I’ve always been a huge fantasy fan. I’m going to sound like the biggest of clichés here, but it is 100 percent because of J.R.R. Tolkien’s work and having read both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings at a very young age—that first encounter with the Bagginses and the world of Middle-earth really marked me for good.
Fantasy has always been right up my alley. From sweeping high fantasy stories set in wondrous worlds filled with dragons and battles, to urban fantasy with magic creeping through the crevices of what we would consider the “real” world—and everything in between, of course.
If you’re also craving some good old-fashioned escapism to the tune of otherworldly magic and characters, then this is the list for you—22 of the best fantasy TV shows ever put to screen, ranked by yours truly.
22. Once Upon a Time (2011 – 2018)
Once Upon a Time is an absolutely wild ride but one that I feel can’t be missing from a list like this. The story, after all, is set in the fictional Maine town of Storybrooke, where pretty much all of the inhabitants are fairy-tale characters sent to live in “the real world” by a spell launched by the Evil Queen from Snow White. And both, of course, are actually living in the town—the same town where our main character Emma moves to. Emma who just so happens to be the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, and the Savior who can break the curse.
Once Upon a Time is a truly fun watch filled with atrocious CGI, pretty good costumes, and especially incredible family trees that connect all the characters from the world’s most famous fairytales in the most peculiar of ways—what do you mean Peter Pan is Rumplestiltskin’s father?
21. The Witcher (2019 – ongoing)
Based on the book series of the same name by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, which inspired a very popular video game franchise before Netflix took it up as a live-action series, The Witcher follows the adventures of the titular “witcher” Geralt of Rivia, played by Henry Cavill and soon-to-be-replaced by Liam Hemsworth. “Witchers” are magically enhanced monster hunters, and Geralt travels the lands of the high fantasy world in which he lives doing just that—until he comes across the sorceress Jennifer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra) and Ciri, the crown princess of the destroyed kingdom of Cintra (Freya Allen), who’s bound to him by destiny.
While I have enjoyed The Witcher, especially its first season, I feel like its narrative rhythm has somewhat worsened as the episodes progressed, which is why it sits at the bottom of this ranking. Still, if you’re looking for some generally uncomplicated fantasy fun, this is definitely the show for you.
20. Merlin (2008 -2012)
This is such a trip down memory lane for me and all the OG Tumblr girlies. You know who you are and you know I’m right—because Merthur was right up there with the other Big Ships™ holding up our fandoms. It still is, to be honest. And that’s because BBC’s Merlin managed to make the relationship between the young wizard Merlin (Colin Morgan) and the boisterous prince—then king—Arthur (Bradley James) one for the ages. All the characters you know and love from Arthurian legends are here, from Katie McGrath’s Morgana to Angel Coulby’s Guinevere, Anthony Head’s Uther Pendragon, and Santiago Cabrera’s Sir Lancelot.
Merlin stirs up some very fond memories for me, even if those include sobbing my eyes out through the entire Christmas holidays of 2012 after “The Diamond of the Day” aired. Still, if I have to look back at the show with as much objectivity as possible, I have to admit that its visual effects really ask you to stretch your suspension of disbelief, which is why you can find it toward the bottom of this ranking.
19. A Discovery of Witches (2018 – 2022)
Based on yet another book series—the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness—A Discovery of Witches is exactly the type of urban fantasy to get into if you love all the darker shades of academia. It stars Teresa Palmer and Matthew Goode as Diana Bishop and Matthew Clairmont, an incredibly powerful witch and very old vampire respectively. The series follows the pair from their first meeting in the halls of the University of Oxford through their adventures in a dangerous magical world as well as backwards and forwards in time—and their passionate love story, of course.
The atmosphere and cinematography of A Discovery of Witches are as immaculate as they come, as is the chemistry between the main characters—if one ignores the usual age difference that happens whenever a vampire is involved—though its storyline could be considered very “typical” for its genre.
18. Supernatural (2005 – 2022)
Another one for the history books, and one that will make everyone who hung around Tumblr all the way back in the early 2010s zone out and stare into the distance as “Carry On My Wayward Son” starts playing in their head. Supernatural probably needs no introduction, considering how long it ran, but I also find describing its fandom experience very complicated—you kind of needed to be there to really get it.
At its core, the story of Supernatural is very simple: Two brothers, Dean and Sam Winchester (Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki) are raised as monster hunters by their less-than-optimal father John (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). The first seasons of the show are all part of the same wider narrative arc, which leads the brothers to become entangled with Hell, Heaven, and their inhabitants—including the angel Castiel (Misha Collins). The rest is quite literally history. And also, as Urban Dictionary would put it, the greatest love story ever told.
Supernatural holds a very special place in my heart, though by the end I wasn’t as consumed by it as I was when I first started watching. It obviously took a nosedive in quality in its last seasons, which is why it can’t be ranked higher, but there’s also no escaping its effects, which is why it ultimately had to be on this list one way or another.
17. American Gods (2017 – 2021)
American Gods was developed by Bryan Fuller and Michael Green and is based on the novel of the same name by Neil Gaiman—a household name when it comes to fantasy stories that blur the lines between the real world and the supernatural ones. This story in particular follows Shadow Moon, played by Ricky Whittle, who becomes entangled in a global-scale conflict between the Old Gods (think the Norse and Egyptian and Celtic gods) and the New Gods, the embodiment of technology and globalization.
American Gods did lose some of its punch as the seasons progressed and lost some of the shine it had during its first episodes. Still, the concept that drives the entire story is a brilliant one and remains incredibly enjoyable, as are the performances from everyone involved. Ian McShane as Mr. Wednesday and Orlando Jones as Mr. Nancy, you really are everything to me.
16. The Rings of Power (2022 – ongoing)
The Rings of Power is undoubtedly one of the most infamous titles on this list. Set within the larger world created by J.R.R. Tolkien, already the subject of two cinematic trilogies—one of which is arguably one of the greatest trilogies ever made I will not take constructive criticism on this The Return of The King is one of the best movies to ever be put to the silver screen—The Rings of Power takes things back to some thousands of years and convert the event of the Second Age of Middle-earth, before any talk of hobbits and riddles in the dark.
Incredibly controversial and a matter of heated discussions among fans ever since it was announced, it’s still impossible to deny that The Rings of Power is visually stunning from start to finish—and with a beautiful score, something that I believe is paramount when it comes to entering the right fantasy mindset.
15. Shadow and Bone (2021 – 2023)
Even though Netflix decided to pull A Very Classic Move™ and cancel this show after just two seasons, at least we’ll always have this brief but beautiful dive into the rich world of the Grishaverse to see it come to life and follow the story of Alina Starkov, a girl who discovers she holds an incredible power that can quite literally change the fate of the nation and of everyone around her.
I’ve been a longtime Grishaverse fan, so of course, Shadow and Bone had to rank somewhat high on my list. The magic system is one of my favorites in YA fantasy, and there are very few found families done better than the Crows. Then again, the second season is incredibly rushed—sure, the threat of cancellation was looming right over their heads, but you can still feel the plot just speed-racing forward and leaving you a bit dazed.
14. Arcane (2021 – present)
Animation and fantasy are an extremely good combo, and Arcane is definitely proof of that. Filled with steampunk influences and set in the world of the League of Legends game, the story follows sisters Vi and Jinx (voiced by actresses Hailee Steinfeld and Ella Purnell respectively) as they navigate the rising conflict brewing in the city of Piltover and its dark underbelly, Zaun. The show has received praise left and right both for its animation and for its worldbuilding, so much so that it became the first streaming series to win the Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program.
It’s obviously going to mean a lot more to viewers who are already familiar with the League of Legends game, but it still holds its own even for someone who has no idea about any of its worldbuilding—and that’s truly one of the great challenges in fantasy adaptations, one that Arcane conquers beautifully.
13. The Sandman (2022 – ongoing)
Another peak Neil Gaiman story, The Sandman is the adaptation of the comic books he wrote between 1989 and 1996 for DC Comics. The protagonist is Morpheus, the titular Sandman, the personification of dreams who escapes from a century of imprisonment at the hand of a human occultist and sets out to restore order in his realm of the Dreaming. That includes chasing a runaway nightmare, engaging in a battle of wits with Lucifer, and evading the schemes of one of his siblings, Desire.
The Sandman is brilliant, each episode charmingly unique and addictive in a way that only something out of Neil Gaiman’s mind can be. At this point, the ranking really becomes a question of which story I enjoy more—because I like them all so much to begin with.
12. Ragnarok (2020 – 2023)
The three seasons of this Norwegian series are a re-imagining of Norse mythology and the events of Ragnarök, the death and rebirth of the entire world. The story starts when teenage brothers Magne and Laurits move back with their mother to her hometown, the fictional Edda—which is a not-so thinly-veiled callback to the Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda, the two texts that are the main sources of our knowledge of Norse mythology.
Soon Magne and Laurits both find themselves dealing with the owners of the town’s local factories, the Jutul family. They’re rich, very beautiful, and also care very little about the fact that their factories are poisoning the water of the fjord and disrupting the climate of the entire area. Except that the Jutuls aren’t humans but a clan of four jötnar, and so only the reincarnations of the Norse gods actually stand a chance to defeat them—something that both Magen and Laurits find out they are.
11. The Wheel of Time (2021 – ongoing)
Both seasons of Prime’s The Wheel of Time received quite polarizing reactions since they’re not as faithful to their source material as they could be. And given that their source material is one of the most popular high fantasy book series of all time, written by Robert Jordan and finished by Brandon Sanderson, fans were vocal about everything wrong with the show.
Then again, I will admit to not having finished the series and having read the first installments so far back that I had pretty much forgotten them by the time I started watching the show—and I have to say that as a standalone product, The Wheel of Time definitely holds up. Its magic system is complex and detailed, its world rich, and its plot and storyline coherent. Plus, it has Rosamund Pike playing a (queer) powerful sorceress on a mission to save the world from certain destruction. So, I mean, I’m more than sold.
10. Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016 – 2017)
Representing the K-drama side of the entertainment world, most people would know this show simply as Goblin. One of the most popular to come out of South Korea in recent years, Goblin stars Gong Yoo and Kim Go-eun as Kim Shin and Ji Eun-tak, respectively—the titular Goblin and the Goblin’s bride, i.e., the only person who can put an end to the Goblin’s long and painful life. It’s exactly the kind of gut-wrenching and heart-shattering romance you can only find in K-dramas.
Goblin made me sob my eyes out pretty much from start to finish because it’s just that kind of story. If you like your fantasy to come with a heavy dose of romance, then this is definitely something you should try.
9. Good Omens (2019 – ongoing)
While we’re mostly used to associating fantasy with sweeping dramas filled with battles for the fate of the world, sometimes fantasy can be a comedy too—and be one of the best ones out there to ever come out in recent years. Based on the novel of the same name written in 1990 by authors Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, Good Omens follows an angel and a demon (played by Michael Sheen and David Tennant respectively, and that should already be enough to make you want to press play) who have lived on Earth ever since the time of the Garden of Eden and are now trying to save it from a carefully-planned planned Armageddon.
The show is hilarious, clever, deliciously entertaining, and will also incidentally punch you in the gut with the raw emotion behind the two main characters—and the actors playing them.
8. Jujutsu Kaisen (2020 – ongoing)
One of the best shonen stories to come out in recent years is Jujutsu Kaisen, written by mangaka Gege Akutami and adapted into an anime by MAPPA of Yuri!!! on Ice and Shingeki no Kyojin fame. The story of Jujutsu Kaisen opens up in an alternative version of 2018 Japan where a handful of people are born with the ability to see curses and also to wield cursed energy to exorcise them. But sorcerer society isn’t exactly that easy to navigate—you have old clans who do not like each other, powerful curses planning to overthrow humanity, and dark sorcerers who actually use their abilities to do evil rather than protect humanity.
The three first-year students ay Jujutsu High—Itadori Yuuji, Fushiguro Megumi, and Kugisake Nobara—have to learn how to survive it all, together with their infamous teacher Gojo Satoru, the strongest sorcerer in the world and also the least serious. Grab your tissues and settle down for a world filled with epic battles, kind of confusing magical rules, and a devastating amount of heartbreak. Hidden Inventory arc I am looking at you.
7. Percy Jackson and The Olympians (2023 – ongoing)
This new adaptation of Rick Riordan’s saga of the same name might have just started, but it’s so faithful to its source material and set in such an interesting world that it already deserves a spot on this list. The story kicks off when twelve-year-old Percy Jackson discovers that he’s not a regular kid at all but rather the son of a mortal woman and a Greek god, making him a demigod—destined to be a hero and favorite pray of every mythological monster ever. And as if that wasn’t enough, he also learns that he’s the main suspect in the theft of Zeus’s master lightning bolt, an object over which the gods are very much willing to go to war.
Percy Jackson and The Olympians is funny and packed with action, with every little detail a clever reminder of this or that aspect of the Greek mythos. And if you add to the mix incredibly compelling characters that actually grow up with their readers, you can see how this show ranks so high on this list.
6. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009 – 2010)
Fullmetal Alchemist is, without a doubt, one of the greatest stories to ever be put to manga paper. Hiromu Arakawa we are forever in your debt for creating it. And so it makes sense for its faithful adaptation, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, to be equally as great. Set in a world where people can learn to practice alchemy, brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric decide to use it to try and bring their mother back from the dead—one of alchemy’s greatest taboos, for which both brothers pay a very hefty price. Now teenagers and part of the State Alchemists, the brothers slowly uncover a conspiracy within their country’s military government and they of course work to dismantle it together with their friends and allies.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood truly has it all—friendship, love, loyalty, betrayal, debates on right and wrong, questions of obeying orders under a corrupt government, an interesting magic system, great stakes, and equally great rewards. It’s truly a story that keeps on giving, no matter how many times you experience it.
5. His Dark Materials (2019 – 2022)
His Dark Materials is based on the trilogy of the same name by Philip Pullman, which you might recognize from the individual titles of the novels that comprise it: The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass. The story is set in a world just slightly different from ours, where human souls take the shape of an animal companion called a daemon that remains by the human’s side for their entire life. The protagonist Lyra Belacqua and her daemon Pan embark on a journey to find out what happened to her kidnapped friend, setting them down a path to playing a key role in a heavenly war.
His Dark Materials is one of my favorite fantasy worlds of all time, and this adaptation is overall very faithful—diving right into all the wondrous elements that make up the interlocking universes of its protagonists.
4. The Magicians (2015 – 2020)
The Magicians dealt me such a blow in its fourth season that I only skimmed through its fifth and final one, and yet up until that point it was one of my favorite shows on television. Imagine a school for magical humans, but make it a college filled with disaster and queer twentysomethings who get embroiled with cosmic entities and magical worlds—halfway between Harry Potter and Narnia and oh, so much fun. Julia Wicker and Margo Hanson, you’ve always been my favorites, and I still love you very much.
I couldn’t possibly not have The Magicians on this list, and not rank it very high, since it meant a lot to me as it was airing and it’s also genuinely entertaining with all its chaos and banter. Still, the ending of the fourth season is there, destroying every possible desire I might have for a rewatch.
3. Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005 – 2008)
Avatar: The Last Airbender—and its sequel, The Legend of Korra—is undoubtedly one of the most influential animated shows of the 2000s. Brilliant in its worldbuilding and plot, it blends a variety of heavy themes with light-hearted fun and incredibly well-written characters. The story is set in a world where some people have the ability to manipulate, or “bend,” one of the four elements. One person, the Avatar, can bend all four elements and acts as the bridge between the human and spirit worlds. The plot begins when siblings Sokka and Katara, a waterbender, encounter the lost Avatar, an airbender boy named Aang. Together they embark on a journey, helping Aang master all four elements and escape from the clutches of the Fire Nation, which has conquered most of the world and wants nothing more than to eliminate the Avatar.
Highly entertaining and filled with characters that will stay with you—Zuko, you know I’m talking about you—it’s definitely a must-see for all fantasy lovers. Especially if you also really like anime, since the animation style blends it with more typical American cartoons.
2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997 – 2003)
Supernatural changed the face of fandom spaces, sure, but before we had the Winchester brothers there was only Buffy Summers, who straight-up helped change the face of pop culture as a whole. The story follows the titular Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar), the latest incarnation of the Slayer—a chosen one who is granted powers to fight vampires, demons, and a wide array of forces of darkness. Buffy is trying to balance her supernatural responsibilities and the day-to-day struggles of being a teenager, all with the help of her mentor and a group of friends.
Through its highs and lows, Buffy remains a must-watch show that is worth every minute of its seven seasons. The only reason it doesn’t rank number one, honestly, is because I am and forever will be an ASOIAF girlie before anything else.
1. Game of Thrones & House of the Dragon (2011 – 2019, 2022 – ongoing)
Of course, what other fantasy universe could be in the first position of a ranking made by me? Especially if we’re talking about television, where the series adaptations of George R.R. Martin’s world of A Song of Ice and Fire reign supreme—despite their many, many flaws.
Because sure, Game of Thrones might have gotten us all used to some of the best television to ever television before airing the most disappointing final seasons of the century, but its impact is nothing to scoff at. While I’ve never been one to say that GoT was “fantasy for people who don’t like fantasy”—there’s nothing not fantasy about ASOIAF, and plenty of modern fantasy series that aren’t LotR feature massive amounts of violence—the HBO series undeniably helped make fantasy a more mainstream genre, rather than one more or less limited to its niche.
Its prequel, House of the Dragon, hasn’t really had the chance to prove itself yet—though its very successful first season is definitely a good sign, especially considering the devastation the GoT finale left in its wake. Still, I feel like I have to include it because there’s nothing in the ASOIAF universe that I love more than this unhinged family of horrible rulers and their fire-breathing lizards. They’re everything to me.
(featured image: Netflix / Starz / Prime Video / Illustration by The Mary Sue)
