A re-imagining of the 1966–71 ABC daytime gothic soap opera Dark Shadows, the revival was developed by Dan Curtis, creator of the original series.

Having declined several previous inquiries about reviving Dark Shadows, Curtis was contacted by NBC's then-head of programming Brandon Tartikoff in the summer of 1987.

[3][4] Dark Shadows premiered as a four-hour miniseries event on January 13 and 14, 1991, and then moved to a regular Friday night schedule.

In addition to the war, some fans blame the declining ratings on the focus of NBC's promotions which relied upon horror and vampire themes rather than the romantic fantasy elements.

[8] NBC received over 7,000 letters of protest from disappointed fans, who also picketed network headquarters in both Los Angeles and New York City.

The 2005 DVD release from MGM Home Video, although re-mastered in High Definition, contained alterations to the original image presentation.