After the global success of The Witcher, Netflix has come out with the prequel series, The Witcher: Blood Origin. Created by Declan de Barra and Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, the fantasy-filled show is set about 1200 years before its predecessor. While featuring the first ‘prototype’ Witcher, the show also explores how the two worlds of humans and creatures became one dangerous world.
The Witcher: Blood Origin follows seven outcast elves, shunned from their world. When an all-powerful enemy poses a threat to their world’s very existence, the seven band together to form an unlikely team. Fans who loved this show, which is steeped in fantasy and mystical themes, should check out similar magical series that transport viewers to different kinds of worlds.
‘The Magicians’ (2015 – 2020)
Quentin Coldwater (Jason Ralph) gets recruited to mysterious Brakebills University in the supernatural Syfy series The Magicians, where he discovers that the magic in the fairytales kids grew up with is indeed, very real and very dangerous. He meets fellow students, and they test their abilities and form both new and problematic relationships.
While Quentin is basking in his new life, Julia (Stella Maeve), a friend of Quentin’s who was turned down by Brakebills, pursues magic on her own down a perilous path. While facing a dangerous and albeit deadly threat from the magical world, will they be distracted from perfecting their abilities when they most need them if they become addicted to the rush of magic?
‘Warrior Nun’ (2020 – 2022)
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After waking up in a morgue, Ava (Alba Baptista) an orphaned teen has a new lease on life. The catch is, she now has a divine artifact embedded in her back and superpowers that launch her into a battle between heaven and hell. Ava discovers she is now a member of a long-forgotten group called The Order of the Cruciform Sword that has been tasked with battling demons on Earth.
Strong forces representing both heaven and hell want to find Ava and control her and her powers. Warrior Nunis such a badass show in terms of the cinematography, the scenarios and the stunts. The emotions are beautifully executed, and the whole plot is amazingly written.
‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ (1997 – 2005)
“In every generation there is a chosen one… she alone will stand against the vampires, the demons and the forces of darkness. She is the slayer.” Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) is well acquainted with this story, and despite her best efforts to appear to be a ‘normal girl,’ she is unable to avoid her fate. Thankfully, she has the assistance of her buddies; the humorous (and surprisingly effective) evil-fighting team known as “The Scooby Gang” in her mission to save the planet.
Together, Buffy and her friends will defeat demons, endure a succession of apocalypses, complete high school and college and, most importantly, realize that growing up may occasionally be physically hellish.
‘Shadow and Bone’ (2021 -)
Young mapmaker Alina Starkov (Jessie Mei Li) unintentionally discovers that she has the potential to alter the course of the devastating war in a world where terribly dark forces have taken control. In Shadow and Bone, Alina learns that she will play a crucially vital part in this fight because she is only one who can summon the light.
When news that a Sun Summoner has been located spreads through the land, Kaz Brekker (Freddy Carter), the leader of a group known as the Crows, is sent to kidnap her. Witch hunters from Fjerdan are dispatched to murder her. In her quest to find the power that would enable her to destroy the Fold and free Ravka, Alina must come to terms with who she is and choose whom she can truly trust.
‘The Shannara Chronicles’ (2016 – 2017)
The Ellcrys, an elven tree, is on the verge of extinction in The Shannara Chronicles. The bad news is that the tree has been the only magical barrier preventing the Demon World from entering the Four Lands. Only Amberle Elessedil (Poppy Drayton), the princess of the elves, has the ability to save the tree.
She must activate magic that the Elves haven’t used or accessed in countless years. She travels to search for the missing magic with half-elf Wil Ohmsford’s (Austin Butler) assistance. Joined by the human criminal Eretria (Ivana Baquero), the unlikely trio realize that their perilous mission won’t be a simple task.
‘Penny Dreadful’ (2014 – 2016)
Ethan Chandler (Josh Hartnett), an American gunman and roadshow performer, is hired by Malcolm Murray (Timothy Dalton) and Vanessa Ives (Eva Green) to assist in rescuing Murray’s daughter from an unknown beast in Penny Dreadful. A young doctor named Victor Frankenstein (Harry Treadaway), who is being pursued by an undead creature that Frankenstein created, offers assistance to the group.
The group start to realize that who, or more accurately, what they are pursuing is not exactly from this world. Whilst this is happening, Vanessa begins to experience being haunted from Lucifer, who wants to her as his wife and queen.
‘The Sandman’ (2022 – )
In an effort to negotiate for perpetual life, a wizard traps Death’s younger brother Dream instead in The Sandman. The wizard kept him imprisoned in a glass container for many years out of concern for his own safety. Dream, also known as Morpheus, flees and sets off in search of his stolen magical items.
Once he accomplishes this, he will be able to reconstruct both his world—known as “The Dreaming”—and ours by reestablishing the harmony of dreams for humanity. With season 2 already confirmed, it’s the perfect time to start watching the show, which is adapted from the legendary comic book series by Neil Gaiman.
‘Games of Thrones’ (2011 – 2019)
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For dominance of the Seven Kingdoms, several wealthy families battle on the legendary continent of Westeros. An old foe returns to destroy them all as turmoil breaks out among the kingdoms of men. The last heirs of a recently usurped dynasty are planning to reclaim their homeland from the other side of the Narrow Sea.
It is not just a rare television program that respects and does honor to its original source material, but it is also one of the best, most captivating, and constantly binge-worthy programs in recent memory on its own merits.
‘The Rings of the Power’ (2022 – )
An ensemble cast of characters, both well-known and unknown, are followed in this epic drama that is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien‘s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings as they face the long-feared return of evil to Middle-earth. These lands and characters will leave behind legacies that endure long after they are gone.
From the most remote corners of the Misty Mountains to the gorgeous woodlands of the elf capital of Lindon, as well as the breathtaking island realm of Númenor, this story takes fans through the history of Middle-earth. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of the Power is far from perfect, but is a must-watch for fans of the beloved franchise.
‘House of the Dragon’ (2022 – )
172 years before Daenerys Targaryen is born, the Targaryen dynasty is at the pinnacle of its dominance. When King Viserys (Paddy Constantine) names his daughter Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock and Emma D’Arcy) as the heir to the Iron Throne, they start to slowly fall from power. However, the court is startled when Rhaenyra maintains her status as his heir when Viserys subsequently bears a boy, causing discord to spread throughout the realm as a result.
With the pull between the House of Green and the House of Black, the show is full of deception betrayal and the dark side of love. House of the Dragon deserves all the hype, and is ideal for viewers who want to be transported to an intensely dangerous yet stunning world where fantasy and politics collide.
