--- description: From 'His Dark Materials' to 'A Discovery of Witches,' here are the fantasy TV adaptations worth adding to your streaming queue. title: These Are the Best Fantasy TV Show Adaptations to Watch Now image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt18a6f9b6f514a986/698a19164ee262747d3189c3/fantasy-books-to-show.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Television](/tag/television/) ## Television Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # These Are the Best Fantasy TV Show Adaptations to Watch Now  by [Raisa Bruner](/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 27, 2021 6:53 PM CUT  The Witcher; Outlander; Game of Thrones The Witcher; Outlander; Game of ThronesNetflix; Sony Pictures Television; HBO  by [Raisa Bruner](/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 27, 2021 6:53 PM CUT Netflix’s [_Shadow and Bone_](https://time.com/5956638/shadow-and-bone-books-six-of-crows/ "undefined"), which dropped on April 23, marks yet another hit fantasy book series getting inducted into the TV adaptation circuit—or rather, two series in one, as the new show creates one cohesive narrative out of storylines from Leigh Bardugo’s _Shadow and Bone_ trilogy and the first book in her _Six of Crows_ duology. The series, starring newcomers Jessie Mei Li, Archie Renaux and Freddy Carter, flies by over the course of eight episodes of magic, espionage, violence and romance—in other words, all of the necessary ingredients to satisfy a fantasy fan. The good news for fans is that TV adaptations of fantasy series have become essential television in recent years, with more en route. (Look out for Amazon’s [future _Lord of the Rings_](https://www.nme.com/blogs/lord-of-the-rings-tv-series-release-date-plot-cast-2170413 "undefined") show.) While we wait for season two of _Shadow and Bone_, however, here are the best fantasy TV show adaptations you can watch right now. ## _Game of Thrones_ It’s been 10 whole years since [_Game of Thrones_](https://time.com/5733984/emilia-clarke-game-of-thrones-nude-scenes/ "undefined") premiered on HBO, setting a widely-accepted gold standard for what a fantasy television adaptation can be (despite its more [controversial](https://time.com/3961118/2015-emmy-nominations-game-of-thrones/ "undefined") elements). With its shocking plot twists, dark themes and giant budget, _Thrones_ became a phenomenon and a cultural touchpoint. And while the scripts stumbled in later seasons—especially after they veered past George R. R. Martin’s published _A Song of Ice and Fire_ works—the early seasons remain worthy of a rewatch, or first watch, for all fantasy book and TV buffs. (And there is, naturally, more _Thrones_ in the works: [HBO announced](https://deadline.com/2021/04/house-of-the-dragon-hbo-game-of-thrones-prequel-production-debut-2022-1234744235/ "undefined") that a spinoff series set 300 years before _Thrones_, _The House of the Dragon_, began production in late April and is slated for a 2022 release.) [_Watch it on HBO_](https://www.hbomax.com/series/urn:hbo:series:GVU2cggagzYNJjhsJATwo/?utm%5Fid=sa%7c71700000067192005%7c58700005868659829%7cp53640765163&gclid=CjwKCAjw7J6EBhBDEiwA5UUM2vP3bLMkNfX%5FKx47Z1s9dxXGpzMjo9YNl005By9GtMYwg0Bi1R3gpBoC0JcQAvD%5FBwE&gclsrc=aw.ds "undefined") ## _His Dark Materials_ Philip Pullman’s _His Dark Materials_ trilogy (_The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife_ and _The Amber Spyglass_) may be young adult fantasy, but its topics of exploration—the concepts of original sin, parallel universes, fate and free choice, corruption of power—are not light. Nor do they exist on the usual binary of good vs. evil. First adapted as a 2007 movie starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, the new HBO TV version—renewed for a third and final upcoming season—stars Ruth Wilson, James McAvoy and Lin-Manuel Miranda. The show does not break new ground, but fans of the original story—or anyone who is curious about worlds where souls exist in animal form outside of the body—will find a layered story with tender performances. [_Watch it on HBO_](https://www.hbomax.com/grw-hdm?utm%5Fid=sa%7c71700000066889517%7c58700005930499236%7cp54264335565&gclid=CjwKCAjw7J6EBhBDEiwA5UUM2mx3jnPvemXAEgcsbI-uX83XqeJcigz5F7ectRkAUU4JoV%5FPHSR1jxoCooEQAvD%5FBwE&gclsrc=aw.ds "undefined") ## _The Witcher_ An obscure, dense Polish fantasy novel adapted to a [hit video game](https://time.com/5762248/witcher-netflix-game/ "undefined")—and then adapted again to an eight-episode Netflix series starring Henry Cavill in a long platinum wig: sure, why not? Cavill plays the titular Witcher, a non-human born to fight monsters in a magical, medieval world that draws heavily from [European folklore](https://time.com/5753369/the-witcher-history-folklore/ "undefined") of all origins. The show jumps between his gruesome exploits and the story of a powerful sorceress and a lost princess, the timelines coming together as the season progresses. More lighthearted than _Game of Thrones_—there’s a singing troubadour as comic sidekick in many scenes—_The Witcher_ got [mixed reviews](https://time.com/5752962/netflix-witcher-review/ "undefined"), but each episode gets stronger as the season progresses, and ultimately satisfies the fantasy itch. [_Watch it on Netflix_](https://www.netflix.com/title/80189685 "undefined") ## _The Magicians_ Lev Grossman’s _The Magicians,_ a popular release when it came out in 2009, is often likened to a dark Harry Potter: misfit teens attend a mysterious magical school called the Brakebills University for Magical Pedagogy. But as both a book and a TV show, _The Magicians_ is less interested in neat tales of good triumphing over evil, and much more interested in the dangers of greed, power and ambition. The SYFY show, which ran for five seasons before concluding in 2020, mixes teen drama, zingy humor and magical exploits—provided you’re OK with a storyline that also includes depictions of traumatic events. [_Watch it on Netflix_](https://www.netflix.com/title/80092801 "undefined") ## _Outlander_ _Outlander_ is a romance first and foremost, Diana Gabaldon’s hefty books weaving the tale of World War II nurse Claire Randall and her love story with 18th century Scottish warrior Jamie Fraser. But time travel and some magically-inclined moments place it in the fantasy genre. The accompanying TV show, which has released five seasons and been renewed for two more to come, tracks the books closely. Claire’s adventures as part of the Jacobite revolution see her traveling from Scotland to France to the Americas; the mix of lush historical settings, supernatural elements, and that central love story have made it a cult favorite. [_Watch it on Netflix_](https://www.netflix.com/title/70285581 "undefined") ## _The Shannara Chronicles_ Canceled this year after two seasons, _The Shannara Chronicles_ adapts Terry Brooks’s epic _Sword of Shannara_ trilogy, a young adult classic. What you’ll find: elves, druids, humans and the occasional dwarf joined in a _Lord of the Rings_\-style quest to save the world, or their slice of it, as a powerful living tree called the Ellcrys begins to die. Filmed in New Zealand, the landscapes are half the appeal; the comforting quest tropes and predictable, teen-friendly narrative make it a kind of comfort food for fantasy show connoisseurs. [_Watch it on Netflix_](https://www.netflix.com/title/80084164 "undefined") ## _The Vampire Diaries_ _The Vampire Diaries_ ran for eight seasons before concluding in 2017, but before it was a hit CW show starring Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder, it was a book series from L.J. James that predated _Twilight_—and pop culture’s ensuing vampire obsession—by well over a decade. (The first book was published in 1991.) Taking place in the fictional town of Mystic Falls, VA, _The Vampire Diaries_ explores the supernatural with a good dose of small-town Americana. [_Watch it on Netflix_](https://www.netflix.com/title/70143860 "undefined") ## _A Discovery of Witches_ Like _His Dark Materials_, _A Discovery of Witches_ makes its home on British soil: it starts out with a manuscript discovery at Oxford’s Bodleian Library, launching an unsuspecting witch on her quest to keep the balance between various supernatural beings—as one does. Based on the All Souls trilogy from Deborah Harkness, it recently aired its second season, with another on order. And there are vampires here too, specifically Matthew Goode as an erudite professor of biochemistry who just happens to have a penchant for blood and a soft spot for a witch. The forbidden love story is the selling point, but the mysteries around witches, vampires and demons give it a highbrow veneer. [_Watch it on Amazon Prime Video_](https://www.amazon.com/A-Discovery-of-Witches/dp/B07M926M85 "undefined") ## _American Gods_ Neil Gaiman’s _American Gods_ got the TV treatment in 2017 with this Starz adaptation of the 2001 bestseller. As the title suggests, the book (and show) mix an American setting with the battle between Old and New Gods: an ex-convict named Shadow discovers the more-than-human identity of his new employer, Mr. Wednesday, as they travel the country hobnobbing with mysterious characters. There’s another layer of social critique embedded in the text, too; the so-called New Gods are physical manifestations of modern society. (Gillian Anderson, for instance, appears as Media, the New Goddess of pop culture and television.) The show lasted three seasons, most recently airing in January 2021, before getting the ax. [_Watch it on Hulu_](https://www.hulu.com/series/american-gods-92ca12b6-1e2d-4109-b837-dcaa044459f0 "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5957144/best-fantasy-tv-adaptations/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5957144/best-fantasy-tv-adaptations/"},"headline":"These Are the Best Fantasy TV Show Adaptations to Watch Now","datePublished":"2021-04-27T18:53:27.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-24T09:53:16.432Z","description":"For when you've finished Netflix's new 'Shadow and Bone'","url":"https://time.com/5957144/best-fantasy-tv-adaptations/","keywords":["Television","list"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt18a6f9b6f514a986/698a19164ee262747d3189c3/fantasy-books-to-show.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Raisa Bruner","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt18a6f9b6f514a986/698a19164ee262747d3189c3/fantasy-books-to-show.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"fantasy-books-to-show","caption":"The Witcher; Outlander; Game of Thrones","creditText":"Netflix; Sony Pictures Television; HBO","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/television/","name":"Television"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5957144/best-fantasy-tv-adaptations/","name":"These Are the Best Fantasy TV Show Adaptations to Watch Now"}}]}] ```