In the world of television, thefantasygenre has proven to be one of the most successful types of on-screen stories, yet not every fantasy show gets the chance to rise to fame. Since the premiere ofGame of Thronesin 2011,fantasy TV shows have been made a top priority for all networks and streaming services. Even over a decade later, showrunners are still trying to recreate the magic of the popular fantasy series. Yet, while somefantasy shows have reached amazing levels of successover the course of many seasons, other shows have unfortunately lost their footing.
A number of different problems may occur when a fantasy show doesn’t live up to its potential. On one hand, the series may have been panned due to poor writing, poor acting, or just beinga generally bad fantasy. Sometimes, this reality isn’t necessarily the fault of the show, but is caused by a lack of funding. On the other hand, some fantasy shows do everything right, yet still end up getting canceled, losing the potential they once had. Regardless of the issue,each of these ten fantasy shows had potential to be great that was eventually wasted.
10Emerald City
A Remixed Remake No One Really Wanted
A perfect example of a fantasy show that lost out on success isEmerald City.This 2017 NBC series is a dark and more mature retelling ofThe Wizard of Oz.The show follows Dorothy Gale as she is transported to the Land of Ozvia a tornado and sets out on a quest to fulfill an ancient prophecy. Despite having a familiar IP with a unique spin,Emerald Citywas canceled after one season. Worse than that, it became one of NBC’s lowest-rated series of 2017.
Although spinoffs and sequels are in at the moment, viewers could easily see howEmerald Citywas trying to be a take onGame of Thrones.
The problem withEmerald Cityis likely that it felt a bit too familiar to audiences. Although spinoffs and sequels are in at the moment, viewers could easily see howEmerald Citywas trying to be a take onGame of Thrones.In this way, the show lacked any sense of originality or authenticity. In a genre that is often focused on worldbuilding and magic outside of reality,Emerald Citysimply hit too close to home, leading to its premature demise.
9Shannara Chronicles
A Show That Couldn’t Find Its Audience
A series with the complete opposite problem is 2016’sThe Shannara Chronicles.In this series,three heroes from the fictional Four Lands must travel to a sacred tree, the Ellcrys, to stop the escape of countless banished demons. The series ran for two seasons, first on MTV, then Spike, beforeThe Shannara Chronicleswas canceledcompletely in 2017. Notably, the show starred Austin Butler before he became a movie star.
ThoughThe Shannara Chronicleswas yet another series that was clearly inspired byGame of Thrones,the show struggled with finding its own identity. At times, the show presented itself as a serious, high-fantasy tale. However, at other times, it seemed more like a teenage soap opera. Because of this,The Shannara Chronicleswas never able to properly cater to a specific audience, and thus, viewers lost interest.
8American Gods
Series That Couldn’t Maintain Its Magic
One more difficult case of a show wasting its potential isAmerican Gods.Based on the Neil Gaiman book of the same name, this 2017 series followsa man named Shadow Moon, who begins working for a strange man named Mr. Wednesdayand discovers a hidden world of gods and monsters. ThoughGaiman’s novelshave often been adapted for the screen to varying degrees of success,American Godsstands out because of its sharp decrease in quality.
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Despite the fact thatAmerican Godssucked in audiences with its first season, the show went through a rough patch when it switched showrunners from season 1 to 2, and even lost some important cast members. Because of these losses, it was almost impossible for the show to maintain the magic that made it so likable in the first place. Even with a stronger third season,American Godswas canceled due to conflicting interests and leaders.
7Shadowhunters
A Change In Budget
Another book-to-TV adaptation that left audiences disappointed isShadowhunters.Running for three seasons on Freeform,Shadowhuntersis a television adaptation of Cassandra Clare’sMortal Instrumentsbook series. It followsClary, a normal teenager who becomes involved with a group of youths called Shadowhunters, who are part angel and protect the world from demons.Shadowhunterswas the second adaptation of the franchise, following the 2013 movie,The Mortal Instruments: City of Bone.
Every Shadowhunter Book Series, Ranked From Worst To Best
Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunter series all have their strengths, but which additions to the Shadowhunter Chronicles are the most memorable?
Weirdly enough,it wasn’t the quality ofShadowhuntersthat led to its demise. In fact, according to Rotten Tomatoes, the show seemingly got better with every season. Season 1 had a 44% score while season 2 rose to an 86%. However, it was the show’s budget and declining viewership that became its downfall. With fewer people watching the show and a lack of money to fund this vast fantasy setting,Shadowhuntershad to be shoved under the rug, creating yet another failed adaptation of this story.
6Carnival Row
Fantasy That Tries To Do Too Much
Where some fantasy shows don’t offer enough to keep them interesting, others give a little too much. That was certainly the case forCarnival Row.The 2019 series takes place in a world where mythical creatures are refugees in the human world, and a string of murders puts their differences on display. Though the cast included big stars like Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevingne, its ratings were not good enough to last more than two seasons.
Carnival Rowcould have been great. With strong source material, a distinct ambiance, and an intriguing premise, the show had the opportunity to stand out amongGame of Throneswannabes. However, the show suffered from offering too much goodness to its viewers. Despite having gorgeous visuals and a riveting story,Carnival Rowcouldn’t keep all its ducks in a row, leading to an overambitious plot that was more confusing than engaging.
5My Lady Jane
Canceled Too Soon
A number of fantasy shows that never reached their potential did so because they were canceled far too soon, andMy Lady Janeis a prime example. The 2024 fantasy romance series is arevisionist history of Lady Jane Grey, who became queen of England for a handful of days before being executed alongside her new husband, Guildford.The show successfully mixed teenage angst with history and magic, but was canceled soon after the premiere of its first season, leaving audiences disappointed.
My Lady Janeis based on novels, but the second book follows an entirely different character.
Arguably,My Lady Janedid nothing wrong to cause its cancelation. It was simply a game of viewership numbers. However, it is important to note thatifMy Lady Janereceived a second season, it could have potentially gone south.My Lady Janeis based on novels, but the second book follows an entirely different character. Thus, the series might have strayed from the primary source to continue Jane’s story, which could have been a complete departure from the first season’s greatness.
4Lockwood & Co.
A Show With So Much To Offer
Another fantasy show that deserved way more time to flourish isLockwood and Co.First released in 2023,the show takes place in a world where ghosts wreak havoc all over London, and young people are tasked with fighting them. In an effort to join this fight, a young woman named Lucy begins working for a small firm called Lockwood and Co., alongside a charismatic ghost hunter and his nerdy yet intelligent best friend. The show was also canceled after its first season.
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UnlikeMy Lady Jane, Lockwood and Co.not only had a solid first season, but also a large quantity of source material to follow it up with, as the show is based on books by Jonathan Stroud. Furthermore,Lockwood and Co.stood out because its premise was unlike any other fantasy series.Its semi-futuristic version of London was so interesting, and its characters defied the stereotypes of other young adult series. Yet, once again, low viewership cut offLockwood and Co.before its mysteries could be solved.
3Shadow And Bone
A Show That Never Got To The Good Stuff
A particularly disappointing fantasy cancelation was Netflix’sShadow and Bone.The 2021 show is based on two separate fantasy book series by Leigh Bardugo,Shadow and BoneandSix of Crows.Both stories take place in a fantasy world where individuals called Grisha have magic powers, including the protagonist, Alina. However, Alina finds herself in danger when she gets involved with an evil Grisha called the Darkling. Meanwhile, a group of thieves hatches a scheme.
All 14 Leigh Bardugo Books, Ranked
Leigh Bardugo is known for the Grishaverse, the Alex Stern series, and several other books. This article is a ranking of every Bardugo book.
Unfortunately, this merging of the two book series may have been what ruinedShadow and Bone’schances of success. Although there are viewers who enjoyed theShadow and Boneplotline following Alina and the Darkling, many were farmore invested in theSix of Crowsstory.To get to that,the show had to go through Alina’s story first, thereby losing audiences' interest before they could even reach the best parts. In this way,Shadow and Bonehad its chance for success, but focused on the wrong elements of the story.
2The Witcher
Changing The Source Material
Something surprising about fantasy series that don’t live up to expectations is that they don’t always start out badly. TakeThe Witcher,for example.The first season ofThe Witcherwas lauded for its strong performancesand fantastic accuracy to the novels, written by Andrzej Sapkowski. However, with every consequent season, audiences have become less and less invested in the story, and more concerned with how the show is veering away from its source material - and arguably making the story worse.
To some, this type of deterioration may be one of the most disappointing types of fantasy series because hopes are raised so high, only for the series to fall short of expectations. Not only do audiences miss out on scenes they were looking forward to, but they also can no longer identify with what they are seeing on screen. It feels completely different from what they expected. It doesn’t help either thatThe Witcherseason 4has lost Henry Cavill as Geralt. Thus,The Witcherfumbled the success it had.
1Game Of Thrones
A Terrible Ending
Finally, a fantastic fantasy series that lost its potential atthe very end isGame of Thrones.For several seasons,Game of Thronesdominated the TV landscape, not just in terms of the fantasy genre, but in all of television.Game of Thronesinspired countless other series and became inextricably linked with pop culture. Yet,when it came time forGame of Thronesto reach its thrilling conclusion, the series completely lost its way. The show’s most beloved characters were turned into villains and cast aside.
Ultimately,Game of Thronesis the most extreme case of a show wasting its potential because it happened at the very last moment. A show that could have been considered one of the greatest TV shows of all time lost a lot of its credentials because of its final season and finale. As much asGame of Thronesis the inspiration for future fantasy series, it should also serve as a warning.Fantasyseries need a chance to get off the ground, but they all need to stick the landing.
