Fantasy, especially high fantasy, can be a really hard genre to create a television show for. Many modern fantasy shows are inspired by the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, who was heavily influenced by European history. A show that requires historical costumes and sets will be expensive already, even before getting into the cost of special effects.
However, with Game of Thrones ending last year, it's time to look at what other fantasy shows are on people's radars. Here is a list of five fantasy shows returning this year, and five we're excited for.
New: Cursed
This upcoming Netflix series stars Katherine Langford, known for 13 Reasons Why, as a young woman named Nimue, from Arthurian legend. After discovering she possesses magical powers, Nimue joins Arthur on his quest to find the fabled sword Excaliber.
Cursed has been in process since 2018, but is finally coming to the small screen. This series is adapted from the novel of the same name by Tom Wheeler and Frank Miller.
Returning: His Dark Materials (Season 2)
His Dark Materials, an HBO show based on Philip Pullman's trilogy of the same name, will release its second season this year. The first season follows Lyra Belacqua (Dafne Keen) as she investigates the kidnappings of her friend Roger and several other children.
The second season will feature Lyra exploring new worlds. Due to the challenges of working with child actors, the production team opted to have less of a gap between filming seasons, which led to season 2's being mainly completed before the coronavirus quarantine. Currently, the season is in post-production.
New: Shadow And Bone
Shadow and Bone, based on the Grisha trilogy by Leigh Bardugo, is set to release in late 2020. Set in a fantasy version of Russia where certain people known as Grisha have special abilities, a mapmaker named Alina Starkov (Jessie Mei Li) discovers her destiny is greater than anyone imagined when she is revealed to be the Sun Summoner, aka the only Grisha who can manipulate sunlight.
Meanwhile, the Darkling, leader of the Grisha Army (Ben Barnes), is interested in Alina and her abilities, but is his interest for the right reasons?
Returning: Carnival Row (Season 2)
Carnival Row excited audiences by revealing itself as the London magical creatures fantasy everyone was waiting for. Starring Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevingne, the series centers upon fae who must leave their own worlds and congregate in London. Tensions begin to build between the people of the city and the new immigrants, which is only exacerbated by a number of unsolved murders.
The second season of Carnival Row is expected to release in late summer.
New: Lovecraft Country
Lovecraft Country is an upcoming series from HBO, produced by Jordan Peele's Monkeypaw Productions. Set in 1954, the series stars Jonathan Majors as a Korean War veteran who starts a cross-country journey to find his father, played by Michael K. Williams.
He brings along his uncle, played by Courtney B. Vance, as well as childhood friend Letitia (Jurnee Smollett-Bell). During their journey, the group encounters supernatural horrors straight out of Lovecraft, right in the middle of the United States.
Returning: The Twilight Zone (Season 2)
A revival of the original 1959 Twilight Zone, this show, narrated by Jordan Peele, premiered last April. It takes on the same episodic format as the original show but is now in color.
The crises the characters face are also modern, though with fantastical twists. Season 2, which will have 10 episodes, is expected to premiere sometime this year. Peele will also be writing an episode, along with narrating and producing the show.
New: Wheel of Time
Based on the Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson fantasy series of the same name, Wheel of Time is an upcoming series from Amazon. Moraine, played by Rosamund Pike, is a member of a witches group who works to save a particular group of children.
One of these children is, they think, the subject of a prophecy that will prevent evil from conquering the land. Filming began in September 2019. Zoe Robins and Marcus Rutherford have also been confirmed to star.
Returning: The Order (Season 2)
Netflix's The Order is the story of college student Jack Morton who joins The Hermetic Order of the Blue Rose, which practices and instructs magic. As he delves into the origin of the society, Jack discovers family secrets, as well as an ongoing fight between the dark arts and werewolves.
The second season is expected to release sometime in 2020, with Jake Manley and Sarah Grey starring.
New: Helstrom
Helstrom is a new series for Hulu. Starring Tom Austen and Sydney Lemmon as Daimon and Ana Helstrom, siblings who are the children of a strange killer who may or may not have a connection to Satan. Ana works as an auctioneer who spends her nights erasing evil as a vigilante.
Daimon, meanwhile, is an ethics professor. Disillusioned with the state of the world, he also works as an exorcist. The siblings are further drawn into supernatural affairs as they discover their father's identity.
Returning: Stranger Things (Season 4)
Stranger Things quickly became popular after it was released, and with its fourth season approaching, the excitement is higher than ever. The series is set in a fictional Indiana town that also has a research laboratory nearby.
Though the researchers are working with the Department of Energy, they are also doing experiments into the paranormal and the supernatural, which ends up kicking off the show's plot. A young boy is taken by a creature from the alternate dimension that the researchers have inadvertently created through their experiments.