15 Most Underrated Fantasy Shows Of All Time

We love the fantasy genre because it offers a sense of escapism and the opportunity to dive into a world vastly different from our own. At the same time, the best fantasy TV shows introduce magical elements alongside characters we can connect with. The genre has seen a resurgence in the last decade or so thanks to hit series like "Game of Thrones" and "Outlander." Whether you've watched these shows or not, you've probably heard people rave (or rant) about them.

The fantasy genre is also filled with shows that never reached "Game of Thrones" status but are still worth your time. These magical worlds are filled with vampires, witches, and fairy tales, and their narratives run the gamut from historical epics to police procedurals. Their creators used their powers of imagination to conjure up these spellbinding tales, but none of them became cultural touchstones or water-cooler TV. From cult favorites to forgotten classics, here are our picks for the 15 most underrated fantasy shows of all time.

"Penny Dreadful" has just about everything you could want in a gothic horror television series, including a dashing Josh Hartnett as a bisexual werewolf cowboy, a career-best Eva Green as a mysterious, melancholic sorceress, and iconic supernatural figures like Victor Frankenstein (Harry Treadaway), Dracula (Christian Camargo), Dorian Gray (Reeve Carney), and Van Helsing (David Warner). With its dark, brooding tone and a stupendous cast, "Penny Dreadful" is one of the most evocative fantasy shows out there.

The show begins in 1891 and follows Ethan Chandler (Hartnett), an American gunslinger who travels to London after he's hired by the explorer Malcolm Murray (Timothy Dalton) and Vanessa Ives (Green) to find Murray's missing daughter, Mina Harker (Olivia Llewellyn). They are joined by the young, eccentric Dr. Frankenstein, and together they explore the darkest corners of late Victorian England. "Penny Dreadful" executes a pitch-perfect gothic aesthetic and tone, with beautiful, tortured characters that make for delicious drama. Though the finale is largely detested, it doesn't sour the show's mesmerizing three-season run.

Though Netflix only gave it 10 episodes to spread its wings, fans of "The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance" count it among their favorite fantasy shows ever. A prequel to Jim Henson's cult classic film "The Dark Crystal," the TV series honors the source material while fleshing out the characters and the themes Henson explored. Executive produced by Jim Henson's daughter Lisa Henson, the series follows three Gelflings from different clans as they embark on a quest to unite their people and defeat their tyrannical rulers, the Skeksis.

The puppetry work in "Age of Resistance" is breathtaking, and the characters exhibit a remarkable depth of emotion. The stacked voice cast, which would take far too long to list here, helps bring these carefully constructed creatures to life. While Henson often prioritized visuals over plot, "Age of Resistance" excels on both fronts. These characters have nuance, and their journeys have momentum. This powerful story of resistance and solidarity hits home, making "Age of Resistance" a spellbinding feat of storytelling and imagination.

Many fans of Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy were disappointed by the lackluster film adaptation, "The Golden Compass." Thankfully, HBO's 2019 TV adaptation righted that wrong, translating Pullman's epic ideas for the small screen. "His Dark Materials" follows Lyra Belacqua (Dafne Keen), a clever, inquisitive girl living in a world filled with magic. In Lyra's universe, which features elements of 1920s England, all humans have daemons, external manifestations of a person's soul that take the form of an animal. Lyra was raised as an orphan but is mentored by Marisa Coulter (Ruth Wilson), a powerful woman with mysterious motives.

In another universe, Will Parry (Amir Wilson) lives in modern-day Oxford and struggles to come to terms with the long-ago disappearance of his father. Lyra discovers she is the subject of a prophecy and may be the key to saving both of their worlds, prompting her and Will to embark on a quest to fulfill their destinies. Pullman's fantasy world-building rivals that of "Harry Potter," and the series brings his ideas to life with great passion and care. Both the on-screen actors and those voicing the daemons are operating on all cylinders, and Lyra and Will's journeys are beautifully told.

Years before the brooding vampires of "Angel" and "Moonlight" donned their detective apparel to become do-gooders, Nick Knight was the undead cop on the job. In the largely forgotten Canadian series "Forever Knight," Geraint Wyn Davies plays a vampire detective who works the night shift. Nick Knight hides his identity as a centuries-old bloodsucker, using his job on the Toronto police force as a way to atone for his sins. Natalie Lambert (Catherine Disher), the medical examiner, is the only one who knows his secret.

Nick is torn between his violent past and his attempt at a more humane present. His ex, Janette DuCharme (Deborah Duchêne), runs a nightclub in town, while his sire, Lucien LaCroix (Nigel Bennett), hosts a late-night radio show and attempts to bring Nick back to the dark side. Though cheesy at times, "Forever Knight" is nonetheless a thoughtful series that takes the time to explore Nick's moral dilemmas without forcing unnecessary action. With its brooding tone, gothic look, and smart writing, "Forever Knight" deserves to be remembered as a '90s cult classic.

We're pretty confident you've never seen a show quite like "Galavant." A medieval-set musical comedy, the show pokes fun at fantasy tropes while still telling a genuinely heartfelt story. The series follows Galavant (Joshua Sasse), a heroic knight on a quest to win back the love of his life. His dream girl, Madalena (Mallory Jansen), is kidnapped by the villainous King Richard (Timothy Omundson), sending Galavant on a mission to rescue his princess from her gilded cage.

The lovable weirdos of "Galavant" are a delight to watch, and our hero's quest is legitimately compelling. We've also got to give a round of applause to the songs, which were penned by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater, the minds behind "The Little Mermaid." They're catchy, hilarious, and perhaps most importantly, actually move the plot along. Sadly, the series never found its audience and was canceled after two seasons.

With its original concept and witty storytelling, "Extraordinary" is a welcome addition to an increasingly bloated superhero genre. Created by Emma Moran, the series takes place in a world where everyone gets superpowers when they turn 18. Our protagonist, Jen (Máiréad Tyers), is a 25-year-old who feels left out because she never developed any powers. All of her friends and colleagues use their powers for mundane tasks, like turning back time a few minutes so a roommate will not see an embarrassing outfit. Her friend Carrie (Sofia Oxenham) can channel dead people, while another guy uses his butt as a 3D printer.

The show is outlandish and hilarious, but it also tells a surprisingly relatable story about 20-something malaise. Jen takes in a stray cat named Jizzlord, who turns out to be a human man and eventually becomes her boyfriend, but she also grapples with the kinds of existential crises that plague young adults everywhere. Season 2 improves on the show's wildly entertaining first season, bringing these larger themes to the forefront but maintaining its absurd sense of humor. "Extraordinary" never received a third season, but its brief run was enough to illustrate its brilliance.

The Syfy series "The Magicians" did the near-impossible: It adapted a book series and actually improved on the source material. Based on Lev Grossman's trilogy, the show follows a group of grad students with magical powers, or put another way, it's "Harry Potter" for adults. Quentin Coldwater (Jason Ralph) has been obsessed with magic since he was a child and is surprised to learn that his favorite fantasy books growing up are more fact than fiction. Quentin enrolls at Brakebills University to study magic, where he and his friends confront a growing threat in the magical world.

"The Magicians" deepens and expands on the characters from the book, presenting a fantasy series that prioritizes character growth just as much as fantasy plots. Tonally, the series strikes a balance between extremes. It's often silly but always self-aware, with a lighthearted tone that at times feels like it belongs on the CW. But "The Magicians" also takes its characters and their struggles seriously, tackling important issues like addiction, mental health, and trauma. These darker themes give the far-fetched show weight, grounding it in our world.

"Wynonna Earp" was the little Canadian show that could. Created by Emily Andras, who previously worked on the fantasy show "Lost Girl," "Wynonna Earp" is "Buffy" meets ice-cold Western. Melanie Scrofano plays the title character, who reluctantly returns to her hometown of Purgatory. The great-great-granddaughter of Western hero Wyatt Earp, Wynonna inherits her family's gift — and it's curse. Using her ancestral gun, Peacemaker, Wynonna vanquishes hordes of vengeful demons known as revenants. She's assisted by her little sister, Waverly (Dominique Provost-Chalkley), as well as some new and old friends around town.

"Wynonna Earp" quickly found its niche with fans, who delighted in the show's witty, referential take on the fantasy genre. The series also garnered a devoted group of LGBTQ fans, who were deeply moved by the relationship between Waverly and Nicole (Katherine Barrell), known as WayHaught. When the show found itself in TV purgatory following a delayed Season 4, fans launched a campaign to bring it back. Viewers were moved by the show's powerful storytelling, scrappy characters, goofy humor, and the sense of community surrounding it. The show was ultimately canceled after its fourth season, prompting another fan campaign that was rewarded with a revival movie.

In 2003, Bryan Fuller, later known for "Pushing Daisies" and "Hannibal," developed his first show, which has since been lost to the television graveyard. "Dead Like Me" follows a group of grim reapers as they collect souls from the dying, making it a workplace drama with a supernatural premise. The series stars Ellen Muth as George, an 18-year-old girl who dies in a freak accident after being crushed by a toilet seat that fell from a space station. Rather than transitioning into the afterlife, George becomes a grim reaper, and her new (unpaid) job involves escorting souls to the other side. Her mentor, who delivers assignments via Post-it notes, is Rube (Mandy Patinkin), an optimistic old soul with plenty of wisdom to share.

"Pushing Daisies" fans will recognize and appreciate the show's off-kilter sense of humor, and its kooky premise is supported by charming actors like Patinkin. However, "Dead Like Me" never got the chance to reach its full potential, as Fuller left the show during its first season due to creative differences, and Showtime canceled the series after two seasons.

"Castlevania" may be the best vampire show you've never seen. A rare Netflix series to receive more than two seasons, the show distinguished itself from other content on the platform through thoughtful writing and evocative visuals. Based on a Japanese video game series, "Castlevania" breathes new life into the Dracula mythos. In this version of events, Vlad Dracula Țepeș (voiced by Graham McTavish) gives in to his demonic side after the townspeople of Wallachia burn his wife at the stake. He responds by vowing to massacre the entire town.

Trevor Belmont (Richard Armitage) is the only thing standing between Wallachia and total destruction. The sole remaining member of a family of monster hunters, Trevor teams up with Dracula's half-human, half-vampire son Alucard (James Callis) and Sypha Belnades (Alejandra Reynoso), a powerful witch. The show's gorgeous animation style borrows from gothic art as well as the games, painting with dark colors and fluid movements. "Castlevania" is plenty bloody and violent, but its characters are richly drawn, and the battles are more impactful thanks to careful storytelling.

Before he was Dr. Robbie on "The Pitt," Noah Wyle was Flynn Carsen, a "Doctor Who"-esque character in a series of TNT films. Those films inspired "The Librarians," a 2014 series that expands on that magical world. The Library contains all of human knowledge and stores magical artifacts. The Librarian retrieves these artifacts when they escape into the world, while a Guardian is tasked with protecting the Librarian. Flynn has been the sole Librarian for years, until three new Librarians, along with a new Guardian, are hired. The series follows this shake-up as the new Librarians adjust to their roles and tackle magical cases.

"The Librarians" is unashamedly goofy, and even when the fate of the world is at stake, things remain lighthearted. The series has a lot in common with "Warehouse 13," and its adventure elements are sort of like "Indiana Jones" for nerds. At its best, "The Librarians" balances monster-of-the-week plots with compelling, series-long questions about the nature of the Library and those who work there. The cast has warm, crackling chemistry that helps smooth over any rough edges.

"Grimm" is the platonic ideal of a supernatural police procedural. Co-created by "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel" alum David Greenwalt, "Grimm" follows Nick Burkhardt (David Giuntoli), a homicide detective based in Portland, Oregon. Nick discovers he's a Grimm, meaning he's part of a lineage of supernatural guardians tasked with protecting the boundary between the human and non-human worlds. Using his skills as a police detective, Nick hunts mythical creatures known as Wesen.

Like the best genre procedurals, "Grimm" blends case-of-the-week episodes with the show's broader mythology, which deepens as the season goes on. Nick makes for an interesting protagonist because he's far from a naive civilian when we first meet him — his experiences as a cop make him a competent, if cynical, monster hunter. Nick's friends and loved ones also help deepen the show's mythology. There's Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell), a Wesen who gives Nick access to his world, and Juliette (Bitsie Tulloch), who becomes much more than Nick's girlfriend as the show progresses. The series cleverly builds its mythology alongside rewarding character development, and we're hopeful that the revival news will bring about a "Grimm" resurgence.

Though its protagonist is 10 years old, "Sweet Tooth" is far from a children's show. On paper, the premise can be a hard sell. Set a decade after a global pandemic devastates humanity, the show follows Gus (Christian Convery), a part-human, part-deer boy. Gus is one of many hybrid children born post-apocalypse with both animal and human body parts. Sheltered and candy-loving, Gus is forced to face the harsh reality of the world while searching for his mother. Tommy Jepperd (Nonso Anozie), a former hybrid hunter, becomes Gus's unwitting guardian.

The show walks a thin line between sweet and saccharine, as well as bleak and gripping. Much of "Sweet Tooth" rests on Convery's shoulders, and he delivers in spades with his bighearted, forthright performance. The storylines involving adults give us a much darker look at this reality, but hope remains. This mix of post-pandemic tragedy and optimism recalls "Station Eleven," another show that follows life after the end of the world. "Sweet Tooth" is a gorgeous, strange story with consistent emotional payoff, and all three seasons are worth watching.

If you weren't yet TV-watching age at the turn of the millennium, it's unlikely you've heard of "The 10th Kingdom," an epic fantasy miniseries once watched by millions. The titular 10th kingdom is New York City, where the heroine, Virginia (Kimberly Williams), an overworked waitress, lives with her father, Tony (John Larroquette). When a golden retriever who's actually a prince enters their world, they travel with him back to the fairy tale realm from which he hails. They are pursued by three inept trolls and a wolfman aptly named Wolf (Scott Cohen), who is sent by the Evil Queen (Dianne Wiest).

"The 10th Kingdom" is not good in an objective sense, but it is undeniably amazing. Everything about the show is corny, including the laughably outdated special effects. But the unhinged yet earnest approach to fairy tales is impossible to look away from. Craig Tomashoff of the New York Times described the show as "like the Grimm Brothers' Greatest Hits, as interpreted by Woody Allen," which isn't totally off the mark. The characters have compelling emotional arcs, and the cast is impressive, but the show's absurdities are where it shines. Where else can you find a sheep-themed interpretation of "We Will Rock You" called "We Will Shear You" alongside a riddle-speaking frog with a Jamaican accent? Nowhere.

Heath Ledger was a bona fide movie star, beloved for his performances in films like "The Dark Knight" and "10 Things I Hate About You." But Ledger got his start in television on a forgotten series he starred in when he was just 17 years old. On "Roar," which premiered on Fox in 1997, Ledger plays Conor, an Irishman living in 400 AD. Described by series writer Lawrence Meyers as "not quite 'Braveheart' and not quite 'Xena,'" the show follows Conor as he attempts to unite his people in a battle against the Romans. His fellow freedom fighters include teen magician Tully (Alonzo Greer) and former Roman slave Caitlin (Vera Farmiga, in one of her first roles).

Sebastian Roché plays Longinus, an immortal sorcerer and the show's main villain. Conor's primary objective is to generate a "roar" that embodies the life force of his people and can defeat the colonizers threatening them. "Roar" never achieved the popularity of fantasy shows like "Hercules" and "Xena," and Fox canceled the show before it concluded its first season. That's a shame, because Ledger's talents are clearly on display here, and while its self-seriousness can lean corny, the show has all the makings of a cult classic.