Fantasy is the oldest and most diverse genre of human storytelling. Limited only by the storyteller’s imagination, it takes the familiar aspects of our world and represents them through a fantastical lens to help us make sense of them. Fears and anxieties transform into horrific monsters, virtues become great heroes, and a forbidding forest could conceal an entire enchanted realm within.
When it comes to television, fantasy has had ups and downs, often due to budgetary restraints and hit-and-miss writing. Still, there are some shows that kept a consistent quality from beginning to end.
10
‘Shadow and Bone’ (2021–2023)
Ever since the kingdom of Ravka was split in two by the Shadow Fold, its people have been searching for the Sun Summoner, a prophesied magic user known as a Grisha who can clear it. They discover her in Alina Starkov (Kaylan Teague and Jessie Mei Li), a military cartographer who is taken under the wing of General Aleksander Kirigan (Ben Barnes), the leader of Ravka’s Grishas. Meanwhile, news of the Sun Summoner reaches the city of Ketterdam, and a trio of thieves called the Crows try to capture her to get a leg up on their rivals.
Shadow and Bone is based on Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse, which is an interesting world that blends a unique magic system with cultures based on Eastern Europe and Asia. This results in an intriguing series with plenty of political intrigue mixed into its story and some fascinating combat tactics based on fighting with or against magic users. Then there are the Crows, who steal every scene they’re in thanks to their colorful personalities, wonderful teamwork, and unique skill sets that always make you curious to see what they’ll do next.
9
‘Over the Garden Wall’ (2014)
After catching a frog (Jack Jones) together, half-brothers Wirt (Elijah Wood) and Greg (Collin Dean) realize they have become lost in a strange forest called the Unknown. They soon encounter a talking bluebird named Beatrice (Melanie Lynskey), who offers to help lead them to someone who could get them home. However, they also meet a strange Woodsman (Christopher Lloyd) who warns them of a beast (Samuel Ramey) who stalks the woods and preys on lost souls.
Over the Garden Wall consists of only ten 11-minute episodes, yet to this day, audiences herald it as one of Cartoon Network’s best works. It explores all the joys and horrors of classic folk tales of getting lost in the woods, while the art design is heavily inspired by rubber hose animation from the early 20th century, which helps the world feel more otherworldly and strange. The show is also fantastic for a rewatch because, once you know the truth of the Unknown, you start to look at each of the locations and characters in a different light.
8
‘The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance’ (2019)
Rian (Taron Egerton) is a Gelfling living on the planet Thra and serves as a palace guard to the immortal Skeksis, custodians of the Crystal of Truth. However, he learns their intentions are far from benign when he witnesses them murder one of his fellow guards to drain her essence to further rejuvenate themselves. As Rian is forced to go on the run, a subterranean Gelfling named Deet (Nathalie Emmanuel) learns of a spreading corruption, and Princess Brea (Anya Taylor-Joy), disillusioned with the Skeksis, begins her own search for the truth.
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance is a prequel to Jim Henson’s dark fantasy masterpiece, The Dark Crystal, and continues the film’s tradition of forgoing on-screen humans for an entirely puppet cast. This helps to make Thra feel like a truly alien world and injects the characters with lots of personality, especially the Skeksis. The show even won a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Children’s Program, which makes it all the more frustrating that Netflix canceled it shortly after.
7
‘Merlin’ (2008–2012)
Twenty years after King Uther Pendragon’s (Anthony Head) great purge against magic, a young warlock named Merlin (Colin Morgan) is sent to Camelot to live with the court physician, Gaius (Richard Wilson), who is aware of his powers. Merlin rescues Prince Arthur (Bradley James) from a vengeful magic user, so Uther makes him Arthur’s personal manservant. Merlin is initially disappointed by this, but soon meets with the great dragon Kilgharrah (Sir John Hurt), who tells him that it is Arthur’s destiny to bring about a better world, and Merlin must help him forge it.
Merlin is a very different take on Arthurian legend, having Merlin and Arthur be teenage companions rather than a wise wizard mentoring a young king. The show does a good job with this, however, thanks in large part to the great camaraderie between Head and Morgan. Beyond the two of them, the show has a strong monster-of-the-week formula, bringing a new magical challenge for Merlin to overcome without letting his true nature be known to his friends, which gives each episode the chance to be creative.
6
‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ (2026–Present)
Ser Duncan the Tall (Bamber Todd and Peter Claffey) is a hedge knight who has inherited the horse and arms of his dead master, Ser Arlan of Pennytree (Danny Webb). He plans to head to a tournament at Ashford Meadow to make a name for himself and picks up a well-spoken bald boy named Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell), who insists on being his squire. Things become more complicated, however, when members of House Targaryen arrive, and Ser Duncan soon finds himself the enemy of Prince Aerion “Brightflame” (Finn Bennett).
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms isn’t higher on this list because we only have one season, but it did the impossible and brought hope back to the embittered A Song of Ice and Fire franchise. It offers a more down-to-earth look at Westeros, full of laughs at the simple things in life, yet still has plenty of the emotional, dramatic moments and beloved characters that made audiences fall in love with George R. R. Martin’s world. Its climactic Trial of Seven is also one of the greatest action sequences in any fantasy TV show, focusing less on flashy moves and more on the gritty, confusing brutality of a melee when you can only see the world through a small visor.
5
‘Gargoyles’ (1994–1997)
In 994AD Scotland, a tribe of gargoyles living in Castle Wyvern is massacred by Viking invaders, and the survivors are put into an enchanted stone sleep until the castle rises above the clouds. 1000 years later, billionaire David Xanatos (Jonathan Frakes) decides to test this by moving the castle brick by brick to the top of his New York City tower, restoring the gargoyles. Now stuck in a foreign world, the gargoyles make an ally with Detective Elisa Maza (Salli Richardson) and work to protect the city from mundane and magical threats.
Gargoyles was created to be Disney’s answer to Batman: The Animated Series, and it quickly rose to become arguably their best animated show. This is thanks to its dedication to complex storytelling, character work, and melodrama, while tackling real-world issues like gang violence and the cycle of vengeance. It also doesn’t skimp when it comes to worldbuilding, balancing all manner of mythologies from around the world with a well-realized biology and culture for the gargoyles themselves.
4
‘Adventure Time’ (2010–2018)
Finn the Human (Jeremy Shada) is a young boy living in the magical land of Ooo. With his adopted brother — a shapeshifting dog named Jake (John DiMaggio) — he goes on all sorts of adventures, usually in service to the ruler of the Candy Kingdom, Princess Bubblegum (Hynden Walch). Others he frequently runs into include the princess-obsessed Ice King (Tom Kenny), the chaotic vampire queen Marceline (Olivia Olson), and a friendly video-game robot named BMO (Niki Yang).
Adventure Time is the show that kickstarted Cartoon Network’s second golden age in the 2010s, and quickly established itself as a classic that has expanded into comics and spin-offs that continue the story. It is often described as a show that grew up with its audience, with the early seasons being focused on the sort of random adventures kids might come up with, mixed with classic dungeon crawling à la Dungeons & Dragons. Later seasons, however, expand into more serialized storytelling that delves into abstract and existential themes, which represent Finn’s transition to adulthood and exposure to the complexities of the universe.
3
‘Samurai Jack’ (2001–2004, 2017)
When the demon Aku (Mako and Greg Baldwin) conquers his homeland, a samurai prince (Phil LaMarr) spends years training in exile until he is worthy of claiming his father’s magic sword. Before he could kill Aku, the demon opened a portal through time and tossed the samurai into it. He finds himself now stranded in a techno-magical future ruled by Aku and, after acquiring the nickname Jack, travels the world in search of a portal to his own time so he can slay Aku and prevent this future from coming.
Samurai Jack is one of the most beloved shows from Cartoon Network’s first golden age and is a masterpiece by legendary animator Genndy Tartakovsky. The show is a master of visual storytelling, relying on descriptive facial animation and stylistic designs to get the emotions of the scene across in ways no dialogue could. It still has fantastic dialogue, from comedic moments when Jack and Aku meet to somber moments of introspection from Jack or the numerous side characters struggling to survive.
2
‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ (2005–2008)
For 100 years, the Fire Nation has been waging a war of conquest that saw the Air Nomads wiped out, the Water Tribes isolated, and the Earth Kingdom on the back foot. One day, Southern Water Tribe siblings Katara (Mae Whitman) and Sokka (Jack De Sena) find a boy trapped in an iceberg named Aang (Zach Tyler Eisen). He turns out to not only be an Air Nomad frozen before his people were killed, but also the Avatar, the only person who can bend all four elements and thus bring balance back to the world.
Avatar: The Last Airbender is a strong contender for the greatest animated show ever made, and it had a massive impact on all shows that followed after it. Fans of all ages fell in love with its gorgeous animation, complex characters, rich world-building, and bending styles based on real-life martial arts. The banished fire prince, Zuko (Dante Basco), is easily the standout character, thanks to Basco’s amazing voice work, his relationship with his wise uncle, Iroh (Mako and Greg Baldwin), and his redemption arc.
1
‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ (1997–2003)
Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) might seem like your average high school girl, but she is the most recent incarnation of “The Slayer,” a chosen warrior destined to battle against the forces of evil. While initially hesitant to answer the call, Buffy relents when she learns that her town is built atop a Hellmouth that connects to the demon lands and is infested with evil vampires. Fortunately, she is aided in her efforts by her friends Willow (Alyson Hannigan) and Xander (Nicholas Brendon), and her Watcher, Giles (Anthony Head).
It cannot be overstated how much of a landmark show Buffy the Vampire Slayer is. The show took classic horror tropes and monsters and twisted them into physical manifestations of teenage fear and anxieties, resulting in deep, explorative character studies and complex villains. Buffy herself also broke new ground thanks to her fun personality, kick-ass fighting skills, and relatable flaws and vulnerabilities.
