While the vast majority offantasyand fantasy-adjacent TV shows are based on preexisting IP, there have been several over the years that are completely original creations. The fantasy genre is such a rich one, but, unfortunately, fantasy has struggled on TV and streaming through the years.Too many fantasy shows have been canceledbefore they had the chance to really soar. Those were thefantasy TV shows that weren’t nearly as big as they should have been.
Even so, there are multiplefantasy TV shows that never had a bad season, thanks to nailing their incorporation of the elements of the genre with compelling storytelling and great characters. Sometimes, it helps when there’s no source material to draw from, as it gives the creators a blank slate to make their own story and build their own world without being beholden to something else. In that way, a few TV shows in the fantasy realm have soared.
Technically, one could argue that theBuffy the Vampire SlayerTV show is adapted from the earlier movie of the same name. On the other hand, however, both come from the same creator, Joss Whedon, so it’s more just a continuation of the shorter version of the story he first created with the 1992 movie version. It’s certainly not a case of someone adapting the work of another wholesale.
Either way,Buffy the Vampire Slayerendures for a reason. The word “iconic” gets thrown around far too often, the label applied to works that don’t deserve it. ButBuffyis one of the few that has truly earned the word. The story about the vampire slayer and her friends has been a pop-culture juggernaut, influencing so many TV shows that have come after, with networks scrambling to recreateBuffy’s success.Buffy the Vampire Slayereventually grew into a sprawling franchise, spawning books, video games, comics, and more, and being so impactful that it generated whole courses of study in academia.
Supernaturalis one of those fantasy-horror TV shows that may owe some allegiance toBuffy the Vampire Slayer, but, more than anything,Supernatural’s DNA is coded directly fromThe X-Files. Sam and Dean Winchester, like Buffy Summers, are two characters who genuinely deserve the “iconic” moniker, the hunters following in the footsteps of their father and tracking down and dispatching monsters and supernatural entities all over America.
Clear Your Schedule: These 10 Fantasy TV Shows Are Long But Totally Worth The Commitment
It might take a long time to watch every season of these fantasy TV shows, but they’re so good that you’ll have no trouble making it to the end.
It’s more horror than fantasy, but with 15 full seasons on air, there were certainly plenty of fantasy-coded creatures from legend and folklore, too. WhileSupernaturalestablished a more theological throughline that included angels, demons, Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory after the first few seasons, it never abandoned its initial premise of incorporating mythology, horror, and fantasy into the episodes.Supernaturaltouched upon fantasy and folklore from across the globe, and while it didn’t always completely nail the interpretation, it gets lots of credit for never being afraid to embrace a diversity of cultural stories.
Penny Dreadful,named for the lurid British horror stories of the 1800s,may borrow some of its characters from classic literary horror, including Dracula and Frankenstein’s Monster, as well as Dorian Gray, but the story is wholly original. New characters and those inspired by classic horror live and exist in Victorian London, all pulled into the psychological thriller and Gothic horror-fantasy drama through various means. The characters are complex and fascinating, each hiding their own dark secrets while navigating new ones.
Straddling the line between bona fide hit and cult classic,Penny Dreadfulran for three excellent seasons.
Straddling the line between bona fide hit and cult classic,Penny Dreadfulran for three excellent seasons. It was enough of a success to spawn comic books and one 2020 spinoff,Penny Dreadful: City of Angels, making it well worth a watch. Creator John Logan had always planned for a three-season arc, makingPenny Dreadfulone of the few genre shows with a relatively small number of seasons that still wrapped its intended story in a satisfactory way.
Avatar: The Last Airbenderand its sequel,The Legend of Korra, are remarkable fantasy shows in a couple of ways. For starters, their Asian culture-inspired flavor and storyline have made many incorrectly believe they’re anime. But they’re also not based on anything, despite feeling like they could be perfect adaptations of manga or comic books or video games.
Surprisingly, though, they are neither, being wholly original American productions from creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. The story follows 12-year-old Aang, who is destined to become the last airbending master of his tribe, and, one day, the “Avatar,” that is, the only person in the world who has the ability to manipulate and use all four elements. It’s unquestionably one of the greatest animated series of all time, celebrated for its smart storytelling and great visuals while cementing a legacy of excellence.
Compared to some of the other shows on this list,Carnivàlemay not be as well-known, but its quality is no less high.Set in the 1930s Depression-era Dust Bowl,Carnivàleexplores a little-depicted time and place in American history through a unique lens.As the title implies, the story follows a group of people who are part of a mysterious traveling carnival. It intertwines multiple narratives together in a story that pulls from Gnosticism and Evangelical Christianity, the Knights Templar, tarot and occult belief, and more.
Carnivàleis complex and layered, and it eventually collapsed under the weight of its own ambition, lasting but two brief, shining seasons.
Carnivàleis complex and layered, and it eventually collapsed under the weight of its own ambition, lasting but two brief, shining seasons. But what a two-season run it was, with the series garnering five Emmy wins and tons of praise for its lavish world and spellbinding, slow-burn storytelling. For those who want a show that doesn’t require you to check your brain at the door,Carnivàleis well it.
Similarly named but with an entirely different story isCarnival Row, a really intriguing, dark fantasy show that was the result of creator Travis Beacham’s highly-touted spec scriptA Killing on Carnival Row. LikeCarnivàle,it was an ambitious show that wrapped in two seasons, making it a quick watch, but worth digging into thanks to the interesting premise.
Short, Excellent Fantasy TV Shows Are Rare, But You Can Binge These 5 In Just One Day
Though the fantasy genre is known for some long-winded additions to the TV landscape, these short and sweet series are easy to get lost in.
Set in an alternate, vaguely Victorian universe, Carnival Row depicts a world where mythical creatures, including fae, fauns, kobolds, and more, are despised and reviled by human society. Living as refugees in terrible conditions, the mythical creatures have to fight for scraps in the underbelly of the city. When a string of murders targeting these creatures breaks out, polite society dismisses it, but one half-fae detective who passes for human is determined to get to the bottom of it.
An oldie but a goodie and a classic for a reason,Xena: Warrior Princessinspired a generation of little girls to want to be warrior princesses themselves and catapulted Lucy Lawless to stardom. It follows Lawless' titular character, a famous Thracian-Greek warrior who travels the realm looking to help the defenseless with the help of her companion and friend, Gabrielle, in an attempt to atone for her past sins.
Xenamay have been a spinoff ofHercules: The Legendary Journeys, but it far surpassed its predecessor in quality, longevity, and pop culture impact.
Xenamay have been a spinoff ofHercules: The Legendary Journeys, but it far surpassed its predecessor in quality, longevity, and pop culture impact. Like some of the bestfantasyand genre shows,Xena: Warrior Princesswas so beloved and popular that it spawned an entire multimedia franchise, becoming a mainstay at comic-cons all over. As a show that spanned the mid-90s into the early 2000s, it was one of the first genre shows to truly tap into the internet and the power of fandom, one of the many reasons it’s still so beloved.
