12 Best Fantasy TV Shows Of All Time, Ranked

Fantasy is a tough genre to get a handle on. While there are elements of magic or supernatural forces at work, there's also fantastical world-building that takes place. Plus, fantasy is often hard to separate from horror and sci-fi because these genres often overlap. While some share themes with horror, such as "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Stranger Things," some share themes with sci-fi, such as "Arcane" and "The Boys." One show on this list is even a sitcom. Nonetheless, at their core, all of the shows listed below have strong fantasy roots.

These selections were chosen by the author based on her own experience with each one, but she also consulted lists of best fantasy programs and Rotten Tomatoes scores to ensure the selections were thoroughly vetted. And she had a hard and fast rule: No ongoing shows that have only lasted one season so far. Here are the 12 best fantasy TV shows of all time, ranked.

"Interview with the Vampire" is a supernatural fantasy based on Anne Rice's iconic "The Vampire Chronicles" series of novels. The first two seasons — the only two that have aired so far — focus on the first book in Rice's series, "Interview with the Vampire," but changes the story in major ways. In the series, Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson) summons the journalist Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian) to his home in Dubai to have a do-over of the disastrous interview he granted Molloy in 1973. He tells Molloy the story of how he became a vampire again, a story that is ruled by his relationship with the man who turned him into a vampire, Lestat de Lioncourt (Sam Reid), and the daughter they share, the vampire Claudia (Bailey Bass/Delainey Hayles). 

But this story takes place in the early 1900s and imagines Louis as a Creole brothel owner in the Storyville section of New Orleans instead of the book's 1700s, where Louis was a white plantation owner. This change brings about many differences in the story, especially when it comes to race relations. Plus, the book's gay storyline is no longer subtext. It is now very much text and leads to a toxic love story that explores themes such as abuse and race more directly. Mostly, though, "Interview with the Vampire" is a feast for the eyes and ears. It thrums along at a sensuous pace while telling a story many of us have heard before in a totally new way.

Creator: Rolin Jones
Starring: Jacob Anderson, Sam Reid, Eric Bogosian, Bailey Bass, Delainey Hayles, Assad Zaman
Years: 2022-?
Number of episodes: 16 and counting
Where to watch: AMC and AMC+

"Arcane," a spin-off of the video game "League of Legends," lasted only two seasons, but the show quickly established itself as a great series. The story revolves around sisters Vi (Hailee Steinfeld) and Jinx (or Powder, depending on who's talking; Ella Purnell), residents of Zaun, the seedy undercity of the rich Piltover. The show follows as they clash and come back together amidst the escalating unrest between Zaun and Piltover. Meanwhile, Jayce Talis (Kevin Alejandro) and his research partner Viktor (Harry Lloyd) create Hextech, a kind of magical technology that revolutionizes Piltover.

The show may be based on a video game, but there's no need to be familiar with "League of Legends" to enjoy the show. It's a masterful adaptation with lived-in characters and a fully realized world. It also has a groundbreaking animation style, using a watercolor look for its people and a more typical animation for everything else. "Arcane" is a beautiful piece of work that has garnered plenty of critical acclaim and awards love.

Creator: Christian Linke & Alex Yee
Voices of: Hailee Steinfeld, Ella Purnell, Kevin Alejandro, Katie Leung, Jason Spisak, Harry Lloyd, JB Blanc
Years: 2021-2024
Number of episodes: 18
Where to watch: Netflix

"What We Do in the Shadows" is based on the movie of the same name, which was written and directed by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi. But whereas that movie took place in New Zealand, this series takes place on Staten Island, which turns out to house a coven of four vampires. Exalted warrior Nandor (Kayvan Novak) now enjoys calling house meetings. The practical Nadja (Natasia Demetriou) seeks out human experiences but doesn't get them quite right. The lusty Laszlo Cravensworth (Matt Berry), who's married to Nadja and enjoys the pleasures of the flesh. And the energy vampire Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch), who drains humans of their life force by being extremely boring. Joining them is Nandor's familiar Guillermo (Harvey Guillen), who wants to be made a vampire but discovers he is a descendant of the vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing.

"What We Do in the Shadows" was nominated for numerous Emmys across its six seasons, and for good reason. The series is hilarious and heartfelt as the vampires try to conquer America and fit into the modern world while fighting with other supernatural beings and each other. It's a bit different than other vampire entertainment, but it's still a great fantasy series.

Creator: Jemaine Clement
Starring: Kayvan Novak, Matt Berry, Natasia Demetriou, Harvey Guillen, Mark Proksch, Kristen Schaal
Years: 2019-2024
Number of episodes: 61
Where to watch: Hulu

"The Good Place," which has a surprising real-life inspiration, is not the kind of show you expect to see on a list of best fantasy TV shows of all time. After all, it's a sitcom with all the trappings that sitcoms afford. But the show is also a fantasy of the highest order. It centers around Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell), a dead woman who, in life, was an amoral dirtbag, but in the afterlife, where she's gone to the eponymous good place, she tries to become a better person while hiding her past behavior to avoid going to the bad place. Or at least that's the way the story starts out. Over its four seasons, it had a lot of twists and turns. In fact, its creative use of philosophy and ethics is among the many reasons to recommend it. Don't let that dissuade you from giving it a go.

The show is also hilariously funny, with numerous laugh-out-loud moments, mainly due to the divergent characters. Besides Eleanor, there's Chidi (William Jackson Harper), a moral philosopher; Tahani (Jameela Jamil), a wealthy socialite; and Jason (Manny Jacinto), a small-time crook. Add to the mix Janet (D'Arcy Carden), the artificial intelligence whose purpose is to assist the residents, and Michael (Ted Danson), an afterlife architect who's responsible for the version of the good place they've gone to, and you've got a rollicking comedy that's also unlike any sitcom you've ever seen.

Creator: Michael Shur
Starring: Kristen Bell, Ted Danson, William Jackson Harper, Jameela Jamil, Manny Jacinto. D'Arcy Carden
Years: 2016-2020
Number of episodes: 50
Where to watch: Netflix

"The Boys," an adaptation of the comics of the same name by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, is a satire of superhero properties. While in traditional superhero stories, the superheroes are at least trying to be noble, there's no such trouble here. In fact, "The Boys" is full of controversial moments, and that's because all the superheroes on superhero teams, including the premiere superhero team The Seven, are terrible people who only care about extending their own brands, especially Homelander (Antony Starr), the leader of The Seven. These superheroes all work for Vought International, a corporation that markets them to unsuspecting consumers. Vought sends the superheroes to do heroic things so they have promotional materials for movies and TV shows about them. So Vought puts a sunny spin on whatever the superheroes do, even though these superheroes couldn't care less behind the scenes.

Into this steps Hughie Campbell (Jack Quaid), who's enlisted by Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) to join the vigilante anti-superhero team known as The Boys. The Seven and The Boys clash, with the superheroes having a distinct advantage because they're, well, superpowered. Set in a world where superpowers are real, this is superhero fantasy at its zaniest. But at the same time, it deals with real issues, such as the corrupting nature of power, dominant corporations, and over-coddled celebrities, while still being a rip-snorting adventure with some truly gross superpowers.

Creator: Eric Kripke
Starring: Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Chace Crawford, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara
Years: 2019-2026 (expected)
Number of episodes: 32 and counting
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video

"Dark Shadows" is the oldest show on this list, and it's a soap opera, which means it racked up quite a number of episodes, but ever since it became a hit with audiences, it's never completely gone away. It's had a remake (a 1991 TV series), a film reboot (Tim Burton's "Dark Shadows" in 2012), and numerous spin-off novels, comics, and audio dramas. So what's all the fuss? "Dark Shadows" revolves around the wealthy Collins family and their lives in Collinsport, Maine, where they endure supernatural occurrences galore. But the show wasn't really successful until the vampire Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid) came aboard.

Barnabas Collins was responsible for all manner of mayhem, and other characters contributed, as well. At its core, though, it was a soap opera unlike any other at the time, and it continues to be an item of intrigue all these years later. In fact, it's been ranked on TV Guide's list of Top Cult Shows twice. As a result, it gains a spot on our list of top fantasy shows.

Creator: Dan Curtis
Starring: Jonathan Frid, Joan Bennett, Louis Edmonds, Nancy Barrett, Grayson Hall, David Henesy, Alexandra Isles
Years: 1966-1971
Number of episodes: 1,230
Where to watch: Tubi, Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, Amazon Prime Video, Peacock, Fandango at Home

"The Witcher," based on the books by Andrzej Sapkowski, revolves around Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill) and his associates, especially Ciri (Freya Allan), the crown princess of Cintra, one of the numerous kingdoms on the continent where the show takes place, and Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra), a sorceress who is sometimes in a relationship with Geralt. Geralt is the Witcher of the title, a magically enhanced individual whose skills are used to hunt monsters.

"The Witcher" takes place in a strange world where dark forces run rampant, but the story ultimately focuses on how these three become a family of sorts, all while they come up against all kinds of bad guys and monsters, vanquishing them through swordplay, sorcery, or a combination of the two. This alone would make this a great fantasy series, but add the heart at the center of the story, and you have a real winner. Of course, who knows what will happen when Cavill is replaced by Liam Hemsworth for the final two seasons? We think the Witcher still looks like the Witcher, even with Hemsworth in his shoes, so we're hoping the series will maintain its appeal.

Creator: Lauren Schmidt Hissrich
Starring: Henry Cavill, Anya Chalotra, Freya Allan, Joey Batey
Years: 2019-?
Number of episodes: 26
Where to watch: Netflix

"Supernatural" has the distinction of being the second-longest running fantasy show of all time. More remarkably, the series' 15 seasons are surprisingly consistent in quality. While we could nitpick here or there, overall the show was solid the whole way through. That's really saying something, especially considering the show was for a network and therefore each season was between 16 and 23 episodes long.

"Supernatural" centers on the Winchester brothers, Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles), as they travel around the country in their Chevy Impala, which Dean affectionately calls Baby, hunting all kinds of supernatural creatures. They meet up with a variety of supporting characters throughout the series, including Jim Beaver as Bobby Singer, Misha Collins as the angel Castiel, and Mark Sheppard as the crossroads demon Crowley. "Supernatural" has genuine frights and intricate storytelling, but mostly, it's a great excuse to hang out with the Winchester boys.

Creator: Eric Kripke
Starring: Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, Misha Collins, Mark Sheppard, Jim Beaver
Years: 2005-2020
Number of episodes: 327
Where to watch: Netflix

The series "The Walking Dead," based on the comics series by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard, had humble beginnings. It premiered with just a first season of only six episodes. But it quickly expanded, going on for 11 seasons, the last of which was 24 episodes. The secret to "The Walking Dead"'s success? Compelling storytelling coupled with a show that could kill just about anyone. The premise is simple. Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), a sheriff's deputy, wakes up and finds that the world has changed since he's been in a coma. It's been overrun by zombies, called walkers in the show's parlance, and nobody's safe from them.

During the show's final few seasons, it suffered from repetitive storytelling, but when it was good, it was very good. The survivors end up joining others, and the group grows and contracts depending on how brutal the walkers and other survivors have been to them. The series has spawned numerous spin-offs, and though we continue to cite "Walking Dead" fatigue as one of our reasons not to watch them in our reviews of, for example, "The Walking Dead: Dead City" and "The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon," the original is still worth a watch.

Developer: Frank Darabont
Starring: Andrew Lincoln, Steven Yeun, Norman Reedus, Melissa McBride, Lauren Cohan, Danai Gurira, Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Years: 2010-2022
Number of episodes: 177
Where to watch: Netflix

"Stranger Things" came out of the gate as something new and, well, strange when it premiered on Netflix. It centers on the kids and adults of Hawkins, Indiana in the 1980s as they confront the Upside Down, an alternate dimension accessed through the nearby Hawkins National Laboratory. The story starts when Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) is abducted by a creature from the Upside Down. As his mother, Joyce (Winona Ryder), and the Police Chief, Jim Hopper (David Harbour), look for him, a girl named Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), who is psychokinetic, escapes from the lab and helps them in their efforts.

The show heavily references the movies and TV shows that the Duffer Brothers grew up with, including works by people such as Steven Spielberg, Stephen King, Wes Craven, and John Carpenter. Still, it has taken on a life of its own as it has grown in popularity and complexity. As a result, "Stranger Things" works well as '80s nostalgia but is even better as a story of love, heartbreak, and horror. That puts it at number three on our list of best fantasy shows.

Creators: The Duffer Brothers
Starring: Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Noah Schnapp, Joe Keery, Sadie Sink
Years: 2016-2025 (expected)
Number of episodes: 42
Where to watch: Netflix

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" is considered one of the best TV shows of all time. Despite the now-diminished reputation of its creator, it has maintained its place in television history because it was so beloved and groundbreaking, ushering in strong female heroines and supernatural elements. The series centers on Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar), who is the one girl in her generation who has been given the strength and skill to battle vampires and other forces of darkness. Buffy's mother (Kristine Sutherland) moves them to Sunnydale following her divorce from Buffy's father. Buffy discovers Sunnydale sits atop a Hellmouth, a portal between dimensions and a hotspot for supernatural activity.

But unlike past Slayers, Buffy insists on not being alone in her fight. She surrounds herself with a group of friends called the Scooby Gang: Willow (Alyson Hannigan), a witch; Xander (Nicholas Brendon), the comic relief; Angel (David Boreanaz), a reformed vampire; and Giles (Anthony Head), the school librarian and her Watcher. Some of the early CG effects haven't held up, but the humanity inherent in the show's story has. And that makes "Buffy" a classic.

Creator: Joss Whedon
Starring: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Alyson Hannigan, Nicholas Brendon, James Marsters, Emma Caulfield Ford, Charisma Carpenter, David Boreanaz, Anthony Head, Michelle Trachtenberg
Years: 1997-2003
Number of episodes: 145
Where to watch: Hulu

Like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Game of Thrones" has been praised as one of the greatest TV series of all time. But unlike "Buffy," "Game of Thrones" garnered a number of awards to go with its critical and popular acclaim. In fact, it has won best drama series four times at the Emmys, among many other awards. "Game of Thrones," which is based on George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" book series, is set in the fictional Seven Kingdoms of Westeros and centers on House Stark and House Lannister, two families that are fighting for the right to control the Iron Throne, as well as the exiled Targaryens.

The series depicts epic events filled with moments that stunned audiences, and often portrays dragons, but it also has a realism to it that serves the story well. The series has been key in helping the fantasy genre be taken seriously on television. With a fully realized world and compelling characters, "Game of Thrones" is a marvelous achievement in television and number one on our list of best fantasy shows of all time.

Creators: David Benioff and D.B. Weiss
Starring: Peter Dinklage, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke, Kit Harrington, Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams
Years: 2011-2019
Number of episodes: 73
Where to watch: Max