire, who was also somewhat reluctant about murdering people to drink their blood, wasn’t the original premise of the show, nor was Collins initially designed to be a permanent character. Instead, Dark Shadows began as a dark, creepy soap opera, with gothic and horror-tinged overtones. The show initially centered on Victoria Winters' coming to Collinsport, Maine, to take on the role of a governess. The creator of the series, Dan Curtis, apparently had a dream about a woman on a train, which is what inspired Dark Shadows outright. In an attempt to boost ratings, writers, including Curtis as well as Joseph Caldwell, created the lonely, reluctant vampire as a kind of stunt. According to Caldwell, in an interview in 2013, Curtis asked the writers to create “a vampire for the kids for the summer.” Obviously, the popularity of the character lasted much longer than the summer of 1967. Instead, Barnabas defined the show, and the rest was history.Today, much of the vampire TV genre, even What We Do in the Shadows, owes much to Dark Shadows. So, when the show returns in animated form, it’s not just a reboot of one important vampire series. In a sense, this is the resurrection of the vampire show that started it all.The new Dark Shadows does not yet have a release date, voice cast, or confirmed network. The original show streams on Tubi. The 2012 movie streams on Netflix.