Spike TV greenlit Blade: The Series in February 2006 as the network's first original scripted series, based on the Marvel Comics character Blade.

Creator David S. Goyer, who wrote all three Blade films, described the show's concept as being like 'Wiseguy with vampires,' with Krista Starr working as a double agent inside the vampire community while the vampires are treated like a crime family.

Rapper Sticky Fingaz signed to star as Blade in November 2005, replacing Wesley Snipes, who had played the character in the films; he said he wanted to put his own spin on the role while still incorporating elements audiences recognized from Snipes' performance.

Actor Randy Quaid appears in the series as Professor Caylo but is uncredited for the role.

The two-hour pilot was shot in 2005, while production of the eleven one-hour episodes began in Vancouver in spring 2006.

The series premiere drew 2.5 million viewers, making it the most-watched original series premiere in Spike TV history at the time, and it was the #1 show on evening cable television for men 18-34 and 18-49.

On Rotten Tomatoes the series held a 50% approval rating, with critics summarizing it as emphasizing gore and techno music over dramatic development, while other reviews specifically criticized clichés and the absence of Wesley Snipes.

On September 28, 2006, star Jill Wagner announced there would be no second season, and Spike confirmed the cancellation the following day; writer/producer Geoff Johns later said the network didn't want to cancel the show but couldn't afford its production costs.

Blade: The Series was only the second TV show ever to premiere on iTunes before airing on mainstream television, after the Law & Order spin-off Conviction.

The complete series was released on a 4-disc DVD set in 2008 by New Line Home Entertainment/Warner Bros., featuring episodes revamped and alternated with scenes considered 'Too Graphic for TV.'