7. Merlin
Whew! With all the gore and carnage on some of our last couple shows, perhaps it’s time to lighten things up a bit. Enter Merlin, a reimagining of Arthurian myth developed by the BBC. Running from 2008-2012, this version of the tale sees a teenage Merlin (Colin Morgan) arriving in Camelot, but because magic is outlawed due to the prejudices of Uther Pendragon (played by Anthony Head of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame), the young mage must hide his true gifts and live as a servant in the castle.
This show isn’t as severe and serious as some of the other series we’ve discussed — it’s closer to the campy end of the spectrum. But it has a ton of heart and is very fun popcorn viewing.
For the seasoned Game of Thrones aficionado, Merlin has another perk: it’s overflowing with cameos from GoT stars. It’s easy to imagine how this show might have been demo reel material for many of the actors who went on to star on Thrones. John Bradley (Samwell Tarley), Joseph Mawle (Benjen Stark), Charles Dance (Tywin Lannister), Liam Cunningham (Davos Seaworth) and so, so many more actors all show up. I lost count at around 20.
Merlin is a solid choice if you just need a break from all the doom and gloom of some of the more serious fantasy shows, but still want to stay immersed in Renn Faire life.
All five seasons of Merlin are available on Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video, so no matter your streaming service of choice you can enjoy these magical shenanigans.