There have been many wonderful YA fantasy shows over the years, but they’ve been overlooked by adults. That’s because the “YA” term makes people think they’re for young adults only.
Young adult content has gained a bad reputation in the past, whether it’s for its bad writing or the fact that teenagers are constantly put in adult situations. However, there are some YA shows that do it all right. They bring complex situations, adults that actually care and try to help, and character development that even the best adult shows haven’t always managed to offer.
So, it’s time to stop sleeping on the YA fantasy shows out there. Here are six you need to watch as an adult.
Once Upon a Time
This ABC series brings fairytales to life, and because of that, a lot of people overlooked it. However, in the middle of all the fairytales are some important topics of life, trauma, love, and family. We get a story of people coming together in the hope that they can save their town and the people they care about, and it all starts with one woman getting a visit from a son she put up for adoption!
There are some excellent lessons even from the evil characters throughout Once Upon a Time. There is a price to everything, especially when it comes to magic, and you’re not guaranteed anything just because you feel like you deserve it. Doing the wrong thing, even for the right reason, is still the wrong thing, and it pays to think of others.
Once Upon a Time is available to stream on Disney+ and Hulu.
Supernatural
When you first think of Supernatural, you’ll think about Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki. Maybe you’ll think about all the teens and young adults online, who still adore the series despite it being over for the last five years. There’s this opinion that it’s a low-budget CW show, and while it was a CW show, it certainly wasn’t a low-budget one. It’s one that you’ve been sleeping on.
The series is all about found family, bringing up reminders that family doesn’t end with blood. There’s a focus on protecting everyday people, even if they don’t necessarily “deserve” to be protected because they’re awful on the inside. While there is a focus on the supernatural monsters and ghosts, we’re also reminded that humans are often the worst of the worst. At the heart of it, though, it’s about love and sacrifice, and it’s time to binge-watch all 15 seasons.
Supernatural is available to stream on Netflix.
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Shadow and Bone
I do wish that the Netflix series stuck to the book trilogy a lot better, especially for the second season, but that doesn’t stop it from being a YA fantasy series that adults need to stop sleeping on. Shadow and Bone brings up a lot of adult topics that are relevant no matter how old we get.
At the heart of it, it’s about a young woman trying to find her place in the world. She’s always hidden a piece of herself, and as that piece comes out, she suddenly finds that she’s in the middle of a mystical war and needs to surround herself by the right people if she wants to succeed. She also needs to learn how to harness a power that she has kept hidden for as long as possible, while we also get the focus of a man who turns to absolute power out of grief.
Shadow and Bone is available to stream on Netflix.
Teen Wolf
While a lot of fantasy shows focus on magic and fairytales, Teen Wolf opted for werewolves. It was refreshing at the time, and it remains an area of the fantasy genre that is overlooked. Well, it’s time you stopped sleeping on Teen Wolf and gave it a chance.
Yes, there are a lot of teenagers in the show, but there are also adults who want to protect their town. They don’t treat the teens like they’re adults, unlike shows such as The Vampire Diaries and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which offer us a chance to see what these fantasy shows should be like. On top of that, there are topics of grief, sacrifice, and straddling two worlds to find yourself, which are important no matter how old you are.
Teen Wolf is available on Hulu, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video.
Locke & Key
Told over the course of three seasons, Locke & Key gives us another magical story, but there are some important rules within the world. One of those is that people over 18 forget all about the magic of the keys, and that puts a time limit on the story for the younger characters in the story. It’s something that many other shows don’t even bother touching on.
This show involves adventure, various magical keys that do different things, a cross between worlds, and much more. One of the biggest parts that will draw adults in is the way the adults experience the world. Throughout the first couple of seasons, we have adults who forget and are confused, feeling like they’re losing their mind, and then the third season involves a teen who is now 18, and how everyone handles that memory loss in real time.
Locke & Key is available to stream on Netflix.
The Magicians
At first, The Magicians looks a little like a college-set Harry Potter. Then it starts to look a little Narnia-like. In the end, there is much more to it, and it makes a change to focus on college-age young adults rather than teenagers.
This is not a show for the faint of heart. There are topics of death and sacrifice, love and loss, finding oneself, and also simply finding a place in society. With a mixture of threats each season, a group of strangers is able to find their place together and lean on one another, but that doesn’t always mean they will see eye-to-eye.
The Magicians is available to stream on Tubi.