Fantasy shows are among the most diverse seen on television. Thanks to their fantastical worlds limited only by the writer's imagination and the effects budget, they can blend traditional storytelling with otherworldly creatures to create something visually and emotionally stimulating. With the release of series like A Game of Thrones and The Witcher, the genre has been able to reach more mainstream audiences.
While these shows are set in worlds completely dominated by magic, a fair number of fantasy shows take a subtler approach. The fantastical elements are hidden just outside the common man's view, with only the main characters being aware of their existence. This often leads to them saving the magical and non-magical worlds while trying to keep the magical one hidden.
'Beauty and the Beast' (1987-1990)
This modern retelling of the classic fairytale follows Catherine, the district attorney of New York City. When she is attacked one night, she is saved by Vincent, a man-beast who lives in a secret world beneath the city. This results in a telepathic bond between the two, so Vincent can come to Catherine's aid, and in time, the two fall in love.
Beauty and the Beast was one of the earliest television writing of George R. R. Martin, the author of the A Song of Ice and Fire series. This series includes the same strong character dynamics in his later works, especially from the leads. Linda Hamilton and Ron Perlman work wonderfully off one another, and the relationship that builds between their characters provides the show with a strong emotional core.
'Buffy The Vampire Slayer' (1997-2003)
Buffy Summers is the newest Slayer, a person destined to be a superhuman warrior who fights the forces of evil. She starts off rather reluctant to fulfill her duties, however, and would rather live a normal life. With the aid of her wise Watcher and best friends, Buffy eventually accepts her destiny and defends the world from ever-growing dangers.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer broke new ground thanks to its writing and characters. It took many classic horror tropes and threw them on their heads, most notably by having a young female protagonist defeating monsters rather than running from them. The writing for the characters and episodes was sharp, with strong comradery between the main cast and balancing comedy and drama in each episode.
'Martin Mystery' (2003-2006)
Step-siblings Martin Mystery and Diana Lombard work as agents for a secret organization called The Center. Alongside an alien and a 200 thousand-year-old caveman, they travel around the world and deal with all manner of paranormal and supernatural threats. These include ghosts, mad scientists, and enraged immortal druids.
Martin Mystery combines an anime-inspired art style with pulpy science fiction and horror stories to create something unique. Every episode offers a unique new monster for the protagonists to face and plenty of insane visuals. The characters are also fun: Martin's childish obsession with all things unnatural is balanced by Diana's mature, if at times bossy, seriousness.
'Supernatural' (2005-2020)
After their mother was killed under mysterious circumstances, Dean and Sam Winchester were taught by their father how to hunt supernatural beings. Years later, the brothers are reunited when their father goes missing, and Sam's girlfriend dies just like their mother. Now they travel across America in a 1967 Chevy Impala to protect everyday people from otherworldly threats.
At over three hundred episodes, Supernatural is the longest-running show on The CW. Along with offering a plethora of supernatural entities ranging from ghosts and werewolves to the devil himself, it won audiences over thanks to its heart and character development. The brothers in particular developed a strong subculture of fans that is referenced several times in the series.
'American Dragon: Jake Long' (2005-2007)
Jake Long is your average teenager with an interesting family history. Through his mother's side, Jake can transform into a dragon and thus is responsible for overseeing the protection of the magical world in the United States of America. However, he still has to live his life as a teenage boy, which includes an unfortunate crush on a girl who is training as a dragon hunter.
Despite only lasting two seasons, this show made a lot of fans thanks to blending the classic superhero story structure with dragons. It even managed to get a crossover episode with Lilo&Stitch: The Series. However, as fun as the characters and individual episodes were, the show went through a controversial artstyle change in its second season.
'The Life and Times of Juniper Lee' (2005-2007)
In Orchid Bay City, pre-teen Juniper Lee is the new Te Xuan Ze after her grandmother retired. This means she is in charge of maintaining balance between the human and magical worlds. Since normal people can't see monsters, this leaves Juniper with few allies, save for an immortal Scottish dog and her younger brother.
The show was described by creator Judd Winick as a blend of Buffy and The Simpsons for kids. It's a very apt description: the show balances fun action and comedy pretty well, and it can get creative with the various monsters Juniper faces. Unfortunately, the show was fighting for space on Cartoon Network in the years before their dark age, so it only lasted a few seasons.
'The Secret Saturdays' (2008-2010)
The Saturdays are the world's leading researchers in cryptozoology. They travel the world to help the scientific community and use their knowledge to protect humans and cryptids from one another. However, they often have to contend with V.V. Argost, a television host who wants to find and control the most powerful cryptid.
The Secret Saturdays found an audience thanks to its intriguing story that balanced exploration, action, and a family dynamic. It never lacked creativity in its creatures and setting, which pulled inspiration from classics like Johnny Quest. After concluding, the characters would make an appearance in an episode of Ben 10: Omniverse.
'Merlin' (2008-2012)
Twenty years after he outlawed magic, King Uther Pendragon's son, Arthur, is saved from a vengeful witch by a young boy named Merlin. For this, he is made Arthur's manservant, which forces Merlin to keep his nature as a warlock secret. Yet as more and more threats to the kingdom rear their head, Merlin finds himself relying on his magic powers to keep Arthur safe in the hope that he will usher in a better era.
Merlin offers a fun take on classic Arthurian legend by having him and Merlin be of comparable age, allowing for a strong bromance to develop. While its monster-of-the-week formula can get a little stale at times, it ensures that there is always some new magical threat to look forward to each episode. It also allowed for a number of wonderful guest characters, including future Game of Thrones stars, like Charles Dance.
'Lost Girl' (2010-2016)
This Canadian-made series follows Bo, a young woman who learns that she is a succubus and that there is a world of hidden fey hiding among humanity. Rather than side with the light or dark fey, Bo chooses neutrality and starts a detective agency with her human friend to help clients from both sides. Amidst work and relationship drama, Bo also seeks to learn her origins and why she is more powerful than other fey.
Lost Girl is carried thanks to its actors, who are able to make the most out of silly situations and dialogue. The main cast fit all the supernatural-drama tropes, including the reluctant hero, the quirky best friend, and the brooding love interest. Fortunately, the writing allows for some good character development and comradery to develop over its five-season run.
'Hilda' (2018-Present)
Based on the graphic novels by Luke Pearson, Hilda, her mother, and her deer-fox Twig, live in the countryside, where Hilda spends her time interacting with mystical creatures. When her mother decides Hilda needs to socialize with fellow humans, they move to the city of Trollberg. Fortunately, there are still plenty of mystical beings for Hilda and her new friends to meet.
Hilda stands as one of Netflix's best-animated shows thanks to its unique style in art and writing. Both its world and character are grounded, which sucks you in as the audience explores the world alongside the characters. This is helped by the show using classical depictions of mythical creatures, such as tiny invisible elves and trolls that turn to stone in the daylight.