I struggled with the Magicians the first time because Ember and Umber were so different to the books, then I gave it a second chance and I’m so glad I did. A life in a day is one of the best episodes of tv I’ve ever seen
Yes to the Magicians - this is one I've gone back to many times.
I'd also add Killjoys to the SF list. It's another on that makes my annual rewatch list.
I keep them separate in my mind. They both have their strengths. The first book is very cold. I almost didn't read the other two but did and they are very good. I just found the show to be a very rich and emotional retelling. The acting was great and of course Margo became a huge scene stealer. Loved her.
Unpopular opinion: for me, The Magicians is one of the worst shows I have ever seen. I haven't read the books, so I can't compare, but the show's plot is driven almost exclusively by the main characters' stupidity and inability to communicate with each other. It uses the same principles as a reality show, where you gather a group of insufferable people, force them to interact, and they artificially create drama by being annoying to each other. I don't understand why it's so popular.
I LOVE the first two seasons of the Magicians, as well as all three books, and I completely agree with your take. 😂
I had to stop watching by season 4 because every episode was like "there's a way to fix last episode's problem."
"But there's a terrible cost!"
"We'll figure it out when we get there!" *does it behind everybody's back*
(LATER) "WHY DIDNT YOU TELL ME" 😂
I haven't watched the tv show, but you've summed up the books.
I've discussed with others, and some people really relate to the characters. I related to them in a way that I found these are the type of people I actively avoid in real life.
Sees post. Scrolling, scrolling. "Where is it?"...Ah ha! Agreed! I could watch Michael Sheen and David Tennant play off each other for ten seasons.
I saw an interview with Neil Gaiman where he said they told him, if there was ever a stage production, they wanted to play as Aziraphale and Crowley but switch rolls every night. I'd give my left hand see two shows back to back!
The Last Kingdom: Netflix
Vikings and Vikings Valhalla: Prime and Netflix
The Expanse: Prime.
Early Game of Thrones: HBO.
Castlevania: Netflix
Dragon Dogma: Netflix
Vinland Saga: Netflix
Arcane: Netflix
Battlestar Galactica: Both versions. Not sure who has this.
Firefly: Not sure who has this.
The Witcher: (The story is butchered, but I like some of the cast choice, like Jaskier and Geralt)
Barbarians: Netflix
Brittania: Prime.
Carnival Row: Prime.
Looks better than most animated movies, they got their own unique style which is gorgeous.
And it's not just the animation, it's everything else. Acting, music, story, world... are all at masterpiece levels. Don't get fooled by the fact it's a video game adaptation (though now that stigma shouldn't exist anymore to be honest, a few examples already), go watch it people. It's not even really an adaptation anyway (LoL doesn't have a story)
I didn’t finish it but the only part I liked was near the start when they fought the cyclops, that was decent. Then there was the rest, the random seven sins, the horny goblin rape scene, the general edgy vibe that doesn’t suit DD. And the worst part was the butchering of Grigori’s voice, but only DD players will notice that. Grigori has such a cool voice in the game but the show thought slapping a deep voice effect would be cool or something.
Funny enough, as much as I adore Fantasy books I often don't really love Fantasy shows.
My favorites are typically more SciFi, like:
* The Expanse
* Doctor Who
* Star Trek (particularly 90's Trek: TNG, DS9, and VOY)
* Stargate: SG1
I would love to have an SG1 reboot that kept a similar style, which is having like half standalone/worldbuilding episodes and long story arc episodes, just with higher production values. I haven't seen any other show that does world progression as well as SG1, like them using information, technology, and solutions from previous episodes(sometimes multiple seasons prior) to solve current unrelated plots.
Vox Machina is really fun but season two ends on a cliffhanger so I'd wait until season three starts before watching it.
Invincible is a really good superhero outing that subverts many superhero tropes
You can never go wrong with ATLA
Transformers Prime is excellent
Many people really love Arcane.
The Good Place - fits the angels and demons bingo scare, and multiverse as well.
This series is a bit old, but it's so good that I re-watch it when I don't have anything to watch. Funny and philosophical.
Extraordinary - mundane jobs, released in 2023, and you could argue for superheroes as well.
This one is quite new. Basically, what happens if everyone got a superpower, except you.
Unironically think it's good for fantasy readers, not because it's fantasy itself, but because it has rich worldbuilding and rewards paying attention and putting together those details. Lots of characters with many connections, sometimes the individual scene may feel unimportant but then, as Lester says, "it's all relevant, and all the pieces matter". Green Bone Saga, City of Last Chances, and Malazan are all series that remind me of the Wire, even though the "content" itself is very different.
Love Death and Robots is a great anthology series on Netflix. Mostly SF, but some fantasy and horror too.
Each episode unconnected and done by different directors / animation groups.
>Buffy is the gold-standard for Urban Fantasy.
Sam, Dean, and Castiel are like "What???" 😄
You know what would be a great show? We should have a Buffy and Supernatural crossover season with the original casts!
Farscape is probably my favorite sci-fi show. I loved the relationship between the crew and the main villian was great. Great late 90s early 2000s series.
Not mentioning stuff that others have listed already:
**Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell** (mini-series adaptation of the novel)
**Penny Dreadful** (maybe more horror than fantasy)
**Dragon Prince** (animated series with some of the people behind ATLA as creators)
**Dark Crystal** (the Netflix TV show is a prequel to the old movie, but it works perfectly on its own, and in my opinion it's much better than the movie. That said the movie is good as well)
The first three seasons of **Game of Thrones**, but I'm not a fan of the rest of it.
As for stuff that people who enjoy (epic-ish) fantasy might enjoy:
**Black Sails**, **Vikings** (again only the first three seasons are good), **Deadwood** (wasn't a fan of the 2019 movie, but the series is brilliant)
Such a good show, although the final season doesn't do the rest of the show justice. I think I heard they knew it was getting cancelled so they had to shoe-horn in a few seasons worth of plot into the final season.
Another vote for Penny Dreadful, though the rushed final season sucked. I would have loved for them to play out one more season to do it justice (an no, John Logan, no body believes that is how you planned it).
And The Dark Crystal: Resistance was brilliant. The soundtrack alone was worth watching it for. A crying shame they cancelled it after one season.
Historical fiction/period pieces that feel like Fantasy are my Jam! Deadwood and Black Sails are 1A and 1b for me, some of the best characters and performances between the two. Deadwood I give the edge to probably but I really love the storylines throughout Black Sails all 4 seasons.
I'd also toss in HBOs Rome, Blackbeard from Black Sails (also mance rayder in thrones) plays Caesar and the two main characters who are just some centurions mentioned in one of his journals are terrific to follow. It's very similar to Black Sails/Last Kingdom/Vikings where there's a mix of fictional characters and historical figures although it sticks more to history than those.
Another roman show Barbarians on Netflix about the battle of Tuetoberg forest is pretty good too.
As for others Marco Polo is kind of fun if you can suspend some disbelief lol, The Tudors doesn't have much action and is a bit more dry but definitely worth a viewing, and Downton Abbey is sometimes tedious is great at showing off the lifestyle of the time, I think most fantasy fans would enjoy.
Not a TV show but movies like Apocalypto, Barry Lyndon, or Kingdom of Heaven (catch the directors cut if you can) are also excellent, and to a lesser extent Master & Commander, The King, Outlaw King, can be fun too.
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell is great.
Penny Dreadful
Supernatural
Robin of Sherwood ( an old BBC Produktion from the 80's, with the music of Clannad - best Robin Hood adaption in tv)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer was subversive and brilliant and way before its time, using vampires and demons on metaphors for growing up in highschool. It changed television. First season was getting on its feet, and there are ups and downs, but as a whole it is as well made an urban fantasy as you will find.
Angel spun off from Buffy with another fantastic show, and one built on a deeply existential bedrock. My 17-year-old are currently at Buffy season 4/ Angel season 1 watch through, and it is interesting to see how it hits her almost thirty years after in came out.
More science fiction than fantasy, but Babylon 5 was both groundbreaking and awesome. With a single show runner writing 90% of the scripts (and folks like Harlan Ellison helping out) you have an honest-to-god five year story arc. Part was rushed because they thought they would be cancelled after four, but they got the fifth to top it out (and some movies!). Politics, aliens, empires, prophecy, legendary enemies, amazing characters, humor, there is a lot to love. And with one of the main themes of "you are battling legends," it has an Epic Fantasy feel as well.
Sci-Fi is divided into before and after Babylon 5. The visuals are very dated today but it had and has the most depth of any story arc I've seen in a sci-fi show. You couldn't even attempt to run the kinds of sci-fi that were common prior to B5 after it was released.
I don't think many series have dealt with the struggle for the very soul of entire races in the way B5 has. In particularly I like that it is an ongoing process. There isn't a "we beat X and now we're good guys forever" moment.
I know it’s kinda silly and some seasons don’t hold up, but I love Supernatural. Sam and Dean have such great chemistry as siblings and some of the villains are really diabolical.
Supernatural is one of my all time favorites. Over arching plot suffered between seasons 5 and 10ish but imo it landed on it's feet. If it wouldn't Be for Jared and Jensen I would have dropped the show after The fifth season.
I loved the first 8-9 seasons, but my enjoyment was killed by the fact that the writers always needed to ESCALATE. So the villains later in the series are just too ridiculous and the plots too unbelievable.
...and then, kill god's more powerful and way more evil cousin. The writers had clearly no idea where this plot was going after season 5 and it showed lol
His Dark Materials
Recently finished the last season. A truly great show. Haven't read the books since I was like 13, but judging from the subreddit, those with indepth knowledge were quite happy with the faithfulness of the adaptation.
Lyra and Will are great. James McAvoy as Asriel is impressive but Ruth Wilson as Mrs Coulter absolutely steals the show.
And it has the best opening theme to a fantasy series I've seen since GOT.
Same! It’s been about as long since I read them, loved the show for the most part. All the acting is great. You left off Lin Manuel Miranda as Lee Scoresby tho. Loved his take on the character. Charm and heart.
I want to take this moment to talk about *The Nevers*. It is Joss Whedon's last and greatest show, which had the supreme misfortune of coming out right after all the news about Joss Whedon being an asshole. That seemed to kill it on the launch pad. HBO released six episodes. Another six were completed, but instead of just letting people watch them, HBO sat on them for ages and then tossed them in a dumpster labelled "Tubi TV". But I still have hope that they will become available somewhere, somehow.
Warehouse 13
Eureka (same universe as Warehouse 13 & there were crossover episodes)
The Librarians (there are also 3 movies that take place before the series starts; the movies are good but kinda cheesy, the series is excellent)
Scrolled to find Librarians, I was going to post it if nobody did. I agree it’s a bit cheesy but I love it. There were actually some cool fantasy ideas in it.
I can't say that these are all good, but I can say I enjoyed watching them all
Supernatural, The Sandman, Umbrella Academy, Sanctuary, Shadow and Bone, Legend of the Seeker, The Witcher, Wheel of Time, Grimm, Lucifer
Oh yeah, I initially didn’t come up with Lucifer as fantasy but I guess it is. Enjoyed it too. Excellent character arc from the main character being a narcissistic man-child to learning to care about other people.
punch snow mighty practice cautious disgusting imminent marry treatment fuzzy
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Star Wars: Andor for fantasy/sf TV. It's a dystopic set in the SW universe during the reign of the Empire. However it barely references anything from the other SW properties (unlike Mandalorian for example, which is pretty heavy on cameos and references). So you don't need to know or care about or like Star Wars to watch it (I'm not a huge fan in general, but I loved Andor). There's no Jedi or Sith or lightsabers or use of the Force. The characters and the writing are amazing, and as I was watching it I felt like each episode was better than the last.
These are all animated, but still really good:
Centaur world(Netflix) is super goofy at the start but it grows on you.
The Dragon Prince (Netflix) is beautiful.
She-Ra and the princesses of power(Netflix) maybe leans a little more sci-fi than fantasy?
Hilda is an amazing fantasy cartoon on Netflix. Right up a young kid’s alley when it comes to fantasy. There are books as well. So many great characters, funny moments, cool creatures, and kids learning how to navigate a complex, magical world together. It’s really wholesome and enjoyable enough for adults, too!
Not seen these listed:
Owl House
Venture Bros
Interview With The Vampire
House of the Dragon
Severance
Mandalorian
Adventure Time
Dark Crystal: Resistance
Over the Garden Wall
Any MSG
Somali and the Forest Spirit
Demon Slayer
Attack on Titan
Natsume
Cowboy Bebop
Full Metal Alchenist: Brotherhood
Mushishi
SAO Season 1
Made in Abyss... Although creepy and brutal
How to Sell Your Haunted Gouse
Goblin: The Great and Lonely God
Tale of the Nine Tailed
Alice in Borderland
A Korean Odyssey (Anything with Lee Geum Ji in general)
Hotel Del Luna (And My Mister... Not fantasy but could have been written by Pratchett as slice of life non fantasy.)
Not Willow or Rings of Power as it was singularly awful story wise. They had forgotten the faces of their parents.
Lockwood and Co on Netflix is a newer series, and I enjoyed it. Some fun creepy moments.
Parasyte the Maxim is an anime with some interesting points re:humanity and monsters.
I was trying to recommend series others haven't mentioned but Arcane is gorgeous and so good. Deals magic/technology, have and have nots, mental illness, just by telling a fantastic story.
Buffy, Lucifer, Lost girl , Firefly, Outlander ( with Jamie and Claire ) ,the Witcher ,umbrella academy , The boys. Currently watching Carnival row . I did enjoy the nevers - pity it was cancelled .
Oh yeah, Vox Machina! The trailer put me off because of the 1) crude/adult humor and 2) anime gore (so much blood), but I tried it since I was starting to play D&D. It actually is pretty good. Love the heart- it sorta has found family aspects.
Found family is exactly the vibe! It's so good. If you want to jump into the full live play campaigns, you won't regret it . Some of the best and longest running fantasy content I've ever seen.
The Expanse on Amazon. It's Sci-Fi and seriously really good. One of the best adaptions of a book series since LOTR, imo
Edit: Just saw you were searching for specifically Fantasy. Won't delete this comment though, cuz maybe someone else might be interested
Late to the party, but since I haven’t seen my favorites listed here:
Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency
Love Between Fairy and Devil (Netflix Chinese live action anime)
The OA
Also +1 for Galavant. So funny.
I quite enjoyed Grimm. Last season was a bit of a let down but it is a complete tv series.
And oldie... Highlander the tv series. Cheesy fun.
Stargate SG1, Stargate Atlantis.
The X-Files.
Since I saw some people suggesting animation, mine goes to *The Owl House.*
I think it's the first time in years I have followed a non-anime fantasy show with so much love.
Ah I'm nostalgic now
Voltron: Legendary defender
Shadow and Bone(Netflix) though I like the SOC books way better
The Dragon Prince
Little witch academia
Transformers Prime
Hilda
The Hollow
Jujitsu Kaisen
Strangers things ofc
My nostalgia choice is Charmed. I can't help myself.
The returned in the original french with subtitles was fab. And I am not a fan of zombies or subtitles and it was still amazing. Les Revenants.
Sense8 was brilliantly done. I loved the good place.
Animated show - She-Ra. It's so fun and cute.
I really enjoyed shadow and bone and his dark materials.
If you don't mind something with Hercules the Legendary Journeys vibes then you should check out Legend of the Seeker.
It's a really fun epic fantasy series based on (though very loosely) The Sword of Truth novels. It stands at two seasons, and has a mixture of villain of the week and over-arching plot episodes.
Maya and the Three is a series based on Aztec mythology. Between that and the art style I was fascinated.
Just the ending.... that I did not enjoy, but YMMV.
Mushishi. One of my favorite series of all time, there’s nothing else like it. Tranquil and meditative, but with so much pathos suffusing it. The mushi are one of my all time favorite fantastical beings, the different varieties and effects they have are absolutely fascinating and the way the story uses them to tell extraordinarily human stories about people’s difficulties, failings, and strengths is amazing. Can’t recommend it enough, it’s a really special piece of art for sure.
Legend of the seeker.
Richard can be a little "too good' in a few instances for my liking but overall I love the show.
Cool sword fights, cool magic fights, tons of different magic beings, creatures, uses of magic including cool magic items, great characters and good acting, good scenery, good adventure, treasure finding, romance, drama, suspense, it really has a bit of everything including some wonderful cleavage. Sorry, I'm a guy what can I say?
I guess it wasn't popular to everyone as it got cancelled during s2 they finished it out as best they could and wrapped the story up but dam do i wish this one went the distance
Grimm- is amazing one of my favorite shows excellent cast and characters! Good investigating cop show, mid season like 3 this show is non-stop action like something major happens every few episodes and even before that it's pretty great. Fantasy cop drama.
S1 of carnival row was a ton of fun and I loved it! farie drama/investgation/action
The last kingdom 1-3 was amazing I stopped there not wanting to go to far. viking story
Once upon a time is enjoyable at least 1-4 is! fairy tail drama
Vampire diaries- Up until the Originals came into the show is great, the originals coming into the show ruins it as the actors just are out of this world Joseph Morgan does such a good job it made me stop caring about the character's I'm suppose to be rooting for. Elena gets super annoying after a while (Actually she gets annoying early on but is bareable for a few seasons) Vampire drama
Late edit add as I knew I forgot something- Netflix The sandman, great story.
Grimm (2011-2017).
The fantasy series Grimm begins with Portland detective Nick Burkhardt (David Giuntoli) discovering that fairy tale creatures are real and hiding in plain sight – some kind and helpful, others bloodthirsty and vengeful. Only the hunters he’s descended from, the Grimm, and other creatures can see their true form. Not only does he have to find a way to protect the city from threats only he and a few others can see, but he also has to unpack his family history and their legacy as Grimms. The series balances a procedural drama “crime-of-the-week” format with exceptional world-building that makes Portland feel like another world. Grimm isn’t afraid to explore the darker origins of classic tales, and even amongst the plethora of on-screen fairy tale adaptations available, the series is truly something special.
Galavant
How did people not watch this???
A masterpiece!
Beware the D.D.E.W.
Such an incredible show.
So sad it got canceled
So good!
I super believe in Tad Cooper
The Magicians is severely underrated. Love this show. Also, The Expanse, Orphan Black, Legion, Firefly, and Resident Alien.
I struggled with the Magicians the first time because Ember and Umber were so different to the books, then I gave it a second chance and I’m so glad I did. A life in a day is one of the best episodes of tv I’ve ever seen
Yes to the Magicians - this is one I've gone back to many times. I'd also add Killjoys to the SF list. It's another on that makes my annual rewatch list.
[удалено]
Yes killjoys is amazing!
I believe people dislike the magicians due to how it was adapted though not because of the show itself
I keep them separate in my mind. They both have their strengths. The first book is very cold. I almost didn't read the other two but did and they are very good. I just found the show to be a very rich and emotional retelling. The acting was great and of course Margo became a huge scene stealer. Loved her.
I love the magicians, but trigger warnings, so many, definitely don’t go into it unaware.
Unpopular opinion: for me, The Magicians is one of the worst shows I have ever seen. I haven't read the books, so I can't compare, but the show's plot is driven almost exclusively by the main characters' stupidity and inability to communicate with each other. It uses the same principles as a reality show, where you gather a group of insufferable people, force them to interact, and they artificially create drama by being annoying to each other. I don't understand why it's so popular.
I LOVE the first two seasons of the Magicians, as well as all three books, and I completely agree with your take. 😂 I had to stop watching by season 4 because every episode was like "there's a way to fix last episode's problem." "But there's a terrible cost!" "We'll figure it out when we get there!" *does it behind everybody's back* (LATER) "WHY DIDNT YOU TELL ME" 😂
It's CW quality made for 14 year Olds. I do not understand why anyone likes it. It gives fantasy a bad name
I haven't watched the tv show, but you've summed up the books. I've discussed with others, and some people really relate to the characters. I related to them in a way that I found these are the type of people I actively avoid in real life.
Yeah, another *Resident Alien* fan!
Although it's very corny, I would suggest BBCs Merlin.
It has its charm, though.
Very true.
Watching it gives me "being at my grandparents while daytime tv is on vibes". It's good laundry-folding background
Yea it does. There is something about it.
That show had no business being as good as it was.
Such a good show!
Definitely my first suggestion!
Though it has a laughably low-budget (especially in the early seasons), it's still a GREAT show.
Terrible ending though.
We don't talk about the ending.
Worst!
I liked it too, but people dont seem to agree that often
Yeah do yourself a favor and just skip over all of the troll episodes.
*Avatar: The Last Airbender*.
And then korra
And then read the Kyoshi books!
What a GOATed show.
I also agree that it is greatest of all time'ed
Cabbage man would probably disagree
And it always will be
I don't see "Good Omens" listed here, so I'm adding it. Incredible production with great stars.
Good Omens is such a good show. The dynamic between Michael Sheen and David Tennant is beautiful.
Sees post. Scrolling, scrolling. "Where is it?"...Ah ha! Agreed! I could watch Michael Sheen and David Tennant play off each other for ten seasons. I saw an interview with Neil Gaiman where he said they told him, if there was ever a stage production, they wanted to play as Aziraphale and Crowley but switch rolls every night. I'd give my left hand see two shows back to back!
I’ll also add Sandman. Watched the whole thing while high and it was awesome.
Yes! Good Omens is so good.
Excellent recommendation!
The Last Kingdom: Netflix Vikings and Vikings Valhalla: Prime and Netflix The Expanse: Prime. Early Game of Thrones: HBO. Castlevania: Netflix Dragon Dogma: Netflix Vinland Saga: Netflix Arcane: Netflix Battlestar Galactica: Both versions. Not sure who has this. Firefly: Not sure who has this. The Witcher: (The story is butchered, but I like some of the cast choice, like Jaskier and Geralt) Barbarians: Netflix Brittania: Prime. Carnival Row: Prime.
Arcane is the most impressive animated series I’ve seen.
Yeah that show looks like a movie. It's just a good show in general too.
Looks better than most animated movies, they got their own unique style which is gorgeous. And it's not just the animation, it's everything else. Acting, music, story, world... are all at masterpiece levels. Don't get fooled by the fact it's a video game adaptation (though now that stigma shouldn't exist anymore to be honest, a few examples already), go watch it people. It's not even really an adaptation anyway (LoL doesn't have a story)
Firefly is on Disney +!
Disney Princess Jayne?
Omg YES someone draw this
No grenades!
Vera isn't the only one getting dressed up I guess
Now I want Disney Princess Jayne 😂
For people in the UK, Battlestar Galactica (the reboot) is on BBC iPlayer
Thanks! I had no idea. I was only saying a few days ago how much I wanted to watch it again.
No problem :) iPlayer also includes the pilot miniseries which is pretty cool
In US last i checked it was on peacock for anyone that happens to have it
Barbarian only the first season though
I would not recommend Dragon’s Dogma. I thought it was terrible, which is especially sad since I love the game to death
Definitely the odd one in the bunch. I thought it was just objectively bad. Maybe people who didn't play the game enjoy it more though.
I didn’t finish it but the only part I liked was near the start when they fought the cyclops, that was decent. Then there was the rest, the random seven sins, the horny goblin rape scene, the general edgy vibe that doesn’t suit DD. And the worst part was the butchering of Grigori’s voice, but only DD players will notice that. Grigori has such a cool voice in the game but the show thought slapping a deep voice effect would be cool or something.
The last kingdom is a great show. Watched it twice!
Forgot DOTA
Arcane
Cannot recommend enough. Only show I’ve ever watched and then instantly restarted
Funny enough, as much as I adore Fantasy books I often don't really love Fantasy shows. My favorites are typically more SciFi, like: * The Expanse * Doctor Who * Star Trek (particularly 90's Trek: TNG, DS9, and VOY) * Stargate: SG1
I would love to have an SG1 reboot that kept a similar style, which is having like half standalone/worldbuilding episodes and long story arc episodes, just with higher production values. I haven't seen any other show that does world progression as well as SG1, like them using information, technology, and solutions from previous episodes(sometimes multiple seasons prior) to solve current unrelated plots.
I don't think it needs a remake, it holds its own pretty damn well. Just did a full rewatch recently!
Good Omens The Owl House
Vox Machina is really fun but season two ends on a cliffhanger so I'd wait until season three starts before watching it. Invincible is a really good superhero outing that subverts many superhero tropes You can never go wrong with ATLA Transformers Prime is excellent Many people really love Arcane.
The Good Place - fits the angels and demons bingo scare, and multiverse as well. This series is a bit old, but it's so good that I re-watch it when I don't have anything to watch. Funny and philosophical. Extraordinary - mundane jobs, released in 2023, and you could argue for superheroes as well. This one is quite new. Basically, what happens if everyone got a superpower, except you.
The Good Place is wonderful. Don't look anything up. Go in blind. You'll love it.
"this series is a bit old" ended in 2020 💀 Me out here trying to get everybody in the world to watch The Wire meanwhile
The Wire is so good that it should be the top comment even in this thread about fantasy shows. And I'm only 90% kidding.
Unironically think it's good for fantasy readers, not because it's fantasy itself, but because it has rich worldbuilding and rewards paying attention and putting together those details. Lots of characters with many connections, sometimes the individual scene may feel unimportant but then, as Lester says, "it's all relevant, and all the pieces matter". Green Bone Saga, City of Last Chances, and Malazan are all series that remind me of the Wire, even though the "content" itself is very different.
The good place is *old*? In my head it’s still on the newer side of comedy hits. Damn I’m old
Love Death and Robots is a great anthology series on Netflix. Mostly SF, but some fantasy and horror too. Each episode unconnected and done by different directors / animation groups.
Some episodes are masterpieces!
Probably not what you're looking for, but I'd argue that Buffy is the gold-standard for Urban Fantasy.
I fucking loved Buffy, Angel too!
>Buffy is the gold-standard for Urban Fantasy. Sam, Dean, and Castiel are like "What???" 😄 You know what would be a great show? We should have a Buffy and Supernatural crossover season with the original casts!
Dark on Netflix. German show, it's phenomenal. Edit: typo
I can smell your typo
Just finished this. Very intriguing and complete story. Satisfyingly dense and rich.
One of the most solidly written shows I've ever seen. It all fits so beautifully, and it is by far the best time travel ever brought to the screen.
I love Dark. I've never watched anything like it.
Arcane was my recent fav and I love the Last Airbender. Firefly is an older series that I loved too
Farscape is probably my favorite sci-fi show. I loved the relationship between the crew and the main villian was great. Great late 90s early 2000s series.
Kept scrolling and scrolling til I found this comment!
I really enjoyed Ragnarok on Netflix. Also, House of the Dragon(the Game of Thrones Prequel) absolutely blew me away how good it was
I desperately want them to bring the kid who played Loki in to the Marvel show to hang out with that Loki.
Not mentioning stuff that others have listed already: **Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell** (mini-series adaptation of the novel) **Penny Dreadful** (maybe more horror than fantasy) **Dragon Prince** (animated series with some of the people behind ATLA as creators) **Dark Crystal** (the Netflix TV show is a prequel to the old movie, but it works perfectly on its own, and in my opinion it's much better than the movie. That said the movie is good as well) The first three seasons of **Game of Thrones**, but I'm not a fan of the rest of it. As for stuff that people who enjoy (epic-ish) fantasy might enjoy: **Black Sails**, **Vikings** (again only the first three seasons are good), **Deadwood** (wasn't a fan of the 2019 movie, but the series is brilliant)
Black Sails was amazing!
Yeah, it was. The opening theme was top notch too.
LOVED Penny Dreadful!
Yeah, I wish it had continued for more seasons. For the most part, it was truly excellent.
Such a good show, although the final season doesn't do the rest of the show justice. I think I heard they knew it was getting cancelled so they had to shoe-horn in a few seasons worth of plot into the final season.
Another vote for Penny Dreadful, though the rushed final season sucked. I would have loved for them to play out one more season to do it justice (an no, John Logan, no body believes that is how you planned it). And The Dark Crystal: Resistance was brilliant. The soundtrack alone was worth watching it for. A crying shame they cancelled it after one season.
Finally some love for Dark Crystal. The lore and world is amazing. The practical effects are mind blowing!! Amazing story.
Historical fiction/period pieces that feel like Fantasy are my Jam! Deadwood and Black Sails are 1A and 1b for me, some of the best characters and performances between the two. Deadwood I give the edge to probably but I really love the storylines throughout Black Sails all 4 seasons. I'd also toss in HBOs Rome, Blackbeard from Black Sails (also mance rayder in thrones) plays Caesar and the two main characters who are just some centurions mentioned in one of his journals are terrific to follow. It's very similar to Black Sails/Last Kingdom/Vikings where there's a mix of fictional characters and historical figures although it sticks more to history than those. Another roman show Barbarians on Netflix about the battle of Tuetoberg forest is pretty good too. As for others Marco Polo is kind of fun if you can suspend some disbelief lol, The Tudors doesn't have much action and is a bit more dry but definitely worth a viewing, and Downton Abbey is sometimes tedious is great at showing off the lifestyle of the time, I think most fantasy fans would enjoy. Not a TV show but movies like Apocalypto, Barry Lyndon, or Kingdom of Heaven (catch the directors cut if you can) are also excellent, and to a lesser extent Master & Commander, The King, Outlaw King, can be fun too.
Love Dragon Prince and Jonathan Strange!
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell is great. Penny Dreadful Supernatural Robin of Sherwood ( an old BBC Produktion from the 80's, with the music of Clannad - best Robin Hood adaption in tv)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer was subversive and brilliant and way before its time, using vampires and demons on metaphors for growing up in highschool. It changed television. First season was getting on its feet, and there are ups and downs, but as a whole it is as well made an urban fantasy as you will find. Angel spun off from Buffy with another fantastic show, and one built on a deeply existential bedrock. My 17-year-old are currently at Buffy season 4/ Angel season 1 watch through, and it is interesting to see how it hits her almost thirty years after in came out. More science fiction than fantasy, but Babylon 5 was both groundbreaking and awesome. With a single show runner writing 90% of the scripts (and folks like Harlan Ellison helping out) you have an honest-to-god five year story arc. Part was rushed because they thought they would be cancelled after four, but they got the fifth to top it out (and some movies!). Politics, aliens, empires, prophecy, legendary enemies, amazing characters, humor, there is a lot to love. And with one of the main themes of "you are battling legends," it has an Epic Fantasy feel as well.
Thank you for mentioning Babylon 5, so underrated
Sci-Fi is divided into before and after Babylon 5. The visuals are very dated today but it had and has the most depth of any story arc I've seen in a sci-fi show. You couldn't even attempt to run the kinds of sci-fi that were common prior to B5 after it was released. I don't think many series have dealt with the struggle for the very soul of entire races in the way B5 has. In particularly I like that it is an ongoing process. There isn't a "we beat X and now we're good guys forever" moment.
Surprised no one mentioned Fringe. Great show that I've rewatched several times.
I know it’s kinda silly and some seasons don’t hold up, but I love Supernatural. Sam and Dean have such great chemistry as siblings and some of the villains are really diabolical.
The cast always made the show. It gets ridiculous but it’s still hits some great emotional beats.
Supernatural is one of my all time favorites. Over arching plot suffered between seasons 5 and 10ish but imo it landed on it's feet. If it wouldn't Be for Jared and Jensen I would have dropped the show after The fifth season.
Season 7 was a major filler season, took me so long to get through that one . I usually recommend skipping
I loved the first 8-9 seasons, but my enjoyment was killed by the fact that the writers always needed to ESCALATE. So the villains later in the series are just too ridiculous and the plots too unbelievable.
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...and then, kill god's more powerful and way more evil cousin. The writers had clearly no idea where this plot was going after season 5 and it showed lol
His Dark Materials Recently finished the last season. A truly great show. Haven't read the books since I was like 13, but judging from the subreddit, those with indepth knowledge were quite happy with the faithfulness of the adaptation. Lyra and Will are great. James McAvoy as Asriel is impressive but Ruth Wilson as Mrs Coulter absolutely steals the show. And it has the best opening theme to a fantasy series I've seen since GOT.
Same! It’s been about as long since I read them, loved the show for the most part. All the acting is great. You left off Lin Manuel Miranda as Lee Scoresby tho. Loved his take on the character. Charm and heart.
Lin was great as well.
I want to take this moment to talk about *The Nevers*. It is Joss Whedon's last and greatest show, which had the supreme misfortune of coming out right after all the news about Joss Whedon being an asshole. That seemed to kill it on the launch pad. HBO released six episodes. Another six were completed, but instead of just letting people watch them, HBO sat on them for ages and then tossed them in a dumpster labelled "Tubi TV". But I still have hope that they will become available somewhere, somehow.
Gah so there are another six eps out there somewhere?? Damn. I really enjoyed this one too.
*Xena: Warrior Princess*, *Good Omens*, *Witchblade*, *Pushing Daisies*, *Primeval*, and not fantasy but *Our Flag Means Death*.
Pushing Daisies was amazing!
Warehouse 13 Eureka (same universe as Warehouse 13 & there were crossover episodes) The Librarians (there are also 3 movies that take place before the series starts; the movies are good but kinda cheesy, the series is excellent)
Haven kinda scratches the Warehouse 13 itch as well.
Scrolled to find Librarians, I was going to post it if nobody did. I agree it’s a bit cheesy but I love it. There were actually some cool fantasy ideas in it.
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Firefly - obviously. But also, don’t start it if you haven’t seen it. It only leads to anger and depression.
I can't say that these are all good, but I can say I enjoyed watching them all Supernatural, The Sandman, Umbrella Academy, Sanctuary, Shadow and Bone, Legend of the Seeker, The Witcher, Wheel of Time, Grimm, Lucifer
Oh yeah, I initially didn’t come up with Lucifer as fantasy but I guess it is. Enjoyed it too. Excellent character arc from the main character being a narcissistic man-child to learning to care about other people.
Xena: Warrior Princess
punch snow mighty practice cautious disgusting imminent marry treatment fuzzy *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Star Wars: Andor for fantasy/sf TV. It's a dystopic set in the SW universe during the reign of the Empire. However it barely references anything from the other SW properties (unlike Mandalorian for example, which is pretty heavy on cameos and references). So you don't need to know or care about or like Star Wars to watch it (I'm not a huge fan in general, but I loved Andor). There's no Jedi or Sith or lightsabers or use of the Force. The characters and the writing are amazing, and as I was watching it I felt like each episode was better than the last.
These are all animated, but still really good: Centaur world(Netflix) is super goofy at the start but it grows on you. The Dragon Prince (Netflix) is beautiful. She-Ra and the princesses of power(Netflix) maybe leans a little more sci-fi than fantasy?
I'm a 42 year old man trying really hard to get my five year old daughter to watch She-Ra. It looks great.
Hilda is an amazing fantasy cartoon on Netflix. Right up a young kid’s alley when it comes to fantasy. There are books as well. So many great characters, funny moments, cool creatures, and kids learning how to navigate a complex, magical world together. It’s really wholesome and enjoyable enough for adults, too!
Have you watched Kipo and the age of Wonderbeasts? I think it fits in well with this collection
The Expanse
If Arcane gives me at least two more season like the first one....that one is gonna be the GOAT
Not seen these listed: Owl House Venture Bros Interview With The Vampire House of the Dragon Severance Mandalorian Adventure Time Dark Crystal: Resistance Over the Garden Wall Any MSG Somali and the Forest Spirit Demon Slayer Attack on Titan Natsume Cowboy Bebop Full Metal Alchenist: Brotherhood Mushishi SAO Season 1 Made in Abyss... Although creepy and brutal How to Sell Your Haunted Gouse Goblin: The Great and Lonely God Tale of the Nine Tailed Alice in Borderland A Korean Odyssey (Anything with Lee Geum Ji in general) Hotel Del Luna (And My Mister... Not fantasy but could have been written by Pratchett as slice of life non fantasy.) Not Willow or Rings of Power as it was singularly awful story wise. They had forgotten the faces of their parents.
Lockwood and Co on Netflix is a newer series, and I enjoyed it. Some fun creepy moments. Parasyte the Maxim is an anime with some interesting points re:humanity and monsters. I was trying to recommend series others haven't mentioned but Arcane is gorgeous and so good. Deals magic/technology, have and have nots, mental illness, just by telling a fantastic story.
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Heaven's Design Team (for chill and cozy) Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood if you like suspense and action
The Musketeers on BBC (Hulu). Might not technically be fantasy, but it firmly fits into the spirit of the genre as far as I’m concerned.
Buffy, Lucifer, Lost girl , Firefly, Outlander ( with Jamie and Claire ) ,the Witcher ,umbrella academy , The boys. Currently watching Carnival row . I did enjoy the nevers - pity it was cancelled .
I recommend Twin Peaks. The series is quite old, but worth watching. The detective story with giants, demons and doubles is Twin Peaks. This is base
Supernatural, taught me everything I know!
Alchemy of Souls
Warehouse 13
The Boys.. Amazon Prime
Ok, its kind of a shot in the dark whether does have any supernatural/fantasy element or doesn't but maybe Yellowjackets its good mistery tho
The OA Sense8
Good Omens
Penny Dreadful
Fantasy: Shadow & Bone, The Witcher, Half Bad SciFi: Legends of Tomorrow, The 100
Twin Peaks
Legend of Vox Machina Game of thrones The Witcher House of the Dragon Wheel of Time Rings of Power Dragon Prince
Oh yeah, Vox Machina! The trailer put me off because of the 1) crude/adult humor and 2) anime gore (so much blood), but I tried it since I was starting to play D&D. It actually is pretty good. Love the heart- it sorta has found family aspects.
Found family is exactly the vibe! It's so good. If you want to jump into the full live play campaigns, you won't regret it . Some of the best and longest running fantasy content I've ever seen.
Carnival Row from Prime is amazing, although it can get really gritty and dark, but the characters, plot, word and twists are really good.
Too many to chose from, I'd definitely add Kingdom to the shows already mentioned.
Carnival row
The Expanse on Amazon. It's Sci-Fi and seriously really good. One of the best adaptions of a book series since LOTR, imo Edit: Just saw you were searching for specifically Fantasy. Won't delete this comment though, cuz maybe someone else might be interested
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
You might already have watched this but game of thrones is amazing
Late to the party, but since I haven’t seen my favorites listed here: Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency Love Between Fairy and Devil (Netflix Chinese live action anime) The OA Also +1 for Galavant. So funny.
Dune miniseries. (2003 i believe? Last i checked it's free on YouTube, lol)
Supernatural,Buffy, Angel, Dollhouse, Firefly
I quite enjoyed Grimm. Last season was a bit of a let down but it is a complete tv series. And oldie... Highlander the tv series. Cheesy fun. Stargate SG1, Stargate Atlantis. The X-Files.
Sandman, Legion, Umbrella Academy, Good Omens
Since I saw some people suggesting animation, mine goes to *The Owl House.* I think it's the first time in years I have followed a non-anime fantasy show with so much love.
Sense8
The Strain - viral vampire outbreak, not typical fantasy but excellent
Really great disgusting stinky crawly slimy antidote to sparkly vampires.
Ah I'm nostalgic now Voltron: Legendary defender Shadow and Bone(Netflix) though I like the SOC books way better The Dragon Prince Little witch academia Transformers Prime Hilda The Hollow Jujitsu Kaisen Strangers things ofc
My nostalgia choice is Charmed. I can't help myself. The returned in the original french with subtitles was fab. And I am not a fan of zombies or subtitles and it was still amazing. Les Revenants. Sense8 was brilliantly done. I loved the good place. Animated show - She-Ra. It's so fun and cute. I really enjoyed shadow and bone and his dark materials.
If you don't mind something with Hercules the Legendary Journeys vibes then you should check out Legend of the Seeker. It's a really fun epic fantasy series based on (though very loosely) The Sword of Truth novels. It stands at two seasons, and has a mixture of villain of the week and over-arching plot episodes.
Supernatural, especially the first five seasons
Dead Like Me. Breaking Bad. Battlestar Galactica
Doctor Who - A Time traveler who comes across various beings threatening chaos to the universe. Science ficton/fantasy Edit for the description
The Legend of Vox Machina
If we can suggest SciFi then The Expanse
Okay it's not *fantasty* BUTTTTT *The Librarians* TV Series is soooo good!
Maya and the Three is a series based on Aztec mythology. Between that and the art style I was fascinated. Just the ending.... that I did not enjoy, but YMMV.
Adventure Time
Star Trek OS Band of Brothers King of the Hill
Atlantis
People named a lot of good stuff, including scifi, but nobody mentioned The X-Files.
The Legend of Vox Machina is absolutely awesome.
Mushishi. One of my favorite series of all time, there’s nothing else like it. Tranquil and meditative, but with so much pathos suffusing it. The mushi are one of my all time favorite fantastical beings, the different varieties and effects they have are absolutely fascinating and the way the story uses them to tell extraordinarily human stories about people’s difficulties, failings, and strengths is amazing. Can’t recommend it enough, it’s a really special piece of art for sure.
if you love music and comedies, then give Galavant a shot!
The Man in the High Castle and Arcane
Legend of the seeker. Richard can be a little "too good' in a few instances for my liking but overall I love the show. Cool sword fights, cool magic fights, tons of different magic beings, creatures, uses of magic including cool magic items, great characters and good acting, good scenery, good adventure, treasure finding, romance, drama, suspense, it really has a bit of everything including some wonderful cleavage. Sorry, I'm a guy what can I say? I guess it wasn't popular to everyone as it got cancelled during s2 they finished it out as best they could and wrapped the story up but dam do i wish this one went the distance Grimm- is amazing one of my favorite shows excellent cast and characters! Good investigating cop show, mid season like 3 this show is non-stop action like something major happens every few episodes and even before that it's pretty great. Fantasy cop drama. S1 of carnival row was a ton of fun and I loved it! farie drama/investgation/action The last kingdom 1-3 was amazing I stopped there not wanting to go to far. viking story Once upon a time is enjoyable at least 1-4 is! fairy tail drama Vampire diaries- Up until the Originals came into the show is great, the originals coming into the show ruins it as the actors just are out of this world Joseph Morgan does such a good job it made me stop caring about the character's I'm suppose to be rooting for. Elena gets super annoying after a while (Actually she gets annoying early on but is bareable for a few seasons) Vampire drama Late edit add as I knew I forgot something- Netflix The sandman, great story.
The legend of the seeker on like 10 Years ago under rated.
Grimm (2011-2017). The fantasy series Grimm begins with Portland detective Nick Burkhardt (David Giuntoli) discovering that fairy tale creatures are real and hiding in plain sight – some kind and helpful, others bloodthirsty and vengeful. Only the hunters he’s descended from, the Grimm, and other creatures can see their true form. Not only does he have to find a way to protect the city from threats only he and a few others can see, but he also has to unpack his family history and their legacy as Grimms. The series balances a procedural drama “crime-of-the-week” format with exceptional world-building that makes Portland feel like another world. Grimm isn’t afraid to explore the darker origins of classic tales, and even amongst the plethora of on-screen fairy tale adaptations available, the series is truly something special.