The epic fantasy shows that will dominate the next decade of TV
By John Fallon
From The Witcher to The Lord of the Rings to House of the Dragon to The Wheel of Time and beyond, fantasy TV is poised to dominated the 2020s.
What with the pandemic, the 2020s got off to a rough start. But if there was any silver lining to everyone being stuck at home for months, it was that they got to catch up on a lot of TV shows. And increasingly, that meant watching some of the new fantasy series studios have been turning out in the wake of the success of Game of Thrones.
Looking forward, it seems as though fantasy TV will dominate the decade, at least if the bets studios are making pay off. As things get back to normal, both on set and off, let’s take a look at some of the fantasy shows we can expect to enjoy in the years to come, both those already on the air with new seasons on the way and those yet to premiere.
The Witcher
Netflix’s fantasy-drama The Witcher, created by Lauren Schmidt Hissrich and based on the book series by Andrzej Sapkowski, was a a major success when the first season landed on Netflix in 2019. During the first month of its release, the show was watched by 76 million households.
Set on “The Continent,” a medieval-inspired land of mythical monsters and peoples, The Witcher explores the legends of Geralt of Rivia, Yennefer of Vengerberg and Princess Ciri, played by Henry Cavill, Anya Chalotra, and Freya Allan respectively. Linked by destiny, these three deal with falling kingdoms, foreign armies, dragons and emotional baggage. The first season of the show was based Witcher short stories compiled in the books The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny, but future seasons will have a bit more of a traditional serialized narrative.
Word is the second season of The Witcher will release by the end of this year. If it’s as successful as the first, we could be looking at a long-term series here.
Shadow and Bone
Shadow and Bone premiered just this past April and was immediately embraced by fans as a great additions to Netflix’s original series lineup. It’s based on the works of author Leigh Bardugo, drawing from both her Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows series, all of them set in the Russian-inspired land of Ravka. The adventure is mostly led by Alina Starkov, a teenaged orphan who finds out she is a Grisha and can wield immense power. Soon enough, she finds herself in the midst of war and a struggle for control of the country.
The show reached the Netflix Top 10 for a stretch, but so far there has been no confirmation as to whether there will be a second season. In an interview, showrunner Eric Heisserer and Bardugo made clear they are ready should they get the opportunity to continue the tale. There are more books to adapt, and the cliffhanger ending of the first season all but dares Netflix not to renew.
His Dark Materials
HBO’s His Dark Materials is a fantasy drama based on the 1995 book series of the same name by Philip Pullman, previously adapted as the 2007 film The Golden Compass. The show follows Lyra Belacqua and Will Parry, two kids from (literally) different worlds who get caught up in a plot that could have consequences for all of existence. The show has overtly anti-religious themes that set it apart, plus that well-known layer of HBO polish. Also talking polar bears.
The show premiered around the same time as Netflix’s The Witcher, in November of 2019, but never reached the same level of success. In December 2020, it was renewed for a third and final season based on The Amber Spyglass, the last book in Pullman’s trilogy.
And those are the shows that have already premiered. There are also plenty of fantasy dramas that haven’t seen the light of day yet, but they’re on their way…