Though the past few years have seen an increase in amazingfantasyTV shows, there are plenty of older series that are still exciting and intriguing by today’s standards. It’s true that thebest fantasy TV shows of the 2020sfeature bigger budgets and more complex visual effects than projects released fifteen, twenty, or even thirty years ago. However, creativity was sparked by having to be inventive when it comes to bringing the story’s magic to life. While the execution may have changed,the heart and purpose of fantasy storytelling have largely remained the same over the years.
Many of thesefantasy TV shows are almost perfectand have aged reasonably well, even if there are some dated elements. However, a significant number are well known today and are being discovered by new generations of fantasy fans, keeping them relevant and inspiring contemporary works of speculative fiction in film and television. With strong and complex characters elevating the fantastical elements and magical aspects of the stories,these shows provide plenty of escapism while rooting their narratives in real-world issues.
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
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This action-packed series follows the legendary hero Hercules, the son of Zeus, who travels ancient Greece with his friend Iolaus, fighting evil and righting wrongs. Armed with extraordinary strength, Hercules faces mortal and divine threats, from vengeful gods to tyrannical warlords as he protects the people of Earth.
The tales and legends of Greek mythology are wildly popular source materials to mine for inspiration. Over the past few years, in film, television, and literature, there has been an influx of retelling of traditional Greek mythology stories, from children’s content likePercy Jacksonto the recent Netflix originalKaos. However,Hercules: The Legendary Journeysis an early example of how these stories have always thrived on television.A large part of this is the built-in action and adventure that the 1995 TV series took full advantage of.
It’s not surprising thatHercules: The Legendary Journeyswas far from the only iteration of the story made for television, but it’s the one that holds up the best by today’s standards.
Hercules is one of the most popular heroes in Greek mythology,with alive-actionHerculesDisney movie confirmedto be in the works. It’s not surprising thatHercules: The Legendary Journeyswas far from the only iteration of the story made for television, but it’s the one that holds up the best by today’s standards. Though typically episodic, featuring a monster or antagonizing god of the week,Hercules: The Legendary Journeysalso featured over-arching storylines that saw Hercules grow and develop, keeping the audience engaged with the characters.
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7Highlander: The Series (1992–1998)
After the explosive success of the movie, it’s not surprising that Highland found an audience
Though the 1986 fantasy film thatHighlander: The Seriesis based on is better remembered, the TV show is a hidden gem that’s tons of fun to rewatch today.Highlander: The Seriesimagines an alternate ending to the movie where another member of the MacLeod clan exists, an Immortal named Duncan, played by Adrian Paul. Beginning with Duncan returning to the game between Immortals to help the side of good,the show follows Duncan battling Immortals who come searching for him as well as grappling with trying to build a normal life.
Since the premise of both the movie andHighlander: The Seriesrevolves around battle sequences and epic fights,few episodes pass by without the audience witnessing Duncan in a thrilling confrontation.His experience from his centuries-long life influences his decisions and the way he moves through the world, bringing the fantasy elements to the forefront of the story. Though Duncan is sometimes disillusioned with the righteousness of humanity, that doesn’t stop him from building relationships and fighting for everyday people.
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Angel
A spin-off of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel is a drama series with supernatural elements that stars David Boreanaz, reprising his role as the titular vampire. An immortal cursed with his human soul returning to his body, which makes him susceptible to human emotions such as remorse. Angel lives in Los Angeles as a private detective, seeking redemption for his murderous past as a vicious warlord. Angel will face threats such as humans and demons that rival his own cruel potential as he ventures to help those in need.
Angelis aspinoff TV show way darker than the series it’s based on, the iconicBuffy The Vampire Slayer.David Boreanaz reprises his role as Angel fromBuffy,but the spinoff centers on him, allowing for deeper and more complex explorations of Angel’s tenuous place in the world. Incorporating some of the mystery elements fromBuffy,Angeltakes on ever more serious and bleak tones, as one of the central parts of Angel’s personality is his eternal penance for the havoc he wreaked when he didn’t have a soul.
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ThoughAngeltook a few missteps throughout its run,Angelseason 5 is largely considered one of the best seasons of television of all time,providing a cohesive and satisfying conclusion to the franchise’s tenure on TV. As the seasons progressed, the story pushed Angel and his allies to think bigger about how best to help people and stop the forces of darkness. Additionally,Angelwasn’t afraid to tackle more spiritual and borderline religious elements thanBuffy The Vampire Slayer, withAngelfrequently acknowledging an indiscernible higher power.
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Charmed
Charmed is a television series centered on three sisters—Prue, Piper, and Phoebe—who discover their powers as the Charmed Ones, destined to fight evil forces. Set in modern-day San Francisco, the series explores their evolving magical abilities while they juggle personal lives and combat demons and warlocks.
The long-running originalCharmedseries has served as an inspiration for many of thebest supernatural teen drama TV shows.Following the lives of the Halliwell/Matthews sisters, who discover their magical abilities,Charmedfeatures many strong feminist themes and elevates the bond and relationship between the central women above all.Charmedwas a skillfully crafted series that weathered significant cast changes and tone shifts throughout the eight-season run, but this hasn’t prevented the show from remaining in the cultural conversation.
The 2018Charmedreboot ran for four seasons.
Popular enough to warrant a recent reboot,Charmedtouched upon many different aspects of mythology in folklore, featuring magic, demons, and monsters that the sisters had to band together to fight. More often than not,the solution to the problems the Charmed Ones faced was solvable only if they combined their powersand worked as a unit, promoting togetherness and cooperation. However, this doesn’t mean thatCharmeddidn’t explore the drama and pitfalls of the sisters' love lives in equal measure.
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Xena: Warrior Princess
Staring Lucy Lawless and Renne O’Connor, Xena: Warrior Princess follows the titular heroine, a formidable female warrior from Ancient Greece who uses her powers to help protect and defend the innocent. Xena is accompanied by her sidekick, Gabrielle, on all of her missions. The series ran from 1995 to 2001, and maintains cult classic status and a devoted fanbase to this day.
One of thebest TV shows about Greek mythology,Xena: Warrior Princess, stars Lucy Lawless in the titular role and was revolutionary for many reasons. ThoughXenais a spinoff ofHercules: The Legendary Journeys,Xenahas surpassed the original series in both fame and influence, paving the way for more female-led action series in the years to come. Additionally,Xena’s relationship with Gabrielle (Renee O’Connor), her companion and canonical soulmate, was a huge step forward in LGBTQ+ representationon television.
Xena redeemed herself for her dark past and became a warrior for good, while Gabrielle transformed herself into a fighter who could support Xena in battle.
LikeHercules: The Legendary Journeys,Xenaexplores the myths and monsters of ancient Greece while touching upon other cultural folktales and legends. ThoughXena: Warrior Princessfollowed the typical monster-of-the-week formula for the most part,it also incorporated significant character development throughout its run.Xena redeemed herself for her dark past and became a warrior for good, while Gabrielle transformed herself into a fighter who could support Xena in battle. The exciting antagonists, set pieces, and compelling character relationships makeXena: Warrior Princessan iconic series, regardless of genre.
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Twin Peaks
Conceived by Mark Frost and David Lynch in 1990, Twin Peaks is a supernatural mystery-drama series that brings FBI Agent Dale Cooper to the quiet town of Twin Peaks to investigate the murder of a young woman named Laura Palmer. As Dale continues his investigation of her death, he learns that Laura’s life wasn’t as she advertised it, and the town itself is hiding far more secrets than they let on. The show received a revival for a third and final season two decades later to resolve the cliffhanger left at the end of the second season.
Surreal, mysterious, and one of David Lynch’s definitive works,Twin Peaksis one of the most famous fantastical crime shows of all time, known for its indiscernible villains and dark plot twists.Kyle MacLachlan stars as the FBI agent Dale Cooper,whose life is forever changed after he investigates the circumstances surrounding the murder of the young Laura Palmer in the seemingly idyllic town of Twin Peaks. Of course, there’s much more to the town than meets the eye, but Lynch consistently subverts expectations, keeping the audience on their toes.
Though the series was initially canceled after season 2 in 1991, the long-awaited third season was released in 2017 asTwin Peaks: The Return. In between,the prequel movieFire Walk With Mepolarized audiences for its traumatic storyline but has since been heralded as a cult classicand one of Lynch’s greatest films. All of this has intertwined into a complex and tragic story that distinguished theTwin Peaksfranchise as an unforgettable piece of film and television.
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Pushing Daisies
Created by Bryan Fuller, Pushing Daisies stars Lee Pace as Ned, a baker who can inexplicably bring people back from the dead with just one touch. With the help of a private investigator and his previously deceased childhood girlfriend who he has rescued from death, Ned uses his ability to help solve murders. Anna Friel, Kristin Chenoweth, and Chi McBride also star.
Before he was terrifying audiences as a tyrannical intergalactic leader in the Apple TV seriesFoundation,Lee Pace was starring as the mild-mannered and superpowered pie maker/detective in the beloved dramedyPushing Daisies. Born with the ability to bring the dead back to life by touching them, Ned (Pace) spends most of his life avoiding this morbid subject but soon finds himself waking the dead to solve their murders, sending him on an unforgettable adventure. Unabashedly romantic,Pushing Daisiestouches upon the love story between Ned and his childhood sweetheart, Chuck.
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Of course, Ned brought Chuck back to life so he can never touch her, or she’ll go right back to the grave, making for a heart-wrenching and delightful twist to this classic love story.Pushing Daisieswas tragically cut short after just two seasons,putting an end to one of the most innovative TV series of the early 2000s. While the premise and characters' chemistry could’ve kept the series going for many more seasons, it’s still fun to revisit the episodes that exist over and over again.
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Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a television series created by Joss Whedon, focusing on Buffy Summers, portrayed by Sarah Michelle Gellar, a young woman chosen to battle against vampires, demons, and other supernatural forces while navigating the complexities of teenage life.
Not only thebest vampire TV show of all time,Buffy The Vampire Slayeris frequently cited as one of the best fantasy TV series ever, thanks to its amazing characters and nuanced themes. Starring Sarah Michelle Gellar as the titular slayer, Buffy, the show follows her attempts to have a normal life while carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. Successfully making the transition from being a high-school-set teen drama to a serious adult supernatural show,Buffyhandled the growth and development of its characters with ease.
Buffy Summers is one of the best TV characters in recent memory,as she’s a true hero, but that doesn’t stop her from being unlikable and complex, even while sacrificing herself once again to save the world. It’s hard to say how manyfantasyshows have drawn inspiration fromBuffy The Vampire Slayer, as the format, special episodes, and intricate lore set it a cut above all other works within the genre. There’s little question thatBuffy The Vampire Slayerwill remain relevant for years to come.
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