The Wheel of Timewas Amazon Prime’s answer to the fantasy TV show boom, but now that it’s been canceled, fans will have to seek out other great works of speculative fiction.The Wheel of Timeseason 4 won’t happenas Prime’s series isn’t being shopped to additional networks. This is a huge disappointment for fans of the original novel series by Robert Jordan, which spans fourteen installments.The scope and scale of a high fantasy story like this are ambitiousand notoriously difficult to adapt to the screen, so the cancellation isn’t shocking, but it’s still hard to accept.
All ofThe Wheel of Time’s unanswered questionswill remain up in the air, which might spark renewed interest in reading the source material. However, for audiences who were hoping to spend many years escaping into the world ofThe Wheel of Timeonscreen, it’s difficult to accept that the iconic show won’t be returning. Fortunately, it’s far from the only sweeping fantasy story that’s been told onscreen. Though premature fantasy cancellations happen all the time, these shows got the chance to finish their stories.
7The Dragon Prince (2018–2024)
Full Of Dragons, Magic, & Mystery, The Dragon Prince Is A Fantastic Animated Series
ThoughThe Dragon Princeis meant for younger audiences thanThe Wheel of Time, fantasy fans shouldn’t overlook this stellar addition to the genre.The Dragon PrinceisAvatar: The Last Airbender’s spiritual successor, as it was created by some of the minds behind the famous children’s cartoon. However,The Dragon Princetakes things to the next level, asit ran for seven seasons and spanned many years,allowing the characters to evolve fully and the audience to witness their growth over time.
One of the reasons viewers enjoy long-running series like this is thatit’s so exciting to see beloved characters reach their full potential.Each season ofThe Dragon Princetook full advantage of this and worked hard to center the world-building as much as the character development. The world is concrete enough to be easily imagined, but still leaves aspects of the magic and culture up to the audience’s interpretation, to let our dreams run wild.
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6Supernatural (2005–2020)
This Long-Running Series Is Worth Watching Until The End
For audiences looking to watch a show for a long time,Supernaturalis the perfect series to commit to.After the disappointment ofThe Wheel of Time’s end,Supernaturalis the ideal comfort show to get wrapped up in, as the lore and character development only get more complex and nuanced as the series continues. Though, as the name suggests, the series is more interested in ghosts, demons, and the supernatural than classic high fantasy, it’s still as exciting and sprawling as whatThe Wheel of Timehad to offer.
The bond between Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) is a moving story of the love between brothers and takes the characters to many dangerous places. ThoughSupernaturalstarted as a typical monster-of-the-week style series, it quickly developed into a sweeping exploration of the war between heaven and hell, which the Winchesters find themselves caught in the middle of.Supernaturalgets serious and dark many times,but the show also infuses plenty of humor and meta-textual storylines into the plot.
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5Xena: Warrior Princess (1995–2001)
Strong Female Characters Are At The Forefront Of Xena
LikeThe Wheel of Time,Xena: Warrior Princessrevolves around strong, capable female characters who explore their worlds with certainty and skill.Xenapremiered at a time when fantasy shows that uplifted women were booming, likeBuffy The Vampire SlayerandCharmed, butXenawas the most focused on high fantasy and mythology. A spinoff ofHercules: The Legendary Journeys,Xenaquickly surpassed the original show in terms of quality, longevity, and popularity.Lucy Lawless' fantastic lead performancehelped cementXenaas a series to watch.
ThoughXenaultimately came to an end after season 6,the series got to explore almost everything it set out to do and provided a clear and fitting end to Xena and Gabrielle’s (Renee O’Connor) adventures. Loosely based on Greek mythology and interacting with other folklore,Xena: Warrior Princessused these exciting monsters and legends to explore the central characters, especially the relationship between Xena and Gabrielle. Even if you’ve never watchedXena: Warrior Princess, it’s likely that fantasy fans are aware of its impact.
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4His Dark Materials (2019–2022)
Watching The Characters Grow Is One Of The Best Parts Of His Dark Materials
Based on Philip Pullman’s landmark children’s fantasy series,His Dark Materialsis the best adaptation we’ve gotten of the original trilogy. Though just three seasons long, each installment takes great care to follow the books and pay tribute to the source material while ensuring that the story is brought to life for the screen.His Dark Materialsisone of HBO’s most underrated fantasy shows.However, this is surprising considering how satisfying it is to watch the narrative unfold, knowing it will come to a full-circle ending.
Its story has stood the test of time and will continue to be a classic.
With steampunk elements and multiple realities,His Dark Materialsblurs the line between fantasy and sci-fi at times but is firmly rooted in the magic system that Pullman carefully crafted. Though the series centers on a young woman, part of the fun of the story is watching Lyra (Dafne Keen) grow up and come into herself as an adult throughout her adventures. This makesHis Dark Materialsthe perfect show to enjoy with audiences of all ages. Its story has stood the test of time and will continue to be a classic.
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3Once Upon A Time (2011–2018)
Fairy Tales Take A Dark Turn In This Fantasy Series
Created byLostwriters Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz,the influence of that science-fantasy series is evident inOnce Upon a Time. There have been plenty of darker takes on classic fairy tales, butOnce Upon a Timeputs an exciting twist on this type of narrative. Though set in our world, the series sees fairy tale characters living as regular people with their memories erased, flashing back to their pasts in the Enchanted Forest. This is an effective way for the show to sprinkle in backstory and exposition without losing momentum.
If anything,Once Upon a Timeis afantasy show that continued for too many seasons, looking for new dramas and delivering a final season that shook up the formula too much. However, the expertly executed redemption arcs are a big reason to watchOnce Upon a Timeuntil the end.The Wheel of Time, like all works of fantasy, draws inspiration from the mythic nature of fairy tales, andOnce Upon a Timegives audiences permission to explore these beloved stories from childhoodin a new and more mature way.
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2Merlin (2008–2012)
The Legends Of King Arthur Have Never Been More Exciting
There have been a lot of takes on the legends of King Arthur and Camelot, but the BBC’s 2008 seriesMerlinquickly proved itself to be one of the most effective. Tracking the early development and relationship between Arthur and Merlin, played by Bradley James and Colin Morgan,Merlinadds a little coming-of-age drama to the mystical and magical plot lines. Largely revolving around the king’s fear of magic and Merlin having to hide his powers,Merlineffectively blends its monster-of-the-week formula with exciting season-long arcs.
There’s also an amazing and complex lore withinMerlinthat’s built upon hundreds of years of storytelling and interpretations of these stories. ThoughThe Wheel of Timebooks are much more recent, there are so many, and Jordan worked so hard to make the world feel lived in that the scope of the magic systems and mythologies is comparable. Though some of the visual effects are a little dated,Merlinstill manages to make the beasts and villains feel real.
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1Game Of Thrones (2011–2019)
The High Fantasy Show That Renewed Interest In The Genre
It’s safe to say that series likeThe Wheel of Timewouldn’t exist withoutGame of Thrones. George R.R. Martin’s book series might have been inspired by Robert Jordan’s work. However, the screen adaptation ofGame of Thronesproved high fantasy had a place on TV in the 21st century. The series was so popular that it continued running for three seasons after the original books had run out because fans and critics couldn’t get enough. ThoughGOTmade some missteps in the controversial final season, it’s still worth watching through until the end.
Few contemporary fantasy shows have avoided following in the footsteps ofGOT, and for good reason. The epic scale and intricate story are two major reasons audiences enjoy the genre. However,Game of Throneswas so successful because it connected with fans of all kinds, proving that complex political and social dramas can easily go hand-in-hand with fantasy. If you haven’t already fallen in love withGame of Thrones,it won’t take long for this iconic show to become a fantasy favorite.
Game of Thrones (2011–2019)
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