There have been some very famous and villainous cult leaders in human history, from Charles Manson (who has been referenced multiple times in Rob Zombie movies) to Jim Jones. In many cases, a cult leader is the complete antithesis of what most people would expect: charming and charismatic and rarely coming across as terrifying and dangerous.
While fictional television shows might embellish details for dramatic effect, many shows also provide a glimpse into exactly how easy it might be to fall for a cult leader's false promises. Many shows depict characters based on real-life cult leaders, but some have created their own fictional ones who are so believable that it's easy to wonder if they are based on someone real, after all.
Manifest (Adrian)
Adrian from Manifest seemingly did a complete 180 after Flight 828 disappeared for five years and he returned with the others. It was revealed in the third season that Angelina, a religious zealot, approached him right before the plane went down with a pamphlet about god.
This might have had something to do with Adrian's decision to create a legion of followers while pretending that he was the divine, sent from god, like so many believed. At first, it appeared it was all a strategy he could use to his advantage. But as time went on, Adrian seemingly started to believe his own teachings. Whatever his motives, he was charming and convincing enough to get all kinds of people of all ages to follow him, and he became one of the biggest villains of the series' final season.
Fear The Walking Dead (Teddy)
Teddy presented an interesting question: what would happen to cult leaders in an event like the zombie apocalypse if they managed to escape alive? Would they, like Teddy on Fear the Walking Dead, be able to rebuild their cults by using the many vulnerabilities presented by the situation to gather more dedicated followers than ever?
That is exactly what Teddy did, the best villain on the show, to date. A serial killer who possessed doomsday beliefs long before the apocalypse, he felt vindicated and used the situation to prey on people who were grieving and desperate to find meaning in all the chaos.
The Following (Joe Carroll)
In The Following, Joe Carroll was an incredibly charming, highly educated former English literature professor who went to prison for killing several former female students. FBI agent Ryan Hardy had a personal connection to Carroll and dedicated his life to obsessing over the man.
Carroll, of course, loved every bit of it. He taunted Hardy from prison and still had a stronghold on his dedicated group of followers. So much so, in fact, that he continued to control them from prison as they worshipped him and were willing to do anything for him. But when Carroll escaped and returned to lead his non-religious cult, the situation got hairy and it became a real cat-and-mouse game between him and Hardy.
American Horror Story: Cult (Various)
As noted right in the title of the seventh season of the popular FX anthology series, the focus is specifically on a cult. Set in 2017 in a fictional suburb of Michigan called Brookfield Heights, American Horror Story: Cult centers around a cult that taunts the residents following the election of Donald Trump as U.S. President in 2016.
With a star-studded cast that included Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Cheyenne Jackson, Chaz Bono, Emma Roberts, and Frances Conroy, it is one of few American Horror Story seasons to have a bad reputation.
The Path (Calvin "Cal" Roberts)
Lasting for three seasons and streaming on Hulu, this drama stars Aaron Paul and Michelle Monoghan as members of a fictional religion called Meyerism and Hugh Dancy as its leader, Calvin "Cal" Roberts. The series and the ideas behind Meyerism have been described by Vanity Fair as having taken inspiration from a "grab bag of religious practices and cult beliefs."
While Eddie (Paul), his wife Sarah (Monoghan), and their two children are deeply entrenched in the Meyerist Movement, a spiritual retreat in Peru leads Eddie to start questioning what he truly believes in. The Path is an interesting series about beliefs, spirituality, and how these intersect and can easily come between families and loved ones.
Sacred Lies (Kevinian Cult)
First airing on Facebook Watch and recently picked up by NBC's Peacock for distribution of the first two seasons, this drama is based on the Stephanie Oakes novel The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly. The story focuses on a teenager who escapes from a cult after 12 years. There's something mysterious about Minnow, however: upon emerging from the woods after spending a dozen years in the Kevinian cult, she is missing both of her hands.
After Minnow attacks and almost kills a teenage boy, she finds herself locked up once again. The series stars some well-known names, including Juliette Lewis, Ryan Kwanten, and Kristin Bauer, in its second season.
Orphan Black (Dr. Aldous Leekie)
Orphan Black isn't specifically about a cult, but stepping back and looking at the events that led to Sarah finding her clones (all 17 played by Tatiana Maslany) and uncovering the conspiracies, bioengineering, and secret organizations behind it, it's clear that the Neolution Movement could actually be classified as a cult.
Led by Dr. Aldous Leekie, they are driven by science and eugenics and dead set on altering human evolution. Everyone involved is willing to lie, cheat, steal, and kill, all in the name of Dr. Leekie's project and beliefs, and he had everyone brainwashed into believing that what they were doing was for the good of humanity.
Marvel's Runaways (The Pride)
This Hulu original is about teenagers who discover that their parents are not only criminals but are also involved in what the kids believe to be a cult, practicing ritual sacrifice.
Discovering what their parents, known as the Pride, are up to, the teens, ranging from least to most powerful, set out to take them down. Marvel's Runaways aired for three seasons and ties in with other Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films, series, and other projects, sharing continuity with the overarching story.
The Handmaid's Tale (The Republic Of Gilead And Its Commanders)
In the case of The Handmaid's Tale, the cult is the entire totalitarian society of Gilead. While most people who reside there and follow the teachings of Gilead do not truly believe in them and are effectively being held hostage, others have fallen into line with the leadership. They bow down to Commanders because they desperately want to believe in something.
Aunt Lydia and Nick Blaine are two examples of people who may have been preyed upon because of the emptiness and hatred they felt in their regular lives. After years of being groomed by Gilead, they now exhibit behavior and mindsets that are consistent with those who are members of a cult.
The Leftovers (Holy Wayne)
Justin Theroux and Liv Tyler star in this HBO series based on a book that aired for three seasons through to 2017. A global event called the Sudden Departure led to two percent of the world's population, or about 140 million people, mysteriously disappearing. This, in turn, resulted in the formation of many cults, including the Guilty Remnant, made up of white-clothed nihilists, and a cult led by Holy Wayne, who believed himself to be the Second Coming of Christ.
Dealing with radicalism, alternative cults, gurus, and supernatural happenings, The Leftovers is a show that touches not just on one main fictional cult, but multiple ones, each with its own singular focus.