26 shows similar to Game of Thrones to watch next

12. The Shannara Chronicles

Speaking of shows that struggled adapting their source material, let’s discuss The Shannara Chronicles. This series was one of the first out of the gate as networks attempted to ape Game of Thrones, and it came from…MTV? Yup, you read that right. This was MTV’s shot at taking the  fantasy crown, and while it didn’t quite accomplish that, there are still some things about The Shannara Chronicles that make it pretty fun.

Based on The Sword of Shannara trilogy by Terry Brooks, the series follows Will Ohmsford, a half-elf who is forced to leave his Shire-like village in order to help safeguard the world from encroaching demons. A magical tree deep in the Elven Kingdoms called the Elcrys is dying, and when it does, a barrier that kept demons walled off in a desolate wasteland will fall and allow them to spill into the world. An Elf named Amberlee has to undergo a quest to restore the tree, and Will is ordered to help her by the sometimes-grouchy druid Allanon (Manu Bennet). The wildcard of the journey is Eretria (Ivana Baquero), a rogue-ish gypsy who sometimes helps and sometimes hinders the group.

If all that sounds a little conventiona, let’s keep in mind that The Sword of Shannara books were written in the late ’70s and ’80s. They certainly aren’t reinventing the wheel for the genre. But, they do some things very well. To start, the world is firmly established as a post-apocalyptic version of our Earth. Unlike The Wheel of Time, which very loosely alludes to something similar, Shannara is very clear about taking place after the apocalypse. Our heroes will come across ruined skyscrapers, encounter trolls (who wear…gas masks? Okay, I didn’t say all of the ideas were good), and discover the secrets that led the druid order to hide away much of the knowledge from an earlier time. This is another show that includes some camp, even though the sweeping CGI vistas try their hardest to convince you otherwise.

I mentioned difficulties with the source material. Terry Brooks’ novels tend to jump from generation to generation of characters, with one or two stayovers, like Allanon, to keep things cohesive. This show adapts the second Shannara novel, The Elfstones of Shannara, which is Will, Amberlee, and Eretria’s story. And when it’s doing that, it’s relatively strong. Things start to go off the rails a bit in season 2, because the third book is about Will’s children, who are not in the show. The series covers some of the events of The Wishsong of Shannara, except it still features Will and his companions as the central characters. And there’s…well, there’s a lot of made up stuff as well.

So yeah! If you want a fun fantasy romp with some unexpected emotional punches, this one is definitely worth a shot. Both seasons of The Shannara Chronicles are available on Netflix.