Gregg Araki is the king of the "neon-drenched nightmare." If you grew up in the 90s watching The Doom Generation or Nowhere, you already know the vibe: saturated colors, impossibly hot people, and a lingering sense that the world is about to explode. But for a long time, Araki was strictly a "movie guy." That changed. Fast forward to 2026, and his fingerprints are all over some of the weirdest and most striking television of the last decade. Honestly, if you haven't tracked down tv shows with gregg araki, you're missing out on a very specific kind of aesthetic bliss.
It’s not just about the visuals, though. It’s the mood. That "everyone is beautiful and everything is terrible" energy he perfected in indie film translates surprisingly well to the small screen.
The One He Actually Made: Now Apocalypse
If we're talking about tv shows with gregg araki, we have to start with the big one. Now Apocalypse. This wasn't just him guest-directing an episode; this was the full Araki.
Released on Starz back in 2019, it felt like a fever dream that the network executives somehow forgot to censor. It stars Avan Jogia as Ulysses, a guy who is basically just trying to get laid in LA while also dealing with visions of giant lizard aliens. Standard stuff, right? Kelli Berglund plays his best friend Carly, an actress/cam girl who is arguably the smartest person in any room she enters.
The show is a total blast. It’s candy-colored, incredibly sex-positive, and deeply cynical about the "influencer" era. It only lasted one season—Starz canceled it despite it being a "great experiment"—but those ten episodes are pure gold. Araki co-wrote them with Karley Sciortino, and you can tell. It’s funny, it’s filthy, and it has that signature "end of the world" paranoia that makes Araki's work so addictive.
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Parachuting Into Established Worlds
After Now Apocalypse, Araki became the ultimate "secret weapon" for showrunners who wanted their series to look cooler. He started guest-directing, and you can usually spot his episodes within thirty seconds.
Take Riverdale, for example. He directed "Chapter Fourteen: A Kiss Before Dying." Suddenly, the CW’s campy teen drama looked like a $20 million indie film. He brought that hazy, dreamlike lighting and a sense of genuine dread that the show often lacked.
Then there’s his work on 13 Reasons Why. He directed a few episodes in the first two seasons. While that show has its own controversial legacy, Araki’s episodes ("Tape 5, Side A" and "Tape 5, Side B") were some of the most visually competent of the series. He has this way of filming teenagers that makes their trivial problems feel like Shakespearean tragedies. It’s a gift.
The Netflix Monster Era
More recently, people were shocked to see his name pop up in the credits for Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. He directed the episode "Lionel."
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It was a pivot.
Instead of neon lights and bisexual lighting, he was dealing with the drab, suffocating browns and greys of 1970s Milwaukee. But the Araki touch was still there—the focus on isolation, the lingering shots on domestic details that feel slightly off. He also directed for the Showtime revival of American Gigolo, specifically the episode "Nothing Is the Real but the Girl." Again, he took a slick, commercial property and injected it with a dose of "New Queer Cinema" DNA.
Why We’re Still Talking About Him in 2026
The reason tv shows with gregg araki are a "thing" is because he refuses to play by the rules. Most TV directors are hired to be invisible. They want to match the "house style" and get the job done on time. Araki doesn't do that. He brings his own house with him.
He treats a TV episode like a mini-movie.
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He’s currently back in the spotlight because of his new film I Want Your Sex, which just premiered at Sundance 2026. It stars Olivia Wilde and Cooper Hoffman, and it’s being called a return to his "erotic thriller" roots. But even as he moves back into features, his impact on TV is undeniable. He proved that "prestige TV" doesn't have to be boring, muted, and serious. It can be loud. It can be queer. It can have lizard aliens.
The "Araki Effect" on TV
- Color as Character: He uses saturation to show emotion. If a scene is bright pink, someone is falling in love (or about to get murdered).
- Youth Culture: He doesn't write "down" to young people. He captures the specific, frantic energy of being 22 and having no idea what you're doing with your life.
- Genre Blending: Is it a comedy? A sci-fi? A pornographic drama? With Araki, it’s usually all three at once.
What to Watch Right Now
If you want to experience the best of his television work, here is the roadmap. Don't just watch them in order; watch them based on your mood.
- If you want the full experience: Watch Now Apocalypse on Starz (or wherever it's streaming now). It’s the purest distillation of his brain.
- If you want "Aesthetic Horror": Find his episode of Dahmer. It’s a masterclass in tension.
- If you like the classics: Check out his episode of Red Oaks. It captures that 80s nostalgia perfectly without being cheesy.
- The "Lost" Pilot: Try to find This Is How the World Ends. It was a pilot he did for MTV back in 2000 that never got picked up. It’s basically a precursor to everything he did later.
Gregg Araki’s transition to TV was one of those things that shouldn't have worked, but did. He took the "indie" spirit and forced it into the living rooms of millions of people. Whether he’s directing a teen soap or a serial killer biopic, you always know it’s him.
Next Steps for the Araki Fan:
To really get into the vibe, start by tracking down the Now Apocalypse pilot. It sets the tone for everything else. Once you've seen how he handles a "half-hour sex comedy," go back and watch his episodes of American Crime to see how he handles a straight-laced drama. You’ll see the same eye for composition and the same interest in the fringes of society. It's a trip.