The 21st century’s best fantasy shows: 10 essentials, so far

Fantasy TV has gone absolutely bonkers since the turn of the millennium. What used to be rare as hen's teeth is now everywhere – dragons, daemons, way too many wizards, and quite frankly, some budgets that’d make your eyes water. If you're not selective, you'll drown in magic dust before you get to anything worth your binge time. The best shows aren't just about flashy visuals or name-brand source material, though – they stick because they’ve got proper stories, characters that actually matter, and production values that wouldn’t embarrass a big-screen blockbuster. And before anyone moans, yes, plenty do trample over the books they sprang from – just try and enjoy the spectacle, will you?

Game of Thrones changed fantasy TV forever when it launched in 2011, kicking off the modern golden age of big-budget fantasy on the box.

The Heavy Hitters

Game of Thrones sits at the top of the pile, and say what you want about that ending – it’s still the champion for sheer scale and swagger. The reason so many shiny fantasy things exist now is because Thrones proved audiences actually want this stuff. Every season delivered either jaw-dropping battles or scenes where people basically monologued each other into submission, and both were gripping. If you prefer your fantasy neat and full of hope, look elsewhere; Westeros is grim, political, sometimes a touch daft, but always riveting.

Its prequel, House of the Dragon, is on more than solid ground. The show’s not above some questionable adaptation decisions, but even George R. R. Martin’s complaints can’t hide the level of detail. The VFX alone would’ve been sci-fi nonsense a few decades back. Yes, it takes its sweet time getting going, but the messy dynastic plotting and dragon carnage eventually justify the watch, especially as you get deeper into it.

Epic Adaptations

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is controversial with the Tolkien crowd, and I get it – any series with this price tag and fandom is asking for trouble. Still, it’s almost absurd how cinematic it looks for a streaming show. This is a feast: power struggles, sweeping landscapes, a genuinely epic score, and heroic types locked in eternal good-versus-evil. The story can be a slow burn (partly from faffing about with Tolkien’s lore), but if you want a fantasy show that looks like it fell out of a Hollywood blockbuster, it’s this one.

His Dark Materials should have been shouted about more. It’s based on Philip Pullman’s brilliant series and manages to keep most of the books’ clever points without ever feeling like a dull lecture. The world-building is creative, daemons look fantastic, and the casting is a dream: Dafne Keen, James McAvoy, Ruth Wilson all top form. Nearly every episode is a visual treat, although the themes dig pretty deep into God-versus-science territory (fair warning for the religiously averse).

Animated Powerhouses

Some of the most daring fantasy isn’t even live-action. Arcane on Netflix blends fantasy, industrial sci-fi, and one of the best animation styles going – sharp, stylish, and seriously ambitious. The visuals are extraordinary, the plotting’s rock-solid, and the music is as catchy as it is moody. Somehow, it manages to develop complex characters who fall into all sorts of moral grey zones, and never lets the pace flag for long.

Avatar: The Last Airbender is supposedly for kids but honestly, it does everything fantasy TV should: detailed world-building (the bending alone is genius), characters you want to adopt, and it never talks down to its audience. Tossing in themes like imperialism and loss without wallowing, it’s one of the few classic shows that doesn’t look or feel dated in 2026. If you can handle a gentle start, every episode is worth it.

Then there’s Attack on Titan, which repeatedly wrecks expectations for what an action-fantasy anime can do. The opening episode throws you straight into the nightmare world, and from there it just keeps expanding. The action’s brutal, the visuals unsettling and spectacular, and the themes – let’s just say they’re not for the faint-hearted. Plenty of anime is great, but this series helped blow open the doors for the genre as a whole.

Underrated or Offbeat Choices

The Magicians on Syfy is a rare beast – a fantasy show that pokes fun at itself while tackling genuinely heavy topics like mental illness and trauma. It nicks magic-school tropes, turns them inside out, and then dumps everyone into stories that are sometimes fun, sometimes a complete emotional car crash (in a good way). If you want hope and warm fuzzies, you might want to duck, but honestly, few modern series take so many creative swings and actually pull them off.

The Legend of Vox Machina is for those who like their fantasy wild, chaotic, and voice-acted with obscene amounts of passion. Based on Critical Role, it follows a band of lovable misfits who lurch between hilarious banter and gut-punching emotional moments. The world-building is dense but accessible, and it rarely drags.

And then there’s Supernatural. Yes, it lasted ages – 15 seasons, if you can believe it – and got through about five series-worth of plot twists and a truckload of monsters. What kept it going was the dynamic between the Winchester brothers, played by Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki. It’s not highbrow, but it’s easy to stick with, especially once you realise it doesn’t take itself too seriously for long.

• Game of Thrones (2011–2019, HBO) – Still the fantasy series everyone else is measured against
• House of the Dragon (2022–present, HBO) – Political infighting and dragons, plenty more to come
• The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022–present, Prime Video) – Stunning effects, divisive for Tolkien obsessives
• His Dark Materials (2019–2022, BBC/HBO) – Faithful, ambitious adaptation of Pullman’s iconic trilogy
• Arcane (2021–present, Netflix) – Animation and storytelling masterclass, surreal world-building
• Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005–2008, Nickelodeon) – Still the best-constructed fantasy for any age group
• Attack on Titan (2013–2023, MBS) – Bleak, gory, boundary-pushing anime
• The Magicians (2015–2020, Syfy) – Magic school, major emotional depth, criminally undervalued
• The Legend of Vox Machina (2022–present, Prime Video) – D&D-inspired animated mayhem with a cult following
• Supernatural (2005–2020, CW) – Monster-of-the-week fun, with actual heart and impressive longevity

Avatar: The Last Airbender consistently lands on critics' best-TV lists, despite being aimed at younger viewers and clocking in at only about 30 minutes an episode.