The Season 8 cast of 'Game of Thrones' posing for the camera.Image via HBO
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With the rise of streaming services and on-demand viewing, fantasy television is now more popular than ever. It seems like every month, sometimes even every day, there's a new fantasy TV series cropping up somewhere on the internet, usually serving as an exclusive to one particular platform or another. While many of these shows are wonderful, they owe a lot to their predecessors, many of which completely changed the landscape of fantasy television.
Indeed, over the last several decades, many fantasy TV shows have morphed and shaped the genre into what it is today, using a variety of techniques to tell their unique stories and provide a form of escapism from the monotony of everyday life. While enjoying fantasy is definitely more popular than it was in the past, it owes its success to the legions of groundbreaking shows that came before it. These are the most groundbreaking fantasy TV shows of all time.
10 'The Witcher' (2019–)
Henry Cavill as Geralt in The Witcher holding a sword against the ground and looking upset.Image via Netflix
The Witcher may have taken a bit of a nose-dive in quality in recent years, but when it first came out, it was kind of a big deal. For one, this was one of Netflix's biggest original fantasy series, and was the first adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski's novels to actually receive positive reviews. The story follows Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill & Liam Hemsworth), a professional monster hunter called a Witcher who travels the land searching for contracts. Most of the monsters he encounters come from various aspects of folklore and mythology.
While not as major or groundbreaking as some of the other fantasy shows on this list, it was definitely an important series because it kept the fantasy TV trend going, filling the void that Game of Thrones left behind that very same year. It came with massive star power and the same big budget that was growing commonplace in the TV world, and attracted millions of new fans to the IP, even if they hadn't read the books or played the video games before.
9 'Outlander' (2014–)
Outlander only features some minor fantasy elements in that the show revolves heavily around time travel. However, this time travel is more of a magical ability rather than the result of some sort of machine, which is why it lends itself to the fantasy genre. It also leans heavily into the romantic drama category, focusing on a woman who is thrust back in time and falls in love with a Scottish Highland warrior from two centuries ago.
There are a couple of reasons why Outlander is revolutionary, including the fact that the protagonist is a woman, allowing for some feminine empowerment. Beyond that, however, it does a lot for the genre by having each season center on a different point in time, meaning each season looks and feels like a whole new show. It's not just fantasy, but historical fantasy, and uses its plot to set itself up for various different settings. This leaves it consistently exciting and sets it apart from other fantasy TV series.
8 'Supernatural' (2005–2020)
Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) and Sam Winchester (Jared Padalecki) look at their mother on 'Supernatural'Image via The CW
Supernatural is a show that has a lot put into it. It's primarily a fantasy-horror series, but it also features its fair share of comedy and drama to balance everything out. The series follows two brothers who make their living investigating paranormal cases across the United States. Most of the cases aren't simple ghost stories—they involve vampires, werewolves, angels, and demons, most of the time, and sometimes even feature beasts from mythology.
One of the main reasons Supernatural was so groundbreaking was that it just kind of did whatever it wanted. One episode is even a musical, with other episodes serving as experiments for the screenwriters, often to successful results. It was also surprising how long it lasted, running for 15 years, which isn't at all common for a fantasy or horror series. Heck, it's not really common for any TV show ever. This is a show that did a lot with what it had and created a booming fanbase that is still active today.
7 'One Piece' (1999–)
Luffy with his hat down getting ready for battle with his crew in One Piece: The MovieImage via Toei Animation
One Piece is a Japanese anime about pirates, focusing on a legendary treasure map that supposedly leads to the greatest pirate treasure the world has ever known. The problem is, the map is missing a piece, hence the title, prompting the various pirates of the Seven Seas to search for the missing fragment. At the show's heart is Monkey D. Luffy, an aspiring young pirate who has eaten a devil fruit, allowing him to stretch like rubber at will. With his ragtag band of friends, Luffy is determined to find the map and eventually the treasure, becoming the greatest pirate who ever lived.
One Piece did so well for itself because it's one of the few popular anime series that found a massive fanbase in the West, and that was palatable even for non-anime fans. On top of that, it heavily focuses on themes of morality and friendship, which is something that can resonate with pretty much everybody. But perhaps most of all, it's lasted for a really, really long time. It's not the longest-running anime ever, but it has been airing for almost three decades with no signs of slowing down. It's a show that changed the game and brought in a ton of fans to anime and to fantasy television, which is why it became such a historic series.
6 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' (2005–2008)
Aang with glowing eyes and symbol on his forehead with moving objects in Avatar: The Last Airbender.Image via Nickelodeon
Avatar: The Last Airbender was a show that shattered the norms of its studio and challenged the idea of being a show meant for kids. The original animated series, made by Nickelodeon, is clearly inspired by Japanese anime. Even though it is a Nick cartoon, it doesn't follow the typical format of other Nick shows at all. Sure, it has its fair share of comedy, but there's actually a distinct narrative that must be watched from beginning to end in order to be fully understood.
The fact that it also includes some great action and genuine moral wisdom is only secondary to its immersive and vast world. All of these factors allow it to resonate with both kids and adults, with the show garnering a large fanbase comprised of viewers of all ages. The show even spawned a live-action Netflix adaptation, which came out in 2024 and is currently ongoing. This wasn't just a new foray for Nickelodeon, but for the fantasy genre as a whole, leaving a lasting legacy and inspiring many television screenwriters.
5 'Lost' (2004–2010)
Image via ABC
When it comes to TV, most series tend to focus on one individual protagonist, or at least a small group of them. There's a clearly defined set of both good and bad guys, which is pretty par for the course. When this happens, it is to be expected that only the main characters will have their backstories explained, while the villains generally aren't the primary focus. Lost is no such show.
Lost features a massive cast of characters, yet every single one of them gets their own chance to shine. Their backstories are shown through flashbacks, with each episode often focusing on one particular character's life before they wound up crash-landing on an uncharted island. As a result, there isn't a singular "main" character, which is definitely atypical of television. Besides that, the show isn't just a fantasy, but a sci-fi too. For these reasons, it became one of the most game-changing TV shows ever made and had the viewership and accolades to prove it.
4 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' (1997–2003)
Sarah Michelle Gellar offering a golden orb in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.Image via The WB
Created by Joss Whedon, Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a story about Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar), an adolescent girl who secretly makes a living by, you guessed it, hunting down and killing vampires, on top of other paranormal creatures. A staple of the late '90s and early 2000s, Buffy the Vampire Slayer did a lot for television and has left a lasting influence that can still be felt over two decades after its conclusion.
The main reason this show completely changed TV is that it blended the real with the surreal. Yes, it features beings from Gothic horror, but it also dealt heavily with the awkwardness of adolescence, romantic relationships, and the life lessons that come with growing up, meaning it strangely resonated with a lot of people. Plus, it's a show with a female main character, earning some bonus points for feminine empowerment. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is likely to be remembered for decades to come and is one of TV's finest achievements.
3 'Doctor Who' (1963–)
Doctor-Who-Journey's-End-David-Tennant-Billie-PiperImage via BBC
Okay, so Doctor Who is more commonly referred to as a sci-fi, which is actually correct. But it can still fit into the science fantasy genre on account of the fact that the show occasionally features paranormal creatures like vampires or werewolves. The series has been running since 1963, albeit with a few breaks in between, but the buzz surrounding it has yet to die down even a little bit. There's still a large and dedicated fanbase towards the show, and for good reason.
The story follows a shapeshifting, time-traveling extra-terrestrial being called The Doctor, who usually takes a human form. The Doctor has been played by numerous different actors, owing to his shapeshifting nature. This show is so groundbreaking, not only due to the nature of its protagonist but also in the way it delves into various genres. The fact that the protagonist can shapeshift, allowing himself to be constantly played by new actors, means the show sets itself up to continue indefinitely if it wants to, which is something not a lot of other shows have been blessed with.
2 'The Twilight Zone' (1959–1964)
Tracy Stratford holding up a doll and smiling happily in The Twilight Zone episode Living Doll.Image via CBS
The original run of Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone has a little bit of everything, blending horror, fantasy, and sci-fi all into one show. This was one of the first anthology-based TV series ever made, meaning every episode functions as its own complete story. This means viewers can pick it up or drop it at pretty much any episode and not miss anything. The show's basic premise is that it features ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, often featuring magic or aliens.
While The Twilight Zone is far from the first anthology TV show, it's one that definitely made the genre popular and that revolutionized it. It didn't just change the format of anthology series, but it completely changed the landscape of TV forever. This is because each episode features its own plot twist, and because it incorporates a bunch of different ideas from a bunch of different people. You might not realize it, but the influence of The Twilight Zone is still very much around.
1 'Game of Thrones' (2011–2019)
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Gwendoline Christie in Game of Thrones.Image via HBO
When it comes to groundbreaking fantasy television, there's no doubt that Game of Thrones would be at the top of the food chain. It's one of the most popular TV series in history, and won countless Emmy Awards throughout its eight-year run. The long and complex narrative is based on an unfinished series of novels by George R. R. Martin, and primarily follows a group of nobles squabbling over a throne whilst a supernatural threat that hasn't been seen in centuries is slowly building strength in the North.
This show provided breakout roles for many of the younger actors who starred in it, most of whom have moved on to other projects. There are a ton of reasons why Game of Thrones was as popular and revolutionary as it was, with a big one being that each episode had the budget of a multi-million dollar movie. The scale of the series is truly unmatched, and it even kick-started a wave of fantasy television. It also broke a ton of established norms for the better, which is why it's already becoming a monumental piece of television history.
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Game Of Thrones
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Drama
Action
Adventure
Fantasy
Release Date
2011 - 2019-00-00
Showrunner
David Benioff, D.B. Weiss
Directors
David Nutter, Alan Taylor, D.B. Weiss, David Benioff
Writers
D.B. Weiss, George R.R. Martin, David Benioff
Cast
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Kit Harington
Jon Snow
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Isaac Hempstead Wright
Brandon Bran Stark
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