It's not every day a late-'90s horror anthology hosted by David Bowie resurfaces to dominate streaming charts. But that's exactly what's happening with The Hunger, a British-Canadian series that originally aired from 1997 to 2000. As of July 2026, the show has climbed to the #7 spot on the Apple TV Store's most popular TV shows in the United States, according to FlixPatrol. And the reason? It's all thanks to the cultural shockwave of Obsession.
For the uninitiated, The Hunger (not to be confused with the 1983 film of the same name, which also starred Bowie) was an erotic horror anthology that ran for two seasons and 44 standalone episodes. Season 1 was hosted by Terence Stamp, but Season 2 handed the reins to the legendary musician and actor David Bowie. The show built a reputation as a darker, more sensual cousin of The Twilight Zone, blending themes of dangerous desire, the supernatural, and dark romance—often with grim endings.
So why the sudden resurgence? It's not October, so there's no seasonal horror bump. There's no new spin-off or revival in the works. The most likely explanation is Obsession, the erotic thriller that became a major cultural phenomenon after its release. The film hit VOD on June 30, and its premise—centered on forbidden desire and its terrifying consequences—is almost beat-for-beat with what The Hunger built its entire run on. Viewers hungry for more after Obsession appear to have discovered this forgotten series that explored similar ideas years earlier.
For anyone who has never seen The Hunger, the closest mainstream reference point might be the “Amateur Night” segment from the original V/H/S. In that segment, men rig hidden camera glasses to film themselves picking up women, only to unknowingly bring a shapeshifting succubus back to their hotel room. That's the template The Hunger ran on: vampires, cannibalism, cults, curses. For two seasons, the show turned desire into horror, and now a new audience is discovering it.
This isn't the first time a forgotten series has found a second life on streaming, but the way it happens usually makes sense—a cast member lands a big role, a reboot gets greenlit, or an anniversary gives a platform an excuse to push it back into the spotlight. None of that applies here. The Hunger simply reappeared out of nowhere, riding the coattails of a film that shares its DNA.
If you're looking for more hidden gems from the '90s, check out our list of Forgotten '90s Thrillers That Hit Harder Today. And for those who prefer their scares in book form, we've ranked 20 Years of Chills: The Best Horror Books. Meanwhile, Apple TV+ continues to dominate streaming with hits like Guy Ritchie's 'Fountain of Youth', which just celebrated its first anniversary as a streaming sensation.
Whether The Hunger will maintain its chart position or fade back into obscurity remains to be seen. But for now, David Bowie's forgotten anthology is having a moment—and it's a deliciously dark one.
