Sci-fi may be one of entertainment’s most popular genres, but fantasy is right up there with it. It’s a fun and fascinating genre frequently set in worlds not our own that is built around elements of the magical, the supernatural, or even the fantastical all while packed with adventure, high stakes, and sometimes a little romance as well. Within fantasy as a whole, there are plenty of subgenres too, including epic fantasy, distinctive for its stories that feature secondary worlds with their own politics and rules that differ from our own or tell their stories in a large scale. Sometimes, these stories are similar to high fantasy, but the world of fantasy is large — and it makes for great television, too.
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While there are a lot of great fantasy television overall across the various subgenres, epic fantasy in particular has some gems as well. Here are seven such series that pulled off the feat of being great entertainment from start to finish. We’re not saying that every single episode was a 10/10, just that these are the series that stayed consistently great throughout — and there are a few you may have forgotten about.
7) The Outpost
If there is one series on this list that is probably going to surprise you, it’s The Outpost. Airing on The CW for four seasons, it’s a series that a lot of people either forgot about or never heard of — and admittedly when it first debuted had a premise that might not have seemed especially interesting. The series followed a young woman named Talon, the lone survivor of a race called the Blackbloods travelling to an outpost on the edge of the civilized world after her entire village is destroyed by mercenaries. However, on her journey, she discovers she has a mysterious power connected to an ancient prophecy that she has to learn to control both to save herself and defend the world from a fanatical religious dictator.
The Outpost doesn’t have the best effects, let’s be honest, but it’s tale of revenge that grows into an actual saga that gets deep into worldbuilding, lore, and develops rich plotlines that explore identity, loyalty, and more — and has some pretty cool monster fights — all while throwing in elements of court intrigue and some romance is surprisingly well done. The show is very much a stripped-down take on fantasy, one with an old school feel that very much feels like a love letter to the genre.
6) Penny Dreadful
You could argue that Penny Dreadful is more of an urban horror fantasy and you wouldn’t exactly be wrong, but it also somewhat fits into epic fantasy simply because while this story is set in Victorian era London, it’s not exactly a London that’s part of our reality. This London sees classic literary characters along with vampires and other figures collide. When Sir Malcolm loses his daughter to London’s creatures, clairvoyant Vanessa Ives enlists gunslinger Ethan Chandler to battle various supernatural forces, monsters, and more to get her back.
From the first episode to the last, the series has a firm grasp on the different tones it is working with, which means that while it’s fantasy, it also never loses its horror and thriller edge and never deviates from digging into the psychology of its characters or the complexity and tension of its story. It’s a rare series that gets it right every single time and that it’s a fantasy series makes it even better.
5) Shadow and Bone
Based on Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse series of novels, Shadow and Bone takes the idea of epic fantasy and makes it steampunk — there are no medieval settings or weaponry here, just a vintage looking and feeling world that layers in elements of high fantasy with detailed world building, elaborate costumes, and plenty of magic.
The story follows a woman named Alina who discovers she’s a Grisha — someone with magical abilities — but more than that is the prophesied Sun Summoner who has the power to unite the divided world which makes her a threat to some. While we only got two seasons of the series before it was cancelled by Netflix, those two seasons were great all the way through.
4) The Magicians
On the surface, The Magicians is like a dark Harry Potter for adults, but if you go a little deeper you get a show that builds not one but two distinct worlds, manages to reinvent itself every season, give viewers messy, unpredictable and brilliant characters and stories and never miss a single beat. It’s a rare series where every single episode (even the musical ones) is a masterpiece.
The series centers around graduate students at Brakebills University who are there to study magic. When one of the students, Quentin Coldwater, discovers that the magical world from his favorite childhood book is very real and very much a danger to humanity, everything gets turned upside down. The story shifts and changes across its five seasons and, at times, goes into some very difficult territory, but it’s masterfully done.
3) His Dark Materials
Based on Philip Pullman’s trilogy, His Dark Materials follows a young girl named Lyra who not only discovers a dangerous secret but that she is at the center of a prophecy that she will change the world, challenging science, religion, fate, and more. The show ran for three seasons on HBO and it was incredible the entire way through.
His Dark Materials stands out for its world building as it is set across different universes and parallel worlds as well as the scope of its story. It’s a tale that is surprisingly grounded for fantasy, one with a rich emotional core and that despite featuring armored polar bears and other amazing creatures somehow feels very real. If there is one “bad” thing you can say about the series it is simply that it never got the viewership it deserved.
2) The Shannara Chronicles
MTV is probably the last place you would expect to find epic fantasy, but that’s where The Shannara Chronicles debuted (it would move to Spike — now Paramount Network — in its second season). Based on The Sword of Shannara trilogy by Terry Brooks, the series follows three heroes who are trying to protect an ancient tree and, in doing so, stop banished demons from escaping.
This is a case where the series isn’t perfect as there are elements that are a little rough, but when taken from start to finish it’s a great, cohesive watch and really shines in terms of performances. The series notably stars Austin Butler before he was a household name and he is especially great here as Wil, a half-human/half-elf who is also the last of his bloodline. The series was unfortunately cancelled after two seasons.
1) Outlander
it honestly doesn’t get much more epic than Outlander and while it might be just a little premature to say it’s great from start to finish since the series’ final season doesn’t arrive until March given that the series has been pretty much 10/10 to this point, we are confident it will make it to its conclusion with that same level of greatness.
Outlander follows British Army nurse Claire who is on a second honeymoon in Scotland with her husband Frank after World War II when she’s suddenly transported to 1743. While in the past, she ends up falling in love with Highland warrior Jamie Fraser and a sweeping and complex time travel romantic drama ensues. Outlander is the rare fantasy story that pulls in even non-fantasy fans and a lot of that can be credited to how well the series paces itself. The story unfolds in a way that is engaging but never rushes — and the epic romance of it all doesn’t hurt.
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